April Showers & Jewelry Flowers

Flowers are blooming everywhere! It's so fabulous seeing soft pinks and bright yellows in forsythia and magnolias.  Cherry and apple blossoms are out in full force as well.  I just drove up Alexander Road in Princeton and there's a whole grove of magnificent magnolias lining the street.

I've always loved flowers, especially  in jewelry.  I wanted to find some truly spectacular gemstone ones to share with you.  My favorites are the jewels; the diamonds and colored stones cleverly and masterfully rendered as flowers.  Here are a small samplings of these mini-masterpieces.
There are more beautiful examples if you'd like to see more:  Visit my Pinterest Page 

There's also a very nice collection of flower themed jewelry at:  www.jewelsdujour.com- I came across this blog site when looking for great examples of flowers in Jewelry.

I'd love to hear your comments and feel free to share!

Tiffany Brooch

Orchid Brooch by in Opals, Amethysts, Diamonds & Gold
by Paula Crevoshay

Paula Crevoshay

Isn't it great how the jeweler shaded the petals with graduated tones of the gemstone?  It's like painting with jewels.

Van Clef & Arpels

This ruby and diamond tulip is more stylized and flat, but it's beautifully simple.

Tourmaline & Emerald Foxglove

Cartier Orchid

How Does Gold Become Different Colors?

When you think of gold, do you typically see it in yellow?  I'm sure you're familiar with other gold colors such as white, rose, green and even peach.  Did you ever wonder how those colors are obtained?

It's actually pretty simple.  Pure .999 gold is bright yellow and is 24k.  That means 24 parts out of 24 part are gold.  Since 24k gold is quite soft, most jewelry gold is alloyed; other metals are added to pure gold and this gives it strength and will affect the color.  Alloy metals can be silver, copper, zinc, and nickel - the amount of each alloy metal will change the color of the gold.

• Yellow gold - This is gold in its natural shade. How yellow a piece is will depend on its gold content. Generally, 14 karat gold has a brighter yellow than 10 karat gold; 18 karat gold has a deeper yellow than 14 karat gold, and so on.
• White gold -  White gold has the same properties as yellow gold, but is mixed with different alloys to give it its white color. Generally, white gold is created by using a nickel or palladium alloy, zinc and copper. Sometimes, white gold is plated with an even whiter metal, such as rhodium (a rare member of the platinum family) to enhance its appearance.
• Rose gold - Different amount of pink can be created  by varying the amounts of silver and copper in the alloy.
• Green gold - This alloy is created by mixing silver, copper and zinc to yellow gold. 18k green gold will be greener than 14k green gold.
•  Peach gold - Usually peach gold is obtained by alloying the gold with just copper.

I've also read alloy sheets that talk about purple gold and blue/white gold but I personally haven't seen it.

A quick word on karat content. To determine the percentage of gold in any piece of jewelry, simply divide the karat content by 24 and multiply by 100. Therefore, 18kt is .750 pure (18/24 x 100) or 75 percent gold. So, 10kt and 14kt are 41.7 percent and 58.3 percent gold, respectively.  It may surprise you to learn that 14k gold is only about 58% gold.  When I make gold jewelry I work mostly with 22k gold, which I alloy myself in my studio.  Sometimes I'll use 18k in a ring shank, but that's as low as I'll ever go in karat content.  Working with 22k gold is a dream for a goldsmith.  It's beautifully malleable and I love the bright, rich, yellow color this almost pure alloy.

Please feel free to share and/or comment on this article.

Birthstones - How did the tradition start?

JANUARY'S BIRTHSTONE - GARNET

 

Since it's the first month of the year, I was going to write about Garnet, January's birthstone.  Then, I started to think about how and when the tradition of birthstones began in the first place. 

Many believe that the Breastplate of Aaron is the basis for the origin of birthstones (also known as natal stones). The instructions for fabricating the Breastplate are in Exodus 28, 15-30: and call for the twelve stones of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to be set in four rows. These gemstones corresponded to the zodiac signs of the time.

The breastplate was of great importance.  It was believed that  God Himself  designed it and the directions as to how it was to be made were given to Moses as illustrated in Exodus xxviii. 15, 20.

The King James Authorized Version of the Bible (1769) translated the Hebrew work "chosen" as breastplate, but this obscures some of its meaning. In the Septuagint it is written by the Greek word "logeion," which means a speaking-place. This describes exactly what the breastplate really was---the oracle or means by which God spoke to, i.e., answered the inquires of, the high-priest. 

The order of the gemstones on the breastplate was to be four rows of precious stones, three in each row, and upon them were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Over the course of time, the gemstones also became associated with the Twelve Apostles. A natural progression led to an individual gemstone standing for each month of the year. As far as we know, the custom of wearing gemstones as birthstones started in 15th century Poland.

