dream ring

I cannot stop thinking about this Art Deco engagement ring! I feel like I am cheating on my own ring! This ring is pure perfection, from it's box setting to it's triangular sapphire details to it's filigree and etched band. There is one lucky girl out there (sorry, ladies, it's already sold)! And congratulations to anyone who got engaged over the holidays (or will soon over New Years!)... I think the holiday is one of the most wonderful times to get engaged!

as seen on TV: earring search

Do you watch Once Upon a Time on ABC?  I can't really explain why but I am in love with this show... I am hooked with the storyline, woven from many different fairy tales we all know and love but are twisted in surprising ways.  One thing that has caught my eye (other than Colin O'Donoghue!) are the earrings Tinkerbell wears in every episode.  They look like a gold bezel set pear shaped opaque green stone, suspended from a gold hook and chain, that has a row of gold chains dangling from the bottom.  I have searched high and low for the designer of these wonderful earrings with no luck.  Any leads, please comment them below!

gemstone stacking rings

I am slowly trying to build up a ring stacking wardrobe and there are great options available on etsy.  Here are some of my latest favorites.  I love the long emerald cut zircon on this ring.

Of course, I had to have labradorite represented!  I love the look of this hammered ring with it's beautiful blue sheen labradorite.

This ring comes in a variety of gemstones... great for personalizing!

pick me up

I need a little pick me up today, so I am going to stare at beautiful jewelry to make myself feel better.  Nothing better than an Art Deco diamond and sapphire filigree ring to perk a girl right up!

And for good measure, let's look at another Art Deco beauty!  I feel much better now...

leather wraps

I have been gathering some great leather bracelet inspiration and am so excited about learning a new technique and to use more of this wonderful material.  I am having so much fun figuring out different ways to add clasps and finish off the pieces (such a nerd, I know!).  There are so many different ways... buckles, stitching, knots, clasps, holes, buttons, grommets!  And adding in other decorative details to the mix is inspiring me to make many different versions of a leather wrap bracelet.  Here are a few pieces that are particularly inspiring me.  I love this bracelet (featured above) for it's simplicity and the use of the clasp as a focal decoration.

I love this idea of using sheet metal for initials or other lettering.

I love the use of rough metal beads on this bracelet.

modern halo

Continuing with the labradorite love... this ring pretty much combines EVERYTHING I have been obsessing over lately.  Pure perfection with it's yellow gold, black diamond and labradorite combo!

labradorite and leather

Still having an immense love affair with labradorite.  It's all I want to wear right now.  How kick ass is this labradorite and leather wrap bracelet?!  (I really should learn more about incorporating leather into my own work.  I have noticed that leather appears to be my preferred material for bracelets.)

baguette beauty

Hello little emerald baguette ring!  Wouldn't you just be simply perfect for my stacking ring wardrobe!

illusion

I wanted to share some asscher love today!  This vintage pendant is amazing!  And in reality is actually 9 small diamonds set together to LOOK like an asscher cut diamond.  I had to practically smash my face against my computer screen to see what they were talking about!  (P.S. Check out the design on the back of the pendant... outstanding!)

perfect unison

Loving this ring by Annette Ferdinandsen!  The pink sapphire is large and gorgeous yet it doesn't take any attention away from the outstanding band.  Talk about perfect unison!  (I am also impressed that in the additional pictures this ring seems to sit low on the finger.  Just perfect!)

holiday etsy wishlist

The holidays are already on my mind!  Maybe because of daylight savings, maybe because I am determined to get my holiday shopping done early this year, maybe because I am SUPER excited about Christmas with my baby girl, or maybe because my mother is already hounding us for our Christmas wishlists!  Last year, I created an entire holiday wishlist from etsy and I am inspired to do so again this year.
1) Labradorite eternity band- I seriously want to increase my stacking ring wardrobe and this ring will add great dimension and color!
2) Tiny diamond studs- I am still sticking to mostly stud earrings everyday and my stud collection is seriously lacking.  Although I already have a pair of diamond stud earrings, these little studs are hard to resist!
3) Black diamond and gold band- The picture featured above is of Pompeii's super thin diamond band (which I own and LOVE!!!) and I have already reached out to them to see if they can make the same ring in black diamonds and gold (which they can!).  Yet another ring to add to my stacking ring wardrobe!
4) Labradorite stud earrings- I can't get enough of this stone!  And they would get so much wear since they will match my plethora of labradorite necklaces and rings!

