Fantasy Necklaces

These are out of fairy tales.  What story goes with them?  Who would wear them? 

Van Cleef and Arples, Kingfisher Necklace

Ana de Costa, Crystal Gazing Necklace, at www.roseark.com

Queen Vee, Angel Stinger Necklace, at www.roseark.com

Goo Goo Dolls

Yaaaaaayyyy!!!! Finally saw The Goo Goo Dolls in concert, last night, one of the items in my bucket list!  They were very good, and I look forward to seeing them again.  Here are some of last night's photos...  

I did not get the pewter Goo Goo Dolls necklace, but I got t-shirts for everyone in the family.  Ann, yours will be in the mail soon!

As a bonus, here is the best photo I took of U2 a month ago...

That's Bono in the smokey light.

My jewelry was the one concession I made to dressing up last night.  It was HOT, so I wore as little as possible- running shorts, a wicking t-shirt, Tevas, and the fabulous diamond studs my love gave me.  Minus the diamonds, I've worn the same thing kayaking before.  I was terribly under dressed...never again.  At least the diamonds kept me from being a total ragbag.  And I was comfortable, even when there was a puddle of sweat in my seat.

More jewelry tomorrow.  I promise.

These are not new, but I've loved them since I first saw them.  All are available from St. Klida, at www.stklidajewelry.com.

I love snake jewelry because my husband was born the year of the snake.  I also like dogs, dragons, and sheep on my jewels because those are my girls' and my, respectively, zodiac animals. 

Yeah, I'm a sheep.  Baaaaaah. 

Something Beautiful

Yesterday's post provoked more conversation and thought than any other jewelry about which I have posted.  Wearing different forms of dead animals forced questions about why do you wear jewelry and how do you want to feel when you wear jewelry?  I am really curious about your answers.  Fearless readers, please let me hear from you. 

I am not sure about you guys, but I'm still grossed out from yesterday's post- and feel bad that I may have passed that feeling on to you.  That's not how I want you to feel and especially not how I want this blog to make you feel.  In apology, let me offer you something beautiful from The Three Graces, www.georgianjewelry.com.

My blood pressure goes down simply looking at it.  Here is this lovely thing's description:  
 

“Magnificent rings have a certain air about them but truly exceptional ones can leave us breathless. From stem to stern this 20th century specimen fits that definition. The shining star of this creation is an outstanding diamond of six sides. Although visually most would perceive five sides, in actuality there are facets in the middle top with a slight angle from the center point which creates a six-sided gem. Approximately 1.15 carats (K-L color; VS1-VS2 clarity) and almost a portrait diamond, it has a large planar top and a minimalist yet glittering facet structure setting it apart from its brethren.

A surround of nineteen (19) French cut and shaped natural sapphires perfectly accents the central diamond both in configuration and with contrasting color. An additional estimated .85 carats of thirty-five (35) transitional and hand cut single diamonds adds just a touch more to the rapturous beauty. Superb attention to details includes delicate mille grain decoration and fine azuring.”

  

Would You Wear Dead Bugs?

Marta Mattsson designs jewelry that pushes people's buttons.  The jewels she designed in college focused on curing people of their phobias and closely exposed people to the things that scared them-necklaces made of eels and earrings made from polished fingernail clippings were examples of her work. 

Her current collections are also disturbing.  Her leather items have kept their hair; cubic zirconia sparkles from the abdomens of beetles.  Some of her pieces feature fetal/baby mice.  She also uses taxidermied animals. 

Goatskin brooch

 

Copper electroformed beetle and CZ brooch

I don't want to touch these, much less wear them.  I wear leather all of the time, almost every day.  How does a hairy brooch change the medium from familiar to gross?  Beetles and bugs do not bother me but bisected bugs stuffed with gemstones do.  These items make me wonder unkindly about the jeweler and those who wear them.  "Morticia? Is it you?"  Do they cross a boundary of acceptable uses for the dead, even dead animals, indicating a possibly unhealthy misalignment with societal taboos by the artist and her patrons, or are they simply aesthetically gross? 





     
  

This Just In...Diamonds Aren't Forever...17 July 2011



Evaporating a diamond, by Mildren

"(PhysOrg.com)  Associate Professor Richard Mildren and his colleagues from the Macquarie University Photonics Research Centre discovered that diamonds evaporate under exposure to light.  'Although this type of light-induced evaporation has been observed in some materials, this is the first time it's been shown to occur for diamond,' Mildren said.

The diamonds were exposed to intense light pulses in the UV-C band (the harsh ultraviolet rays filtered out by the ozone layer), and small pits in the diamond surface were visible after only a few seconds. The rate of mass loss in the diamond fell notably for lower light levels but the etching process still continued - albeit at a slower and slower pace, Mildren said.
But before diamond lovers around the world start to panic, he is quick to note that the rate of evaporation is very small and not noticeable under normal conditions. In fact, even under very bright UV conditions, such as intense sunlight or under a UV tanning lamp, it would take approximately the age of the universe - about 10 billion years - to see an observable distance, he said.

The findings not only provide clues about the long-term stability of diamonds, but also have broad implications for future research.  'It's a very practical discovery and we are now looking at how we can exploit this,' Mildren said.  'If we can make structures in the diamonds that enable us to control the position of the light within a very narrow filament in the diamond, that's the first step to making smaller and more efficient optical devices such as those used in quantum computing and high performance lasers.'

The discovery may also have implications as far reaching as the prospects for finding diamonds on the surface of other planets, Mildren said.
More information: Mildren, R. P. et al. Opt. Mater. Express 1, 576-585 (2011).  Provided by Macquarie University"

This makes sense.  We've been laser etching names and numbers on diamonds for decades, so of course they break down under UV light, just a whole lot slower...10 billion years of slower.  However, appraisers will probably say that's close enough to forever for insurance purposes.  

Shere Kahn Does a Good Deed

Joanna Lumley was photographed by John Swannell wearing the £500,000 Shere Kahn tiger necklace auctioned by the Born Free foundation on 17 June 2011.  The necklace, designed by Catherine Best, weighs almost a kilo, and is sculpted out of gold and sparkles with 182 diamonds and precious gems.  Named for the tiger (and villain) in Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, the necklace features 11.9 carats of diamonds, 7 carats of emeralds, and each tiger holds a gemstone heart in its paws. The female tiger holds a 4 carat heart-shaped tourmaline and the male a 27 carat rubellite. The tigers' black stripes are enamel.   
There are 3,500 wild tigers left.  The Born Free foundation's website says that the purchase of this necklace made a significant contribution to tiger conservation. 
More on ethical jewelry to follow...