This gem is known as a talisman for sailors and March's birthstone. That's right, the gem is aquamarine. This beautiful pastel blue gem has been treasured for centuries. The gem's color ranges from deep dark blues to light blues and can have a greenish hue at times. When light hits the gem at certain angles the gem can appear a different color, or even colorless. This is known as the pleochroic effect. All the different colors of aquamarine remind aquamarine admirers of the world's vast oceans and bodies of water.
People find the beach a calming and relaxing place. Aquamarine mirrors the translucent blue of calmed waves lightly rocking back and forth on a beach or shore. The name "aquamarine" is ... [Read More]
January 11, 2021 | Birthstones
A new year to start fresh, hoping for new beginnings, and looking for a change. After a challenging year of uncertainty and trying to balance the chaos, now is the perfect time to reflect. Most of us can agree that our lives have been changed by the pandemic. Times like now are a great opportunity for appreciating those close to us. What better way to show someone you care than by gifting them with a gorgeous piece of jewelry that features their birthstone? Garnet is January's birthstone and is a historically sought-after gem. The stone's name is derived from the Latin word "Garanatus" meaning "seed like". Old civilizations believed the gemstone looked like the seeds found inside a pomegranate with its ... [Read More]
About the Author
Merchandising Coordinator, Anna Brookie, is back to detail one of the season's biggest trends in stone: turquoise. Read on to discover a brief history of this semi-precious gemstone and learn how to style it with your preexisting apparel and jewelry collections.
Turquoise Is Back and Better Than Ever
Being stuck inside during this quarantine period has its ups and downs, and one of the major ups is extra time for online shopping. (The jury’s still out about whether the amount of chocolate I’ve consumed counts as an up or a down.) Even though we can’t enjoy the nicer weather while sipping Bloody Marys at our favorite outdoor brunch spots or lounging poolside, we can celebrate ... [Read More]
About the Author
Merchandising Coordinator and resident trendsetter, Anna Brookie, gives some background on the modern-day reemergence of the pearl and how to best incorporate it into today’s looks.
The Pearl, Historically
Everything old is new again, and the perfect evidence of this is the resurgence of pearl jewelry as a high-fashion accessory. The humble pearl has been adorning monarchs as far back as ancient Rome and China as the ultimate status symbol. Flash forward to the 1920s and pearls are christening the rebellious and iconic flapper, and thirty years after that they can still be found around the necks and in the ears of women, with only incremental stylistic changes.
All this is ... [Read More]
Record Spending
Mother’s Day 2019 spending for jewelry items is expected to reach $5.2 billion this year. This makes it the fastest-growing and highest-volume gift-giving category, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The jewelry spending number is up from $4.6 billion in 2018, an increase of 13%.
Overall Mother’s Day spending in 2019 is predicted to hit a record $25 billion, up from $23.1 billion in 2018. More than 31% of that annual increase is reflected in the strength of the jewelry category, where purchases are slated to jump by $600 million. Mother’s Day 2017 was the previous record-holder at $23.6 billion in total purchases.
Exactly 35% of ... [Read More]
The Diamond Producers Association’s “For Me, From Me” ad campaign made its debut yesterday during E! News‘ highly rated coverage of the 91st Academy Awards.
“For Me, From Me” is a campaign inspired by the ever-growing segment of the market represented by women who buy diamonds for themselves. The group now accounts for one-third of the $43 billion diamond jewelry market.
E! viewers were introduced to the new lifestyle videos via an innovative picture-in-picture presentation. This is a technique where — just before scheduled commercial breaks — the show coverage and DPA video were shown on the screen simultaneously.
In addition, elements of the campaign were seen in photo gallery takeovers on ... [Read More]
First discovered in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1851, the vivid green demantoid garnet is the rarest and most valuable variety of January’s birthstone.
Demantoid is derived from the Dutch word for diamond, “demant.” The stone owes its impressive diamond-like brilliance to two main factors: A high refractive index and a high dispersion (its ability to separate light into the spectrum of colors). Demantoid, in fact, boasts the highest dispersion rating of all gemstones, including diamond.
The green gem was a favorite of designer Carl Fabergé, who incorporated demantoid into the famous jeweled eggs and other fanciful jewelry he created for the Russian Imperial family. Russian mining of demantoid ... [Read More]
"Living Coral,” a pinkish-orange hue that embraces us with warmth and embodies our desire for playful expression, has been named Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year. Among the gemstones exhibiting Pantone’s vibrant, yet mellow, seaborne color are spinel, morganite, padparadscha sapphire and precious coral.
Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, said the Color Institute selected Living Coral to counter the effects of digital technology and social media that are “increasingly embedding into daily life.”
“We are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy,” she noted. “Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of Living Coral welcomes and encourages ... [Read More]
It took the designers and artisans at Atelier Swarovski a total of 930 hours to complete the bejeweled 2018 Dream Angels Fantasy Bra, an impressive work that will be worn by supermodel Elsa Hosk at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The $1 million bra and body chain are adorned with 2,100 diamonds weighing a total of 71 carats. The gems are set in sterling silver.
“The Fantasy Bra is blinding,” the Swedish model told Elle.com. “It’s like, ‘Whoa.’ [There are] 2,000 diamonds on it. That’s a little crazy.”
Hosk was working at a photo shoot recently when a special package from Victoria’s Secret arrived on the set. Hosk guessed it was a birthday cake because her birthday was coming up. When ... [Read More]
A 5-carat fancy vivid blue diamond named “Ai” — the Chinese word for love — will be flirting with a world record when it hits the auction block at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite event in Hong Kong on October 3.
The auction house is estimating that the richly colored step-cut gem will sell in the range of $12.4 million to $15.2 million, potentially putting the per-carat price at $3 million or more. If The Ai Diamond outperforms Sotheby’s estimate, it will be ascending into the rarefied air occupied by two of the most famous blue diamonds of all time.
Back in May of 2017, the “Oppenheimer Blue” — a 14.62-carat fancy vivid blue diamond — fetched an astounding $57.5 million at Christie’s ... [Read More]
