I'm very fond of citrine, the gemstone ranging from a pale yellow to a dark orange. First, I just love the colour yellow; second, citrine is an extremely versatile gemstone that looks great with many different colours. I wear it often with black because I like the contrast of the yellow against dark colours. I like a neutral colour that I call champagne or sand - it's a version of khaki almost, but with golden tones instead of brown - Anne Klein calls it safari. A paler citrine is gorgeous with it. In the summer, nothing looks fresher than citrine bracelets and necklaces paired with white linen or cotton.
Citrine is a variety of quartz with a moh's hardness of 7, a relatively durable stone although it can be scratched, and prolonged exposure to heat and sunlight will change its colour .Citrine is believed to have many mystical qualities. It is known as the "money" stone or "merchant's" stone; some merchants will put a citrine in their cash registers to draw money to them. The ancients believed that putting a citrine on the forehead would increase psychic powers, and it supposedly will increase memory, aid in curing depression and diabetes, and foster creative expression, especially for writers.
The citrine's name comes from the French word for lemon, citron. The yellow colour is from the presence of iron. Ironically, if you own a citrine, you probably also own an amethyst! This is because the natural citrine is rather rare and most today are made by exposing an amethyst or smoky quartz to high heat to turn it into a citrine. 
You will be able to find the citrine bracelets on this page on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website at Citrine Bracelets.
Happy Birthday, November!
Ah... the air is getting colder. . . I love this time of Autumn when the leaves are changing everywhere and the air is nippy in the morning. I'm looking forward to next weekend when we "fall back" and set our clocks back an hour since when I leave at 6:45 in the morning it is as dark as can be. I actually like the feeling that I am getting a jump on the day, but it does make the day seem especially long. The jewelry pieces here are a motley group, no real theme, just pieces made because the gemstones intrigued me usually. Above, you see an iolite bracelet (iolites are also known as the "water sapphire") with 5 strands of iolites and one silver-laced lentil bead that has a hint of purple along with the blue. The clasp is a large oval box clasp set with a cabochon rainbow moonstone that has a beautiful blue glow almost every way that you look. These multi-strand bracelets look especially good with blouses and sweaters with 3/4 length sleeves since every strand will show. Below, a prehnite and tourmalinated quartz bracelet has three large, gorgeous lampwork beads as focals. They glitter and shine in the light and make a huge statement. All accents are sterling silver.
Below is a bracelet of London blue topaz; I dearly love London blue topazes and have quite a few pieces featuring these lovely dark blue topazes. They are rather hard to come by - the deeply coloured gem-quality ones, that is. And those are the only ones that I really care for. This blue topaz bangle also has Karen Hill Tribes beads from Thailand and a sterling toggle clasp. Next, a necklace made with some unusual gemstones; they are amethysts, but they are large roughly hewn amethysts nuggets that have been sanded to give them an earthy look, sometimes almost a frosty look. Not only is purple one of Fall's most "in" colours this year, but huge chunky necklaces were worn by a majority of the models on the runways during New York Fashion Week.
Finally, the last two pieces are a bracelet and a pair of earrings, both featuring rose quartz. The bracelet has lovely artist's lampwork beads that pick up the pink beautifully; the earrings are made from some of my favorite rectangular faceted rose quartz beads.
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No, I'm not finished posting the new Fall Collection - not by a long shot! Because I am doing the photos, pricing, and web myself without help since my move, it means that I am going much more slowly than I would prefer. However, if you like anticipation....Today I have another mixture of bracelets beginning with the blue lace agate and amethyst bracelet that you see at the top. The focal is actually a blue chalcedony faceted nugget, the amethyst is transparent and the lampwork beads are some of the absolute best I've had (from an artist whose work sells at a premium). Below is an amethyst bracelet that is complimented by rutilated quartz, thus combining two of the season's hottest colours, purple and grey. I love the amethyst gemstone toggle clasp. The lampwork beads are the perfect purple and grey!
The tourmaline bracelet above features three strands of all shapes and sizes of tourmalines and includes little tourmaline charms hanging at intervals from the bracelet. There is only one lampwork bead, a green transparent lentil with mauvey purple swirls, but it is wonderful. Tourmaline is a great gemstone for this fall since it either has the most popular colours or accents those clothing colours wonderfully well.The blue lace agate bracelet below is all about flowers: sterling silver flower beads, sterling flower charms, and a focal lentil lampwork bead that has the look of a flower also. Below the blue agate bracelet is one of my favorite combinations: sunstone and dark blue apatite that has the slightest hint of teal in it. Another favorite of mine is the little sterling bird charm that hangs near the center of the bracelet.
There are just three pairs of earrings here, but many more will be appearing on the Cluny Grey Jewelrysite.
The first two pieces today, top and bottom, will be listed under chalcedony jewelry on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.
