Rubies: Just a Bit Less Than Wisdom

 I've been busy working on rubies when I haven't been visiting my mother and my best friend in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  I do love working with rubies! Rubies are the July birthstone, of course, and how appropriate since it is the red-hot month of summer. Rubies, like Fourth of July fireworks are compelling; one has to look at them. 
   Rubies look good on everyone whether your complexion is dark or light, your haircolour brown, red, grey, blonde, or black (yes, rubies look soooo good on redheads!), whether you are big or small-boned, short or tall. Rubies are universal.
   Above and below, a sterling silver ruby bangle bracelet is so flirtatious with its dangling ruby charms.  The rubies here are faceted rounds that are a soft reddish-pink.

 In ancient India, ruby was considered to be the "Lord of Gemstones."  It symbolizes love and devotion and is the preferred gift for both the 15th and 40th years of marriage.

 Above and below, large faceted ruby nuggets are combined with beautiful sterling silver handmade beads, Thai Karen Hill Tribes sterling silver, and some of the finest artist's lampwork beads we've ever had. The toggle clasp has a cabochon ruby bezel-set into it.

   Rubies are supposed to help the wearer have happiness, good health, and wisdom.  One of the famous ruby quotations is Biblical: " Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. .."  Proverbs 31:10.
   Below, 14 karat gold-filled bangle bracelet features a large faceted ruby nugget with two smooth good-sized oval rubies on either side.

 Rubies are also said to bring good luck to gamblers as well as those who are in love.

 Above, rubies play well with other gemstones.  Here rubies are combined with apatite and 14 karat gold-fill. 
   Below, ruby earrings are made with large faceted nuggets and all 14 karat gold-filled components. 

 Above, 14 karat gold-filled fluted accents give these ruby earrings a formal touch, while, below, faceted ruby rondelles are cooled down a bit with genuine aquamarine and sterling silver.

 Below, a sterling silver and ruby necklace, great for everyday or formal occasions.

Celebrities wearing ruby jewelry: proof that everyone looks good in rubies!

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I Love Turquoise for Summer!

Turquoise Bracelet with Sterling Silver

 Turquoise is probably my favorite color, so it follows that I would certainly love gem turquoise.  For years, I thought of turquoise as Southwestern and it reminded me of family trips to California, and conjured images of the Painted Desert, Carlsbad Caverns, Navajo reservations, and that endless highway called Route 66 that we drove on back then.
   Then, I went to Greece! To my surprise, turquoise was everywhere, as it was when I went to Egypt, and especially when I went to Turkey. Although I still can link turquoise with the Southwest US, it now gives me visions of ancient times in Mesopotamia, Turkey, Egypt and Greece especially when I mix it with lapis lazuli.

Turquoise Necklace with Carnelian

Turquoise Necklace with Vermiel

Turquoise Bracelet with Lampwork Bead Focal and Sterling Silver

 Above, a Southwestern take on the turquoise bracelet, and below, a more Grecian look in turquoise and gold.

Turquoise Bracelet with 14 Karat Gold-fill

The following pictures also demonstrate that the popularity of turquoise remains undiminished. It is truly beautiful and suits many different types of women.

Above, turquoise against tanned skin is a classic, but look, below, at how beautiful blond Cameron Diaz is in turquoise necklace and earrings.

Cynthia Nixon with her red hair and ultra fair skin is ravishing in this multi-strand, layered turquoise necklace. Look at how well it goes with her blue eyes! Every red-head should own turquoise jewelry.

Below, Selma Hayak sports two turquoise necklaces for a layered look.  I especially like the shorter one.

Turquoise even flatters that summer perennial, the white tee!

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Oscar Nominees and the Cluny Grey Jewelry They Should Wear

As I was looking at the Oscar nominees for this year, I thought about what Cluny Grey jewelry I would choose for several of them, not for the Oscars, of course, since Harry Winston and Bulgari among other famous jewelry houses generally outfit the stars. But I thought it would be fun to choose some jewelry for them for other occasions.
 Here are my picks for some of the Oscar Nominees:
Amy Adams:  I love Amy Adams' look, and that she has that gorgeous red hair.  With her warm coloring, she just has to go gold!

I chose the lariat necklace below as a piece for Amy because it features copper Swarovski crystals and bright gold which would look great with her hair and skin.  I've also noticed that she apparently likes to wear small chain necklaces and lariats based on her photos.

Lariat Necklace

For a striking statement, I would love to see her wear the Biwa pearl necklace below.  It has large Swarovski red magma crystals in it and a gold toggle clasp.  It would look dynamite against her wonderfully fair skin.  I would need to make a pair of earrings with the red magma crystals in gold to match this necklace and to sparkle against her gorgeous hair!

