Some people just love color. It makes them buoyant. They are unafraid to wear it and when they do, they just feel “right.” Cue the autumn color palette: butterscotch, pumpkin, wine red, deep yellow, bright green… In the front pendant, we combined cinnamon color garnets with diamonds from an old bracelet of hers. She wears this torsade with her sunstone, sapphire, and brown diamond earrings. 

 The client tells me that she "wears it all the time and whenever I do, I get compliments. It goes with nothing and everything, so it's a neutral as far as I'm concerned."

What people are saying:

"Inspirational"

"Glorious"

"Beautiful necklace Diana ... love your use of color and the unique look in this piece "

"I think the world is hungry for information about gemstones and jewelry..... sharing knowledge about gems and jewelry Is a great thing !"

"L O V E. A smorgasbord of gems Absolutely stunning "

"Gorgeous Workmanship"

"So wearable and versatile. Loving the use of all the color and shapes of stones. Well done."

As you all know, I love rubies and sapphires (they are the same mineral but differently colored) because they are beautiful, rare, AND durable. So it should come as no surprise that when I saw this 2-carat, glowing ruby from Tajikistan , I had to have it for my client. Well, she had to have it, so lucky for me!

This ruby is a swirl of rich red and deep magenta with a lot of brilliance. It’s rare to find such brilliance in a ruby and the round shape (unusual in large rubies) and carat size are very compelling. We decided that stone needed crisp white diamonds to give her the field, and a little motion to allow her to sparkle in any direction. Platinum was the metal of choice. Et voila! A ruby icicle is born.

A bit about the geographic origin of this stone. Most rubies are found in Burma, Madagascar, Mozambique, and other parts of Africa. Tajikistan is off the radar because it lies between some of the other “stans” including Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The location for the ruby mining is high in the Pamir Mountains and only accessible via the Khyber Pass or “Quirkistan “ Airlines, as noted by famed gemologist Richard Hughes in his lab article about searching for rubies here. So totally remote that I’m not even sure how this stone migrated to the dealer in New York City from whom I bought it. For my client and I, the origin added to the gem's allure. That allure or mystery is part of the fun of collecting jewelry and gems.

One of my favorite client services is the ability to access the rare and the beautiful and design a piece around them so we can wear them all the time. This Tajiki ruby screamer is living her best life.

This before and after photo collage shows what we can do with a well-loved engagement set when the owner wants to wear it differently. We designed a compass so she can always find her True North. Heirloom renewal is one of our favorite things to do.

One of the benefits of online business is developing relationships with good people from all over the globe. This allows me to bring you rare and nearly unobtainable gems at very advantageous prices. I’ve studied gemology and obtained by Graduate Gemologist certification in order to serve my clients from a place of knowledge and now, I can use that knowledge to develop new connections with confidence.

As a lover of sapphire and ruby, I sell a lot of these stones to people interested in buying durability along with gorgeous color. The sapphires and rubies of Burma (Myanmar) are considered among the finest in the world for pure color. For many years, our trade borders were closed by sanctions due to the military takeover of this country. Those sanctions, lifted in 2016 with the release from home confinement of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, allowed us to reconnect and import from Burma. The latest military coup has caused disruption once again and cut off some of our miners and gem dealers.

For all of my life as a jeweler, I’ve focused on buying stones from ethical sources and have scoured the industry for those whose stones were mined responsibly and who paid a fair price at the local level. Much to my delight, I’ve formed a connection with a woman specializing in Burmese sapphires and rubies at very advantageous prices. I have been buying them straight from the miners and their local representatives so that all of the money from my purchases goes straight to the miners’ villages and families. It has been a blessing for all of us and I am more than glad to help them by buying their beautiful, rare stones. I don’t know how long that will continue, though, with the internet shut down, bank staff strikes, and scrambled mail created by this latest coup. It is likely that the prices for these stones will rise.

A little-known fact: the business side of the Burmese gem trade is primarily run by women. The men do the mining…

My Burmese connection reports “Banks have not been opened so no funds are able to go through. There's talk about stopping an outpour of money being withdrawn through the ATM as people are starting to panic.

The poor are being supported by the rich for the moment in Mogok. I was told that people that have are helping those that don't. And they were giving out water and food in the past few days. With no outside help it must be really worrying for so many of the people we know.
We're talking about what we can do in terms of helping. The biggest worry right now is the length of time it takes for services to resume as many of the bank staff are on strike. People are living day to day not knowing when everything is going to become peaceful again

The Burmese people themselves are incredibly kind, honest, and hardworking. I’ve been treated ethically and honestly and am very happy to create jewelry with such good vibes in it. Look for these stones to make their debut and do call if you want first pick. I’ve had a lot of interest and no stone is repeatable. In this world of mass merchandise, Burmese sapphires are all the more precious because they are rare and each stone has a depth of color that pulls the eye in and keeps it there.

