Wonderful Graffiti

With Summer in full swing and daily rain showers, I’m feeling a little nostalgic and this vintage inspired style board  fits right in.  Take advantage of the Summer weather.  Wear cool a-line day dress that would make your grandma proud.  Ransack your closet for pieces done with flowers patterns.  Put on a pair of creamy heels.  And treat yourself to some precious, precious metals.

For a more modern spin, pair subdued pastels and muted flower prints with more vibrant shades of teal, purple and green.  To really capitalize on the look, take timeless gems, like the pearl and pair them with yellow gold and pink tourmaline or slip into a pair of sparkling opal and diamond cocktail earrings.

We learned as children that summer was a time to relax and play.  Don’t forget that.  Even though we might not get our summers off anymore, we can still reflect the season’s vitality and fun in our wardrobe.

It’s summer, play with it.

paired with tourmalines and pearls for the perfect look.

Eco Friendly Green Fashions

Recently, there has been a large movement towards purchasing more eco friendly products.  The same is true in the jewelry industry.  We want the best styles, but we also want to protect the planet.  You can go green while adding the glam.

While the world prizes the beautiful diamonds, precious metals and colorful gemstones produced naturally by the earth, many are concerned about the repercussions for mining these valuables.  Though practices remain much the way they have for hundreds of years, there has been progress towards less invasive ways to mine the glorious minerals.  In addition, organizations like Earth Works Action and the EPA are working to put new technologies in place to effectively reduce emissions, leaching and unfair work practices within the industry.

Today, mining with organizations like these ordaining their practices are much more envirmentally friendly than they were just several years ago.  But for those who still want to further protect the earth which has provided this beauty, there are other options.

Alexandrite & Diamond Ring

In addition to purchasing natural gemstones, you can look for created gemstones.  Created gemstones are exactly the same as a natural gemstone in every way from color, hardness, composition and appearance but is formed in a lab able to reproduce the exact conditions needed in nature (heat and pressure) to create the real thing.  Since they’re made by man above the ground, there is no mining.  Another positive with created gemstones is the price.  Since there is much less labor involved, they’re priced much lower than their verified natural cousins.  And since there are no surprises when creating a gemstone in the lab, created gemstones don’t have inclusions the way real gems do.  They’re effectively a perfect representation of the original, free from defects yet they retain the stones’ core qualities in color, hardness and composition.  Some of the most common created gemstones on the market today are sapphires and rubies from the corundum family, alexandrite and aquamarine.

Pearl & Diamond Ring

Another option, similar to created yet entirely different, is purchasing pearls.  Almost all of the pearls on the market today are cultured meaning they are effectively “planted” into an oyster and raised through aquaculture.  They still undergo the same process as natural pearls, but get a simple push at the start and are kept safe by their keepers.  Since the oysters that produce pearls are quite picky, the water is kept free of pollutants and is stringently monitored for cleanliness.  In addition, once a pearl reaches the intended size (often several years), the oyster shell that produced it is used for mother of pearl jewelry, buttons or art work.  Little goes to waste, the water is kept clean and a beautiful pearl results.  Whether you choose saltwater Akoya pearls or freshwater pearls, it’s a win-win.

The Claddagh is not just for the Irish Anymore

Claddagh jewelry design originated in Ireland.   It is named for a small fishing village in Galway with the same name.  Legend tells that a young fisherman by the name of Richard Joyce crafted the ring as a token of his affection for his true love.  The story goes that the young sailor was

Galway

bound for the West Indies but kidnapped and sold into slavery.  His new master was a wealthy Moorish goldsmith.  Though a slave, Joyce learned the art of goldsmithing from his master and it seems an understanding had grown between the two men.

In fact, when King William III ordered the slaves to be released, Joyce’ master invited him to stay on.  Not as a slave or worker, but as a son in law.  He offered Joyce his daughter’s hand in marriage and half of his estate as a dowry, but the sailor could not accept for his heart belonged to another.

