12.09.19 Thank your lucky stars

I try really hard to take a little time every day to focus on being thankful for all that is good in my life (these days, that can be a challenge) - and at the top of that list are the people in my world - especially my family.

This august group includes three amazing young women - my daughter, and the brave souls who have chosen to join our clan as our sons' partners.

These three are as whip-smart, compassionate, and tenacious as they come - each in their own way working to make the world a better place for all of us. 

They also all have birthdays within days of each other - and Thanksgiving. This year I decided to make them birthstone pendants.  I thought long and hard about how to make the pendants both similar and unique - and the answer was literally in the stars.

The two November birthdays are in different zodiacs - one Scorpio and one Sagittarius, and the other Sagittarius is in December...so I decided to put the constellations on the back of each pendant.

I sat at my bench, drilling out what seemed like a bazillion little holes, and wondered if I'd lost my mind.  I used a #70 bit (well, four of them actually - because they get dull pretty quickly) to pierce the backplates of all three pendants...but when I was finished, I was pretty excited.



Once I got the stones in, I was even more pleased - because the stones are largely transparent - the "stars" shine through the front of each piece.

I am so thankful that I am able to create art and share it with the special people in my life. There is a real joy that comes from making a piece that captures something unique about the giver or receiver of the gift - it is my favorite part of designing custom pendants.

I hope that as we head towards the end of the calendar year and into the holiday season, your life is filled with the gift of special people, too.

Until next time.

01.04.16 Changing of the Garnet

Tanzanite pendant
Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

Happy New Year – and welcome to the start of Year 2 on the blog!

The end of last year I was so busy writing about opportunities to shop local, that I totally dropped the ball on December birthstones…despite having two children with December birthdays.  I do have a lovely Pinterest board devoted to them – and with apologies to the December babies - I’m going to take a little time to talk about them now, before moving on to January.

According the American Gem Society, December has three birthstones – turquoise, blue zircon and tanzanite.  A broader search on the term “December birthstones” yields an even wider array of blue stones including topaz and lapis lazuli.

Blue zircon pendant
Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

Over the years I’ve bought a lot of blue zircon jewelry – for myself (because, as I mentioned I have two kiddos with year-end birthdays) and my daughter, who shares my love of jewelry.  Every year since she was a pre-teen, we have given her a piece of blue topaz or zircon jewelry.  Last summer I asked her if she was tired of it – and would like something different this year.  Her response was NO! – she loves getting a new piece of birthstone jewelry every year, so the tradition continues.

The most recent of these gifts came from Yvonne Raley at Cecile Raley Designs.  I am especially fond of her engraved settings, and this pendant is no exception.  Delicate petals encircle one of the brightest zircons I’ve ever run across, and made a perfect 20th birthday gift!

Garnets.
Photo credit: American Gem Society

Unlike the plethora of options available for December, January has but one stone – the garnet - but it does come in a rainbow of colors.  There are also "color change" garnets.  Stones that exhibit color change are also called "phenomenal gems" and have been highly prized since antiquity.





Because my non-December child has a birthday in June, I've long known about alexandrite, and it's color change properties...but that garnets can also show color change was news to me.

Color change garnet - showing purple
Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs.

Once again, Yvonne was my information source.  She posted a beautiful color change garnet in her shop, at a fraction of the price for a comparable alexandrite.  She had also just introduced a new pear shaped setting - so it seemed like perfect time for me to add a new piece of her jewelry to my growing collection.

The result is the gorgeous pendant you see below - with the same garnet, but showing more blue than red.

Garnet pendant
Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

Gem Select provides an excellent explanation of why certain stones show these effects: color change gems have two, approximately equal-sized transmission windows. A red gemstone appears red because it absorbs all frequencies of light except for red. A gemstone that absorbs all frequencies except for blue and red light will appear blue when the light is rich in blue wavelengths (e.g., fluorescent light) and red when the light is rich in red wavelengths (e.g., incandescent lighting).

While this one is mine, Yvonne does still have some beautiful color change stones in her store, and I have another Pinterest board devoted to garnets, with lots of inspiration for January gifts.

With that, dear readers, I am off - but I'm so glad you are back with me for 2016, and hope that your year is off to a sparking start.

Until next time.

10.26.15 Where did October go? Time for November birthstones.

Trillion - citrine
Oval - topaz

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was writing about the beginning of October...and now it is almost over.  We had few days of fall in Texas earlier in the month (my daughter has already seen snow flurries in Boston) - last week it was hot as Hades, over the weekend we had 5+ inches of rain, and today it's sunny and fall like, again...confirming the old adage "if you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait five minutes."

No matter the weather - the calendar certainly says "fall". We successfully celebrated all the October babies - and now we are moving on to November, and my fabulous mother in law's birthday.  I adore my husband's mother (who we call Mimi) - I have ever since I met her - but especially with my own mother gone, she fills a huge place in my heart and I love having a reason to celebrate with her.

