More Jewelry for Spring!

The mixed colors of tourmaline are always in style; here the two strand tourmaline necklace is truly seasonless. The necklace has tourmalines in all shapes and sizes from smooth opaque nuggets to translucent rondelles to gem-quality tourmalines.  Sterling silver accents the many colors and a special gemstone clasp holds it all together!
   Below, I've become really enamoured of apatite, especially the neon turquoise color that you see here in this apatite and mixed gemstone bracelet. Gem quality amethysts are beautiful with the apatite, but the unusual addition is that of genuine opals from Australia. 14 karat gold-filled components show off the beauty of the gemstones, and 14 karat gold-filled sand-dollar charm adds a whimsical touch.

Above and below, this chalcedony necklace will mix with most of your chalcedony jewelry since it boasts wonderful spring colors of aqua, light green, purple, pink and yellow.  The purple gemstones are large faceted slabs of amethysts; the small faceted yellow olive gemstones are lemon quartz. Tiny accents of sterling silver are between each of the gemstones and a sterling silver clasp is the closure.

Finally, chrysoprase boasts the ultimate spring green color in this two-strand bracelet with lemon quartz. Sterling silver components are in this bracelet featuring some of our favorite chrysoprase carved and faceted gemstones.
Cluny Grey Jewelry

More Jewelry from the Spring Collection

Today a sampling of jewelry with no rhyme or reason as to its inclusion except that all pieces are part of the Cluny Grey Spring Collection.
The first is a labradorite necklace with accents of 14 karat goldfill. Each single bead was chosen for its flash, and the little smooth briolettes in the center of the necklace gives it a "ruffled" look.

This labradorite necklace has two strands of labradorite in varying shapes, both faceted and smooth gemstones. Again, each gemstone of labradorite was chosen for its flash. The star of the necklace is the wonderful sterling silver pendant with bezel set smooth and faceted gemstones set in an assymetrical pattern.  The largest stone is a labradorite cabochon with amazing blue flash.  There's also a bezel-set garnet gemstone on the actual bail of the pendant. The two other gemstones are faceted rectangles of amethyst and blue topaz.

Sunstone earrings are simple smooth teardrop briolettes.

The emerald bracelet, above, boasts the addition of cultured freshwater coin pearls in the same emerald color. Emerald is one of the biggest colors for this spring.

Above and below, an aquamarine bangle bracelet features pretty blue aquamarines and sterling silver bangles; the mother of pearl bracelet below has clover-shaped cultured freshwater pearls as an accent on one side and 14 karat gold-filled accents. Both bracelets will look wonderful with Spring's colors of dusk blue, Monaco blue, and African violet.

Tourmaline is a perennial favorite and one of the most beautiful gemstones with its many varying colors which are mixed here in both the necklace and bracelet. Both pieces of tourmaline jewelry have a good measure of the valued pink tourmalines.

  Both pairs of quartz earrings are accented by sterling silver earwires with bezel-set white freshwater pearls.

More jewelry on Thursday!

Jewelry for Spring!

I have missed having my winter snow that I so looked forward to (some north of here would say that I was lucky) and am now looking towards Spring. While I have a Spring Collection of jewelry every year, I seem to have gone overboard this year! It will take me over a week to show pieces from the new Spring Collection.
The first piece is as fresh as Spring itself.  Faceted rose quartz rectangles, gem-quality amethysts, and apatite create a feminine ambiance in this two strand bracelet.  The second strand is made of ropey sterling silver chain with dangles of apatite and amethysts.

Sunstone is perfect to go with nectarine, one of the colors forecast to be big this Spring/Summer 2013. Above, three strands of sunstone glow enhanced by sterling silver from Bali. Below, sunstone mixes with emerald green apatite - perfect, since emerald is another of Spring's most popular colors. Three strands means a rich,  opulent look for your wrist.

Below, large rose quartz rectangles are just as gemmy as it gets in this simple bracelet. The only accents to these magnificent faceted rose quartz rectangles is 14 karat gold-filled tiny beads and a plain toggle clasp.

Below, this bracelet features carnelian in shades of red to orange in a flower theme.  The focal is a large carved open flower; other carved flowers are on either side of the bracelet.  The accents are all gold vermeil (22 karat gold layered over sterling silver). Three little charms dangle from two places on the bracelet.

A tourmaline bracelet is a wonderful portent of Spring! Four strands of gold-filled chain and tourmalines in varying shades of green, yellow, pink and black are accented by small gold-filled beads.  The tourmalines range in shape from smooth heishis to faceted rondelles to gem-quality faceted coin beads and faceted ovals.  A cluster of charms hangs from the front of the chain while others dangle on the sides. With its gorgeous mix of colors, this is the perfect Spring bracelet!

Wishing you a wonderful Spring! See The Jewelry Blog on Tuesday for more jewelry trends from our Spring Collection. 

