Jan 23, 2019 | Colored Gems
As many of you know, I’ve spent over 30 years in the jewelry industry as a colored gemstone dealer and designer. Working as a dealer who supplied high-end jewelers and collectors for decades led me to understand the nuances of the international gemstone market,...
Jan 22, 2019 | Colored Gems
I was born with an eye. What makes it useful is 34 years of evaluating gem materials and assigning their characteristics to a mental grid I file away. One place my eye and savvy come into play every year is Tucson, which hosts the largest gathering of international...
Dec 18, 2018 | Cynthia's Reflections
That phrase is a running joke in our family, at least when my parents were alive. Dad married an Indiana farm girl; her maiden name Baker hinting of the future scores of pie crusts rolled out on the kitchen table over the five decades they were married. Dad loved pie....
Nov 20, 2018 | Jewelry Care
Friends, many of you ask for advice on storing your jewelry. Jewelry storage has two main themes: safety and accessibility. Your jewels are better off separated from each other so they do not abrade or scratch. Jewelry storage should also be accessible. If it’s...
Oct 23, 2018 | Designing Eye
“Oh, I like that lavender and green….,” Laura replied to my text showing her several pairing of gems for three-stone rings. “What should we do with them?”That’s always the next question, isn’t it? The unset gems move you,...
Sep 28, 2018 | Cynthia's Reflections
Well, that summer flew past. Hurricane Florence did her best to blow away summer’s last beams, leaving us welcoming Fall. But, we’ll always have Nevada. A few months ago, I put my QVC sales training to the test selling my two teen daughters on the idea of a summer...
Aug 23, 2018 | Once Upon A Jewel
In October of 2007, I flew to San Diego County to visit my friend and adventuresome client, Mary. The backcountry of San Diego is home to me and where I started my life in gems scrambling around various tourmaline mines, studying geology. Mary and I planned a visit to...
