We always encourage are customers to try on the jewelry, even if you are "just looking". What could be more fun then trying on a $44,000 diamond ring or a stunning opal necklace like the one Liz is pictured here with?
Opal Necklace
September 13, 2007 – 3:10 pm
Tuesday Tea-Green Gemstones
July 18, 2007 – 12:43 pm
July 17, 2007: Today’s tea was so successful that we had to bring in extra chairs! Although we ran out of the scones and Devon cream, we had plenty of other treats to fill the plates. Everyone enjoyed learning about and comparing a range of green gemstones, including peridot, chrysoberyl, emerald, chrysoprase, diamond (irradiated to bring out the green color), tourmaline, sapphire, gaspeite, green turquoise, and jade. A visiting gem cutter provided insights on the various stones and taught us just a bit about cutting gemstones. We were delighted to photograph a few of the ladies at the tea and their photos are shown below.
NEW: We’d love to photograph you in some our jewelry before (or after) you purchase it. We’ll post the photos on this blog site. Then you and a special person who might want to give you jewelry can see how great you look in it. This could be an experiment to see how a different piece looks, or it could be a way to show that special person a visual wish-list. This is a new idea and we’ll see how it works!
EightStar Diamonds
July 11, 2007 – 1:33 pm
EightStar diamonds stud earrings.1.22ct irradiated fancy blue diamonds in 14K white gold, $6,095.
Becky selected these blue diamonds - and the blue diamond on her wedding band - because they reminded her of Glen Lake on a cloudless day, and she likes to have the reminder of that color on her hand all the time. Natural blue diamonds are so rare that they are essentially unavailable, but the irradiation process has brought blue diamonds into the category of unusual and special. For Becky the color is different from any other blue gemstone and is a "wow!"
The color enhancement by irradiation is not a nuclear reaction and adds no coloring agent to the diamond. The radiation disturbs the diamond crystal lattice and creates color centers that result in the stone's color. The color is permanent and there is no residual radiation that might be a hazard. We think they're great!
Diamonds are known for the sparkle that results from their high refractive index. The cut is also critical for maximizing the reflection of light from the different facets, and the EightStar cut is the best that Becky has seen. The EightStar website summarizes the research that resulted in this optimal cut. They developed the Firescope instrument to test the reflection of incident light. Testing confirmed that there are no "windows" or holes for the escape of incident light and all the incident light is reflected back to the viewer. This is the first blue EightStar diamond that we have seen and we are pleased to make it available to you.
Sunstones
May 25, 2007 – 4:59 pm
Sunstone, to me (David), is a multi-family adventure in mining, sorting, and marketing from the tiny town of
I’ve read about – but have not tried – fee digging in an area set aside for this purpose and not mined with equipment. Apparently people have found some very nice stones, and they only pay for the stones they take away. Recently the major mines have employed larger, more modern equipment, and this should make sunstone more available. The brilliant, warm yellows of sunstone remind us of the beach along Sleeping Bear Bay, but what is it and where did it come from?
Click for Sunstone and Drusy Pin details, ordering and larger photo
Click for Sunstone Necklace details, ordering and larger photo
Click for Sunstone Pendant details, ordering and larger photo
Discover & Share Coral
May 11, 2007 – 4:16 pm
Coral will be the subject of a Tuesday tea-in-the-garden talk this summer, tentatively scheduled for June 26th, and I (David) will share here just a bit of the insights that I have been gathering. I was relieved to learn that the red and pink coral used in jewelry does not come from coral reefs like the Florida Keys, which are so environmentally sensitive that we are instructed not to touch them. A major source of red coral is deep water reefs off the coasts of Italy. Harvesting, exporting and importing of coral are carefully controlled, but there is concern that the long-term supply of coral may be dwindling. However, one Sicilian coral bank is divided into ten sections, one of which is harvested each year and at the end of the decade the first bank yeilds full-sized stock.
Our website features a coral bracelet top and several necklaces with coral. We have more in the shops and will have lots more for the tea talk.
Click for details, ordering and larger photo of the Coral Brooch
Skipping Stone Necklace
May 11, 2007 – 11:26 am
Have you ever walked along Lake Michigan beaches looking for that special flat stone? It's just large enough to fit in the curve of your finger, before slinging it across the waves…..4, 5, 6 and still counting. Keep a few always at your fingertips with Becky's Skipping Stone Necklaces made with either Freshwater Pearls or Leopard Agates and accented with Beachstone center beads…nice and flat, of course.
Click for Skipping Stone Pearl Necklace details, ordering and larger photo
Click for Skipping Stone Leopard Agate Necklace details, ordering and larger photo
Discover & Share Peridot
May 9, 2007 – 1:06 pm
Peridot rivals the green of new ferns in the northern forests. Peridot has been put in jewelry for more than 3,500 years; earliest record by the ancient Egyptians. The birthstone for August, Peridot is also the suggested gemstone gift for the sixteenth wedding anniversary.
Becky is featuring Peridot (on our website front page) in a bracelet top and in a spring green necklace, hand-knotted in French silk. Call or email, we will be happy to help you.
Tuesday Tea: Fresh Water Pearls
March 28, 2007 – 4:34 pm
Becky arranged to meet with a foremost supplier shortly after a major harvesting of pearls. As we shared a meal with this pearl professional, he said that Becky had already chosen the best that he had to offer. He knew many others were looking for the unique and unusual pearls which she had selected. You, her customers, clearly enjoy wearing these distinctive pearls.
I'm not going to give my entire tea talk on pearls, but I can share a few interesting points from this expert: I asked how one gets the various colors in the fresh water pearls. He said that the mollusk or mussel may produce many pearls - as many as 20 from a single mollusk! — with a range of colors! I then remembered the careful removal and color sorting in the pearl "factory" that we visited in
He also brought to my attention that the Japanese had developed disease-resistant (saltwater) oysters which were not susceptible to the disease that had previously dramatically reduced the production of Akoya Pearls. So, we should be seeing a rejuvenated production within the next year or two.
Beachstone Link Bracelet
March 26, 2007 – 10:24 am
Cushion cut Lake Michigan Beachstones set in a sterling silver link bracelet with toggle clasp.
