BLUE AMBER - a Total Surprise !

Typical rough Amber pieces from the Baltic

Amber, that strange material that hardened from several species of tree resins from several hundred million years ago. The best known Amber is from the Baltic Region, but it also comes from Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, North and South America and some Islands in the Caribbean. But do not confuse Amber with Copal, Copal is the new kid on the block being only a few million years old and in most cases much softer, coming from Columbia and a few Caribbean Islands.

Piece of Dominican Blue Amber as seen in the rough

Amber is supposed to be amber color, right? Not exactly. There is the original colors of Amber, yellow, orange, honey, cognac or similar. A new delight among jewelry designers is Butterscotch Amber, found in the Baltic as well as the Middle East. But there also is cream, cherry, red, green and even blue, which is by far the rarest of all the Ambers. Up to this day many people do not believe in the existence of "BLUE" amber. Must be something in the air or in the ground, since two of the more highly prised gemstones that come from the Dominican Republic are both "BLUE" - Blue Amber and Larimar.

Chunk of Dominican Amber with Reds-Cognac-Yellow coloring.

Is Blue Amber Truly Blue? No. It is not. And yet, it is. Confused? Blue Amber is a result of fluorescence and no solid color exists. Ultra-violet or violet light is re-emitted as blue or green light, attributed to the presence of poly-nuclear aromatic molecules. Therefore, Blue amber is blue, but not the way you might think.

When sunlight strikes the Blue Amber on a white surface the light particles pass right through and are refracted by the white surface. Result: the Blue amber looks almost like any other Amber, only with a light blue hue. But when the light particles can't pass through and refract back, the hydrocarbons in the Blue Amber turn the sun's ultraviolet light into blue light particles. The result: the famous blue glow of Blue Amber. This effect is only possible with Dominican Blue Amber pieces graded within the Blue Amber category. Any other Amber (like Baltic and others) will not display this blue phenomenon at all. And, on top of that other Dominican Amber will show this blue efraction only in concentrated UV light, and not in natural light. Light passed through the Blue Amber from a flashlight, will also result in the normal looking cognac amber color.

Example of same piece of Blue Amber with front lighting, then looking as same piece lighted from the reverse

Thanks to The Amber Ranch for the pieces of and the info on Dominican Blue Amber

The ELEGANCE COLLECTION - An Unusual Form of Cloisonne !

The 2 inch rectangular Cloisonne pendant has been silver plated. It sparkles with Amber and Bronze and Rhinestone crystals.
The sides of this necklace include silve plated curved tubes and wavy discs. Prehnite, Amber and Czech Crystal beads complete the sides.

The necklace is 20 inches long with a silver plate dragonfly Toggle clasp.
The silver plate French Hook earrings of Prehnite and Rhinestones drop 2 inches.

Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, but in recent centuries using vitreous enamels, and also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and even linen. and other cloth materials, has become common place, especially in jewelry beads and pendants.

Prehnite is a phyllosilicate of calcium and aluminium with limited iron substitutes for aluminium in the structure. Prehnite crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system, and most oftens forms as stalactitic or botryoidal aggregates, with only just the crests of small crystals showing any faces, which are almost always curved or composite. Very rarely will it form distinct, well individualized crystals showing a square-like cross-section, like those found at the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Quebec, Canada. It is brittle with an uneven fracture and a vitreous to pearly lustre. Prehnites color varies from light green to yellow, but also colorless, blue or white. In April 2000, a rare orange Prehnite was discovered at the famous Kalahari Manganese Fields in South Africa. It is mostly translucent, and rarely transparent. It was the first mineral to be named after a specific person, Colonel Hendrick VonPrehn, and was first described in 1789 for an occurrence in Haslach, Harzburg and Oberstein, Germany. Extensive deposits of gem quality Prehnite occur in the basalt tableland surrounding Wave Hill Station in the central Northern Territory, of Australia.