tale of mystery

Happy Halloween everyone!  Today, I will present you with a tale of mystery called the Cheapside Hoard.  A treasure trove of jewelry was discovered in 1912 in a house being demolished in the Cheapside District of London.  The hundreds of items found, hidden there for nearly 300 years, are a rare glimpse into a history of jewels and jewelry making.  But who collected this treasure?  Why was it buried there and never claimed?  Curators have tried to piece the story together but there are no definite answers.  Read everything you need to know about this beautiful collection, now being shown at the Museum of London.  (I was drawn to this story by the image of the ring above, one of the pieces found in Cheapside.  How amazing is this table cut diamond with it's black and white enameled band?!) 

labradorite love

On a mission to find a labradorite eternity ring!  Usually I like straight lined eternity bands (for whatever reason a channel set labradorite ring just does not seem to exist!), but the bubble bezels of this ring might add nice visual appeal to a ring stack.

mixing metals

My new favorite ring stack!  I am really trying to embrace mixing white and yellow gold metals.  I feel like my yellow gold jewelry doesn't get the attention it deserves because most of my every day staples are sterling silver or white gold.  So I am breaking my own rules.  Rings featured are a super thin white gold half eternity diamond band from Pompeii, two of my hammered gold plated super thin bands, and still one of my favorite rings I have ever made, my rose cut champagne diamond ring set in a gold bezel with an oxidized silver band.

reimagining

Love this ring by Claire Kinder Studio!  But instead of diamonds I am imagining it with labradorite baguettes.  And my wishlist keeps growing... would it be outlandish if my entire Christmas wishlist is jewelry?!  Nah, I didn't think so either!

forget me not

On a new antique hunt... an enamel forget me not ring!  I am pretty much looking for the above style in ring form.  This particular flower is near and dear to my heart... this is the tattoo I got for my husband when we were on our honeymoon (it is the flower for the month we were married and symbolizes rememberance of loved ones).  As soon as I saw this flower on a piece of jewelry, I was determined to find one!  Oh, how my antique jewelry wishlist keeps growing, but it's so much fun!

hexagons and octagons

Hexagonal and Octagonal engagement ring settings have been catching my eye lately.  I love box set engagement rings that turn round diamonds into squares (it's why I chose one myself!), and this is another great way to get an interesting shape with the maximum sparkle of a round diamond.

violet gray

Oh mama!  This 0.90 carat gray violet cushion cut diamond is unbelievable!!!  I can only imagine the possibilities for such an exquisite stone.  If I hit the lotto, this baby is mine!

tiny birthstone ring

One of the things I love about jewelry is what a piece can represent to its owner and I personally love commemorating moments in my life with jewelry.  Every piece of jewelry has a story.  One of the simplest stories can be told with birthstones.  I became especially excited about this idea last Christmas when I was making jewelry for a few family members.  And a birthstone can represent any special person in your life... your parents, grandparents, best friend, children, significant other.  Simple birthstone rings are a subtle way to represent the most important people in your life, always carrying them with you.

etched bangles

These bangles look shockingly similar to a pair of bangles I purchased from a random antique store.  I wear them just about every day.  I might need to stock up on some more!

everyday diamonds

I am always curious to know what one piece of jewelry someone would invest in if they had to choose.  Instinctually, I would say I would invest in a good ring above all else yet those are the pieces of jewelry I swap out the most from day to day.  Lately, I have been wearing the same earrings, necklace and bracelets every day... so wouldn't I want to invest in really good pieces of those instead since I would be getting more out of my dollar per wear?!  Still I would rather spend my money on a really spectacular ring.  So I'm curious readers... which piece of jewelry would you choose to invest in?  A ring that could work for everyday?  A great pair of earrings that works with everything you wear?  A necklace that makes you feel fantastic every time you wear it?  A bracelet that goes with all of your other jewelry effortlessly?  (Images from here, here, here, and here.  P.S. How unbelievable are those Asscher cut diamond studs?!  I am DYING over them!)   

repurposed diamonds

Love these Diamond Dot necklaces by Hitchcock Madrona.  Even better, this jeweler repurposes their clients' old diamonds and sets them in these beautiful gold bezels.

dark angel

Confession... my latest guilty pleasure has been reading The Mortal Instruments series.  I have been totally sucked into that world and have the hardest time putting the books down every night.  This angel wing necklace, by Finn, looks like a totally badass accessory I can see any of the Shadowhunter ladies wearing.

stacking

Nothing better than a Satomi Kawakita ring stack!

sketching

I have long wanted to learn how to properly sketch jewelry design ideas.  I have never been very good at traditional art (sketching, painting, etc.) and sadly my jewelry sketch book looks like nothing more than doodles.  Even more of a tragedy is that some ideas I "doodled" years ago are now lost in my inefficient way of capturing my ideas.  I've bought some books on the subject but get lost after the first couple of pages, which leads me to think I need to take a class or learn in a more visual way.  I can only wish that one day my jewelry sketches look like works of art on their own!

victorian lace

Another post from inspiration I see every day at work!  Beautiful and delicate, the positive and negative space on these lace rings is exquisite!

