As a jewelry designer, I have a lot of earrings to choose from. As a midlife rebel, I decided I needed more piercings to accommodate the earrings. Since 2014, I’ve gone from the three lobe piercings I’ve had since the 1980s to eight total piercings, including lobe, tragus and conch. Due to Murphy’s Law, the…
gems
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #5 of 14
It’s National Wear Red Day today — part of the effort to raise awareness about women’s risk for heart attacks and strokes. Did you know that women often experience different symptoms than men do? The illustrations posted here are very helpful, but you should check out the comments too. It’s educational to read about individual…
January’s Birthstone, Garnet: More Colorful Than You Think
January’s birthstone is garnet, which most people think of as a deep red gem. But, as I pointed out in this post from last year’s Tucson gem show, garnet comes in a range of colors, with different names for different varieties. The garnets I used in the studs pictured above are rhodolite. In Tucson, I…
October’s Other Birthstone: Tourmaline
October babies are lucky. They have two birthstones: opal and tourmaline. Opal is better known as a birthstone, but I think it’s good thing that there is a backup. Opals are relatively soft gems — about as hard as glass — that are more easily scratched than other stones. Once in a while, someone makes…
Welcome to August and Its Birthstone, Peridot
How do the summers fly by, while one dreary month like March always seems to last a year?! At least August has a beautiful birthstone — yellow-green peridot. In celebration, I have a few new photos of my one-of-a-kind Susan earrings, which are back on my website after a hiatus. I’m making them my Jewel…
Jewel of the Month: Amethyst Birthstone Studs
I’m continuing to make a series of cabochon birthstone studs that you can wear alone or with my FitzRoy the cat earring jackets. Here’s a close look at a single FitzRoy with January’s birthstone, garnet. February’s birthstone is amethyst and I’ve got one pair of amethyst studs available for any end-of-the-month birthday celebrations. Amethyst is…
Snow-Day Sale: 50% Off Gold Jewelry
I hope all of you on the East Coast are at home — or on your way home — to take shelter from this crazy winter storm. There are travel warnings in effect so pay attention to those and don’t get stuck out on the road late tonight. Tomorrow, you might be tempted to play…
February’s Birthstone is Amethyst …
… and I have no doubt that February babies will be thrilled to get any of my amethyst designs. It’s the last day of January, so let’s look at the options! My double-stone Clemence ring with amethyst and citrine set in 18K gold is available exclusively at Max & Chloe. I’ve only made one of…
Jewel of the Month: Aquamarine, March’s Birthstone
All you March babies are entitled to a fabulous birthday gift this month, and I’ve got the perfect thing. I made one of my 18K gold Livia poison rings with March’s birthstone, aquamarine. My aquamarine is a curved, polished cabochon, rather than the more typical faceted gem. The cut gives the stone a soft, gorgeous…