Jewelry to Celebrate the Modern Mom

The Modern Mom is constantly on the go, with the source of her motivation always on her mind. There are several designers that now have lines dedicated to the celebration of milestones and memories using hip styles that women want to wear while multi-tasking their way through the day.

One current theme running through this type of jewelry is the charm, but the choices are creative and diverse. Ready to wear commemorative motifs are available, but many designers will allow the client to customize the charms and pendants of different sizes.  Gold discs with  a child’s initial or a diamond set initial, and a birth date engraved on the verso, is easy to wear and will be cherished by Moms of all ages. One of the many choices is Heather B. Moore, who has a very fun website where the client “builds” their own necklace. Her delicate and feminine necklaces are designed around personalized disc charms with pearl, or faceted gemstone spacers.  Another great resource for these necklaces is www.shimmerandstone.com. The necklaces look sweet with one or multiple charms, and can be worn from playground to downtown.

Mother’s rings have always been popular, but the looks have change. It is not just about birthstones any more.  Tiffany & Co. is marketing pink sapphire or blue sapphire stacking bands for Mom.  And Hidalgo, the popular Spanish enamel company, can special order any name onto the band of your choice: design coordinating bands with your children’s names or one special band for “Grandma”. These rings are great to collect and stack together.

Mother’s Day is May 10th!

Cocktail (Rings) Anyone?

Big, chunky, colorful rings have always been a favorite of mine but more and more they are popping up on the pages of all of the top fashion magazines. Best of all, they are not just for evening any more. Many oversized rings have a very casual and playful appeal to them.

Perfect for day, oversized rings most often feature cabochon or fancy cut semi-precious stones alone or in a bold combination of colors, in gold mountings. Bulgari, whose signature look is easily recognized and often copied, popularized this look for day. Another great look for day is big cabochons of coral or turquoise; both work in simple or heavy gold mounting and are a stylish and economical way to incorporate color.

For evening, many of the rings we are seeing today recall the glamorous cocktail rings of the 1940s. Like the period example in the photograph, these rings often boldly feature a large emerald-cut, or square-cut center colored stone. Most often these are semi-precious stones such as a beautiful, golden tone citrine or an eye-catching pink tourmaline, grass green peridot or aquamarine. For evening these stones may be accented by diamonds or by diamonds together with another pop of color such as ruby. Don’t be afraid to wear these rings on your middle finger, which is where they often look best.

Weekend Bonus Brief: Buying at Auction

Auctions, at houses big or small, can be an exciting and entertaining way of purchasing jewelry. Next week there will be three major jewelry sales in New York. Bonham’s, Christie’s and Sotheby’s will all be having auctions. They produce beautiful, glossy color catalogs, hold preview exhibitions and frequently have lectures or offer more information online regarding the sales.

Auction catalogs are often beautiful publications, a great collector’s item for any jewelry enthusiast. As well as being an invaluable tool for those interested in purchasing at the auction, the catalog is a wonderful book full of jewelry from all periods to return to again and again. Each item, or lot, will have a number, description and usually a photograph.

Be sure to attend the preview. If you find a lot that you would like to purchase have a specialist speak to you about the piece(s) that you are interested in. Examine the item closely, try it on, look for any damage…anything because once you have bought it, it is yours. If you cannot look at the piece in person, send someone you trust, or at the very least request a condition report.

Set a budget before the sale. While you will not purchase an item involuntarily by scratching your nose, be sure you know how much you want to bid before you start raising your paddle. Know exactly what the buyer’s premium is and make sure to calculate this into your final bid price. Sales taxes will also apply. If you do your homework there will not be any surprises when you get your bill.

After the sale, the results will be posted on line, and mailed to you if you have purchased a catalogue. These are a good reference to help you value a similar piece that you might own or as an indicator of the price of something that you might have your eye out for in a future sale!

Am I Blue?

Not if you are wearing blue gemstones. Blue is a cool color, and is associated with the sea and sky. It also symbolizes trust, wisdom and intelligence; blues can also invoke the idea of tranquility and calm. Blue is easy to wear and is a safe way to incorporate color into your jewelry.

Gemstones can be found in a number of different blue hues. The sapphire, a variety of corundum, is the most commonly thought of blue stone. Sapphire and diamond jewelry is very traditional, which does not mean boring. The most famous jewelry houses in the world have produced amazing sapphire and diamond pieces throughout history; important both in the quality of design and stones. Sapphires can also come in many tonalities of blue, including pastels and almost colorless; price is based on the color, size and transparency of the stone.

Turquoise blue is a symbol of youth. Although this color incorporates green it also has soothing effects. Turquoise has often been used in amulets to provide protection, health, confidence and strength. Turquoise and diamonds jewelry is one of my personal favorites. It is an unexpected combination that produces fabulous effects both in the pop of the turquoise color against the white and because turquoise is a moderately priced material compared to diamonds.

Other gemstones with a “blue” color include aquamarine, blue topaz, iolite, tanzanite and lapis lazuli. Blue topaz is relatively less expensive than sapphire and aquamarine, which its color mimics. It has been popping up in some great designer jewelry this spring, including some designs which caught my eye like the ear pendants shown here by David Yurman.

The Classic Pearl Jewelry

Pearls are like the little black dress of your jewelry collection. Pearls are beautiful, come in many subtle variations of color to flatter any skin tone while casting light on to the wearer’s face. They pop into our minds when we think of many style icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Coco Chanel (in photograph), Wallis Simpson and our new First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Today women have many options for wearing pearls. The single strand pearl necklace or ear studs, no matter what the millimeter size, are always classics. But, many female power brokers are seen wearing a single strand of large South Sea or Tahitian pearls: Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader is always seen in pearls. Thanks to the low cost of Chinese freshwater pearls, rope length necklaces, found in many different shapes and pallets, are a fun alternative. These can be worn long, straight or with a knot, or wrapped around the neck or wrist several times, reminiscent of Coco Chanel. So, whichever style fits your personal style, pearls are versatile and fabulous!

In closing, I am not sure whose grandmother said it first, but pearls should always be the last thing put on and the first thing taken off. They, as well as the string that holds them, are very delicate and can be stained or damaged by lotion, perfume or hairspray.

For more information I recommend: The Pearl Book: the definitive buying guide, by Antoinette L. Matlins, PG, GemStone Press, Woodstock, VT