One of the benefits of online business is developing relationships with good people from all over the globe. This allows me to bring you the rare and formerly unobtainable except by developing discreet, potentially unfortunate connections in far-flung places. I’ve always studied gemology in order to serve my clients from a place of knowledge and now, I can use that knowledge to develop new connections with confidence.

As a lover of sapphire and ruby, I sell a lot of these stones to people interested in buying durability along with gorgeous color. The sapphires and rubies of Burma (Myanmar) are considered the finest in the world for pure color. For many years, our trade borders were closed due to the military “leadership” of this country. Those sanctions, lifted with the release from home confinement of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, allowed us to reconnect and import from Burma. The latest military coup has caused disruption once again and forced some of our miners and gem dealers there back into isolation.

For all of my life as a jeweler, I’ve focused on buying stones from ethical sources and have scoured the industry for those whose stones were mined responsibly and who paid a fair price at the local level. Much to my delight, I’ve formed a connection with a woman specializing in Burmese sapphires and rubies at very advantageous prices. I have been buying them straight from the miners and their local representatives so that all of the money from my purchases goes straight to the miners’ villages and families. It has been a blessing for all of us and I am more than glad to help them by buying their beautiful, rare stones. I don’t know how long that will continue, though, with the internet shut down created by their totalitarian government.

A little-known fact: the business side of the Burmese gem trade is primarily run by women. The men do the mining…

My Burmese connection reports “Banks have not been opened so no funds are able to go through. There's talk about stopping an outpour of money being withdrawn through the ATM as people are starting to panic.

The poor are being supported by the rich for the moment in Mogok. I was told that people that have are helping those that don't. And they were giving out water and food in the past few days. With no outside help it must be really worrying for so many of the people we know.
We're talking about what we can do in terms of helping. The biggest worry right now is the length of time it takes for services to resume as many of the bank staff are on strike. People are living day to day not knowing when everything is going to become peaceful again.” Something very important comes up again and again in our conversations.

The Burmese people themselves are incredibly kind, honest, and hardworking. I’ve been treated ethically and honestly and am very happy to create jewelry with such good vibes in it. Look for these stones to make their debut and do call if you want first pick. I’ve had a lot of interest and no stone is repeatable. In this world of mass merchandise, Burmese sapphires are all the more precious because they are rare, and each stone is a rich color unto itself.

When we get a piece of jewelry, we naturally focus on our own reason for the acquisition. Is it a birthday or anniversary? A gift to self after a tough slog at work? We rarely think about the fact that we are part of a long line of humans who have been wearing and cherishing jewelry for millennia. This is particularly true of our wedding jewelry which is so dominated by diamonds: big, sparkly diamonds surrounded by more diamonds. We assume that betrothal jewelry was always a symbol of love, which it most definitely was NOT.

Rings as tokens of love originated in Ancient Egypt with gold in a starring role. According to GIA, “It was the Egyptian pharaohs who first used rings to represent eternity. That’s because a circle has no beginning and no end and reflects the shape of the sun and the moon, which the Egyptians worshipped. The Egyptians also thought that the open space in the middle of a ring represented a gateway to the unknown. The Egyptian ouroboros (oor-uh-boor-ros) rings portrayed a serpent swallowing its tail, representing the eternal cycle of things. The ouroboros is one of the oldest symbols in the world, and its name means “tail devourer” in Greek."

Rings, as tokens of household commitment began in ancient Rome. around 100 BCE. A marriage contract was akin to a business contract: “Aurelius hands over control of his household to Octavia…” Essentially, the "ownership" of the woman passed from her father to her husband. This ring shown in this photo was a rather ornate version of a typical iron band. It looks like a key, meant to give the wearer the key to her husband’s home. The use of iron symbolizes strength and permanence.

Her friends Claudia and Augusta wore iron bracelets (which feel a bit hand-cuffish to me but…)

It took about 100 years for women to get sick of wearing only iron, which rusts, is rough, and otherwise is no fun at all. Moving along to the 2nd century, betrothal was not legally binding although marriages had to be granted the right of “connubium” meaning a couple could live together if either one was not already married, a eunuch, or not related by blood. It was simply a vow of “present consent.” But now, Octavia got an iron ring to wear at home and a gold ring or bracelet for public outings to symbolize wealth.

