Kunzite, The Sultry American Gem

Day 2 of Gemstone Wishlist for Tuscon:

Kunzite

This Gemstone doesn’t need a lot of talking up, you might say all it needs to do is wink in the candle light 😉 because The rare pale purply-pink color is enough to get most people’s attention.

This Unique stone, is often considered an All-American beauty, found in the USA and named after a famous American! Kunzite was originally found in Southern California, in 1902, and is considered to be a rich part of the Tiffany & Co. History as it was identified and named by a Tiffany’s Gemologist George Kunz. Kunzite is a stunning lilac to powder pink colored gemstone and gets its coloring from Manganese. Like any fair skinned beauty, the sun is damaging to the color of this gemstone, so it is best at cocktail parties and late night rendezvous (I know right, how sensually perfect.)

Tiffany & Co. even used this collector’s size 175.00Ct + Kunzite, in this Necklace, for its 175^th Anniversary in September of last year.

Here are some other incredible Kunzite pieces from Tiffany & Co.:

And One Stunning Kunzite and Amethyst Necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels:

If you must have more Kunzite in your life check out this more scientific profile on gemstone.org:

http://www.gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=129:sapphire&catid=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14

And if you are looking to buy… be prepared to pay a pretty penny for this beauty of the night 😉 (Oh Stop…I’m Sorry I couldn’t resist.)

Zultanite, The Sultan of Gems

Day 1 of  The Gemstone Wishlist for Tuscon

Zultanite “The Sultan of Gems”, is an incredibly rare and relatively new Gemstone. At first glance you may not be able to put a finger on what color it is. That is because it’s a member of the elite class of natural ‘color changing’ gemstones. Meaning the color changes as it reflects different light sources. The range of color is mesmerizing as it shifts from rich blush champagne hues, through golden yellows into kiwi greens.

One of the most rare gemstones on earth, Zultanite comes from only one mine in the Anatolian mountains of Turkey, once ruled by the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Zultanite, takes it’s name from th

ose same 36 Sultans.

Aside from Zultanite’s impressive rarity, color display and cultural richness, it is also a leader in ‘Green’. Diamond and Gemstone mining can be extremely harsh on the environment, some of which is unavoidable but the Zultanite mine takes a special interest in recycling water to avoid soil contamination and planting 10 trees for every one cut down. Furthermore, since the stone is sold only in its natural complexion, (no chemical, radiation or other enhancements are ever done to the stone), the overall carbon footprint of each polished Zultanite is significantly lower than most gemstones.The mining company, Ottoman Gems also takes a major stance on equality, hiring women and men alike for fair labor prices, and education, donating supplies and learning tools to local schools.

If you are not convinced on why Zultanite is the at the very top of my Gemstone Wishlist, check out the amazing things these Couture Jewelers are designing around Zultanite:

—Stephen Webster—

—Erica Courtney—

And now that you are totally hooked and enamored go visit the site for yourself:

http://www.zultgems.com/

The Whale of all Rings & The Woman with a Blowfish Ring

While the majority of the jewelry I handle is fine fashion jewelry (meaning it incorporates genuine diamonds and gemstones), every now and then something fun and costume comes along and thoroughly delights me. This week’s find was a WHALE ring, (insert: love, confusion, happiness, disgust, whotheheckmadethis? And of course total obsession)!

It’s the kind of ring most people would never dream of and yet never forget, which brings me to my point, I was trying to make a few posts ago: Jewelry is personal! It doesn’t have to be pretty to be great, it just needs to be you. Being you doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a fact about you either, like an initial, your zodiac, your birthstone, or anything else incredibly literal. Sometimes it just needs to be something you unexplainably are drawn to.

——————————————————————————————————

 

 

nce upon a time, I went to a bar in a chic little boutique hotel to meet an old friend of mine. My friend, though fabulous, was running a little late (which is impressive that she was later than I, because I am late for everything… so much so that a different friend of mine once told me she did not want to be my friend anymore because I was always late for dinners and lunches-needless to say we don’t really speak anymore). So I took up a seat next to a fabulous looking middle aged woman wearing great clothes and having her hair and makeup done splendidly (I gravitate towards women I think I might want to be like when I grow up).

