What is a garnet?

Garnet is not one single mineral per se but is used to encompass a group of several closely related silicate minerals. Garnets are widely known as dark red though come in a variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, blue, black, pink, and colorless.

According to Middle English, the word itself means “dark red.” In Latin, garnet is derived from the word “granum” meaning “seed” possibly referring to a pomegranate seed for which it is quite similar in color and shape.

The garnet’s history extends back to the Bronze age. Garnets were used as beads in a jewelry dating back to 3000 B.C. This gives us an idea of its durability and strength.

Symbolically, it represents the feminine nature (some say that only women should wear garnet). During medieval times, garnets were believed to cure depression, protect dreamers from nightmares and relieve diseases of the liver. It was also thought to be potent against poisons.

Garnet is the official birthstone for January. It is also used to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of marriage.

Below: a heart shape pendant in 14kt white gold featuring approximately .06ct t.w. of genuine Brazilian garnets and natural diamonds. (Pendant only, chain sold separately)

I was particularly struck by this quote by J. Donald Walters and how it applies to our work. Walters is an internationally known author, lecturer, and composer and considered as one of the world’s foremost authorities on meditation and yoga. A spiritual guru, if you will.

How does a man so seemingly different than a custom design jeweler relate to our work so well? Because yes, custom design has a spiritual element. When we create a piece for a client not only does their heart and soul go into the final product…but so does ours.

Now, people have all sorts of things custom designed. But think about jewelry for instance. Or more specifically, think of wedding jewelry. When else would you want something imbued by the spirit of the wearer and the maker? How could a box store ever compete?

We’re proud of the work that we do in our Scottsdale studio. Three generations strong. And there’s a reason its been the backbone of our family for so long: the spirit of what we do exceeds the final product, like this wise author has touched upon.

If you’re looking for jewelry steeped in spirit and soul, look no further. We can create a piece of jewelry that becomes bigger than the piece of jewelry itself. Contact us for more information. 

You think you know your jewelry, do you? Well, think twice. We’re guessing you probably only know one, maybe two of these facts (we knew only a handful more so not to worry, grasshopper).

Expect to learn that:

In some cultures, people ate whole pearls to remedy illness.

 

All diamonds turn to graphite over an extremely long period of time.

 

Opals can actually be up to 30% water.

 

Is ALL Cheap Jewelry Ugly Jewelry?

Well, of course not. There’s a time and place for cheap jewelry. Sometimes you just need those wacky red, white and blue star earrings for July 4th or dangling Santas for the holidays.

This woman reviews her recent haul of cheap jewelry and uncovers some sweet pieces for the occasional wear:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T2rysIe2Zg

Sure, we’ve shared a bunch of jewelry cleaning tips over the years. But…these tips are from the Queen of All Things Domestic, Ms. Martha Stewart. Does she give any mind-blowing advice? Well, she does advise ammonia (which we don’t hear often) and covering your drain with a cloth…that’s a good one!

There’s something about “hair jewelry” that makes me cringe a little. Like “dusty ice cream” or “peanut butter and snails.” It just doesn’t seem right. But like many things in life, we have to look at the context, historically speaking.

Queen Victoria made hair jewelry popular by wearing a locket of her beloved Albert’s hair around her neck after he passed away.

The Victorian era ran with this morbid phenomenon and instead of just wearing a locket containing a snip of hair, began creating entire pieces of jewelry consisted of human hair…like, the whole piece (I’m not quite sure how they managed the clasp).

According to Nat Geo: 

It could be a brooch, or a pendant with hair woven in the middle, or even a bracelet of hair. In its heyday, hair jewelry was considered both sentimental and fashionable. It caught on in Europe sometime before the 19th century, and then fell into vogue in the United States around the Civil War.

While we do custom design, we’ve yet to encounter any requests for hair jewelry. But you never know, right?

Victorian Hair Mourning Jewelry

It happens slowly. Over time. You may not even notice it at first. But soon that shiny piece of jewelry of yours becomes oxidized and dull-looking. It’s just nature running its course. Due to moisture and oxygen, residue gathers on your jewelry, taking away its original shine.

What to do??? 

You’ve heard that expression “a stitch in time saves nine”? Well here are some preventative steps you can take to make sure you don’t fall victim to the dreaded oxidized jewelry look.

Remove jewelry before swimming. Okay, this tip should be a given. But many people find themselves in situations that challenge this long-held rule of jewelry maintenance (like a late night hot tub). Chlorine can quickly and seriously discolor many types of jewelry. So take it off (the jewelry, that is).

Avoid taking your jewelry to the bathroom. Another sneaky little environment that contains moisture that can kick-start the oxidation process. Get in the habit of removing jewelry right before you enter the bathroom and placing it somewhere safely. Once the habit is ingrained, its easier to maintain.

Store your jewelry in closed containers. Enter the jewelry box. There are several practical and pretty reasons for a jewelry box. But one real reason a jewelry box protects your jewelry: it’s a dry, humidity-free space.

So there you go. If you want to keep all of your jewelry looking the best, these little steps go a long way!

Split Shank Halo Engagement Ring – A gorgeous split shank halo engagement ring, featuring a round brilliant stone halo’d with delicate pave. The split shank pave increases in size as the diamonds form a single shank.

The Sleeping Lion, the world’s largest freshwater pearl. A complete and utter stunner. Please watch the video so you can understand the size perspective (measures approximately 70 by 43 by 39 mm and weighs 118.65 grams).

It went on sale at a public auction in the Netherlands on May 31, with top estimates valuing it at $632,000.

“This 300-year-old natural wonder has been owned by some of the most influential leaders over the last three centuries.” [Source: Al Jazeera]

Named because of its shape, we can’t quite determine if it really looks like a sleeping lion, but gorgeous nonetheless.

Diamonds are the star of the show, no doubt. The scene stealer and the debutante of the ball. But when it comes to rarity, there are several other gems that mean (and cost) much more.

Take tanzanite for instance:

GeologMax via Wikimedia // CC BY-SA 4.0

Tanzanite is a stunningly blue variety of the mineral zoisite. And its name speaks of its rarity; it is only found in Tanzania. Wait…not just in Tanzania but in a teeny area near the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.