Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : gems

NASA finds new Space-opals on Mars!

Addie Kidd — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:47:00 GMT

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted some opal-like material on Mars. Check out the satellite photo at left.

The presence of these hydrated minerals in relatively "young rock" (We're talking only about 2 billion years old here. You know...young.) has scientists all excited because it gives a timeline for when Mars likely had enough water to support life.

This discovery has me excited because I love pretty, pretty opals.

Now I'm just trying to figure out how long it will take space pioneers to start mining this stuff. Can you imagine?? Necklaces and possibly engagement rings of the future could be sporting Martian opals. Crazy, huh?

~Addie~

You can read the story on NASA's Web site here.
If you'd like more information about all thing opal, check out our printable Opal Glossary.
And for information about how best to clean opals and other gems, see out our printable Gemstone Cleaning Chart.

Thanks to The Daily Jewel blog for the link, and NASA for the picture.

Exhibit: The Nature of Diamonds at the Royal Ontario Museum

Katie Streeter — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:23:00 GMT

The Royal Ontario Museum has a cool series for the 2008-2009 season called "A Season of Gems." The Nature of Diamonds is a part of this series, and the exhibit can be viewed now through March 22, 2009. For more information on the exhibit, check out this article, or visit the Royal Ontario Museum's Web site.

—Katie

Think about visiting Tucson for the gem and mineral (and jewelry, tools, metals, wire...) shows! The Art Jewelry editors are.

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:55:00 GMT

It's November, and here in the Art Jewelry offices, our thoughts are turning to the Southwest — not because our Wisconsin locale means we've already got snow in the forecast, but because in February, the city of Tucson, Ariz., is inundated with countless vendors from every facet of the jewelry world. Every year, we make the trip to scout for new products, new discoveries, new contacts, and new friends. If you've never heard of the phenomenon that is Tucson, check out "How to Tackle Tucson." The article, written by editor and veteran Tucson-goer Hazel L. Wheaton, is a practical guide to what "Tucson" is, why you should go, and how to enjoy the experience.

For dates of the 2009 Tucson shows, go to www.visittucson.org. If you can't make it to Tucson, you can look for shows near you in our Events Calendar. You can also discuss shows, including Tucson, in Going to a Show? on our forum.

Enjoy!

—Kristin

Huge record-breaking diamond found!

Addie Kidd — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:41:00 GMT

A massive diamond was found in Africa earlier this month.

At 478 carats, it's not the largest diamond ever (it's only the 20th). But the remarkable thing is that it's the highest color grade available (D) and it's practically flawless. When cut, it could yield the largest, highest-quality diamond ever.

Check out the story on CNN.com.

And don't forget to click on the video tab to see a quick video of this behemoth of a stone.

If you're curious, 478 carats is nearly 3.4 ounces, or 1/5 of a pound. Wow, that's a big rock!

~Addie~

Photo courtesy of CNN.com.

Wedding ring makeover part 2: the new design may be a band with bead-set champagne melee diamonds

Kristin Sutter — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:19:00 GMT

If you've read my last blog post, you know that I'm in the process of revamping my wedding band to commemorate my and my husband's five-year wedding anniversary (read good excuse to change the design of a ring that neither of us loves). I'll be keeping the vintage engagement ring intact, but I'll have the band's infinity-symbol design changed because it's a bit jarring next to the delicate filigree.

Seconds after Associate Editor Addie Kidd told me that a good jeweler would incorporate my existing band's metal into a new band, she and I were brainstorming the new design. I attempted to sketch the design my husband had given to the jewelers five years ago (he mimicked some of the filigree pattern), but I wasn't remembering it right. Addie said, "You could add stones," and my first thought was, "No, that would be gaudy." She said, "They could be little. You could do a band with melee diamonds — they could be about 1 mm." And before I could reject the idea for looking too much like a mother's ring, I thought, "I could do champagne diamonds! And they would match the color of my metal (which isn't modern white gold, but an antique, yellower alloy). And I could do 13 of them!" (I would have 13 diamonds because that was my favorite number before I met my husband, it also happened to be his favorite number, serendipitously we started dating on the 13th, and we got married on the 13th.)

Addie pointed out that if I did 1 mm bead-set champagne diamonds, the stones wouldn't draw attention away from the engagement ring; they would merely provide sparkle. Also, 13 stones would line up nicely, one centered on the engagement ring's diamond and six on each side. She suggested that I have the melee diamonds bead-set to mimic the vintage look. She found a good example of what she envisioned here in a piece by Etienne Perret. Of course, my band would look a bit different from Perret's. I'd like to keep the filigree and etching on the side of the band to mimic the engagement ring, and the band will need to curve to fit the contour of my ring. If at all possible, I'm hoping that the band will be a bit thinner than it is right now, too.