There she sat drinking her ultra-sophisticated whiskey mixed drink (I don’t actually have a clue what she was drinking, but I have decided in my memory that whatever it was, was way more impressive and alluring than the Pyrate Rum I was drinking. Arg..-sorry I couldn’t resist), And just as she lifted her glass to her lips it happened… something sparkled (and we all know I can’t resist), so blurted out “wow what and incredible ring can I please see it?”

A little shocked, probably at the fact that I basically shouted in excitement (half at this ring which I couldn’t make out and half at the opportunity to talk to this woman whom I found totally enchanting), She turned to me nearly spitting out her drink, took a big gulp and said “Oh this, sure.”

To my surprise, (I mean total shock and aww!) the reason I could not make out what the ring was, is that it was BLOWFISH. I had never in a million pieces of jewelry seen a blowfish or even thought of one as anything, let alone a ring, especially not a Gold and Diamond ring, (we are talking like a 10 thousand dollar gold and diamond ring).

This was naturally intriguing to me and I proceeded to ask the woman 999 questions about the ring and her as a person, her profession and what she wanted out of life, eventually spilling into politics and all sorts of other topics which I inevitably forgot about (since it was at a bar), but I would never forget the Woman with a Blowfish ring. The beginning of the End.

Moral of the Story: be Unique in your choices and no one will ever forget you!

What is your most Unique piece? Is it Memorable?

The Diamond Finger Trap

As the samples for the new year roll into my office I find it part of my duty to try on Every single piece (I know my life is terrible; Pity me immediately.) Usually this works out well because mass market samples are generally my size exactly! But, when I say exactly, I mean… Exactly. There is one little problem with that and it usually starts with a ring with a thick band. (If you have ever played with a Chinese Finger Trap, then you may know exactly where this story is going.)

There I am sitting at my desk covered in samples and I gravitate towards the super thick, ultra chic band with stars in it. (Now let me just say that after being in this industry for years now and I SHOULD know better, but I let the sparkly excitement go to my head.) I push the ring right on to my finger and there it is snuggly on my hand with no room to go anywhere. And it starts… Panic. Your heart has this inconvenient habit of beating really fast and extremely hard, when your finger sends a signal to your brain that it is trapped and may be severed from your body, (which is a totally irrational reaction to a ring being a little snug, but it is a finger and fingers don’t have brain of their own).

Fortunately, (or unfortunately that I have the same problem time and time again), I know how to deal with a situation like this and now feel that it is my obligation to share it with you as well. When you have a ring stuck on your finger and absolutely cannot get it off, don’t reach for the soap, the lotion, the peanut butter or shove your whole finger in your mouth, (while all of these things may or may not work, you then have the unfortunate need to get peanut butter out from behind, between, on top, and underneath your diamonds… yeah gross), instead reach for Windex. Windex works every time, and it does not leave disgustingness all over the ring which you obviously liked enough to force onto your hand.

Follow these Steps:

1)      Apply some Windex to points where your finger meets the ring.

2)      Twist the ring back and forth. Don’t pull because then you get that Chinese finger trap effect I was telling you about.

3)      When you feel the Windex has lubricated the full inside of the ring start to *Twist the ring toward the edge of your finger until you are able to get it over the knuckle.

4)      **Ta Da** Free Finger. Clean Ring. Happy You!

 

This Incident does also bring me to another issue- How to purchase a thick banded chic ring as seen in all the magazines as of late?

 

A Good rule of Ring:

The thicker the band of the ring the bigger the size needs to be. If the band you are looking at is twice the width or more of the band you normally wear opt for a full size up. If you have a tendency to swell, consider going two sizes up, that way on a bloated day you can still wear your ring, and on a slimmer day you can simply switch fingers for a really on trend look.

Fine Jewelry Fabulous in the Gym

Once upon a time in a land very near to here, people of all sizes and shapes celebrated a season of holidays with laughter, joy, and feasts. This was a very special season where everyone grew to their happiest plumpness, no matter their shape or size. The last holiday was a very special one where they all made new goals and resolutions to do all the things they always wanted to and be even better people in the year to come. The Beginning of the End.