The chalcedony necklace above is a single strand necklace featuring faceted nuggets of aqua chalcedony along with the prettiest faceted coins of a strong pink chalcedony, Bali sterling silver and the unique lampwork beads of Suzette Celestin. The lampwork picks up the aqua and pink and adds a creme colour to the mix as well. The necklace would look great against a dress or blouse in one of the season's hottest neutrals, a deep creme with a touch of brown called creme brulee.
Below, more chalcedony, this time faceted nuggets of a golden yellow chalcedony that positively glow! The only silver: the tiniest Karen Hill Tribes silver beads, barely noticeable, between the beads, and the pretty sterling toggle clasp. Why? Because the nuggets themselves are so beautiful and so strong in colour, I wanted a very gemmy look for the bracelet, a look that calls for very little silver. This is a simple nugget bracelet with a lot of impact!
One of the Fall 2009 season's colours is "rapture rose." It is a colour that is epitomized by the rhodonite bracelet that you see below - a strong but soft deep pink or rose colour. Sterling silver and two borosilicate artist's lampwork beads add a dash of different colour to the bracelet which consists of two strands of different shapes and sizes of rhodonite gemstones. If rose is not your colour or you can't afford to add this colour to your wardrobe right now, this is a perfect way to get a dash of the colour! Rhodonite is a matte gemstone making it suitable for daytime or nighttime wear, so the bracelet is quite versatile - it also looks great with the iron grey that is one of the most popular neutrals this Fall.
The last two jewelry pieces are a necklace and bracelet and both feature blue. Above, the simple sapphire necklace is made entirely of blue sapphires with the addition of a focal dichroic that sparkles in natural or artificial light. (It's also this month's birthstone).
The last piece is a double strand bracelet that features amethysts and kyanite. Very special lampwork beads add a magical touch to the bracelet and the geometric toggle with the amethyst cabochon keeps it from looking too froufrou.
Next: See more from Cluny's Fall Collection 2009 in a couple of days! There is still more colour to come!
There is no real theme for today's jewelry - part of the Fall Collection. I know that I should group the jewelry pieces in some intelligent way, but WOW! getting all the jewelry on the site is a ton of work and I've been at it for several days now! So this is really a random sampling of some of the new bracelets that are going to be on the Cluny Grey Jewelry site. Above, a moonstone bracelet with touches of genuine aquamarine. It really has quite a bit of flash and the aquamarine accents that flash. Below is a bracelet pairing aquamarine with sunstone; I love the hot and coolness of the two gemstones together, and together they are smashing mixed with the great sterling silver that you see here. I am especially fond also of second strands consisting of those tiny Karen Hill Tribes beads that you see here. And the bird clasp is a real favorite! (Can you tell that I am partial to this bracelet?)
More colour here when great lampwork in soft yellows and blues with a touch of pink is mixed with faceted citrine nuggets. It's a soft, romantic bracelet that will look great with all those ruffled blouses that are in style this Fall. And if you are like me, you like to keep up with some trends, but some I cannot do in a big way. Animal prints are still big, but I never feel comfortable wearing them. To the rescue, this lampwork bracelet with the great tiger stripes that give you that touch of the trend without overwhelming.
Above, moonstone in a dusky mauvey-peach colour and greys. I love these beads with the raised symbols (moons, stars, other shapes) on them. They give a mystical feel to any jewelry piece. Below, two tourmaline bracelets, one with one of the largest faceted garnet nuggets I've ever had. What can I say about tourmaline that you don't already know? That it goes with just about everything. It's perfect for Fall and Winter, and it looks equally good with bright or dark clothing.
And stay tuned - there is still more jewelry to come!!!
The following jewelry pieces feature gemstones in colours that are based on Pantone's colour guide (Pantone produces the dyes that are used by the fashion world, so that they are the true forecaster of the hottest colours). Above, the double strand bracelet has three of the season's hottest colours: olivine (in Swarovski crystals); majolica (kyanite); grey (rutilated quartz). The second strand is a type of bangle accented only by the Swarovski crystals.Below, more rutilated quartz celebrates another big trend for Fall: the chunky necklace. The large, flat faceted nuggets (over an inch long) are primarily grey with touches of tan/brown. Each nugget is over an inch in length.
Citrine is always a favorite stone, and one of Fall's newest colours is honey yellow. With its range of colours from pale yellow to a deep golden colour, citrine can add a touch of this year's colour to an older outfit or blend with a new one.
Below, this unique bracelet has quartz (creme brulee), chalcedony (majolica), and carnelian (American Beauty) for a blend of colours exceedingly versatile. The next bracelet has chalcedony and yellow opal (majolica and honey yellow), and the bottom bracelet of African opal and vermeil will go equally well with both the off-white creme brulee and a neutral colour called nougat that is a pale taupe.
More tomorrow!
You will be able to find the citrine bracelets on this page on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website at Citrine Bracelets.
