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‘Tis the season for entertaining—and being entertained. It’s also the time to show off your jewelry so you sparkle along with the candles on the buffet table. Harper’s Bazaar has some great tips for showing off with style. Balance the bling. Going with a big statement necklace? Balance it with smaller earrings. An armful of […]
Thinking about buying diamond jewelry this season? When you’re surrounded by holiday excitement, music, and decorations, it can be easy to get carried away. Add the shiny beauty of diamonds and other gemstones, and getting carried away can be expensive! Before you go gaga over glitter… If you’re buying diamond jewelry or helping someone else […]
Turquoise is as blue as the sky and old as history. It’s been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and has been honored as a holy stone and good luck charm in cultures from Persia, Rome, and North, Central, and South America. It has been used as a form of currency in Native American tribes as […]
In a recent post we discussed the wonderful tradition of passing down heirloom jewelry to a child, niece, or friend. It creates a legacy that ties one generation to another. But what if they turn your legacy down? It’s a situation that boomer parents are increasingly encountering with their millennial children. The Washington Post reported […]
A large amount of my appraisal work involves valuing and cataloging heirloom jewelry. Some have been bought as part of a collection over the years. But the ones most lovingly handed over to me to catalog, are heirloom pieces, passed down from generation to generation as a legacy. Holiday season is prime time for passing […]
Do you have a special piece of heirloom jewelry? Maybe it’s from your mother, grandmother, or aunt. Or perhaps you’re thinking of giving a special piece of jewelry to your daughter, daughter in law, or young friend. The holidays are a perfect time to pass along heirloom jewelry as a gift, especially when so many […]
As the days of autumn get shorter, November’s birthstone, citrine, brings a warm range of tones of, according to the GIA, “earthy, deep, brownish or reddish orange.” Citrine shares the birthstone honors along with topaz (a stone that it’s often confused with). However, in recent years, the citrine has come into its own. It’s an […]
In this season of ghosts and goblins, the jewelry world has its own scary gems. Here are five jewels with enough curses, mysteries, and political intrigue to scare even the calmest jewelry collector. Hope diamond: This 45.52-carat blue diamond was mined in India in the 17th century, was looted by revolutionaries during the French revolution, […]
How does a rough piece of stone end up as a beautiful jewel on your finger? Through the art and science of lapidary, of cutting that stone into a gem that sparkles. The GIA has this to say about diamond cutters in its article, Unleashing the Light: “Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion […]
If you’re dreaming of a ruby, here’s news you need to know. The gold-standard of this blood-red gemstone are those from Myanmar—formerly known as Burma—especially the valley of Mogok, a district in Upper Myanmar. These beautiful gems are extremely rare. Even rarer are unheated rubies. (Heating is used to reduce any blue tones, making them […]