 

If you are anything like myself or the other 50 bigillion people who say “this year I am going to get fit! It’s a New Year and I resolve to be sexier!” (first of all: good luck, as most of us fall off the wagon in less than a month) Here are some tips on being Fine Jewelry Fabulous in the gym:

 

DON’T: go to the gym looking utterly disgusting, if you feel bad about yourself while you are there you will only want to leave prematurely. The better you feel standing in ALL of those mirrors (since gyms always seem to be a giant 3-way mirror with largely unflattering angles. Or maybe it is just the stark comparison of standing next to a gym rat who live and breathes to be physically superior… L ) the better you will engage in your work out.

DO: Wear Diamond or Gemstone Studs to the Gym!! (when you have your hair pulled back in a ponytail and a pair of studs in you will feel like a million bucks which is proven to be good for your health.)

MAYBE: Wear a 16” very small pendant or necklace. (not a long layering neck ornament that could get trapped in the treadmill and strangle you to death. That would be a terrible obituary. *Also, I say maybe because I for sure always do this but recognize that others may think its totally ridiculous…whatever I’m FJF!)

MAYBE: Wear a tennis bracelet or diamond by the yard bracelet, if it is secure and depending on what kind of workout you are doing. (not a bunch of bangles, That’s just annoying to… EVERYONE. *Again, I only say maybe because although I never take off my tennis bracelets, I recognize that not everyone is comfortable with this.)

DON’T: Wear rings. (your hands will naturally do really weird things like swell or shrink while your heart is pumping so much harder than usual. And if you are lifting weights, it’s a good way to hurt yourself or severely damage your Pretties.)

DON’T: Wear Perfume. (….just gross. Don’t do it!)

Obviously: If your workout is Krav Maga or any other martial arts/contact sport or maybe even a boot camp disregard this and follow their safety rules.

Resolve to Get More Personal!

Once upon a time jewelry was about elegance, nothing more and nothing less. Primary concerns were stone quality, rarity, and craftsmanship. Every piece was pretty and in line with the times. But earthquakes shook the world, as did wars and women’s rights and those dainty little whispers of jewelry faded and resurfaced as bold hideous yelling monstrosities, only to be cast off into a period of minimalism.  As the world continued to rumble ghosts of jewelry past reemerged some as whispers some as shouts but all with voices singing the truth. The Beginning of the End.

 

 

(Image from Jenniferfisherjewelry.com)

 

If you have been in a cave for the past decade you may have missed the growing trend towards personalized everything. But never fear you can catch up with a few key sites and designers at varying price points. Make it a part of your 2013 New Years Resolution to add more of yourself into your accessories closet 😉

 

 

(Image from Maxandchloe.com)

 

Although you can find statement pieces in pretty much any store (I even found a super cool mask pendant in Goodwill once), there are some leaders of cool in the business of personal statements. These are some of my Faves:

 

http://jenniferfisherjewelry.com/index.php

http://www.maxandchloe.com/West-Avenue-Jewelry

http://www.gemvara.com/About-Us/pages/v/about/

http://heathermoorejewelry.com/

Santa gave me my Career ;)

Walking into any retailer during the holidays is a magical event with towers of sparkling goodies and sale signs held up by satin ribbons! But what if those pretty red boxes filled with every color of gemstone stud earrings you could imagine had been late to the party? What if all your holiday dreams were crushed because the earrings you saw in the ad weeks ago and had planned to buy for your mother, sister, grandmother and self weren’t in the store? Holiday gift giving might be ruined if vendors like myself (by self I mean my company, because I certainly do not do anything in this industry alone) did not deliver their goods on time.  And, I certainly do Not want to be on #teamIruinedchristmas! Which is why I spent the weekend trying to set Fancy colors of Topaz into sterling silver stud earrings by hand with minimal tools in an office definitely not equipped for doing so. 

Luckily I was prepared years ago, by a little toy Hasbro called “Treasure Rocks”.  [Thank you Santa!] You see the earrings which needed to be shipped, well let’s just say yesterday, for arguments sake, came to us in two parts. Part one was the loose stones. Part two was the “snap set” four prong earring posts. So, the general idea is… Exactly the same, push the stones into the mounting until you hear a click or “snap”… Or it would have been, at least, if the stones and the mountings matched up properly.  Unfortunately for us, our “snap sets” were not very snappy and we had to resort to other methods of completion.
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOergLnbDoc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

What childhood toys led you to your destiny?