Amber - The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of Amber, called Baltic amber, with about 80% of the world's known amber found there. It dates back some 44 million years ago. It has been estimated that these forests created over 105 tons of amber. Because Baltic amber contains about 8% succinic acid, it is also termed succinite. It was thought since the 1850s that the resin that became Amber was produced by the tree Pinites succinifer, but research in the 1980's came to the conclusion that the resin originates from several species. Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in Baltic Amber. Do NOT confuse Amber with Copal. Copal is not the fossilized, but rather an immature recent resin. Increasingly, Copal is being offered for sale, via the online auction services, gem shows, and shops, misrepresented as "Amber." The commercial value of Amber is related to its scarcity, age, inclusions of extinct species, and durability. Unfortunately, some dealers are more preoccupied with high economic returns, rather than whether or not their resin is fossil or recent. The age of Copal can vary from 50 years to 1.6 million years in age. It can be considered a semi-fossilized resin or an immature amber.

SOUTHWESTERN FLAIR - All the Colors !

SOLD Almost all of the colors one can find in jewelry from the Southwestern United States has been combined into this one necklace. The blue-green of Turquoise, the gold of Amber, the red of Sponge Coral, the blue-green of turquoise colored Magnesite, the black of black Agate (Onyx) and of course Silver.

All of this is found in the 17 inch necklace with a S-hook clasp and 2 inch chain extender. Matching French Hook loop earrings complete the set.

Turquoise comes in many colors and types in today's market. To help understand a bit, the following is provided----

Natural - This comes directly from the mine. It is cut shaped and polished and set into jewelry. It has no man made treatment or additives other than a polishing compound that adds to its luster. Several pieces of natural Turquoise from Arizona, can be seen to the right and are beautiful with very little polishing. Most stones in this state are very close to gem quality. The coloration of natural Turquoise can darken as oils from the skin work its way into the stone over the years, especially of not properly cleaned.

Stabilized – This is a natural turquoise usually in nugget form, but does not hold a luster. It is submerged into a stabilizing compound and dried, cut and prepared for jewelry. The turquoise has not been altered. The pores of the stone have been filled with a clear resin that makes the stone usable. This process allows for diversity of shapes and possibilities in jewelry making. Color Stabilized stones are considered altered and sometimes color has been added in this process. This in not necessarily bad, but it has less value than a piece that is naturally colored. Stabilized Turquoise usually does not change color with wear and because of its hardness, wears better in jewelry.

Treated - This form of color enhancement has been used for thousands of years. It is done as discussed earlier by submerging Turquoise stones into animal fat or vegetable oil and later air dried. Normally the color will not last very long. A new variety on the market, called "Motaska" and "Majave" Stone is much more stable and retains its color as well as being infused with gold, silver and copper.

Fake and Synthetic – Ceramics, bone, celluloid and plastic are used to imitate turquoise. Synthetic turquoise has a very natural matrix that is produced by placing stones in the synthetic “batter”.

Imatations - Then there are the imatations, in many cases natural gemstones that are beautiful in their own right, but due to the fact they accept dyes, many times are dyed the various turquoise colors and then are sold by unscrupulous dealers as real Turquoise. Price becomes the real determining factor when it comes to seperating real Turquoise from dyed Howlite, Magnesite or Ivoryite.

Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks like serpentinite, turquoise and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These Magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert. Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters. Some of the best Magnesite deposits that can produce gemstone quality material are co-located with Turquoise deposits in the southwestern United States. Magnesite like Howlite, can be died to look like actual Turquoise.

Black Agate (Onyx) which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx. Onyx is a crypyocrystalline form of Quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). A picture of a true Black Onyx specimum is seen below. True specimens of Onyx contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. As stated, the pure black form which most people know as Onyx, is not a naturally occuring variety. Black Agate or poorly colored Onyx is heated and dyed black to come up with the pure black form so well liked within the jewelry industry.

Amber - The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of Amber, called Baltic amber, with about 80% of the world's known amber found there. It dates back some 44 million years ago. It has been estimated that these forests created over 105 tons of amber. Because Baltic amber contains about 8% succinic acid, it is also termed succinite. It was thought since the 1850s that the resin that became Amber was produced by the tree Pinites succinifer, but research in the 1980's came to the conclusion that the resin originates from several species. Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in Baltic Amber. Do NOT confuse Amber with Copal. Copal is not the fossilized, but rather an immature recent resin. Increasingly, Copal is being offered for sale, via the online auction services, gem shows, and shops, misrepresented as "Amber." The commercial value of Amber is related to its scarcity, age, inclusions of extinct species, and durability. Unfortunately, some dealers are more preoccupied with high economic returns, rather than whether or not their resin is fossil or recent. The age of Copal can vary from 50 years to 1.6 million years in age. It can be considered a semi-fossilized resin or an immature amber.