It was not until a 1912 meeting of the National Association of Jewelers in Kansas City, Missouri that the assignment of specific gemstones to specific months was standardized. Purists, of course, complained that this was done for purely commercial reasons. Be that as it may, it sure simplified things. Even today, in certain quarters, alternate gemstone selections are commonplace. 

The ring above is available on my website or at the Langman Gallery in Willow Grove, PA. I welcome custom orders made with your gemstone or one from my collection.

Please feel free to comment or share this.   

 

Turquoise - an ancient gemstone

Ancient Egyptian Jewelry with Turquoise

Turquoise is one of the world’s most ancient gemstones. Archaeological excavations have revealed that Egyptian royalty wore turquoise jewelry as early as 5500 B.C. Chinese artisans were carving it more than 3,000 years ago. Native American tribes have worn turquoise as a ceremonial gem and adorned their jewelry and amulets with it for thousands of years. It is soft enough to be shaped, polished and fashioned into jewelry with simple tools – hence its use from the earliest times of man's civilization. 

Although a bright blue shade comes to mind for most people, turquoise actually comes in a wide range of colors from a bright green, to greenish blue to bright royal blue shades. The Egyptians were mining turquoise as early as 6,000 BC on the Sinai peninsula. You'll see quite a lot of Turquoise in the ancient Egyptian jewelry of the Pharaohs. It was revered even to the point that the Egyptians were the first to develop a turquoise colored glass glaze - the first simulated turquoise. The ancient Chinese civilizations valued turquoise very highly and considered it second only to their jade. The native Americans of the southwest USA have long mined and cut turquoise - they were making necklace strands and other turquoise jewelry by hand many centuries before the first European settlers arrived. It was highly prized and circulated among the Native Americans. Scientific testing has proven that some ancient beads found in South America originally came from the Cerrillos turquoise mine near Santa Fe, New Mexico. When Europeans brought the technology of working metals like silver with them to the new world, the American Indians learned to use turquoise with silver to develop their own special style of jewelry.

The word turquoise probably is derived from the French term meaning Turkish stone. It was first used by French and other European traders regarding a beautiful blue stone received from Turkish traders - it was actually Persian turquoise (from mines located in what is now known as Iran).  

Turquoise is found in only a few places on earth: dry and barren regions where acidic, copper-rich groundwater seeps downward and reacts with minerals that contain phosphorus and aluminum. The result of this sedimentary process is a porous, semi-translucent to opaque compound of hydrated copper and aluminum phosphate. Turquoise is judged on three basic factors—its color, texture, and the presence or absence of matrix.

Color is turquoise’s main claim to fame. It can be greenish blue, bluish green, or yellowish green, depending on its iron content. Its most highly valued color is an intense, evenly distributed, medium blue known as Persian blue in the trade.

Like many gemstones, the demand for high quality turquoise exceeds the supply. This has led to the development of treatment methods to improve the color and durability of lower cost material. Softer and more porous turquoise can be enhanced by impregnating the stone under pressure with hot acrylic resins. The resins improve the color, hardness, and durability of the material. As long as the materials are represented as treated, this is regarded as an acceptable practice in the gemstone industry.

I've recently re-discovered Turquoise.  I have beautiful cabochons I bought when I first started making jewelry in the mid 1970's.  I found this beautiful piece in my stash of gemstones and made it into this ring with a 22k gold bezel accented with 22k gold granules on a sterling silver band.  I've been shopping around for Turquoise and acquiring some interesting pieces which I'll be making up as rings.  If you are interested in seeing what I have to offer, I can send photos and design something especially for you...feel free to email me, anytime!  I haven't posted this ring to my website yet, if you are interested in purchasing it.....email me!

Please feel free to comment or share this content. 

It's a crazy, busy time of year so I just wanted to wish everyone the best holiday season - and lucky you, if you are getting a White Christmas!

See you next year........!

Massive 76 Carat Diamond Sets World Record

The Archduke Joseph Diamond realized CHF20,355,000 ($21,506,914) achieving a world auction record for a colorless diamond in the Magnificent Jewels & The Archduke Joseph Diamond sale in Geneva on 13 November 2012.

The Archduke Joseph Diamond is the finest and largest perfect Golconda diamond ever to appear at auction," Rahul Kadakia of Christie's said. 

This rare, colorless, 76 carat internally flawless diamond was the star lot at Christie's semi-annual jewelry sale in Geneva. It once belonged to Archduke Joseph August of Austria (1872-1962), a prince of the Hungarian line of the Hapsburgs.  The sale as a whole fetched £50m, with 290 of 348 lots sold. Roughly the same size as a strawberry, this amazing diamond fetched about $21.5 million dollars.  It sold for more than double the price paid for it at auction almost two decades ago.

