Made in America

Below is an article from National Jeweler. I am disappointed to see that they could not find striking silver and gold plated jewelry right here in the US. Remember to support your local jewelry artists. American made never goes out of style!

Pictured here is a sterling silver reclaimed mink ring by Washington DC artist Gayle Friedman. Simply irresistable.

Empoli, Italy--Rebecca, the Italian jewelry brand known for its gold-plated bronze and sterling silver jewelry as well as its recession-friendly price points, saw its sales double for the first half of 2009, the company has announced.

"This is an exciting time for Rebecca in the United States," U.S. president of the brand Agostino Magni said in a media release. "Our new sterling silver line and our stainless and gold-plated bronze jewelry are so innovative that celebrities love it, and retailers and their customers can buy great fashions at truly affordable prices."

Manufactured in Empoli, Italy, by Testi S.p.A., a company founded by Alessandro Testi in 1998, the brand is distributed in the United States by Testi USA.

The brand is sold at U.S. jewelers such as Fred Segal, based in Hollywood, Calif.; Mednikow in Memphis, Tenn.; Polacheck's Jewelers in Calabasas, Calif.; James and Sons in Chicago; Tappers Diamonds and Fine Jewelry in West Bloomfield, Mich.; Kings Jewelers in Aventura, Fla.; and Orr's Jewelers in Pittsburgh, as well as Bloomingdales and other independent high-end retailers.

Rebecca changes collections seasonally. Most recently, the brand released several new collections, including "Lucky" (pendants, amulets and rings with Italian good-luck motifs engraved on them), "Cleopatra" (Egyptian-inspired cuffs, bracelets, necklaces and earrings with geometric detailing) and Griffe (large open-work hoops in steel and bronze). All the jewelry carries a two-year warranty.

Trash for Gold

You have heard of cash for gold now meet trash for gold!

Swiss designer, Sylvie Fleury, uses gold to make a statement. Nope - not a jewelry statement like so many of the celebs this summer, but an artistic statement by using gold in everyday objects that comment on the state of luxury in American society.

Gold-plated items from phones and remote controls to pet mattresses and chocolates have appealed to the rich and famous for years, and now Fleury is giving the well-heeled among us an opportunity to put their money where their trash is.

Her first attempt at gold sculpture came in the guise of a 24-carat vintage New York city trash can in her "Yes to All" exhibit, reports the blog Bornrich.org. Now, she's offering up a smaller gold-plated trash bin that is covered in nickel and coated in gold sheets.

The artist made 25 pieces for her limited collection and is selling the golden garbage grabbers for a mere $10,000 - $15,000 each.

Is that all?

Excerpt from http://www.jewelry.com/2009-07-jn-gold-trash.shtml

5 Carat Cushion Cut Pink Diamond WOW!

Hong Kong--A five-carat cushion-cut pink diamond known as "The Vivid Pink" is set to lead Christie's Hong Kong sale this fall.

According to a media release from the New York-based auction house, The Vivid Pink is the largest potentially flawless fancy-vivid-pink diamond ever offered for sale at auction.

Property of a private collector and set in a ring by renowned jeweler Laurence Graff, the diamond is expected to fetch HK $39-$55 million (about $5 million-$7 million).

Christie's fall Hong Kong sale is set for Dec. 1.

Prior to the sale, The Vivid Pink will be on display in the following cities: New York, Oct. 17-20 at Christie's Rockefeller Center Galleries; Singapore, Oct. 29-30 (by appointment only); Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 11-12 (by appointment only); Geneva, Nov. 15-17 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues; Taipei, Taiwan, Nov. 21-22 at the Fubon Life Assurance Building; and Hong Kong, Nov. 27-Dec. 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Excerpt from National Jeweler.

Great Jewelry Does Not Necessarily Mean High Price

Sometimes the simplest design can be a work of great art. I took a class with Charles Lewton Brain once and he talked about how any jeweler that can make a living full time at their craft is an amazing individual. This is the basis of the whole Indie movement in craft, affordable quality jewelry. This is not to say that all of the Indie work is great but as with any other profession greatness is bestowed upon a few. To find quality Indie jewelry in your area I suggest you contact the local "Craft Mafia" located in most major metropolitan area or visit sites like Etsy and Indie Public. There are over 10,000 stores so you will need to sharpen your search skills. Since this work is not juried you'll have to kiss a lot of frogs. But it is wonderful feeling when you find a gem!

