The Jewelry Blog: December birthstone

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Flash in Winter

Blue topaz is one of the birthstones for December (lapis and turquoise are two others). The necklace above features some of my best London blue topaz mixed with rainbow moonstone. The blue flash of the rainbow moonstone looks great with the deep blue of the topaz. The London blue is gem quality - very beautiful and the moonstone has flash though it may not show up in this photo.
Labradorite has always seemed a "winter" gemstone to me, perhaps because it calls to mind the mystery of the cold north, the northern lights, reindeer in Lapland. I also like to mix it with aquamarine because the aquamarine picks up the flash in the labradorite - it's a combination made in heaven! Below are labradorite-aquamarine earrings with the aquamarine and labradorite hanging from chandeliers and earwires with a heart-shaped theme. Below the earrings, a labradorite bracelet with the addition of aquamarine. The labradorite that you see here is full of green, blue, and aqua flash; unfortunately, I can't seem to get all the beads to flash at the same time. However, one of the beautiful effects of labradorite in jewelry is that movement reveals the flash excellently, so a bracelet with labradorite is the quintessential labradorite jewelry since every twist of your wrist sparks blue flashes!

Labradorite necklaces may not move as much as a bracelet, but they exhibit flash with every turn. The flash is even more pronounced when a bit of aquamarine, such as you see here, is added to the necklace, seeming to prolong the hint of blue/aqua/green evanescence that runs along the necklace. In the necklace below, the bezel-set, cabochon lapis pendant glows!

If you aren't finished with your Christmas shopping, you'd better rush! (Yes, I'm talking to myself again!) Remember that each piece of Cluny Grey Jewelry comes in a velvet or leather pouch and a gift box, and we'll ship to whomever you wish! First class shipping is free in the USA!