Gemstone Crush - Spinel!

I am currently lusting after spinels - any color, shape or size will do! Spinel has a high refractive index (similar to diamond) that gives it exceptional brightness and is found in a wide range of colors from red to purple to blue and black. Colorless spinel is a diamond simulant and red spinel has a long history of being mistaken for ruby (the 170 carat red stone known as the "Black Prince's Ruby" in the Imperial State Crown of England is in fact a spinel!). My favorite characteristic of spinel is its unique metallic quality. I think I need to get this book for my coffee table until I get my hands on the stones themselves....

TOP ROW:
Red spinel, gold and ceramic ring by Taffin. Available through Simon Teakle http://simonteakle.com/spinel-gold-and-ceramic-ring/; Platinum, orange spinel and diamond earrings. Sold at auction by Sotheby's on April 14, 2011 http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/magnificent-jewels-n08732/lot.94.html; Spinel, sapphire, white gold and copper ring by Hemmerle (2009) http://www.hemmerle.com/creations/rings/ 
BOTTOM ROW: 
Multi-colored spinel and diamond ear clips by JAR. Sold through FD Gallery http://www.fd-inspired.com/21st_century_masters_a_pair_of_multi-colored_spinel_and_single-cut_diamond_ear_clips_by_jar.html;18k gold, violet spinel and diamond earrings by Hamilton Jewelers http://www.hamiltonjewelers.com/products/18k-Gold-Violet-Spinel-and-Diamond-Earrings.html; "Herkimer" earclips in black spinel, diamond and gold by Verdura http://www.verdura.com/store/earclips/gemstone-1/products/herkimer-earclips-blackspinel

Victoire de Castellane - Precious Jewels and Sculpture Collide

Reading The New Yorker this weekend had me wishing I was in New York to visit Victoire de Castellane's exhibit entitled "Precious Objects" at the Gagosian Gallery (on view until April 26th). A unique base accompanies each pieces and turns the unworn jewels into sculptures befitting an art gallery. Check out the below links for the article, more pictures and information. 

Lunae Lumen Holly Colorum, 2013 by Victoire de Castellane
Yellow gold, opal, diamonds, and colored lacquer bracelet on base (top picture)

© Victoire de Castellane Photo courtesy Gagosian Gallery by Vito Flamminio

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2014/03/31/140331ta_talk_thurman

http://www.gagosian.com/artists/victoire-de-castellane

Store visit - Zaver & Mor in Berkely, CA

When the rare streak of bad weather hits the Bay Area there is no where better to go than into a cozy, jewel-filled room. And yesterday, that is just what I did! Zaver & Mor is a jewelry store in a charming Berkeley neighborhood. A short distance from San Francisco, this store is a must-visit for locals and visitors alike.
 
Gallery owner Rada Sahney's curatorial skills reflect her passion for interesting, impeccably made jewelry. Many of the jewelery designers carried at the store are local San Francisco or California talent. Whether you are looking for luscious metals, colorful gemstones, vintage or contemporary, you can find it at Zaver & Mor.

Here are some of my favorites!
 

14K rose gold medallion with cognac diamonds by Julez Bryant;
Gold and silver ring with sapphires by Mother of Gideon;
Green diamond pave stud earrings by Sethi Couture;
14K yellow gold and blue diamond "Nira" ring, collaboration by T Morgan Made and Zaver & Mor

Incresingly Rare Gems - Conch "Pearls"

Conch pearls are a product of the Strombus gigas or queen conch mollusk which inhabits the coral reef or grassy bottom of the Caribbean Sea. Unlike pearls from saltwater oysters or freshwater mussels that are created when nacre surrounds foreign body, conch pearls are non-nacreous (therefore not technically "pearls") and form as calcareous concretions in the conch's digestive tract. Conch pearls exhibit a matte luster similar to that of porcelain and are prized for their unique flame-like surface pattern which causes a captivating shimmer to dance across the gem. 

Loose natural conch pearl link

Live conch in shell photo credit

While the romantic pastel or sherbet pink conch pearls are most desirable, the variety of colors ranges from dark pink, peach, white to coffee brown. The below necklace (which will be auctioned by Sotheby's on April 7th) illustrates this gem's range of colors.

