December Gems!
Welcome December!!!
December is finally here and with it, brings us one month closer to 2021! 2020 has been an interesting year to say the least, and I know I’m really looking forward to the promise of a New Year on the horizon!
December also highlights my two favorite gemstones as birthstones for the month. Turquoise, with it’s variety of blues, greens and interesting patterns and Zircon, with it’s fiery flashes of light. Both stones are very unique and very different from one another, but both are also so beautiful!
I’ll start with turquoise. Turquoise is a stone that comes with so much history, lore and fascination. It’s prized for it’s perfection of color and interesting patterns. The most valuable turquoise possesses a soft and pleasing blue tone, reminiscent of Robin’s Egg blue. Turquoise was known and used as an ornament in antiquity. The earliest direct reference to turquoise occurs in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics*.
Turquoise ranges in color from beautiful sky-blue to pale green and present a wide diversity of shades. The most valuable stones contain no inclusions, however, as turquoise mines have become depleted over the years, this has changed. Now, the most highly sought gems come from mines that are no longer in operation, such as Bisbee, Orville Jack and a few others.
The most important deposits of turquoise are found in Persia, Central Asia, and the Southwestern portion of the United States.
Turquoise owes it’s color to the presence of copper in it’s molecule and iron exerts an influence over the color of the gem. The blue shades of turquoise are more readily influenced by copper, while the green shades have a greater presence of iron compounds.
Turquoise is a rather soft gem, and therefore needs care when wearing or working with the stone. Because the stone is rather porous in nature, it will easily absorb oils especially if it’s not a sealed stone. (I learned this the hard way with an unsealed sleeping beauty gem, and hand lotion). I always recommend removing your soft stone jewelry before applying lotion, washing hands, or bathing. Also, never put turquoise in an ultrasonic as the vibration can cause the gem to crack along any stress points.
Natural turquoise stone paired with a sparkling blue Zircon
Zircon is another one of my favorite gems, and is in an entirely different spectrum than turquoise. Zircon boasts bold flashes of light and refraction, making everyone aware of it’s beauty and presence. One of the things I love the most about Zircon is how brightly the gems shine! Zircon is best known as a colorless diamond imitation, but it appears in many different colors. Zircon is NOT the artificial gem material called Cubic Zirconia…which is an entirely different material, and not at all a beautiful as natural Zircon.
Blue, Golden and Raspberry Zircon stones
Zircon was widely used as a diamond simulant during the early 1900s. For that reason, many people have never really seen zircon. In the Middle Ages, Zircon was thought to induce sound sleep, drive away evil spirits, and promote riches, honor, and wisdom.Blue zircon was a particular favorite in Victorian times, when fine gems were often featured in English estate jewelry dating from the 1880s. Gemologist George Kunz—Tiffany’s famed gem buyer—was a notable zircon advocate. He once proposed the name “starlite” to promote the gem’s fiery nature. The name never caught on.**
*Source: “Turquois-Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences” by Joseph E Pogue.
**Source: GIA website
I hope you have found this gemstone information interesting. I always love to learn about the different gemstones I use in my work. One of my favorite aspects of making jewelry is working with these amazing stones and bringing them into wearable art!
Please visit it our website to see more of our work, and more interesting gems!
All the best!
Chrissi
Gorgeous Citrine and Golden Topaz for November
Citrine with it’s sparkly, golden hues is the perfect gemstone for Fall. This beautiful stone brings warmth to the crisp days, and the sparkly gold colors remind me of the golden leaves dancing on the trees.
Citrine is a very hardy gemstone as well. As a member of the quartz family…it holds up to wear pretty well. Citrine is in the same family of amethyst, which makes it a very versatile gemstone for jewelry.
Citrine’s golden color can cause it to be confused with topaz. Citrine’s attractive color, plus it affordability makes it an excellent alternative to topaz and yellow sapphire. The finest citrine color is a saturated yellow to fiery orange without brown tints. Natural citrine is rare, so today most citrine on the market is a result of heat treating amethyst to a golden yellow color.
In addition to being the birthstone of November, citrine is also the gem that commemorates 13-year anniversaries.
Information source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia
Topaz, is November’s more brightly colored birthstone. Topaz has an exceptionally wide color range that includes various tones and saturations of blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple. Colorless topaz is plentiful and most often treated to give it a blue color. Topaz is a harder stone than citrine, which makes it just as suitable for everyday wear as citrine.