Painting of Galway by Daniel Fishback

While in exile, he never stopped yearning for his one true love.  Upon returning to Galway, the ever faithful Joyce presented his lovely lady with a golden ring.  The ring featured two hands securely cradling a heart topped with a crown.  It was the first Royal Claddagh ring.

Though he had been away for fourteen years, the woman he loved remained as steadfast as Penelope from Homer’s Iliad.  She remained faithful.  They married and Joyce continued creating beautiful jewelry, but the design created out of love and longing became his legacy.

Today, the ring symbolizes the same as it did in the 17th century:  Love, friendship, fidelity, and loyalty. The two hands represent friendship as each delicately cradles the heart as though protecting it from harm.  The crown symbolizes royalty and fidelity and the heart everlasting love.  The claddagh design is a beautiful representation of both love and friendship.

For this reason, it is no longer considered simply an Irish treasure.  The distinctive design has  spread to all parts of the world and is given by anyone who wants to show their attachment to another.

Claddagh earrings or necklaces are popular styles given as gifts from one friend to another to symbolize an everlasting friendship.  Earrings, like the ones at the left, are a beautiful representation of one’s  true affection for another.  Claddagh rings are also extremely popular and actually have an additional meaning all their own.

If a claddagh ring is worn on the right hand and the tip of the heart points ourward, it means the wearer is single as their heart is open for another to receive. If the heart points inward, it means the wearer may be off the market soon. If the ring is on the left hand and the heart points inward, the wearer’s heart completely belongs to someone.  This, in addition to the qualities the ring represents in friendship, love, loyalty and fidelity,  makes it a popular choice for engagement, wedding and promise rings.

Whether you choose gold or silver, Claddagh jewelry is a great way to show love and affection for a friend, family member or significant other. It tells the story of two lovers torn apart by fate and returned to one another through chance.  Their love, friendship and faithfulness are as lasting as the style itself.

The hands are there for friendship, the heart is there for love. For loyalty throughout the year, the crown is raised above.

Celtic Jewelry Design

The Celts- barbarians or master jewelers? Well, both. They were feared by their enemies because of the violence they let loose on the battlefield culminating in the beheading of their conquests. By the Bronze Age, the world was more civilized and the Celts were busy learning and developing their metal-working skills. With this, came the well-known designs known as Celtic jewelry.

Celtic silver jewelry is probably the most common, but designs are also crafted in gold. No matter the metal, each design begins with the swirls, spirals and flowing lines that have come to define Irish Celtic jewelry. Their pagan belief that everything on earth was connected was the inspiration for these designs. Using these flowing lines, they create intricate designs, knots and even animals are incorporated into jewelry design.

To clean sterling silver Celtic jewelry, use silver cleaner. For gold, simply soak in warm soapy water or jewelry cleaner. Be careful if there is antiquing as it may come off if soaked too long or scrubbed to hard.

Celtic jewelry makes for a unique gift. Pendants, earrings, rings, bracelets, tie pins and cuff links can all be found in these intricate lovely patterns so women and men can enjoy a bit of Ireland. The wonderful thing is that these pieces go with everything- casual or formal, gold or silver. Wearing Celtic jewelry is like wearing a piece of art.

Bumble Bee

Yesterday felt like the first day of Spring.  Jasmine bloomed in my yard and bumble bees attacked both me and the dogs.

Stuck in traffic on my way downtown, I opened all the windows in my car.  It was about to rain.  I breathed in the day before it was washed away clean and knew the chilly days were most likely over.

It’s Spring.  It’s time for color.  It’s time for bumble bees and flowers and melons and honey sweet smells.  It’s time for clean, crisp air and beach towels and bicycle rides.  It’s time for sunshine.  It’s Spring.

This Spring, we’re going to be seeing a lot of saturated hues like sunburst melon and vibrant greens with accessories to match.  In fact, gemstone jewelry is one of the easiest ways to get the look.  Keep an eye out for lemon yellow citrine, opaque rose quartz and turquoise, lime green peridot, cool aquamarine and pink or green tourmalines.  The more vibrant the color, the better.  The bolder the style, the better.

Let’s do more than barbeque this Spring, let’s wear her colors.