Necklace (with detachable bracelet) featuring thirty-six conch pearls and rondelles set with diamonds in 18KT white gold. To be sold by Sotheby's at "Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite" sale in Hong Kong on April 7th. Link

It is estimated that for every 10,000 Queen Conchs, one will find a single conch pearl and only about 1 in 100 of those are gem quality. As though they were not rare enough, declining conch populations in the Caribbean due to pollution and over-fishing (conchs are a food source) adds to the rarity and value of these gems. Attempts at culturing pearls from queen conchs has proved to be a difficult task and only recently were scientists at Florida Atlantic University successful.  

Conch pearl and diamond necklace and earrings in platinum by Mikimoto

Conch pearls were popular at the turn of the century and appear in jewelry from the Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque and Art Deco periods. A famous example from the Art Deco period is the below bracelet which belonged to Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain (1887-1969) and was commissioned in the late 1920s from Cartier. Featuring conch pearls, enamel and diamonds, the bracelet was sold at auction by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 14, 2012 for $3.4 million, more than double reserve estimates. Click here to watch David Bennett, chairman of Europe & the Middle East International Jewellery department at Sotheby's, speak about the bracelet prior to its auction.

Top left: Art Nouveau 14kt yellow gold, conch pearl and cultured pearl pendant. Sold by Neal Auction Company in 2006. Photo credit link
Top right: Belle époque necklace with conch pearls, diamonds, and platinum over gold. Available from Lang Antiques Photo credit link
Bottom: Art Deco bracelet with conch pearls, diamonds and enamel by Cartier in the 1920s and sold by Sotheby's in 2012. Photo credit link

More recently these rare gems have been used by such houses as Boucheron, Harry Winston, Hemmerle, Mikimoto, and Tiffany & Co. among others. Items featuring conch pearls usually fetch above their estimates at auction. There are four pieces of jewelry featuring conch pearls in the catalog for upcoming "Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite" sale which will take place at Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7th and I imagine they will all sell above estimates, especially given the strength of the pearl market in Asia. 

Brooch with conch pearl and diamonds in white gold. By Hemmerle, 2004 link

Platinum, 18KT gold, conch pearl and diamond earclips by Harry Winston. Sold by Sotheby's in December 2013 link

Conch Pearl Flower Pin with pink sapphires, rubies and diamonds by TARA link

Babette Shennan - Designer Spotlight

Last week I was lucky enough to meet with jewelry designer Babette Shennan. Coffee cake and Babette's jewelry make for the best breakfast imaginable! Babette launched her fine jewelry line three years ago after studying jewelry design and gemology at the Gemological Institute of America in New York. Having previously worked in the fashion industry, design was not new to Babette but her focus changed to jewelry after a trip to India. Inspired by the jewelry she saw on her trip she decided to pursue jewelry design upon returning to New York. Babette's stunningly colorful and expertly crafted jewels won her the Centurion Emerging Designer Award in February of this year and she displayed her collection at both the Centurion and AGTA shows. 

Rubellite and carved jadeite earrings with inset pink diamonds

Dedication to superb craftsmanship and incredible gemstones in the richest colors make for heirloom-worthy pieces. Babette's appreciation for color shows in her selection of gemstones such as tourmaline, which the designer favors because of its juicy color and range of hues such as greenish blue and yellowish green. I also love how pieces with different stone colors (such as the below examples) are expertly arranged in such a way that neighboring stones do not detract from or overshadow one another but instead enhance the vibrant colors.

Hinged "Ribbon" Cuff: emerald, sapphire, aquamarine, sterling silver, antique silk finish

"Mosaic" Earrings: sapphire, tourmaline, peridot, mali garnet, rainbow moonstone, aquamarine, 14K gold

 "Gingko" Cuff: tsavorite garnets, 14K yellow gold, sterling silver, antique silk finish

Leaves were a recurring theme in the designer's sketch book and the first ring she drew incorporated a gingko leaf. Babette attributes the flora influence in her designs to her upbringing in California where she spent time outdoors and in her parents' flower-filled backyard. These influences lead to the development of the "Secret Gingko" Collection. While the gingko leaf is a steady design element throughout the collection different metals, gemstones and convertible features differentiate the pieces.

(Left) "Gingko" ring with pink tourmaline, pink diamonds, 18K gold (Right) "Gingko" studs with removable gemstones

The below earrings are an example of a convertible piece. Featuring bold carved aquamarine gemstones, these earrings can be worn on either the yellow or white gold side thanks to a user-friendly swivel system. 