Hand Textered Bracelet by Pat Baker $83

Jewelry Sale

I am a huge fan of Atelier Hratch Babikian and his jewelry is now on sale. Stop by and see for yourself the work of this amazing artist. www.artjewelryonline.com/hratchbabikian.

The Apprentice Sells Jewelry

I saw the jewelry made by the apprentice winner. In my opinion it was singularly unimpressive. Still it may have some value as a novelty item. Jewelry is a combination of taste and crafsmanship. So as long as it is well made and you like it I say go for it.

Tourmaline Gemstones

Pink and water melon colored tourmaline are my favorite gemstones. If the center of the slice is red and the area around it green, the stone is given the nickname 'water melon'. Although there are plenty of gemstone deposits which contain tourmaline's, good qualities and fine colors are not often discovered among them. For this reason, the price spectrum of the tourmaline is almost as broad as that of its color.

Tourmaline's are gems with an incomparable variety of colors. The reason, according to an old Egyptian legend, is that the tourmaline, on its long journey up from the center of the Earth, passed over a rainbow. In doing so, it assumed all the colors of the rainbow. And that is why it is still referred to as the 'gemstone of the rainbow' today.

In the fascinating world of gemstones, the tourmaline is very special. Its high availability and its glorious, incomparable color spectrum make it one of our most popular gemstones - and apart from that, almost every tourmaline is unique.

Pictured left to right: Green tourmaline necklace by Lauren Schott, faceted pink tourmaline stone and rough water melon tourmaline.

For more information on tourmaline contact your local jeweler or go to the site listed below.

Bibliography: International Colored Gemstone Society http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/gem-by-gem-by-variety.html

Best Online Shops for Art Jewelry

I have blogged for some time now about the virtues of Art Jewelry. So now it is time to share my favorite online jewelry shopping sites.

www.artjewelryonline.com
www.americacreates.com
www.soleyne.com

Pictured to the left one of my favorite artists Hratch Babikian. You can find Hratch's work for sale at any of the online sites listed above. Pendant in photo has a 2 inch in diameter.

New York--The Annenberg Diamond, a 32.01-carat, emerald-cut, flawless, D-color stone boasting the impressive provenance synonymous with the Annenberg name, will be the highlight of Christie's Jewels: The New York Sale on Oct. 21.

London--De Beers saw rough-diamond sales plummet 57 percent in the first half of 2009 as sightholders took less goods in an effort to clear out the pipeline and increase liquidity. In my opinion the value of diamonds is too volatile to consider for investment or collection purposes. I suggest you buy sculptural jewelry from artists that produce quality collectible jewelry. To find these jewelers peruse galleries and museums for the art jewelry that fits your style. An example of quality collectible art jewelry is the work of Shana Kroiz. Shana's work is shown at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Pictured above are earrings from Shana's Peeciz collection.

Eco-Chic is the New IN Thing

Price-point friendly, eco-chic and utterly original, alternative materials such as wood, drusy and the occasional moose antler are making inroads in the fine-jewelry arena. Check out recycled jewelry from left to right: Gentle Current Bracelet by Julie Jerman-Melka, gemstones, Lake Superior Pebbles and Sterling Silver. Hemidrachm by Lauren Schott, recycled gold and ancient coin. Creamy Mink Ring by Gayle Friedman, reclaimed mink and sterling silver.

Don't Let This Happen to You

I have included an excerpt from an article in National Jeweler. As you can see some poor resident of Baltimore sold what they thought was a mediocre diamond for a lot less than it is worth. Don't be to eager to cash in on the sell your jewelry for cash frenzy without an objective appraisal of your jewelry from a reputable source.

(Photo...Black Diamond Bracelet from Jeweler Shana Kroiz.)

NJ Article

Baltimore--Last year, Ron Samuelson, chief executive of Samuelson's Diamonds in Baltimore, bought an 8.5-carat brownish-yellow round diamond mounted in a men's nugget ring from a customer who was seduced by the "sell your jewelry" offer on the store's Web site.

"It was a big, ugly stone," Samuelson recalls. "When we showed it to our cutter, he said, 'Yeah, I could make this into a fancy yellow.'"