This rare stone, comes from India’s ancient Golconda mines, "It is a world record for a Golconda diamond and a world record price per carat for a colorless diamond," Francois Curiel, director of the international jewelry department at Christie's, was quoted by the BBC as saying. 

Other historical diamonds originated in the Golconda mines.They include the Koh-i-noor, now in the British crown jewels, and the blue Hope Diamond, part of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. Unfortunately, these fabled mines were virtually exhausted by the 18th century.

This 76.45-carat diamond gets its name from from Archduke Joseph August (1872-1962), a previous owner of the gem and a prince of the Hungarian line of the Hapsburg dynasty. The Archduke was a descendant of the Emperor Leopold II, son of Empress Maria Theresa who owned the famous Florentine Diamond, (one of the most notable and unique diamonds in history and an heirloom of the Hapsburgs for many years.) It is thought that at some point he gave the diamond to his son, Joseph Francis (1895-1957). As of June 1, 1933 records show it belonging to Archduke Joseph and deposited with the Hungarian General Credit Bank in the presence of a state counselor. Three years later the diamond was sold to a European banker who kept it in a safe deposit box in France during World War II, where it fortunately escaped the attention of the Nazis. 

The location of this stone remained a mystery until it came up for auction in London in June, 1961. It was then believed to be the largest loose fine quality diamond ever to have been auctioned in Great Britain. 

Bidding stopped at  £145,000 and it was withdrawn from the sale.  Later, it was reported that a syndicate of Hatton Garden buyers had made an unsuccessful bid for the diamond. It came up for sale again at Christie's in Geneva in November of 1993, when it was sold for $6,487,945. 

The diamond originally weighed 78.54 carats and was slightly re-cut in the late-1990's by Molina Fine Jewelers down to its current 76.45-carat weight. The diamond has been graded as Internally Flawless. Sources: Famous Diamonds by Ian Balfour, Diamonds - Famous, Notable and Unique by Lawrence Copeland, and numerous magazine articles.  Thus its D-color certification. It is cut in a rectangular cushion shape, perhaps a style of cutting that is not entirely unfitting with its Indian origin. It has horizontally divided pavilion main facets. 

You can watch the actual auction video here: Christie's Auction

Geneva auctions have sold some of the world's most eye-popping diamonds and other fabulous jewels in recent years:

Beau - Sancy Diamond

Royal connections
In May 2012, Sotheby’s sold the 34.98 carat Beau Sancy diamond to an anonymous bidder for $9.7 million. Marie de Medici had worn it at her coronation as Queen Consort of Henry IV in France in 1610. Christie’s auctioned off a 32.08-carat Burmese ruby and diamond ring that sold for $6.7 million, a world record price for a ruby sold at auction.

Pear-shaped

Sun-Drop Diamond

In November 2011, the Sun-Drop Diamond of South Africa, a giant pear-shaped yellow gem weighing 110.3 carats, sold for more than $10.9 million at auction, beating previous records for a jewel of its type. Including commission, the unidentified telephone bidder paid almost $12.4 million for the gem.

Graff Pink Diamond

Intensely pink
In November 2010, a rare pink diamond smashed the world record for a jewel at auction, selling for more than $46 million to well-known London jeweler Laurence Graff. The 24.78-carat "fancy intense pink" diamond immediately became known as “The Graff Pink”.

Heart-shaped
In May 2011, Christie’s fetched $10.9 million for a 56-carat heart-shaped diamond that was internally flawless and $7.1 million for a 130-carat Burmese sapphire.

39th Annual Crafter's Marketplace

It's hard to believe it's here already!  This will be my 3rd year participating in the show.  I'll be in "Crafter's Courtyard" so please, stop by and say hello.  Here's the blurb on the show:

Shop more than 130 great artisans! The juried show of upscale wearable art, pottery, glass, jewelry, and much more features crafters not only from this area, but also from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and beyond.
All proceeds benefit the YWCA Princeton and its Bates Scholarship program, which enables economically disadvantaged community members to participate in YWCA programs.

Saturday, November 17, 2012, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Sunday, November 18, 2012, 10:00 am-4:00 pm

John Witherspoon Middle School
217 Walnut Lane
Princeton, New Jersey 08540


Admission:
Adults: $6
Seniors (62+) and under 16: $5
Children under 6: free (sorry, no strollers by order of the Fire Marshal)
For more information,  609-497-2100 , ext. 380 or cm@ywcaprinceton.org