The Jewelry Blog

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Flash in Winter

Blue topaz is one of the birthstones for December (lapis and turquoise are two others). The necklace above features some of my best London blue topaz mixed with rainbow moonstone. The blue flash of the rainbow moonstone looks great with the deep blue of the topaz. The London blue is gem quality - very beautiful and the moonstone has flash though it may not show up in this photo.
Labradorite has always seemed a "winter" gemstone to me, perhaps because it calls to mind the mystery of the cold north, the northern lights, reindeer in Lapland. I also like to mix it with aquamarine because the aquamarine picks up the flash in the labradorite - it's a combination made in heaven! Below are labradorite-aquamarine earrings with the aquamarine and labradorite hanging from chandeliers and earwires with a heart-shaped theme. Below the earrings, a labradorite bracelet with the addition of aquamarine. The labradorite that you see here is full of green, blue, and aqua flash; unfortunately, I can't seem to get all the beads to flash at the same time. However, one of the beautiful effects of labradorite in jewelry is that movement reveals the flash excellently, so a bracelet with labradorite is the quintessential labradorite jewelry since every twist of your wrist sparks blue flashes!

Labradorite necklaces may not move as much as a bracelet, but they exhibit flash with every turn. The flash is even more pronounced when a bit of aquamarine, such as you see here, is added to the necklace, seeming to prolong the hint of blue/aqua/green evanescence that runs along the necklace. In the necklace below, the bezel-set, cabochon lapis pendant glows!

If you aren't finished with your Christmas shopping, you'd better rush! (Yes, I'm talking to myself again!) Remember that each piece of Cluny Grey Jewelry comes in a velvet or leather pouch and a gift box, and we'll ship to whomever you wish! First class shipping is free in the USA!

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Wednesday, December 03, 2008

A Great Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, despite rarely getting to spend it with my only son (I get to do that at Christmas). But this Thanksgiving was special; not only did I get to spend it with my son and his wife, we went to them in Washington, D.C. and had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at 1789 (great restaurant in Georgetown) along with other friends and my niece and her fiance. The great news: I am going to be a grandmother!!! I've never had a Thanksgiving quite like this one! My only wish is that my sister, her husband and son could have been there too (our regular Thanksgiving crew).

Although I've been busy traveling and eating good food, I do have some new pieces on the website. You can find new bracelets on the Swarovski Crystal Bracelets page and the Lampwork Bracelets page.
Today, I'm featuring 3 of the newest necklaces to hit the Cluny Grey Jewelry website. The top labradorite necklace has a pretty teardrop shaped pendant with a labradorite cabochon with plenty of flash. The second rose quartz necklace is a favorite of mine, not only because it is made with vermeil (gold), but because of the very large, rough-cut rose quartz nuggets that make up the lower sides of the necklace. The pendant is especially too: a large rose quartz cabochon with bezel-set citrines at the bottom.
Finally, the bottom necklace is made primarily of jade with a sterling silver pendant consisting of a carved flower and a prehnite cabochon. Do remember that when these are shown on display, they look longer usually than they actually are. Please ask if you need a necklace a certain length.