Ametrine earrings - my collection

Like October, November has two birthstones - topaz and citrine.  Topaz comes in a wide range of colors, but the most prized topaz - imperial topaz -  is a reddish-orange, very much like citrine.  Several gem and jewelry sites suggest that they were confused in antiquity, and that is possibly why they are both used as November's birthstone.

Citrine is a variety of quartz, and sometimes under the right conditions two parts of the same crystal form with different levels of oxidized iron, resulting in a two color stone know as "ametrine" - because it is a combination of amethyst and citrine.  Virtually all ametrine and citrine are mined in South America.  Naturally occurring citrines vary in color from pale yellow to coppery brown depending on the amount of iron in the crystal.

Several years ago, my mother in law gave me a number of pieces of jewelry from her family - including a gorgeous citrine ring with an ornate gold setting that was worn by her grandmother (who was also known to her grandchildren as Mimi).

I took those rings, along with some that I had inherited from my own grandmother and great aunt, to Russell Korman to have them cleaned, checked to make sure the settings were secure, and sized for my daughter - who loves to wear them when she has a party to attend, or goes out for a fancy evening.

Peggy Li smoky topaz pendant

Topaz, November's second birthstone, is a silicate crystal that also occurs in a variety of colors.  Pure topaz is clear, but it is found in a range of hues including pinks, reds, browns and blues.  The variations in color result from mineral impurities in the crystal formation. Smoky topaz and blue topaz are two of the most popular colors for jewelry.  Natural smoky topaz is abundant, however, blue topaz is much more rare, and is often achieved by heating clear or very light blue stones to get a darker color.  The color enhancements are stable and result in a bright stone at an affordable price.

One of my go to jewelers - Peggy Li - has some beautiful topaz pieces, including this large smoky topaz I gave my mother in law as a birthday gift several years ago.  Her bubble necklace - which comes in both topaz and citrine - would make a wonderful November birthday gift.

For lots of other gift ideas, visit my November birthstones Pinterest page, with lots wonderful pieces from some of my favorite jewelers and jewelry sites.

As winter approaches, and the days grow shorter, I hope you have the warmth of friends and family around and lots of cause for celebration.

Until next time.

10.05.15 O is for October...

Opals in the Gem Room at the Smithsonian

...and opals and overdrive.

Around our house, mid-October marks the beginning of a multi-month frenzy of birthdays, anniversaries and holidays that leaves me winded just thinking about it - thank goodness the summer heat is showing signs of abating. By the time the mayhem subsides, we'll be a couple of weeks into 2016.

Since birthdays are a big part of all that craziness, I'm starting this month with a post about October's birthstones - opal and tourmaline.

Photo Credit: Able Ground

I find opals fascinating - they are unlike any other gem I can think of, in that they are composed of stacks of silica spheres, as opposed to most minerals which have a linear crystal structure. Opals are very soft - around a 6.0 on the Mohs scale (a diamond is a 10) - which makes them delicate, and better in earrings or pendants than rings, just because of wear and tear.

Most of the world's opals come from Australia, and another jewelry loving friend recently told me that there is an Aboriginal legend about their origin. There are variations on the story, but they all involve a rainbow being sent to the earth as a message of peace - certainly something we can all use in these tumultuous times.

In some versions, the opals were formed where the rainbow touched the ground, in others it is where the creator stepped. The details of the legend may vary, but is clear why the Aborigines believed these gems were the embodiment of a rainbow - the finest ones contain every color.

Most opals are cut as cabochons rather than faceted - in part because of their softness - and because they are somewhat opaque faceting doesn't add as much as it does to a clear stone.  I have couple of pair of opal earrings that I love - both with cabochon stones.  The filigree pair was given to me by my colleagues when I left my state job and went into consulting (to the dark side, as some of them said) almost 20 years ago, and the other is a pair that I bought in Marblehead, MA as a souvenir when I attended my cousin's wedding.  

October's other birthstone is the tourmaline - and like opal  it is a
silicate, and comes in a rainbow of colors - but it has a more typical gemstone crystalline structure.   My favorite tourmalines are the "watermelon" ones, so named because of their combined pink and green colors.

This pair of watermelon baguettes is one of my go-to choices in the summer - just wearing them makes me happy.

So, if you know an October baby, and you want to get them some "pumpkin spice" - hop on over to my October birthstone Pinterest board and look for something shiny!

Tourmalines in the Gem Room at the Smithsonian

Until next time.

09.07.15 "S" is for September, sapphires....

...and still summer (at least here).

Fall colors may mean foliage in the northeast, but here in Central Texas the best I can do is the variety in September's birthstone, the sapphire.

Not only is the sapphire one of the four ancient precious gems (the others are diamond, emerald and ruby) - but it is one of my favorite stones because of its wide array of colors. Sapphire is the gemstone variety of the mineral corundum. With a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale (only diamonds, with a score of 10.0 are harder) sapphires are widely used in industry as well as jewelry.

Although sapphires are commonly thought of as blue, they also come in shades of yellow, pink and orange. Variations in the color of sapphires are the result of trace elements including iron, aluminum, titanium, copper or magnesium.  When corundum is red, it is classified as a ruby rather than a sapphire.

