New Retail Location!!
We are very excited to announce that you can now find Chrissi Harmon Jewelry at the Tigerlily’s Emporium in Broken Arrow, OK!!!!
The Tigerlily’s Emporium is located in the downtown Rose District of Broken Arrow and the store will be open Tuesday-Saturday each week! We are so excited to have a retail location available for our local customers and can’t wait to meet new friends!
We will be sharing more details as we get closer to the grand opening on September 3rd, 2022. If you are in the Broken Arrow, OK area, please stop by and visit the store!
Peridot for August
Egyptians called peridot the “Gem of the Sun” for its electric yellowish green hues. Peridot (also called Olivine) has long been prized for its yellowish green color that comes from iron and magnesium impurities. The best peridot is a pure grass green in color.
Peridot crystals are often found in meteorites, but these crystals are usually not large enough to be made into jewelry. Most peridot for gem purposes is found as irregular nodules from lava flows in the United States, China and Vietnam.
Some historians believe that Cleopatra’s famous emerald collection might actually have been peridot. People in medieval times often confused peridot with emerald. For centuries, it was believed that the 200-ct. gems adorning the shrine of the Three Holy King’s in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral were emeralds, when in fact, they are peridot’s.
Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August and also represents the 15th Anniversary gemstone. It’s easy to see why it’s such a popular gem and surrounded by so much lore!
All the best!
Chrissi
*gemstone information source: GIA website.
Amethyst for February
Amethyst is the traditional birthstone for the month of February and how lucky February birthdays are! It is known as the stone that enhances intuition, spirituality and meditation. In medieval times, it was believed that amethyst would protect from nightmares and insomnia, and amethyst was widely engraved with animal symbols to provide protection and security.
The Romans believed that amethyst would be protected from drunkedness if they drank from a cup decorated or carved from amethyst. In Britain, power, wealth and royalty was often associated with the color purple, so many of the royal jewels are adorned with amethyst stones.
Amethyst is a purple variation of quartz. It’s colors range from deep, dark purple that appears almost black in some light to a very light lavender. Sometimes, you will find amethyst and citrine in the same stone which is called Ametrine. Because amethyst is a member of the quartz family, it’s a good gemstone for jewelry. It takes wear very well, and can be found in everything from bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces.
Amethyst is one of my favorite gems. Be sure to check out our website to see all that we have available in this beautiful stone!
Upcoming Fall Events
Fall is here, and we are gearing up for 2 exciting events that are just around the corner! The first is the 44th Annual Brush Creek Bazaar! As you all know, this is our favorite show of the year! Not only does it support a great cause, but the venue is one of my favorites, and this year is going to be better than ever!
The music line-up is looking great, and our jewelry is some of the best I’ve ever made! I have some exciting new gemstones this year, and very elegant and chic designs! Also…for the first time ever, we will be doing a giveaway both days for anyone that stops by our booth and signs up for our email list!
Our second big event is going to be a new one for us. We will be set-up at the Bixby Holiday Show on December 4th from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. This show will take place at the Bixby Community Center and should be a great show as well! It will be our first time for this event, so I’m very excited to see what the show has to offer!
***Please note…this is the flyer from last year’s event. The date this year is December 4th, 2021.
In addition to our big shows, I have been adding a lot of new items to the website. I have been working with a fantastic grouping of Red Creek Jasper stones, along with some gorgeous rhodochrosite slices, and some beautiful mini-geodes. Since my class in Tennessee, I have been experimenting with some new techniques and designs and I can’t wait to get those out and available to all of you! So, check back often to see the latest offerings!
We are excited for the Fall season! It’s my absolute favorite time of year, and I’m glad the weather is cooling off and I’m looking forward all the fun events that happen this time of year!
I wish you all well and good health!
All the best!
Chrissi
British Elle and Harper's Bazaar
The past two months, I’ve been honored to have my work featured in both British Elle and British Harper’s Bazaar! I still pinch myself that the jewelry I make has made it’s way into such world class publications!!!
The edition of British Elle is now appearing on US newsstands, while the Harper’s Bazaar issues will be in US newsstands beginning in August. You should be able to find them at most retailers that sell these issues.
I want to thank everyone for all of your love and support of my jewelry! It means the world!! I can’t wait to see where we will be “seen” next!!
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.
November News
November is one of my favorite months! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and the month of November also marks the beginning of the official holiday season!
Here at Chrissi Harmon Jewelry, we have a lot going on for the month of November that we wanted to let you know about…and let our loyal subscribers be the first to know about these upcoming events and specials.
We will be doing our first ever Black Friday sale that will begin on November 10th for email subscribers, and open to the rest of our followers on November 15th (coupon code will be sent out on November 9th for email subscribers). I wanted to let our email subscribers get first choice for this very special promotion…with 25% off site wide! I rarely do sales, and I rarely discount any of our products since all of our work is one-of-a-kind. If you know of anyone that loves our jewelry and hasn’t subscribed to our newsletter, please share and have them sign up!!
