Jackie Kennedy Jewelry

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was the embodiment of class, the Queen of Camelot for 1,000 days. Jackie was a writer, editor, loving mother, and an advocate of history and the arts. As a patron of the two subjects, Jackie dedicated her time and energy to the furtherment of these important cultural endeavors. Jackie Kennedy’s most notable contribution was her selfless absorption into the restoration and redecoration of the White House. She was profoundly influenced by other countries and took much time to visit with people of varied cultures and traditions. Most importantly, and for the sake of this blog, Jackie Kennedy was significantly famous for her elegant taste in jewelry. She was so influential that today people refer to Jackie’s favorite pieces of jewelry as ‘signature’ pieces.

Jackie Kennedy led a strict, private life after the tragic assassination of her late husband and former president John Fitzgerald Kennedy, she then remarried businessman Aristotle Onassis who greatly enlarged Jackie’s jewelry collection. In a way due to Jackie Kennedy’s reserved public appearance and concern with privacy, she became a person of interest. She was inadvertently thrust into the limelight after her passing in 1994. The Sotheby’s Auction of the Kennedy’s estate was a raving success, two years later, an attribute to Jackie’s popularity.

Jackie Kennedy enjoyed jewelry pieces by French and American jewelers; she had an affinity to jewelry by French born jewelers Charles Arpels and Alfred Van Clef. Due to her First lady status, she was required to choose her jewelry accessories carefully. She met with many striking, intimidating forces, from world leaders to musicians and artists. Jackie Kennedy paid fine attention to detail and made some very distinct jewelry choices. Her signature pieces include her triple-strand pearl necklace designed by American jeweler Kennedy Jay Lane, her lovely “berry brooch” by French jewelry Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co, Jackie’s coined signature ‘Jackie’s bracelets’ gold and enamel bracelets by Kenneth Jay Lane, and her gold and white enamel “banana” earrings. Kennedy’s estate sold for a total of $34.5 million, while her estate was projected to only make a $4.6 million sale.

Jewelry Vocabulary Guide

Here’s a brief jewelry vocabulary guide, I would like to eventually expand with the help of our awesome readers! E-mail me danielle@gemaffair.com so I can add more to the list! Hope this helps you :].

Bezel – The metal around a stone that keeps it in place, e.g. sterling silver bezel.
Bezel set – Stone kept in place by the use of prongs.
Cut – The type of shape the gem is ‘cut’ into. The cut is either faceted or non-faceted, e.g. cabochon cut. Here’s a brief guide to cuts, more to come later. Cut is graded into excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor cuts.

• Brilliant Cut– It’s a facet cut that ensures that when light reflects, it gives a unique burst of brightness, almost like radiating fire.
  
• Cabochon– A stone that is flat at the bottom, but round on top; smooth without facets like a pebble
  
• Fancy Cut– Several possible shapes, such as kite-shaped, lozenge shaped, triangular.
  
• Mixed Cut– Usually rounded in outline, cut as brilliants with pavilions step-cut. Rubies and sapphires are the easiest to shape into a mixed cut.
  
• Step Cut – Step cuts come in a variation of shapes; oval, square, octagons, baguettes, and general table cuts. The step cut is also known at the ‘emerald cut’. This cut intensifies the hue of a color.
  

Carat – A measurement of gem weight.
Clarity – Gemstone grading; a lower amount of clarity signifies stones for of inclusions and less pleasing to look at.

