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This exhibit starting September 21st is truly one of a kind, exploring one of the most enchanting jewels in history: the pearl…and at the Victoria Albert museum no less.

It will begin on September 21^st.  The Victorian and Albert Museum, London’s premier museum of art and design, will be opening their Pearl Exhibit. The Focus: Showcasing the history and beauty of one of the world’s most beautiful and mysterious of jewels; the pearl.

Necklace with five graduated strands, Cartier, France, 1930-40, platinum, diamonds and natural Gulf pearls. Qatar Museums Authority. Photo © Sotheby’s

Pearls are one of the most enchanting jewels on earth, because they are surrounded in mystery. Created deep below the surface of the sea, in a process that is only short of magical. The rarity and difficulty of locating and obtaining pearls have made it one of the most sought after of valuable objects.

The Rosebery Pearl and Diamond Tiara, London, 1878, gold, silver, diamonds, natural bouton pearls and natural drop-shaped pearls. Qatar Museums Authority. Photo © Christie’s

Pearls often played an important role in the royal courts during the 18^thand 19 centuries. And just like today, anything the royal family took a fancy to immediately became a social phenomenon.

Pearls and pearl necklaces from the Arabian Gulf
Reproduction of original photograph
The Arabian Gulf
20th century
© Hussain Alfardan Archives

As styles and status symbols have changed over the centuries, pearls have maintained its position as a symbol of beauty, elegance and mystery.

Cultured Pearls

This exhibit will also explore the beauty and mystery of the cultured pearl. As with many aspects of nature, man has attempted to replicate or in some way improve upon this lovely natural creation.

Sash clip ‘Yaguruma’ (Wheels of Arrows) and box, Mikimoto, Japan, 1937, platinum, 18 carat white gold, cultured Akoya pearls, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. © Mikimoto Pearl Island, Japan

Check out more amazing images here.

Some people are very attached to their birthstones, others not so much. My birthstone is a topaz and while I like the gem, I wouldn’t say its my favorite (not a big fan of yellows in my gem).

But what is the rarest of birthstones? (Don’t think diamonds, since they aren’t particularly rare)

Think June’s Alexandrite:

Think December’s Tanzanite:

The Couture Press Preview took place in New York City last week, a fun, intimate event which features lesser-known jewelers. Jewelry expert and 10x writer Hannah Connorton picked a few of her favorites.

Syna debuted swan cameo earrings at the event, set in 18-karat yellow gold with black diamonds (below, $4,950). I was impressed with the introduction of ivory carvings–which designers Dharmesh and Namrata Kothari found in Indonesia–as they add another dimension to the brand’s aesthetic, which is mainly smooth, round stones.

One trait I have noticed about designer Pamela Huizenga is that she’s great with mixing colors, especially when it comes to neutral and warm hues. Her chrysoprase bracelet, however, set in 18-karat gold with diamonds (below, $16,800), really caught my attention. The pavé around the single cabochon chrysoprase adds a delicate, feminine touch to the piece, that’s just enough and not too much.

Jacquie Aiche has a great collection that covers a range of styles, from elegant and floral to tribal and bold. Her 14-karat yellow gold agate slice prong ring with diamond pavé (below) is a great pairing of a gorgeous gemstone with edgy accents; the warm colors and gold metal is eye-catching but not scene stealing.

Sara Freedenfeld, the designer behind brand Amáli, weaves her gold jewelry by hand, with some pieces taking up to 10 hours to complete. I loved her 18-karat gold Peruvian opal clasp necklace with blue diamonds (below, $6,000), especially since the clasp mechanism allows the wearer to adjust the length of the necklace.

– See more at: https://blog.nationaljeweler.com/2013/08/editors-picks-part-ii.html#sthash.Dd7jgCDe.dpuf

Ever since necklaces were invented (okay, maybe a little later), hair has been getting stuck in them. And as women know, it’s painful! Here are a few tips we found on eHow that may prove useful, if a favorite necklace of yours is yanking at your hair.

• Figure out where your hair keeps catching. Is there more hair around the clasp? Is the hair tightly wound around a whole two inch section? Finding out where your problem is can help you better address it.

• Drip candle wax around the area of the necklace that keeps catching hair. Candle wax is very helpful on many metals, including gold and silver, and is tarnish-free. You will have to repeat this every month or so on a necklace you wear often–it’s not a permanent solution.

• Slide some clear canister tubing (for aquariums) on the necklace. It’s unsightly, but it works. To achieve the same results without altering the look of the necklace, you can wrap the area that catches hair with clear tape several times. Make sure none of the sticky part is exposed or your hair will still catch (possibly worse than before).

• Don’t wear the chain at all times. Often, sleeping or swimming in a necklace can cause it to catch hair.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_2271127_stop-necklace-from-catching-hair.html#ixzz2cbjg9Hkg

While we’ve seen some jewelry that looks like it could have been created by aliens, this ancient iron jewelry contains remnants of meteorites in them.

Read on:

Some of the earliest pieces of jewelry discovered have been found to contain samples from outer space. Archaeologists have confirmed funeral beads strung around bodies from a 5000-year-old Egyptian cemetery contained pieces of iron from meteorites that fell to Earth.

Using high-tech scanning methods, researchers from University College London (UCL) found the nine small beads, which were discovered in the Lower Egypt village of el-Gerzeh in 1911, confirm the metal came from outer space rather than terrestrial iron ores, as previously believed. The beads came from two burial sites dating back to 3200 BC and were discovered along with other exotic terrestrial minerals such as agate and gold.

UCL Archaeology Professor Thilo Rehren, lead author of a paper published in The Journal of Archaeological Science, said, “The shape of the beads was obtained by smithing and rolling, most likely involving multiple cycles of hammering, and not by the traditional stone-working techniques such as carving or drilling which were used for the other beads found in the same tomb.”

Source: RedOrbit.com