This ring (which my coworker was wearing today!) is cast from Victorian lace backed in Muslin.  I love how the lace texture looks dilapidated yet you can still see the delicate intricate details of the lace.

green with envy

I have been having such a strong love affair with sapphires lately, that I feel like I have neglected my first true love, emeralds.  It was next to impossible to narrow down all the beautiful options of antique emerald rings.  My selection was therefore based on emerald being the focal stone and the ability to highlight the beautiful color of this stone.  This amazing Edwardian ring (shown above) features an Asscher cut emerald in a filigree setting.

 

First off, the shape of this Art Deco beauty is outstanding.  The mix of platinum and yellow gold tips it over the edge of extraordinary!

I had to feature this Victorian ring!  The exceptional beauty of this cushion cut emerald doesn't need a lot of frills in the setting... this amazing stone speaks for itself!

just a little sparkle

OBSESSING over super thin diamond bands.  They add just a hint of sparkle and look almost impossibly thin.  I found this beauty, measuring only 1.1mm wide, on etsy and it allows little room for buyer's remorse with it's reasonable price tag! (Please note: this ring is made of 14K white gold and natural diamonds with G/H color but the diamonds are I1 clarity, meaning the diamonds do have visible inclusions.  But I figure when they are such small diamonds, it doesn't matter. If you want to opt for a higher clarity rating, Pompeii does offer a slightly more expensive option!)

an unlikely duo

Today my friend showed me her new turquoise and diamond band she just purchased and I commented how I have been seeing this unique combination of stones recently.  They certainly are not two stones you would think of first to combine in one ring, but work together beautifully, playing off one another's differences while highlighting the beauty of both.  It also seems that this emerging trend has a strong foundation from the Victorian era.  Here are some of my favorite antique examples of this unlikely combination. I love this Victorian navette ring with it's varying sizes of turquoise and border of diamonds.

This early 1900s bypass ring is simple yet striking with the pairing of a turquoise and a diamond.

This 1890s band would look lovely stacked with other diamond bands or as a standout wedding band!

nouveau swirls

After pinning a few Art Nouveau rings on Pinterest, one thing was clear, I love the twists and turns and swirls of many of this era's jewelry.  Here are a few amazing examples of this classic Art Nouveau style.  (Above image from here.)

Wow... what a stunner!  The swirls of this ring, spanning beyond knuckle to knuckle, highlight the beauty of the half carat octagonal emerald.

The dainty swirls on this ring frame the rose cut diamond and pearl, complimenting their differences but oh-so right combination.

happily ever after

When I was shopping around for ideas for an engagement ring (at my boyfriend's request), I initially wanted an antique aquamarine ring.  But my boyfriend (now husband) pushed me towards a diamond engagement ring because that is what he preferred to get me (and, in the end, I am glad he did... which much to his dismay now, sparked my love affair with diamonds!).  But I am still dying over some aqua engagement rings I have seen.  This one in particular I am especially fond of, with it's light blue color and cushion cut.  Did you/ would you consider getting a non-diamond engagement ring?

P.S. I am particularly fond of my engagement/wedding ring board on Pinterest!  If you too are shopping around for rings or just love to look at some serious gorgeous jewelry, check it out!

antique tourmaline

To continue on with the discussion of my love of tourmaline, here are a few exquisite antique tourmaline rings to take your breath away.  This pink tourmaline (above) mounted in a beautiful 10K gold setting is a beautiful example of the rich color of tourmaline.

This green tourmaline filigree ring is a showstopper!  The extremely elongated cut of the stone beautifully highlights its rich green color. 

There is nothing more perfect in my mind than the rich, deep blue of this antique blue tourmaline ring.

victorian ring reproduction

Complete!  Here is the reproduction of this Victorian snake ring I fell in love with.  The ring turned out very well and I am happy with it, but I have to admit that there is still something missing from the feeling of the original piece.  This ring feels much more modern to me and I guess I just have to come to terms with the fact that there is no substitute for an antique.  But since the antique ring I fell in love with was long gone, this is the closest I could get to the original, since I know darn well I would have never have found it's likeness in another antique ring.  I am enjoying wearing it though and I am happy knowing I own a little bit of the original's essence. 

north star studs

I wear the same pair of diamond studs just about every day now.  I would love to add a few more stud earrings to the rotation and these earrings by Erica Weiner would be perfect!

P.S. Today my blog is 4 whole years old!  Wow, it does not seem like it has been that long but it has been an unbelievably rewarding experience!  Thank you to my readers, new and old!