So, that's the concept for the new design. I am, however, open to further suggestions. If you want to throw any ideas into the mix, just comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

—Kristin

Notes from the 2008 Tucson Gem show jewelry extravaganza (and side trip to Sedona)

Jill Erickson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:09:00 GMT

Wow. Addie and I had a spectacular time at the Tucson gem shows. (It was Addie's first trip out, and my second.) We met so many incredible jewelry artists, vendors, attendees, and AJ readers. Plus, we even were able to hook up with some of our contributors.

Oh yeah -- we did a bit of shopping too. Tapping into Addie's expertise and knowledge of gemstones, I made my precious stone purchases with confidence and no regrets. When it came to the quirkier things I tend to be drawn to, I just followed my instincts. Do I have plans for every piece I bought? Not exactly. But that's why I picked up a nifty case with a glass cover that lets me organize and ponder my loot in one glance. I'm more likely to work up sketches for finished pieces if I have instant visual access to all my pretties.

After four days of intense show-going, I headed up to a much more sedate Sedona to decompress a bit. Nothing like a little hike through red rock country to mellow you out some. Yes, Sedona is known for its Vortex sites and a New Age take on life. And for the inside scoop on this community and the folks it attracts, I had the perfect local contact -- AJ reader, Sherry Bell, who makes one-of-a-kind jewelry using gemstones and crystals (http://www.sedonarocksjewelry.com/001aa_oct07index/001aa_pages/page07.html). Sherry served up a warm welcome (and freshly baked brownies!), and then gave me a tour of her studio. She too had just been in Tucson for the shows. One of her work areas was devoted to sketches and works in progress. When Sherry lead me to the sitting area where she meets with clients, I noticed that she had posted the gemstone periodic table pull-out from our sister publication, BeadStyle magazine, http://www.beadstylemag.com/bds/default.aspx. After a casual conversation and a lot of laughter, Sherry dropped me off in town so that I could browse through some galleries. Really, does it get much better than that?

Cat-sitting has its rewards: a rose-cut diamond

Katie Streeter — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:14:00 GMT

Associate editor Addie Kidd returned from the Tucson gem shows last weekend, and as a gift to me for cat-sitting Begby, her cute kitty (see his photo to the left), she brought me a diamond. Actually, she brought three diamonds and let me pick which one I wanted.

All three are rose cut, which is perfect for me, since I want an antique-look ring. Each diamond is a different color and size, and I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so Addie suggested that I take them back to my desk and play around with them until I decided which was best for me. I pulled out a few jewelry-supply catalogs, and began to look at the different ring mounts available. I found that some catalogs print their rings close to actual size. Because of this, I could place the diamonds on top of the ring photos to get an idea of what the actual rings would look like with each of these stones. Soon, I knew exactly which stone I wanted, as well as the style of ring it will go in (you can see the diamond I chose placed on a catalog page to the right). Addie said that one of the stones would "speak" to me, and she was right!

When you buy gemstones or other jewelry-making supplies, do you know what you're going to do with the supplies at the time of purchase, or do you play around with them until you think of the perfect project?

––Katie

A peridot ring for my birthday!

Kristin Sutter — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:45:00 GMT

Last week, I celebrated my birthday. One of the coolest gifts I got was from Associate Editor Addie Kidd. As I unwrapped her gift, I realized that the box could contain only jewelry. I got excited — you know that jewelry from a jeweler will be good. Happily for me, I was right!

The box held this peridot-and-sterling-silver ring by KEW Designs (Kim E. Wilson, from Fox Point, Wisc., is the jeweler). I love green, so peridot is one of my favorite stones. And since I'm into a sort of earthy, things-coming-just-a-little-bit-undone thing, I also love the subtly rugged shank.

Word is, Associate Editor Jill Erickson helped Addie pick out the ring at the Milwaukee Art Museum's Ornaments and Adornments Show, which was Nov. 16–17, 2007. (You'll have to watch for next year's show!) I like the ring so much that I haven't taken it off since I got it, but the best part of my gift is knowing that I have such thoughtful friends and coworkers!

Thanks, you two!

–Kristin

Ed's House of Gems

Katie Streeter — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:08:00 GMT

I was just organizing my bench, putting away some treasures I scored on a recent trip to Portland, Oregon. I had a pip of a time at Ed’s House of Gems on Sandy Blvd. Although the shop’s namesake is no longer with us, Ed’s sons keep his legacy alive with friendly service and brotherly banter. They chuckled their way through showing me the display case specimens that caught my eye. I am very pleased with my purchases: a fossilized camel tooth, a fossilized parrot fish mouth plate, and a wonderful petite piece of old branch coral the color of a Pink Pearl eraser. I’m still thinking about how I’m going to incorporate them into brooches, or pendants.

Jill Erickson
Associate Editor, Art Jewelry