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Versatile Citrine; The Romance of Labradorite

Citrines are a favorite gemstone of mine; yes, it seems as though I say this about so many gemstones, but citrine is one of the gemstones I wear 2 or 3 times every week.  It is a versatile gemstone that can look dressy or casual and despite its being yellow, it works well with a lot of different clothing.  The citrine bracelet here has a touch of garnet (another very versatile stone) that grounds it. The three strands of the bracelet feature faceted nuggets of citrine in different sizes, faceted citrine rondelles, smooth rondelles, an artist's lampwork bead as a focal point and tiny little sterling silver Thai Karen Hill Tribes beads.  The final touch is a sterling toggle clasp that has cabochon citrines set into the ends of the toggle bar. Citrine really looks great with beige and khaki, pops with black, and lends a sparkle to white.

I have been working with labradorite quite a bit lately. I find labradorite a romantic gemstone that works greatly on my imagination.  My mind dwells on northern climes, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada, and I think of the fairy tales I read as a child about Hans and Gerda, the Snow Queen, and the reindeer of Lapland. I have a romantic image of these Northern countries to this day and cannot wait to visit Scandanavia (alas, it's not high on the list of friends and family who prefer tropical locations). Labradorite will forever remind me of the Aurora Borealis with its flash of blue and other cool colors. The labradorite bracelet, above and below, is made of two strands of labradorite and sterling silver. Every gemstone has been chosen for flash, and the crowning glory of this bracelet is a flashy toggle clasp of sterling silver with a bezel-set labradorite gemstone in the toggle ring.

When I first got this lavender tinted faceted rectangles, I thought to myself, whatever will I do with these? They are an odd color and seem to change color a bit with the light. But I still loved them nonetheless and kept them where I could see them because I found them pleasurable to look at. Then I saw these artist's lampwork beads and realized that they were perfect for the chalcedony. With a minimum of sterling silver so as to let the chalcedony be the star, the necklace is mainly the lampwork, three focals, and the faceted rectangles. It is an odd piece of jewelry, unusual in its color, but one that I find compelling in its difference.

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Garnets for January!

Ah, garnets, a favorite of so many people for so many years! This wonderful red gemstone was named after the pomegranate, most likely because of the color, although garnets come in many different colors including gold, brown, and green.  And I have seen red garnets so dark that they look almost black!

   I am a garnet lover.  I have a garnet ring, an oval that I wear almost everyday. I also have a garnet bracelet (with gold, of course) made of flat, faceted nuggets, made by me, that I wear almost everyday. Garnets are wonderfully versatile and can be worn with most colors.  

  Garnets are the birthstone for January, and we have quite a few garnet bracelets at Cluny Grey for you to peruse.  One of the new ones you can see here, above and below, is a double stranded bracelet with a variety of different garnets including faceted nuggets and my favorite little faceted cushion-cut rectangles.  This garnet bracelet is enhance with borosilicate lampwork beads that pick up the color of the garnets and adds just a touch more. Pretty sterling silver gives the bracelet a feminine touch, but I especially love the toggle clasp that has an bezel-set faceted garnet in it.

Of course, if you know me, you know that I love to mix gemstones, and the more I like a gemstone, the more that I want to mix it! I love aquamarines and thought these pretty deep blue faceted aquamarines would make a great foil for the garnets.  I was right! The sterling toggle clasp is in the shape of a butterfly. All of these gemstones are very fine.

I told you garnets came in other colors! I adore green garnets especially when they are translucent as these are.  Green garnets are rarer than red garnets and really pretty. The faceted nuggets and square here are mixed with plenty of sterling silver. The second strand of the bracelet features one of my favorite twisted rope sterling chains with three Thai Karen Hill Tribes charms hanging at intervals.

One strand simple garnet bracelets, below, for the purist who wants her garnets unadulterated. Accented only by sterling silver, these garnets show off their shapes, first in sterling silver, then in a gold version.

Next post, garnet earrings and garnet necklaces!


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More Blue Topaz and Consider Custom!

 The Christmas Season is hard upon us and everyone is scurrying around to find presents. If you haven't done so yet, consider a custom piece of jewelry for someone special - in many cases, there is still time to make a bracelet, necklace, or earrings depending on what you want!
   Today, just three pieces of pretty blue topaz jewelry: a bracelet, and two pairs of earrings.
    The bracelet, above, is made with London Blue faceted rondelles and goldfilled accents. It's a small bracelet with great presence.
    Below are two pairs of blue topaz earrings; both are Swiss blue topaz; one pair is made with goldfilled fluted beads and goldfilled accents. The second pair is made with sterling silver and features Thai Karen Hill Tribes heart beads above the blue topazes. The blue topazes in both pairs are faceted cubes.

These will be available for sale in the next hour or so.

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The Christmas Season Is Here!

