Jul 7, 2020 | Designing Eye, Once Upon A Jewel
Hanging on a rope 30 feet down a glacial crevasse, I waited as the team set up ropes to pull me out. Four days spent learning the ropes of expedition mountaineering on Mt. Rainier included lessons on extricating your partner from a crevasse. Glacial ice isn’t like the...
Jun 24, 2020 | Once Upon A Jewel
My friend Lisa was in from Amsterdam with bags of gems and jewels she had collected over years of travel. Lisa’s jewel stash was large and varied, the only common denominator amongst the pieces was her good eye and sense of the possible. Would it be possible to...
Jun 11, 2020 | Boutique Treasures, Designing Eye
“I had to include parrots in my Reflections Collection,” says Cynthia Renée. “They are so full of life, love and color. They will want to be worn close as a jewelry talisman – talisman that lend support to fly, look beautiful, and communicate with fun, light-filled...
May 15, 2020 | Colored Gems, Designing Eye
Looking for a story with a happy ending? Read on… Once upon a time, there was a bright and beautiful woman who became a wife and mother while working smart and savvy in finance, taking charge of her life so that she could retire while her son was in college and...
May 13, 2020 | Designing Eye
Do you know we don’t need to meet in person to create together? Let’s Visit! So much of my work is creating with clients long-distance, often via video visit. Between video conferencing, phone calls, FedEx and my shipping insurance, a busy person can bring...
May 12, 2020 | Jewelry Care
A gem’s hardness is often misunderstood by the layperson. Let’s clear that up. Watch the video, or read on for details. There is a difference between hardness and durability. Have you heard that a diamond is the hardest natural substance? It has a hardness of 10,...
May 8, 2020 | Boutique Treasures
Studying geology, I scrambled all over rocks learning their secrets, trying to make sense of their place in Earth’s history. My jewelry creations start with the gem and how best to enshrine it. I call my new design series “Gia”, alluding to...
May 7, 2020 | Boutique Treasures, Designing Eye
With the Phoenix designs, I have layered pieces of extraordinary gems and minerals, then surrounded them with a gem-studded crown. Set in 18 karat white gold, layered slices Plume Agate from the Oregon are backed by stabilized Turquoise from Kingman, Arizona. I call...
May 6, 2020 | Once Upon A Jewel
Feelings can be so raw and hearts so tender that words are clumsily inadequate for expressing them. Our hearts break, simultaneously expanding, ushering us through a terra incognita where emotions and meaning can be more powerfully expressed by symbols. Feelings can...
Apr 21, 2020 | Designing Eye
In my life, 2019 has been all about creating anew. Even the gems used in my creations. I went into geology to drawn by the riddles of the earth. I learned to read rocks. And, what stories they tell. I have created a design series based on rocks – their patterns,...