Sponge Coral is a natural organic substance that is considered a newcomer to the jewelry industry. It is related to the more traditional red/pinkish coral, thus Sponge Coral is not on the endangered species list, plus it is a sustainable product. Sponge Coral is a farmed product and thus is not removed from the Coral Reef and does not cause the environmental damage associated with traditional corals. Traditional coral is usually used in its natural shape which resembles a twiglet whereas Sponge Coral is reconstituted into different shapes.

This specific jewelry piece was designed and based on a specific request from a customer in Flagstaff, Arizona.

AMBER - COPAL - GUM or FAKE ?

Beautiful BALTIC AMBER !

or is it ?

When one goes to a jewelry show, jewelry market, gemstone show, flea market or maybe even a jewelry store looking for true Amber, be it Arabian, Baltic, Dominican or Russian, do you know you are getting the real thing. There are many web-site explaining and showing how to tell real Amber from the fakes, as well as Copal or Gum. But beware, even some dealers don't know how to tell the difference. The picture above that looks like real Baltic Amber with it's air bubbles and little ants, well it is actually a man-made LUCITE piece that has been created to look like real Baltic Amber.

This posting is not going to try and make it so you can quickly identify real Amber, but to expose you to the types and that all which is called Amber, may not be Amber, but could also be Copal, Gum or even a total fake made out of Lucite as shown above.

Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. True Amber is 40 to 60 Million years old. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents --

Baltic Amber - found along the shores of a large part of the Baltic Sea;

Blue Amber - a rare coloration, most commonly is found in the Dominican Republic and highly valued by collectors;

Delatynite - a variety of amber found in Delatyn, Ukraine;

Dominican Amber - nearly always transparent;

Oltu stone - black, shiny, dense and homogenous. It can be easily polished, and as such is called "oil amber".
Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes contains animal and plant material as inclusions. Amber is globally distributed, mainly in rocks of Cretaceous age or younger. Historically, the coast around Königsberg in Prussia was the world's leading source of amber. About 90% of the world's extractable amber is still located in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia on the Baltic Sea. Pieces of amber torn from the seafloor are cast up by the waves, and collected by hand, dredging, or diving. Elsewhere, amber is mined, both in open works and underground galleries. Then nodules of earth have to be removed and an opaque crust must be cleaned off, which can be done in revolving barrels containing sand and water. Erosion removes this crust from sea-worn amber. Heating amber will soften it and eventually it will burn.

Amber occurs in a range of different colors. As well as the usual yellow-orange-brown that is associated with the color "amber", amber itself can range from a whitish color through a pale lemon yellow, to brown and almost black. Other more uncommon colors include red amber (mainly from the Arabian Peninsula), green amber (from the Baltic and Dominica ), and even blue amber (especially Dominican blue amber), which is mined through bell pitting, which is dangerous due to the risk of tunnel collapse. Dominican amber is also fluorescent in long-wave UV light and has a very strong reflection, almost white. Much of the most highly-prized amber is transparent, in contrast to the very common cloudy amber, which is many times called"butterscotch amber". Opaque amber contains numerous minute air bubbles. This kind of amber is known as "bony or white amber".

Rare Blue Amber from the Dominican Republic

Copal is a name given to tree resin that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes. More generally, the term copal describes resinous substances in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between "gummier" resins and amber. Copal has been found to be a young a several hundred years, but most of the true Copal is considered to be 1.5 to 3 million years old. The word copal is derived from the Nahuatl language word copalli, meaning "incense".

To the pre-Columbian Maya and contemporary Maya peoples it is known in the various Mayan languages as pom (or a close variation thereof), although the word itself has been demonstrated to be a loanword to Mayan from Mixe-Zoquean languages. Copal is still used by a number of indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America as an incense and during sweat lodge ceremonies.

