Sep 11, 2013 | Designing Eye, Legacy Jewels, Once Upon A Jewel
“Now I know where Prometheus hid the fire he stole from the gods,” was a friend’s reaction upon seeing fire opal for the first time. It probably wasn’t the best hiding place. Opal can burn with a vivacity that cannot be extinguished. Opal tempts...
Aug 21, 2013 | Designing Eye
“Well, it’s a marvelous night for a moon dance,” sings troubadour Van Morrison. He is singing to all moonstruck creatures when he does so, and nature’s most famous moon dancers are sea turtles. Between June and August of every year, the waxing...
Jul 16, 2013 | Designing Eye, Once Upon A Jewel
The colors and unique personality of parrots have been captured in storytelling, imagery, and the decorative arts since ancient times. A Buddhist story relates how after a forest caught fire, a parrot was so concerned that it carried water to attempt putting out the...
Jun 18, 2013 | Designing Eye, Progressive Pairs
Located near Salisbury in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside of southwestern England, Stonehenge is an ancient and mysterious circle of stones that some believe was used by the ancients as a temple for sun worship. In late June, at the moment of the year called the...
Jun 5, 2013 | Designing Eye
Is there anything more beautiful in summer than a trellis next to a pool? The cool shade and scented air, redolent of flowers and vines, contrast with the brilliant crystalline of a pool’s still surface. trellis photo © Ollie Crafoord What if you could keep that...
May 15, 2013 | Legacy Jewels, My Life in Jewels, Once Upon A Jewel
Cynthia lost her mother last June, and, as she has done for so many clients, she sought a way to memorialize her in precious metals and stones, with an heirloom jewel she could eventually pass on to her own daughters.The artist selected white topaz gem slices with...
May 11, 2013 | News and Events
On June 7, 2016 the AGTA Board will meet in Las Vegas, Arizona. “The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) is an association of United States and Canadian trade professionals dedicated to promoting the long term stability and integrity of the natural colored...
May 1, 2013 | Designing Eye, Once Upon A Jewel
A torii is a traditional Japanese gateway, found originally at Shinto shrines. The gateway symbolizes a passage from the world of everyday concerns to the sacred world of universal community. The ancient Japanese also believed that they were erecting torii to provide...
Apr 3, 2013 | Designing Eye, Legacy Jewels, Once Upon A Jewel
The memories came pouring out of Cynthia Renee’s client, whose husband had gifted her with a custom designed Cynthia Renee ring for their seventh anniversary. A young mother who had started her life in Eastern Europe, one of the client’s earliest...
Mar 20, 2013 | Designing Eye, News and Events
Each February, the gem and jewelry industry gathers in the Tucson desert for a gala dinner banquet sponsored by the American Gem Trade Association. It honors the winners of the AGTA Spectrum Awards, the industry’s most sought-after awards for designers of...