“Gingko” earrings with lens cut aquamarines and 18k white and yellow gold

What will we be seeing next? Babette is currently working on a mid-level jewelry line.
One thing is for sure - whatever we will be seeing from Babette Shennan in the future is sure to showcase seriously colorful gemstones and enchanting, wearable designs!

Be sure to follow Babette on Instagram @babetteshennan and her website: http://www.babetteshennan.com/

Top Notch Faceting - Incredible Gems!

San Francisco based gem faceter Jean-Noel Soni of Top Notch Faceting creates magic from his living room studio. What is he doing differently? Making gems. Serious gems. 

      Top row: chrome tourmaline (Kenya) 4.00ct; sapphire (Nigeria) 4.23ct; imperial garnet (Tanzania) 4.82ct. Middle row: rhodolite garnet (Tanzania) 17.46ct; sunstone (Oregon, USA) 11.55ct; tourmaline (Nigeria) 4.18ct. Bottom row: color change garnet blue/purple (Tanzania) 2.90ct; zoisite (Tanzania) 6.47ct; phenakite hybrid (Nigeria) 5.71ct

The craft of faceting is designed to direct light through a gemstone in an optimum way, all while working around inclusions and avoiding issues such as cleavage which can cause the stone to break. Just as every piece of natural gemstone rough is unique so too are the gems Jean creates. Working without templates or diagrams, Jean allows each rough to guide the final design. Combined with his aesthetic, knowledge and skill, the results are amazing. Each gem is truly one-of-a-kind. 

Nigerian Phenakite, 5.11 Carats, 2012 by Jean-Noel Soni

Unlike commercial stones which dominate the market and are often passed through countless hands, causing their stories slowly getting lost along the way, the history and origin of rough is crucial to Jean. Sourcing rough in unique colors and transforming them by hand into often unexpected cuts and shapes ties back to a serious passion and appreciation for the natural rough. You can see and feel the desire for perfection in Jean’s work as craft and art begin overlapping. The difference between commercially cut and precision cut gemstones is apparent in this “before and after” picture of a spinel. 

Before (top) and after (bottom) spinel re-cut by Jean-Noel Soni

In addition to faceting gems Jean is involved in connecting rough, faceter and jeweler through collaborations such as the below ring. Jewelry is most often created to showcase a gemstone but why is it we usually only know the name of the jeweler? Collaborations such as these bring attention to the faceter who brought the gem to life. 

Ring by Top Notch Faceting and Mother of Gideon: handcrafted

in18K yellow gold with a garnet from Madagascar and yellow sapphires

Jean’s work has won awards at the AGTA Spectrum Awards two years in a row. In 2013 Jean won first place in the Innovative Faceting category for the below 7.7 carat pink and gold bi-colored West African tourmaline. 

This year the below 24.12 carat color-change Tanzanian garnet won third place in the Phenomenal category. I was lucky enough to see this gem in person and pictures cannot do this stone justice. The award category is aptly named!

Specimens Jean acquired in Sri Lanka. Spinel 

(pink and black) and sapphire.

Jean recently returned from a trip to Sri Lanka, also known as the “Island of Gems”. Boasting an incredibly high density of gem deposits compared to its landmass, Sri Lanka is home to a wide variety of gem minerals and some of the best sapphires in the world such as Ceylon blue and orange-pink Padparadscha sapphires. The end of the country’s civil war in 2009 and restoration of peace has lead to an uptick in the growth of the gemstone industry which has been established in Sri Lanka for at least 2,000 years. 

Jean traveled to several different cities in Sri Lanka, visiting gem markets that impressed him with the incredible amount of turnover - inventory changed daily! While the majority of stones for sale were native to Sri Lanka, there were also stones from Madagascar, Tanzania and Mozambique. To give a better understanding of how deep-rooted the gemstone industry is in Sri Lanka, most people Jean interacted with were second, third or fourth generation dealers and even the man operating the juice stand at the market had something to sell! The Sri Lankan government only allows the exportation of cut and polished gems in order to maximize revenue and keep it in-country as they build up this portion of their economy. The restriction against exporting rough is less than ideal for a lapidary, however, Jean found some incredible polished performs and sapphire and spinel gemstones which he is in the process of re-cutting. 

A 2.47 carat sapphire from Sri Lanka that Jean re-cut in March 2014

Be sure to follow Jean’s amazing work on Instagram @topnotchfaceting and his website: http://topnotchfaceting.com