We are excited to announce that we have added an additional show to our Fall line up!!! We will be set up on December 5th at the Holiday Craft Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma! The event will be located at the Payne County Expo Center. This is an event that highlights handmade arts and crafts and we are very excited to be able to add this show this year!!
If you have made. a purchase from us online, we would love a Google or Facebook Review. This will help us a lot in the rankings for our website. Not to mention, we would love your feedback on how we’re doing!
I’m wishing everyone a very safe and happy November! We hope to see you soon!
Much love,
Chrissi
Autumn is Here!
Autumn has arrived and with it I’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall foliage and the much more livable temperatures! Oklahoma gets very hot in the summer and Autumn is always a welcome respite before the cold winter sets in!
Autumn is also my favorite time for fashion! I love the return of boots, sweaters, jackets and all things fall attire! Of course, that also means it’s time for beautiful Autumn inspired jewelry!
Sterling Silver with 14kt gold dots, garnets and citrine are the perfect fall combination!
My favorite autumn gemstones are agates with the rich browns, reds and yellows, citrine, tourmaline in the darker colors (deep greens, browns) and garnets. Although, I’m partial to just about any gemstone.
Agatized dinosaur bone in sterling silver
Whatever your fancy or favorite Autumn color combination, we have a great selection to choose from! I hope you will get a chance to check out all of our new and beautiful jewelry.
Garnet and agate
Rutilated quartz and sterling silver
Sterling Silver on Sterling Silver with a dark patina
Sapphires for September
Sapphires are one of my favorite stones, and they are the birth stone for the month of September One of the most amazing things about sapphires is the range of colors they can be found in! Anything from colorless to blue to pink and even yellow and green!
Sapphires are ideal for jewelry because they are very hard and durable as a gemstone. Second only in hardness to diamonds, sapphires can be set in just about any type of setting without worry, however, it’s important to know, especially for cleaning purposes, if your sapphire has been exposed to any treatments, like heat.
It’s interesting to know, that clear sapphires are occasionally cut as microscopic lens, mainly because they are very hard and highly refractive. Gem-quality colorless sapphires are not common though. Rough colorless sapphires are usually light brown or grey when mined, and then heated to make them clear.
The most desirable blue sapphires are those with the cornflower blue color, which is commonly referred to as “Kashmir blue”. The word sapphire comes from the Latin word, sapphirus, meaning blue.
Sapphires belong to the category of gemstones called Corundum. Corundum gemstones all contain the crystalized composition aluminum oxide. What color a sapphire becomes depends on what other minerals color the stone during the development process. Red stones are typically colored with chromium, blue stones, typically colored with iron and titanium, and yellow sapphires get their color from iron.
The value of a sapphire depends on how rich the color of the natural stone is, along with it’s transparency. The most valuable stones have the best transparency and the richest natural color.
The most common treatments for sapphires is heat-treatments to enhance or change their color. Sometimes radiation is used to enhance a stone’s color, although this process is not very stable to light and another treatment called beryllium diffusion is also sometimes used.
In the United States, Montana is the largest producer of natural sapphires called “Montana” sapphires. These are typically small sapphires, and they come in a range of colors, but are primarily found in blue and yellow.
Chrissi
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
The Fossil Collection
It’s finally finished and I couldn’t be more pleased! The Fossil Collection has been launched and I’m very excited to share this beautiful collection with all of you!
This collection has been in the works for quite some time, and combines my love of fossils with other gemstones to provide some really fascinating and unique designs.
The highlight of the collection is a large, natural trilobite set in solid sterling silver. The top of the piece is graced with peridot and Swiss blue topaz faceted stones, while the bottom dangles and dances with Swiss blue topaz and peridot beads.
Dinosaur bone has always fascinated me as a gemstone. The stone itself is agate that has filled in the cavities of a fossilized dinosaur bone, and each piece is very unique. This piece is exceptional in color and matrix and I couldn’t love it more!
Orthoceras are always fun! This outstanding cuff bracelet combines a beautiful Orthoceras fossil paired with 2 beautiful and faceted Moonstones. The photos for this piece definitely do not do it justice! The Moonstones sparkle, flash and dance in the light!
I have several more pieces available in this wonderful collection, so be sure to click on the link to see them all!
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
Brush Creek Bazaar
We are very excited to announce that we will be set up again this year at the Brush Creek Bazaar in Tulsa, OK. October 12-13, 2019.
This event has been a Tulsa staple for over 40 years and features lots of homemade crafts, music and food! It’s a fantastic event. 15% of our sales benefit Adult and Teen Challenge of Oklahoma, along with a portion of our booth fee.
We hope to see you in October!
Hope Harbor "Hearts for Hope" Gala Donation
We are excited to announce that we have donated a spectacular natural ruby and sterling bracelet for the Hope Harbor “Hearts for Hope” Benefit Gala. The Gala will be in Tulsa at the Doubletree Hotel on November 3, 2018. ttps://hopeharborinc.org/
Please visit the Hope Harbor website for more information about this spectacular organization. We are proud to be able to support them this year!
Chrissi