The name topaz comes from Topazios, which was the old Greek name for a small island in the Red Sea. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength. Topaz has been popularly associated with wealth. In the Middle Ages, carved topaz stones were believed to be natural wonders possessing special powers. If a topaz amulet was worn on the left arm, some believed the amulet could protect the wearer from dark magic. Other beliefs were if a topaz stone was kept in the home it could ward off accidents and fires.
Because most citrine and topaz stones on the market today go through treatments to enhance their color, I recommend avoiding placing them in ultrasonic cleaners, as this may cause treatments to fade or dissipate. Using a gentle brush and mild detergent is always the safest way to clean your precious gems.
Jewelry For Your Next Adventure
Hello my beautiful friends!
I know this has been an unusual year for planning a vacation or even for travel in general, however as things open up, and the occasion does arise to venture out on the that next adventure, I have some tips for planning what jewelry accessories to take with you. Whether, it’s by plane, train or automobile…I know that I only like to carry a few jewelry pieces with me to my destination and I want to make them count.
What I specifically take, really depends on what the destination occasion calls for. Is this a fun vacation trip or a business trip? Trip to visit family and casual or a more dressy affair?
I’ll start with the business trip or meeting. For a standard business meeting, you can never go wrong with the classics. Simple hoop earrings (like these classic sterling silver hoops above), simple pendant necklace or a nice strand of pearls, conservative rings, nice watch and maybe a bracelet. Less is usually more when it comes to the regular business meeting, and that also means less to pack! Is this a power meeting with a client you are trying to impress? Go bold! Make a statement with a bold and unique necklace or ring. Make one piece a conversation starter, but not all. You don’t want to overdo the bling. Do you need to break the ice? Try this really usual Trilobite necklace (shown below) for a great conversation starter.
For a vacation trip I really like to have fun with my jewelry. Bold necklaces or earrings to accent that beautiful beach dress. Stunning ring for that nice dinner out with the husband or family. Eye-catching cuff bracelet like this beautiful Laguna Agate cuff bracelet (shown below) to grace your newly tanned arms. The possibilities are endless.
Is your vacation on the more adventurous side? If so, then I like to keep things a bit more simple and will usually wear a smaller pendant necklace, such as this 14kt gold and pink sapphire necklace (shown below) paired with some simple stud earrings. I keep it really simple, especially if I’m doing something like hiking, biking or horseback riding.
I usually don’t like to take too much jewelry with me when I travel, so I try to have my jewelry do double duty, and will usually take one bold piece (either a bracelet or necklace), a simple necklace for everyday wear and earrings I can wear for the majority of the trip. The idea is to have fun with your jewelry pairings and enjoy your jewelry no matter what the occasion.
When traveling, I know that storage can be an issue. If I’m flying, I will keep my jewelry with me in my carry-on for safe keeping, and when in the hotel, I’ll utilize the hotel safety deposit box that is usually at the front desk, or the safe that is in the room.
I do want to mention that most jewelry does not do well with chlorine, so if your next outing involves a trip to the hotel pool, just remember to take off your jewelry before it takes a dip in the chlorine. Sterling silver can be permanently blackened and pitted from the chlorine in the pool, and 14kt gold can become pitted from chlorine, so it’s best to not wear your jewelry while swimming.
I hope wherever your next adventure takes you, that you will have fun and a fantastic time!
All the best,
Chrissi
GYNCA organization donation
We are honored and thrilled to be able to donate this beautiful leopardskin jasper and faceted citrine pendant to the Gyn Cancers Alliance for their upcoming silent auction event.
The mission of GYNCA is to provide education, support and resources to women in Southwest Missouri with gynecological cancer and to raise awareness about early warning signs and symptoms of gynecological cancers.
This amazing organization has four key programs that support women and their families during this difficult time in their lives. The programs are as follows:
Survivor to survivor mentoring and partnering with Imerman Angels
Education and awareness
Emergency non-medical financial assistance with active chemo or radiation
Monthly/Quarterly member group meetings.
To find out more about this amazing organization, please visit their website at www.gynca.org.
Pearls, the gem of the sea.