Copal is available in different forms. The hard, amber-like yellow copal is a less expensive and most common version. East Africa apparently had a higher amount of subfossil copal, which is found one or two meters below living copal trees from roots of trees that may have lived thousands of years earlier. This subfossil copal produces a harder varnish surface. Subfossil copal is also well-known from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Madagascar. It often has inclusions and is sometimes sold as "young amber". Copal is also faked and sold as "true amer", but copal can be easily distinguished from genuine amber by its lighter citrine color and its surface gets tacky with a drop of acetone or chloroform.

Kauri Gum is a fossilized resin detracted from kauri trees and used for chewing, tattooing, and were often made into jewellery. The gum came from kauri trees found in forests that once covered much of the New Zealand North Island, before Māori and European settlers caused deforestation, causing several areas to resort to sand dunes, scrubs, and swamps. The ancient kauri fields continue to provide a source for the gum. Kauri gum formed when resin from a kauri trees leaked out through fractures or cracks in the bark, hardening with the exposure to air. Lumps commonly fell to the ground and became covered with soil and forest litter, eventually fossilising. Other lumps formed as branches forked or trees were damaged, which released the resin. Kauri gum is the youngest of the fossel resins, some being less than 50 years in age.

One of the best web-sites for pictures of all the kinds of Amber, Copals and Gum is www.ambericawest.com/

GEMSTONE JEWELRY - Amber & Turquoise !

Initially the Indians of the Southwest used shells, spiny oyster and some corals to add color to their Turquoise, Magnesite and Agate jewelry. From time to time traders would provide them with Amber, which was quickly incorporated into designs.

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This design incorporates Baltic Amber and stabilized Arizona Turquoise chips with a turquoise colored Howlite tear drop pendant and Black Agate (Onyx) barrels with a silver toggle clasp. Matching French Hook Amber and Turquoise chip earrings complete the set.

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To help understand the types of Turquoise on today's market. the following is provided----

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Natural - This comes directly from the mine. It is cut shaped and polished and set into jewelry. It has no man made treatment or additives other than a polishing compound that adds to its luster. Several pieces of natural Turquoise from Arizona, can be seen to the right and are beautiful with very little polishing. Most stones in this state are very close to gem quality. The coloration of natural Turquoise can darken as oils from the skin work its way into the stone over the years, especially of not properly cleaned.

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Stabilized – This is a natural turquoise usually in nugget form, but does not hold a luster. It is submerged into a stabilizing compound and dried, cut and prepared for jewelry. The turquoise has not been altered. The pores of the stone have been filled with a clear resin that makes the stone usable. This process allows for diversity of shapes and possibilities in jewelry making. Color Stabilized stones are considered altered and sometimes color has been added in this process. This in not necessarily bad, but it has less value than a piece that is naturally colored. Stabilized Turquoise usually does not change color with wear and because of its hardness, wears better in jewelry.

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Treated - This form of color enhancement has been used for thousands of years. It is done as discussed earlier by submerging Turquoise stones into animal fat or vegetable oil and later air dried. Normally the color will not last very long. A new variety on the market, called "Motaska" and "Majave" Stone is much more stable and retains its color as well as being infused with gold, silver and copper.

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Fake and Synthetic – Ceramics, bone, celluloid and plastic are used to imitate turquoise. Synthetic turquoise has a very natural matrix that is produced by placing stones in the synthetic “batter”.

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Imatations - Then there are the imatations, in many cases natural gemstones that are beautiful in their own right, but due to the fact they accept dyes, many times are dyed the various turquoise colors and then are sold by unscrupulous dealers as real Turquoise. Price becomes the real determining factor when it comes to seperating real Turquoise from dyed Howlite, Magnesite or Ivoryite.

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Black Agate (Onyx) which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx. Onyx is a crypyocrystalline form of Quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). A picture of a true Black Onyx specimum is seen at the left. True specimens of Onyx contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. As stated, the pure black form which most people know as Onyx, is not a naturally occuring variety. Black Agate or poorly colored Onyx is heated and dyed black to come up with the pure black form so well liked within the jewelry industry.

