Garnet: The January Birthstone

Although garnet is the January birthstone, it is a favorite with many, many people. It was a classic gemstone for Victorian and Edwardian jewelry and is still popular today. Perhaps it's because its colour makes it extremely versatile. What, red? Yes, although garnet is a red gemstone, most garnet is a very dark and deep red, almost a maroon or a bugundy. At night especially, it can look almost black. Because of its deep colour, it looks great with black clothing as well as all the neutrals - khaki, navy, white, cream, camel. Garnet necklaces and bracelets look fantastic when worn with light coloured summer clothing; the contrast between the darkness of the garnets and the pale clothing can be very dramatic.

But garnet is an ancient gemstone, mentioned several times in the Bible, usually by the name of carbuncle. Carbuncle, often used for any cabochon red stone in ancient times, particularly referred however to garnets. Supposedly there were carbuncles in Eden, and God even promises his followers that He will "...make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles...." The garnet also comes in almost every colour imaginable except blue. Grossular garnets come in grey, pink, shades of yellow and green although green is probably the best known. Uvarovite is a dark green; spessartine garnet is usally an orange or reddish-orange; pyrope garnet ranges from a dark red to a pinkish-red.Above are green (grossular) garnet earrings. Garnet bracelets, garnet earrings, and garnet necklaces can all be found on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.

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Note from Washington, D.C.

I'm still in Washington, D.C. enjoying the city, shopping, museums, and mostly visiting with my son and daughter-in-law. Before I left home, in the flurry of getting out Christmas orders and packing and making sure that my dear kitties were well taken care of, I did manage to pack 2 of my favorite necklaces, just in case I got a chance to wear them. The top one is a favorite of mine that I'm thinking of keeping and I really made it with myself in mind. The light green largest middle gemstone is a roughly faceted emerald; the large aquamarines are natural and undyed and a lovely blue. The smaller gemstones are rubies, sapphires, and more emeralds. There are also larger rubies and sapphires in faceted sapphires as well as more faceted emeralds in a rough emerald shape. Fourteen karat goldfilled round beads up to 5mm accent the precious gemstones, and for ease of fastening, I used a goldfilled toggle clasp since this is only 16 inches in length. When I was making it, I was thinking of wearing it with a beautiful 18 karat gold cross that my husband bought me for Christmas in Portugal about 3 years ago; it's one of my signature pieces of jewelry that I wear constantly. When you have a signature piece of jewelry like my cross, I think that sometimes it becomes such a part of you that it's not necessarily as noticeable as it should be; the gemstone necklaces worn above really becomes a foil for the beauty of the cross and it looks new all over again (it always looks beautiful). Of course, the gemstone necklace also looks great alone, as does the tourmaline necklace. Mixed gemstone necklaces are so versatile that are almost a jewelry wardrobe within themselves. And if you have a signature piece - even if it's a bracelet, an additional strand of mixed gemstones can really dress it up and make it perfect for an outfit you may have thought it didn't look right with before.The handmade necklace above was made entirely out of tourmalines; I got really fortunate and found some faceted tourmaline rondelles in pretty colours ranging from almost black to dark emerald green to pale green to pink. The focal points are three gorgeous pink faceted rectangles that resemble an emerald cut. Once again, I accented with fairly large 14 karat goldfilled rounds. This necklace is also a choker, slightly shorter however than the one above.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and wish you all a very Happy New Year! Don't forget those New Year's Resolutions!

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The Gemstone of the Great White North: Labradorite

If there were such a thing as a "winter" gemstone, it would be labradorite. I cannot see the blue flash without thinking of the Northern lights, fjords, and thinking of lands I read about in fairy tales with Hans and Gerda and the Snow Queen. Labradorite is one of the most evocative gemstones I work with.
The bracelet is new, and it has some wonderful flash to it - even where it doesn't show up in the picture. Every single labradorite stone on the bracelet, no matter how small, I chose for its blue flash, and the large smooth oval is simply amazing! Both pairs of earrings also have major flash - some of the best labradorite I've ever had.
Although I love jewelry, I work with gemstones everyday, and tend to get a bit blase about some - which is good because I am able to part with the jewelry I make (otherwise I'd have to build a new room onto my house just to hold the jewelry). But labradorite still gives me pause, so that I find myself sliding stones across my desk and later making something for myself from them (something I rarely do otherwise). There is magic in labradorite, and I love wearing magic.Labradorite Jewelry can be found on these pages on our website: Labradorite Jewelry Labradorite Earrings and Labradorite Necklaces.


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