Grade	FL	IF	VVS1, VVS2	VS1, VS2	SI1, SI2	I1, I2, I3
Description	Flawless	Internally Flawless	Very Very Slightly Included	Very Slightly Included	Slightly Included	Included
Clarity Scale	0	0	1, 2	3, 4	5, 6	7, 8, 9, 10

Cavities –Formed during initial gem growth stages, inclusions filled with liquid, gasses, or solids.
Faceted – Jeweler cut sides, the polished planes of a gemstone.
Gauntlet – A bracelet that is oval and firmly set, with an opening in the back.
Gem – polished, cut precious stone used in jewelry.
Gem shape – Somewhat like a cut, but referring to the shape of the stone. E.g. pear cut, trillion cut, and cushion cut.
Gemstone – Semiprecious or precious stone polished and cut to use as a gem.
Inclusions – Internal flaws or blemishes; often associated with clarity. Inclusions are also used to identify types of stones. Inclusions are divided into three categories, cavities, solids, and growth phenomena.
Growth Phenomena – Hollow cavities fill by iron components; examples: solid crystals, naturally occurring glass.
Jewels – Polished and cut precious stone; gem.
Karats – Measurement of gold weight.
Marcasites –Crystalline pyrites cut/shaped to look like diamonds, popular kind of jewelry from the 1700s to the 1800s until in the 1900s marcasites were cut from class and metal.
Metal – Sterling silver, silver toned, silver plating, yellow gold, white gold
Ring Size – Ring gauge in circumference, varies by country.
Treatment – Done to change the shade, hue, or variance of a stone. Different treatments include oiling, heating, irradiation, dying, bleaching, coating, impregnation, filing, lasering, etc.

Luck of the Irish

Somehow, being Irish is the epitome of luck. It wouldn’t seem to stem from Ireland, as Ireland has sustained a great deal of hardship over the centuries. It may refer to the amount of luck to be had by the Irish when they relocated to America. Their biggest advantage over the natives was their ability to speak English. Speaking English paved the way for the Irish as they joined political assemblies; they could voice their opinions and make contributions to society in a way that made them appear ‘lucky’. Nearly everything lucky is associated with the Irish or the color green; clovers, leprechauns, St. Patrick’s Day, Claddagh rings, horseshoes, rainbows, pots of gold, itchy palms, wishbones, wishing wells, etc. Personally, I really enjoy the Claddagh ring. It’s a really fantastic way to thwart bad luck AND declare marital status. Here’s a quick guide to wearing a Claddagh ring. Consider purchasing a Claddagh ring to keep away bad luck woes permanently!

The most important position, this person is married. The heart is covered by the crown, facing in and worn on the left hand.

The left hand is a bit more serious; when the heart is facing out that means the wearer is engaged.

This signifies that the heart is taken, but that they are unmarried – most likely just in a relationship (or it’s complicated)

This position signifies being single and that the heart is still searching.

Valentine’s Day in South Korea VS the U.S.A.

The United States likes to celebrate Valentine’s Day with gusto, the gentlemen bestowing gifts upon the ladies in a traditional, lavish fashion. The countries that spend the most money on Valentine’s Day gifts surprisingly don’t include the United States; they are Singapore, China, and South Korea. In South Korea, Valentine’s Day, ‘Red Day’ marks the beginning of three consecutive months of couple (or lack thereof) related holidays. On Red Day, South Korean women give chocolate to their men or love interests. Next, White Day on March 14, South Korean men scour many candy stores for hours on end, perfecting their non-chocolate gift for their significant others. Lastly, if efforts were unsuccessful the previous two months both men and women partake in ‘Black’ Day on April 14. Black Day is a celebration of singledom; single men and women join together with friends to eat jajangmyeon (black bean sauce and noodles) and often lament their situation. If the men or women are successful in their courting endeavors, they will often partake in a very popular South Korean trend, couple outfits.

In Korea couples often wear matching outfits

Last Minute Holiday Jewelry Shopping

Is it the last possible minute for holiday jewelry shopping? Are you worried that your package won’t arrive on time if you order online, but you just can’t get up the courage to brave the mad bustle, like other last minute holiday shoppers? You’re in luck, we can definitely help! You can browse our broad selection of jewelry for that perfect, thoughtful holiday gift. You can find for birthstone jewelry, religious jewelry, men’s jewelry, niche jewelry and more. We’ve listed some options for your convenience, some of our personal favorites! Make sure to look for that button that says ‘in stock ready to ship’. Good luck!