Happy Stories From our customers

A Trapiche emerald

St. Hildegard of Bingen, a noted lithologist, once declared, “All the green of nature is concentrated within the Emerald.”

Each and every gem has its own special personality. Almost like humans, they have expressive traits that tell us about the gem. Emeralds are no different. Birthstone of May, emeralds come in a wide variety of hues.

According to WikiHow:

Hue refers to the purity of an emerald’s color, and it is one of key points to consider regarding color quality. Most emeralds have a blue-green tint, while others may have a yellow-green tint. The most valuable have little to no tint, however, and are as pure green as possible.

This is not to be confused with tone. Tone refers to the darkness or lightness of an emerald. Emeralds span from very light to very dark (with the more precious emeralds fallen on the darker end).

Emeralds are a powerful gem, heavy with history and meaning. Emeralds “promotes friendship, balance between partners, and is particularly known for providing domestic bliss, contentment and loyalty.” [Source: Crystal Vaults]

Whatever your gem of choice, we can custom design a piece especially for you!

Columbian emeralds.

We believe in the power of jewelry and how amazing it can make our clients feel. But we also know that women struggle every day to feel beautiful, regardless of the way the way they look on the outside. It’s a tough world we live in. External beauty or not, women are often pitted against an unrealistic standard where there’s no easy win.

This beautifully constructed video displays the dilemma that many women face and the deep emotional pain it can cause.

We’d like to remind all women: beauty is an inside-out job. When you begin to accept your flaws (and hopefully one day, even embrace them) and celebrate the beauty of your soul, you begin to radiate–beyond make-up, beyond jewelry and beyond what anyone thinks about you.

PS:  I get loads of compliments on this thing and have been forced to keep my nails in better shape because of it. 

S.H.

We understand the complicated and multi-layered psychological aspects of jewelry. Our clients have deep attachments to the pieces we design, and we get why. When every aspect of a design is imbued with specific meaning and attached to deep feelings of love and commitment, it becomes more than just jewelry.

This latest New York Times piece postulates that jewelry may even be used as a form of protection against stress.

Since President Trump’s inauguration in January, Pamela Love has received more requests for pieces from her Dagger jewelry collection than anytime since its introduction almost a decade ago. And Ms. Love, a New York-based designer, has no doubts about why her retailers and social media followers have renewed interest in the fierce-looking, but harmless, miniature daggers dangling from earrings and necklaces.

“Women want to feel tough,” she said. “They want something that reminds them they are tough, and they want something that shows the world they are tough. It’s not about violence. It’s about feeling strong and protected.”

Do you agree? Do you wear jewelry as a form of stress relief or protection?

Most of us have a good luck charm or two, without even knowing it. It’s that go-to piece of jewelry we put in that makes us feel safe, comforted. The longer we wear it, the more it seems to grow in strength. Or so we like to believe.

And perhaps that belief is enough to “charm” our lucky piece. If we simply feel more confident and emboldened when we wear it, didn’t it work its magic already?

Celebrities have a long history of good luck charms. And athletes too (who often feel that that their charm of choice helps them win a game).

These “lucky” celebrities include:

Audrey Hepburn had a lucky rabbit figurine.

Lindsay Lohan had a favorite bracelet as a lucky charm.

Madonna has been known to wear a red string bracelet to ward off bad luck.

Cate Blanchett proudly displays her bronzed Lord of the Rings elf ears in her home for a dose of good luck.

Benicio del Toro wears a ring with a wooden core so he can always knock on wood whenever needed.

Cameron Diaz wears a lucky charm necklace to ward off aging.

Some celebrities and sports stars deviate from jewelry as good luck charms.

Serena Williams credits a pair of socks as her good luck charm. “I have a pair of socks that I’ve been wearing every match,” she said. “I’ve never lost a match in these socks so I guess that is a little superstitious.”

Helen Mirren dons a lucky pair of shoes she wears to awards shows.

What about you? What’s your good luck charm? Don’t forget: you can always create one of your own, with every element of it representing aspects of you. Learn more about our custom design process. 

Source: Ranker.com

Who knows more about jewelry trends than a supermodel who has literally donned thousands of magnificent pieces over decades? Kate Moss joins a massive registry of celebrities who have launched jewelry lines. But jewelry has been more than a passing fancy for Ms. Moss. She has loved it since she was a wee lass:

According to Vogue:

“I would always hunt at Christmas for the smallest box and hope there was a piece of jewellery inside.” In 1997 she told Vogue, “It’s my drug of choice.”

Collaborating with Brazilian designer Ara Vartanian, the jewelry reflects “pieces that have meaning and that you can wear every day.” This includes pieces with medieval symbolism and amulet-protection qualities. “These pieces aren’t about fashion,” insists Vartanian. “The stones and attitude give them a powerful energy, they are forever.”