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Below, aqua and turquoise look great with hair this color.  This Peruvian opal 14 karat gold-fill wrapped necklace suits Amy Adams perfectly!

Meryl Streep:  I love the way Meryl Streep looks here.  The simple black dress with that wonderful collar, her hair pulled back, she is the epitome of elegance.  The necklace, above, made of tourmalinated quartz faceted ovals would look great for an elegant look everyday.  Plus the colors, with the black and many shades of grey, would not overpower her features although the gemstones themselves are rather large.

The ruby earrings, below, would also enhance Meryl's look by adding color and shine to her face.

Garnet Necklace

Cate Blanchett:  I am a huge Cate Blanchett fan; she is probably my favorite actress. I think of her as a chameleon, which is a good thing to be if you are an actor. Whether she is wearing stark black hair as in The Shipping News, red hair as Queen Elizabeth, or a pale blond, her looks are striking, interesting.
With her shorter blond hair, I would put her in garnets; above is a wonderful, double-stranded garnet necklace with a gemstone cross pendant that would look fantastic on her (shades of Queen Bess?), and the garnet earrings, below, would be marvelous with her skin.
Cate would also look amazing in the citrine necklace with the carved carnelian flower pendant, below.

Citrine always enhances blondes!

Sunstone Jewelry

Sunstone was made for Cate Blanchett.  The peachy-orange color of the sunstone with the sparkle and gleam is reminiscent of her complexion and would add to her already amazing glow.

Lupita Nyong'o: She looks stunning in red, but I think I would put her in some softer colors. Above the rose quartz necklace and earrings would add a touch of femininity. With a pink lipstick and a white dress, rose quartz would be beautiful on her.

I also think that clear quartz crystal would add sparkle to her look without overpowering her.  Her beauty is such that she needs strong jewelry, but not too much of it. When your looks are this strong and your complexion is this dark and beautiful, you simply need to let it shine through!

Handmade Necklace

Those are my Oscar picks!  What do you think?

All of the jewelry above can be found on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.

The Marvelous Rush of Christmas!

After a relaxing Thanksgiving, everyone here is thinking of Christmas! Orders are coming in, but it is not too late for a custom order! Choose the gemstones that you know she loves and put them in a bracelet, earrings, or necklace that is uniquely hers. Of course, our jewelry is all limited one of a kind pieces, such as the drusy bracelet that you see above. A large focal drusy glitters at its center.  Little agate rondelles cluster to one side of the drusy; on the other side is a pretty toggle clasp in sterling silver which is decorated with a flower. Beside it hangs a lotus bud charm. Two strands of gemstones, faceted agate rondelles and the prettiest bluest aquamarines are alternated with the tiniest sterling silver beads from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes.
Below, this simple bracelet is made from two of the rarest gemstones: tanzanite and kunzite. Kunzite has a reputation as being the rarest gemstone in the world.  While it comes in other colors, the soft pink that you see here is what it is known for.  The tanzanite is a deep bluish purple and works well with the pink of the kunzite.

These pieces are finally on the website although I may have shown them on the blog before. The handmade necklace, above, is one of my favorites. The vibrant colors of pink and aqua chalcedony, amethysts, and lemon quartz shine in this chunky necklace.

Below, speaking of vibrant! The orange carnelian nuggets in this bracelet glow! With gold vermeil and artist's lampwork beads, this carnelian bracelet is a real stunner!

Good luck with all your Christmas shopping! Please remember that the last day to order from us for Christmas delivery is December 19th!

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Losing Weight, Kitties, and What About Jewelry?!

 I am the proud loser of 33 pounds!  I have been eating healfully since January of this year, eliminated all sodas, and even most artificial sweeteners, and I have learned to adore iced green tea - plain.  I've gone from wearing a size 12, sometimes 10, pant to a size 4! (Note: sizes have changed; even when I weighed 10 pounds less than I do now in the 'eighties, I still wore an 8, sometimes a 6 on rare occasions). 
Sorry, but I have to brag just a little.  The main motivator was my son who told me that he wanted me to be around for a long time for my 4 year old grand-daughter. I want to be here too!

 What are the cat pictures?  The upper picture is of Cluny, my namesake, and the lower of Cuervo Sebastian; both are boys.  They like to hang out up here on the fourth floor with me to, ahem, help me make jewelry.  You haven't lived until you've spilled an entire container of small beads and watched 2 cats go crazy.  I like it when they help me as they are in the pictures here.

 Don't forget that it will soon be Christmas before you know it and you are going to want some jewelry!  If it's custom jewelry that you want, please let me know in plenty of time, so you can choose designs and beads and gemstones at your leisure.  
Cluny and Cuervo will be here to help me!