At some point in Roman culture, it was law that a woman should receive both an engagement ring AND a wedding ring, so we can thank them for our present day delight in two rings.

The 4th century gives us simple gold betrothal bands with engraving inside. Still, the engravings were not private declarations of love but an affirmation of his trust in the woman to make a home. Note that we still use interior engraving but now, it is a symbol of love.

In the 5th century Rome, the betrothal ring was actually handled by a priest, who touched it to three fingers of the bride reciting “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” and put it on the fourth finger of the left hand. At that time, Romans mistakenly believed the “Venus Amoris” or “vein of love” leading straight to the heart existed in what we call the “ring finger” now.

Pope Nicholas decreed that the ring stated a “man’s intent to marry.” It seems that the concept of intention and commitment originated more formally within the Roman Catholic Church. Apparently, many women who received betrothal “token hoops” were later left by the side of the road. This resulted in ruining a woman’s life, as she was thought to be rejected and then permanently shamed. The Church saw this happening and decided to do something about it. Gold was the material of choice although it was not uncommon for the man to wear the gold version and women to wear the silver.

In the 7th century engagement rings were so large that they were worn on the thumb.

Stay tuned for another installment of Engagement Rings and Tokens Through History

In a jewelry wardrobe, good chains are a must. They add texture, style, and security to treasured pendants. As necklaces or bracelets, a richly woven or hand-crafted chain is a stand-alone statement. Layers of thinner chains delight the eye with multiple textures or colors. I’m a chain addict from way back.

Chains can be twisted, woven, worn across the chest, or backwards. They can hold brooches and rings, multiple pendants, pearls, charms, lockets, amulets, urns, vases, and loosely wrapped bits of coral or shell that you found on the most beautiful beach you ever saw. And let’s not forget our wrists. Vintage bracelets, tin-cup pearls or beads, or gorgeous wire links make beautiful, easy to wear statements that we can enjoy because we wear them where we can see them.

Happily for us, my office colleague of over 15 years is an expert chain maker. He has made chains for so many of you and they are things of enduring beauty. When you and I make new pendants together, I always know which chain you already have so we can make it slide onto that chain. It’s a practical investment because you buy it once and it’s beautiful forever. He also does chain repairs on your existing treasures.

Here are some photos of chains my clients love that we can make in the shop. There are also places to buy chains we don’t make, so that’s always an option. My other favorite chain dealers make theirs in Germany and Italy and I’ve bought many from them over time.

If you are a bracelet girl like me, you want to wear all of them all the time. Over many years, I’ve made and repaired so many bracelets I can’t even count them. The single biggest weak spot on any bracelet is the clasp, as you might figure, so I thought I’d write about the different kinds, their benefits and pitfalls, so you could check (and secure) your stash or bring them to me for checking and repair. Some wear out over time and may cause loss.

Box clasps create seamless continuity around a bracelet because we can apply stones, filigree, and texturing that is meant to disguise the closure. A box clasp at its simplest is just that: a box built with a slot that receives the “tongue” which slides in and snaps in place. Box clasps are great because they don’t disrupt our design.

You can see the underside mechanism, as well as two side locks. These locks are really important extra security measures.  One disadvantage with box clasps is that since they respond to pressure, we sometimes inadvertently press down on the clasp during wear and it will pop open. The little side locks can save us from losing the bracelet. But even these little locks need to be examined and re-shaped after a long time of wear and tear. A second thing to watch out for in a box clasp is the wearing down of the tongue. Years of wear can remove the spring tension and decrease the thickness of the metal, thus loosening the bonding power of the two pieces. Many times, we can repair these.

Lobster and Spring Ring Clasps

Although not as beautiful as box clasps, my personal favorite clasp for security are lobsters and spring rings because they don’t open under inadvertent pressure or yanking. We can make them beautiful by adding stones, and changing their shape without changing their functionality. I think they last the longest of any clasp and are most secure. But even these clasps need attention: sometimes the closure needs tightening or the spring ring needs a new spring. But I’ve had less slippage and many fewer repairs for clients who have these clasps.

Toggle Clasps

Toggles are probably the oldest form of clasp. They certainly are the simplest. Toggles can be highly decorative, so they bridge the gap between box clasps and lobsters. Toggles can be heavily decorated, and the bar can be used as a charm or they can be very simple. The key to making toggles are the measurements of the opening and the bar. The bar must be generously long to stay put without being so long that it won’t pass completely into the opening. Needless to say, toggles can unclasp and the piece can fall off during wear because they are a relatively loose structure. But there are ways to create a toggle that is more secure than average. We’ve done is a few times in the studio, although, regrettably, I don’t have any photos.