The resulting diamond, a 6.86-carat fancy-yellow radiant, is now part of the store's inventory, and Samuelson is confident that when he eventually sells the stone, it will net him a tidy profit.

"I've almost eliminated my need for diamond dealers," Samuelson says. "For every one person who wants to buy a diamond, 20 want to sell."

As a comment on supply and demand in the high-end diamond trade, the Samuelson's transaction is fitting though hardly anomalous. On Manhattan's 47th Street, it happens countless times a day.

Soleyne, New Online Art Gallery

I have been talking to the owner of a new online gallery named Soleyne. Susan is promoting her sight as "more art than craft". I am pleased with the caliber of artists that she has brought on board in such a brief time. If you have a chance to stop by please do so and let me know what you think. Pictured to the left is an item from their store. Limited Edition Lace Cuff Bracelet by Janet Huddie.

Cloisonne

Cloisonne is one of those mediums that offer a painterly quality to 2 and 3 dimensional objects. Fine jewelry cloisonne artist Sheila Beatty best describes cloisonne as:

The ancient and elusive medium of cloisonné is slow and painstaking in its creation. The design of each piece is defined by fine ribbons of silver or gold, which I shape by hand and place on a fine silver backing. The compartments thus created are filled with thin layers of enamel - glass ground into a powder - in vibrant colors. Each layer is fired in a kiln at a high temperature.

I found an interesting article online that discusses the pricing and characteristics of authentic cloisonne jewelry. They suggest that buyers should be wary of imported cloisonne that tries to pass as an older piece. You may view it at http://www.antiqueshoppefl.com/archives/agilbert/cloisonne.htm. I personally prefer the cloisonne jewelry of contemporary American artists such as Sheila Beatty, Carly Wright and Anne Havel. Their work was featured in the June issue of the Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine.

Cloisonne History

Among the earliest examples of cloisonné are six Mycenaean rings of the 13th century bc. The great Western period of cloisonné enameling was from the 10th to the 12th century, especially in the Byzantine Empire. In China cloisonné was widely produced during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911/12) dynasties. In Japan, it was especially popular during the Tokugawa (1603–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods.. "

Jewelry appearing in this article is the handcrafted work of Sheila Beatty.

1 Million Dollar Per Carat Blue Diamond

Blue Diamond Sold article first appeared in the Gem Cutter's Guild of Baltimore June 09 Newsletter.

by Carolyn Weinberger

Imagine owning a seven-carat blue diamond! At an auction held May 13
by Sotheby’s in Geneva, the fabulous stone, set in a platinum ring, was sold to an anonymous buyer for a record almost $9.5 million. That’s more than $1 million per carat! The new owner will have the right to name the stone.

The stone, mined from the famous Cullinan Mine in South Africa is listed as an internally flawless, fancy vivid blue weighing in at 7.03 carats. It was cut from a 26.58 carat rough stone found in 2008. The blue color is caused by a sprinkling of boron. The cut stone is about the size of a US dime. The Cullinan Mine has long been known as the source of many famous diamonds including the famed Cullinan which was discovered there in 1905. It weighed in at 3,106 carats
and remains the largest diamond ever found. Two gems were cut from it - the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa, now both in the British crown jewels.

Art Jewelry Defined

Halstead Bead, Inc defines art jewelry as “bridge” jewelry, which is the segment between costume jewelry, and fine jewelry that includes accessories in sterling silver, semi-precious stones, crystal, freshwater pearls and other similar materials. Many jewelers that specialize in Art Jewelry and those that collect it would disagree with this definition in that their medium and designs are not limited to any metal or gem. The American Jewelry Design Council defines Art Jewelry as "original jewelry design as art." This definition more closely fits the true nature of this category. I view Art Jewelry as wearable art and have defined it as such...

Art Jewelry is an expression of art & sculpture designed to adorn the human form.

Now that we have defined Art Jewelry, we will start to focus on how to identify Art Jewelry that is finely crafted and has the potential to become a collectible work of art.

"I have invented my life by assuming that whatever I did not like would have an opposite which I would like." -Coco Chanel

Bibliography:
Image: Regal Dancer by Shana Kroiz on Display and in the Permanent Collection of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.
www.shanakroiz.com
American Jewelry Design Council
www.ajdc.org
Halstead Beads