When I was a little girl (in the late 'fifties and early'sixties), it seemed that Christmas didn't come until about 5 days before. In Hot Springs, Arkansas where I grew up, the yearly Christmas parade was on December 2nd - I remember because that was the birth date of my younger twin sisters. But between the 2nd and the day of Christmas, the time crawled unbelievably slowly, and it was only then that some stores began to put up Christmas decorations; most people got their Christmas trees the week or a few days before Christmas.
      However, while many people deplore the early start of Christmas nowadays, I love it! Christmas decorations take time to put up; it's good to leave them up for more than 5 days or so.
    I love the Christmas mood that many people seem to share this time of year, too (as long as they are not desperately shopping on Christmas Eve day!).
    I love Christmas songs which I've been singing to my grand-daughter before she takes her afternoon nap. "Christmas songs or regular songs?" I ask her as she lies on the bed, and she quickly answers, "Christmas songs!" She seems especially to like We Three Kings, O Holy Night, God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen.
   Christmas is especially enjoyable if you do your Christmas shopping early and online.  At Cluny Grey Jewelry, I am already doing some custom pieces, and I can do them exactly as the client wants them since we have plenty of time to email back and forth and for mailing.
   The newest additions to the site are here:  above, a blue topaz bangle bracelet with gem quality London blue topazes and sterling silver Thai Karen Hill Tribes accents.
     Below, a favorite combination of mine is lapis and 14 karat goldfill.  I am very fond of chain bracelets; this lapis bracelet carries the lapis theme to the other side of the bracelet with coin lapis beads.  A hammered disk adds texture and interest so that whichever side of the bracelet shows, it looks beautiful.  The large focal lapis rectangle is wrapped with goldfill and has a goldfilled flower charm on it.  A gold sand dollar hangs beside the goldfilled toggle clasp. Gold and lapis is a jewelry trend that is here to stay!

Below, a rose quartz bangle bracelet with the prettiest pinkest faceted squares and rectangles of rose quartz with sterling silver.  Pink and sterling silver are so very pretty together.  The toggle clasp has a flower on it.

Below, I love drusies, simply because I love sparkle! This blue chalcedony drusy is complemented by Montana agate ovals in black and grey tinged with blue.  Intricate sterling silver  and a blue topaz charm add to its charm.

This simple necklace is really a knockout because of the three wonderful carved genuine aquamarine leaves. The leaves are a gorgeous shade of aquamarine blue and rather thick (so many carved gemstones are very thin) and rich.  The leaves hang from a goldfilled chain.

Enjoy this Christmas season, and if I can help you with a gift for someone very special, please let me know.



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Citrine: Stone of Success

A bit more on citrine today; it's an under-rated gemstone that is really quite wonderful. One of its best points is that its pretty color ranging from the palest yellow to a deep golden whiskey color plays well with others. It's great in combination with many other gemstones. And that is especially good news for those who want to wear their November birthstone, but feel that all yellow may not work with their wardrobe.  Above, citrine is a stunner with blue aquamarines. (Currently for sale on the Cluny Grey Jewelry site).
    Also, whether you believe in the power of gemstones or not, it is fascinating to read about the various qualities and forces which have been attributed to them, and citrine has some very, very special qualities.

• Citrine is known as the prosperity stone or the success stone.  This belief is so strong for some that they carry or wear a citrine gemstone with them when starting a new business or trying to revive an old one, or when they have had economic setbacks.
• Citrine is also known as a calming gemstone that will turn emotional chaos into order and soothe injured feelings.  It is believed to transform negative energy into positive energy.
• Citrine enhances mental clarity, confidence and willpower.
• Improves psychic awareness and spiritual development.
•  Improves self-awareness.
• Promotes joy and laughter.
• Helps those who have difficulty sleeping. A citrine(s) under one's pillow will eliminate nightmares and improve quality of sleep.

Above, one of my favorite bracelets combined citrine with pale grey ocean jasper rondelles.  Below, apatites lovely aqua is a great foil for light colored citrine.

Two more citrine based combinations:above, a carved amethyst gemstone flower sits atop a large faceted citrine nugget. Below, genuine sapphires ground a citrine bracelet full of carved citrine gemstones.

Citrine and rubies! You bet!They are stunning together, especially so with the addition of intricate pieces of sterling silver (from Bali and the Thai Karen Hill Tribes).  Is it a ruby bracelet or a citrine bracelet?  Perfect for the person who has a November birthday and a special someone with a July birthday.
  In fact, some of the prettiest bracelets that we make combine birthstones of family members, or the two birthstones of a couple. We can make bracelets with gemstone combinations that look beautiful (okay, so you don't think that red, purple, and yellow (July or January, February, and November) will look good together? Wait until you see what we can do! We guarantee that you'll love it!)
  Remember, it is not too early for us to make a memorable gift for you to give to that special someone for Christmas! Our custom pieces are priced just as our website pieces are - there is no special charge to have a custom piece made! And if you don't like it, you don't have to buy it! No money up front - you don't pay until you approve the final bracelet and it is ready to ship!

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