The sea evokes a sense of mystery and beauty. it’s calming waters can be stormy at times and provides a sense of passion and wonder to it’s observers. I miss the sea. The sound of the waves crashing in a steady rhythm, lulling one to sleep or to a sense of calm. Hopefully, soon, we can travel back to the ocean’s waters and enjoy the beaches again soon.
Pearls are the gemstone for the month of June. Pearls are one of the only gems that make their origin from the sea. Mother-of-pearl is the other one, and is usually gathered from the same shells we collect pearls from. The beautiful colors of the mother-of-pearl shells are the influence for the color of the pearl.
Pearls are one of a handful of gems that are organic in nature, meaning that they originate from a live organism, rather than inorganic, such as coming from not alive, such as rocks.
Pearls have a fascinating history. They were well regarded for their beauty, and valued much higher than diamonds for many, many years. Marie Antoinette’s famous baroque pearl earrings, recently came up for auction. They are large baroque pearls, and highly unusual and definitely beautiful! I suggest googling them to take a look!
We have a lot of pearl jewelry to choose from in our collections. Pearls have always been one of my favorite gems. They always seem to have a quiet beauty about them to me. They don’t sparkle as much as other gems, but have a rich color and depth of tone that draws you in. The range of colors is also fascinating. I love the dark pearls as much as the bright white. They all have beauty.
Because pearls are a natural gem and are created from the nacre of the mollusk, they do require some considerations when it comes to their wear and care. Pearls are not well suited for rings or bracelets unless the stone is well protected in the setting, such as a bezel setting. They are most ideally suited for necklace, earring and brooches. When it comes to cleaning your pearl jewelry, avoid harsh chemicals such as bleach or ammonia. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners as well. When storing your pearl jewelry, it is best to keep it in a soft cloth bag, away from other jewelry, especially diamonds, or harder gemstones, as they can be damaged when they make contact with those other gems.
All the best!
Chrissi
AAPG Show in Wichita
Thank you to everyone who came out and saw us at the AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting in Wichita, KS last week! We had a fantastic show and it was great to see so many familiar faces! The Wichita show is always one of our favorites, and it was great to be back for our 3rd meeting!
Much love!
Chrissi
February Gemstone of the Month: Amethyst
With it’s deep purple to light, almost pinkish mauve shades, Amethyst has been a revered gemstone for centuries. This beautiful variation of quartz is the perfect gemstone for jewelry and other objects of worth because of it’s hardness and ability to take harder wear. Not to mention, it’s beautiful color.
Amethyst is most notably found in Brazil and Uruguay. Naturally colored crystals that exhibit both yellow and purple hues are called ametrine. Amethyst can be found in geodes as well as large crystal deposits.
Amethyst was once considered to be one of the most valuable gemstones next to diamonds. Large discoveries in South America have brought the price down considerably over the years. Amethyst is found in a variety of cuts to highlight this gemstone’s natural beauty. Most commonly, amethyst is cut in cabochons or in faceted forms depending on the quality of the stone. Amethyst is also the birthstone for the month of February.
Green Amethyst commonly called Prasiolite is usually heat-treated amethyst. The color ranges from a pale green to nearly light yellow, depending on the treatment.
Care considerations when wearing Amethyst include taking care not to hit the stone on hard objects that could cause the stone to chip or fracture along natural cleavage plains. Depending on the type of setting, you should avoid wearing all sterling silver jewelry in swimming pools. When cleaning, it’s best to use a mild detergent and soft brush to remove dirt and grime.
Growing, changing and improving
For the past 10 years, I've been a seller on Etsy. I've loved the venue, and I've met many good friends there. However, Etsy recently made some changes that I feel will no longer be a good long term fit for myself or my jewelry. I was already considering moving away from Etsy because it just didn't seem to feel like the "right fit" any longer. The changes that Etsy is implementing was the push I needed to move on and put all of my focus and energy here.
Change always bring some challenges, uncertainty and reevaluation. I'm looking forward to seeing what changes I can make here to better serve my wonderful clients! I like that I will have more control over what I can offer, how I can promote, and really support my clients. I welcome your feedback, ideas and suggestions! I love to learn, and I love to grow.
In addition, I'm also looking at growing my skills and jewelry offerings. Because of this, custom orders will now only be taken on a very limited basis. Please do not feel that you can't ask! You just never know if the request will be the kick in the pants I need to try something new.
I want to thank everyone for joining me on this journey.
All the best!
Chrissi
