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!

Always FREE SHIPPING for purchases over $50.00; only $1.95 for purchases under $50.00.

Summer Bracelets for All Year Long

Sometimes people think my colour sense is a bit crazy, but look at the bracelet(above and below) and tell me that it isn't beautiful! Dark faceted citrine nuggets, faceted peridot rondelles, faceted amethyst nuggets,and faceted ruby rondelles make this bracelet a colourful knockout!  It has one of my favorite second strands also: a simple strand of sterling silver tiny cube beads from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes; two little bezel-set amethyst charms dangle from it.  This bracelet epitomizes what I love about handmade bracelets.  It is a combination that you would likely never find in any commercial jewelry store. I probably like these colourful bracelets a lot because of my personal wardrobe; I wear a lot of black and white, usually with all white or all black with a touch of one other colour.  The mixed gemstone bracelets add a bit of dash to my outfits which, although I like to think of them as sophisticated,could also be thought boring otherwise.

I really like chrysoprase, the gemstone that I believe is most often mentioned in the Bible. It was often used in ancient times, both in jewelry and art, and still has an undeniable beauty. This chrysoprase bracelet features artist's lampwork beads, a second strand sterling silver chain, and one of our prettier toggle clasps in sterling.

The peridot bracelet (pictured above and below) illustrates my penchant for mixing different gemstone cuts of the same stone.  The artist's lampwork beads have a flash of metallic colour that adds sparkle as well. (Peridot is the August birthstone, so watch for more peridot jewelry).

Sparkle works great in the summer! Imagine this Swarovski bracelet with an all-white outfit. The Pacific opal Swarovski crystals are a favorite with me. I adore their glow, and they remind me of the water in the Bahamas.  The sterling silver chain adds that "something extra" and dangles three Swarovski charms.

Turquoise is also great for summer. Below,the  lampwork beads in this turquoise necklace determined the colour scheme. The beads are turquoise,clear, and dark amber. Sleeping Beauty turquoise and other genuine turquoise stones are complemented by brown chalcedony that picks up the dark amber colour in the lampwork beads.  The carved gemstone flower is actually carnelian.

   Below the necklace is a hunky, chunky turquoise bracelet with wonderful large turquoise nuggets mixed with golden vermeil from Bali.  A single golden key charm hangs from one side of the bracelet.

A favorite combination of mine is emeralds and abalone, and in this last bracelet, you can see why I love it so much. The rough emeralds look great with abalone; the vermeil accents really adds to the glow of this bracelet.

FREE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING WITH 50.00 PURCHASE OR ABOVE; LOW 1.95 FOR PURCHASE UNDER 50.00!!! at Cluny Grey Jewelry.