I have two pairs of sapphire earrings that are particularly special - they were made for and given to me by a friend just as I was starting this blog.   One pair contains blue sapphires, and the other yellow.  They are great examples of how changing the stone - while keeping everything else the same - can make a difference in the look of a piece of jewelry.

Another of my favorite sapphire pieces is a much older and more traditional piece - a classic circle pin with pearls.  I bought it for myself with my first "real" paycheck, and 30 years later I'm glad I did. I can put it on a sweater or jacket lapel and dress up my entire outfit.

C. Kirk Root - Bluebonnet pendant

Some of the most beautiful sapphire pieces I've ever seen come from Austin based C. Kirk Root Designs.  While many of their designs focus on Texas themes, I am particularly enamored of their wildflower jewelry - bluebonnet and paintbrush designs - featuring blue, red and yellow stones.  The bluebonnets, in particular, are on my wish list.

C. Kirk Root - Paintbrush pendant

If you or someone special has a September birthday, I've put together some lovelies on Pinterest, too. 

Here's hoping that just as the color of September's birthstone varies from warm to cool, so will the weather - bringing fall to Texas before the month's end.

Until next time.

08.10.15 Green with....

Peridot specimens
Smithsonian Gem Room

...you thought I was going to say "envy", didn't you? Nope - peridot! August's birthstone.

Green was my mother's favorite color - so it surprises me that none of her jewelry (at least none that made its way to me) contains green stones - either emeralds or peridot.

Peridot is the gem grade form of the mineral "olivine" (for its olive green color).  One of the earth's most abundant minerals, it forms in the mantle and is the only gemstone other than diamonds to form below the crust.  The mineral has also been found in meteorites.

Like diamonds, peridots come towards the earth's surface through volcanic eruption. Unlike diamonds (or other gems) which can come in a variety of colors, peridots are always green.  The color is the result of the high iron content in the mineral - the more iron - the deeper the green.

Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian collection (which is well worth visiting) includes this magnificent 46.16 carat precision cut gem.  This piece, from Pakistan, is ideal in color - deep green without any browns or yellows.

Photo credit: Beyond the Rockz

Since I don't have any peridot pieces in my personal collection, I've put together some of my favorites on Pinterest, and thought I'd share a few of them (with shopping links, of course) right here for anyone looking for that perfect gift for an August baby.

This spectacular peridot and white gold ring comes from the design team of Al and Caroline at Beyond the Rockz.  I've long been an admirer of the beautiful rings in this wonderful shop featuring vintage designs and custom pieces, but I don't really have enough fingers for any more rings.  That hasn't stopped me from making other purchases - and favorite personal piece from them is a fluid gold heart, that always garners lots of complements.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

Very similar to the black diamond necklace I had made for my daughter - this round peridot in Yvonne Raley's signature octagonal setting is another beautiful piece from one of my favorite jewelers.

Photo credit: Metalicious

Last, but far from least, is this scroll pendant with a peridot briolette drop from Stephanie Maslow of Metalicious. She describes the wrought ironwork in the cities of Europe as her inspiration for the infinity link that holds the stone.





Whether or not you have an August birthday, if you are looking to put a pop of springtime green into your jewelry wardrobe, peridot is your go to gem.


Until next time.

2.23.15 Heartfelt

My daughter was home for a few days last week.  It was great to have here here, but once again she's gone back to college.  It's okay - but the house is really quiet - just me and the dog (thank goodness for his snoring, right? It does break the silence).

Being a mom is the hardest, best job I could ever hope to have. It was made even more difficult when my own mother died, because my children were still young - and I knew I hadn't asked all my questions, or gotten all the advice I was going to need.   Fortunately, I won the mother-in-law jackpot.  She and I both knew she could never replace my mom, and she never tried.  But she has been there for me in so many ways and filled a huge void in my life.  She is, in every sense of the word, a gem.

One Mother's Day, a year or two after my mom died, my mother-in-law bought me this birthstone heart - and it is one of my most treasured possessions.  I went through a period where it was the only necklace I wore, and even now, I wear it often.  A mix of silver and gold, with an alexandrite - for my oldest, with a June birthday, and two blue zircons - for my December born middle son and daughter.  I love everything about this pendant - the mix of silver and gold, the delicately scalloped edges, and that it represents my mother-in-law's love for me, and mine for my kiddos.

I have several pairs of mixed metal earrings that I like to wear with this pendant, but my current faves are this silver pair from Yvonne Raley, at Cecile Raley Designs.

Her jewelry caught my eye a while ago, and I had purchased a couple of things from her already before she had an earring sale last summer.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

I saw these kite shaped blue zircon dangles and knew I had to have them.  The delicate design and millgrain edging are a beautiful complement to the detailing on the heart pendant.

As I've said before, I don't look for pieces that necessarily match - but I am always pleased when I find a new item that works well with something that I already have, and enjoy wearing.

This heart really does "go with everything" so any day I'm feeling the need for a little extra love, I put it on before heading out to face the world.

Until next time.