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Amber - The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of Amber, called Baltic amber, with about 80% of the world's known amber found there. It dates back some 44 million years ago. It has been estimated that these forests created over 105 tons of amber. Because Baltic amber contains about 8% succinic acid, it is also termed succinite. It was thought since the 1850s that the resin that became Amber was produced by the tree Pinites succinifer, but research in the 1980's came to the conclusion that the resin originates from several species. Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in Baltic Amber. Do NOT confuse Amber with Copal. Copal is not the fossilized, but rather an immature recent resin. Increasingly, Copal is being offered for sale, via the online auction services, gem shows, and shops, misrepresented as "Amber." The commercial value of Amber is related to its scarcity, age, inclusions of extinct species, and durability. Unfortunately, some dealers are more preoccupied with high economic returns, rather than whether or not their resin is fossil or recent. The age of Copal can vary from 50 years to 1.6 million years in age. It can be considered a semi-fossilized resin or an immature amber.

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Howlite, named for its discoverer Henry How, who found it in Tick Canyon, California in 1868. Howlite is one of those minerals that is more famous for imitating another mineral than being used for itself. In most cases the other mineral is Turquoise, a phosphate gemstone. Although natural Howlite is always white or gray, it can accept dyes fairly easily and be dyed a turquoise blue. The look of turquoise is so good that dishonest dealers have been unfortunately successful at this hoax. In more honest circumstances, dyed howlite is an affordable substitute for turquoise carvings, beads, polished stones and cabochons. It accepts a nice polish and its porcelaneous luster is attractive and enhances even undyed beads and carvings. Unfortunately it has low hardness, but it still has a distinct toughness. California is the source for most all of the howlite trade where nodules of up to one hundred pounds have been found. In addition to the famous turquoise colored Howlite is dyed, it also can become a very bright red color to mimic red coral, or any other color in the rainbow.

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ORGANIC Gemstones ! How many ?

To answer a question, based on USGA listings there are currently four gemstones that qualify as "Organic".

Amber

Hardness: 2-2.5 Mohs

A mixture of hydrocarbons

Specific gravity: 1.05-1.096

Hard fossil resin or sap of ancient pine trees. Usually amorphous (lacks crystalline structure). Sometimes mined, sometimes gathered on seashores. Varies from transparent to semitransparent and generally from light yellow to dark brown, but can be orange, red, whitish, greenish-brown, blue, black or violet. Can be dyed to any color. Amber takes a fine polish. Used mainly in making beads or other ornaments.

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Coral

Hardness: 3.5-4 Mohs

Formed mainly of calcite (calcium carbonate) or conchiolin, a horny organic substance

Specific gravity: 2.60-2.70
Each coral polyp, a tiny marine animal that lives in enormous colonies, extracts calcium carbonate from the sea and exudes it to build a protective home around and above itself. Each generation of polyps dies in its protective home and each succeeding generation builds on top of its predecessor. Gem coral ranges from semitranslucent to opaque and occurs in white, pink, orange, red, blue, violet, golden, and black. The black and golden corals are largely horny organic substances, not calcium carbonate. The finest coral is used to make figurines, cameos, carvings, and beads.

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Jet (Lignite)

Hardness: 2.5-4 Mohs

Carbon plus various hydrocarbon compounds

Specific gravity: 1.30-1.32
This compact velvet-black coal takes a good polish and is often cut into beads, bracelets, and a wide range of decorative and useful objects.

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Pearl

Hardness: 2.5-4.5 Mohs

Formed within a mollusk, such as an oyster, that deposits a substance called nacre around an irritant that entered the organism

Specific gravity: 2.71
Pearl-bearing mollusks are found in both salt and fresh water. Salt-water pearls of gem quality are usually preferred for jewelry; they are produced almost entirely by the mollusk Pinctada. Fresh-water pearls are produced by various clams and mussels. Natural pearls come in various shapes: round, pear, drop, egg, and others. They also come in various colors, such as white, cream, light rose, cream rose, black, gray, bronze, blue, dark blue, blue green, red, purple, yellow, and violet.

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SPRING FASHION and COLORS

Butterscotch Amber Earrings

Jewelry is taking on a colorful outlook this Spring season, mixing vibrant shades that show up in pieces across the price spectrum. After the deep purples and ashen color palettes of Fall clothing, a surge of hard-candy hues is exploding into Spring jewelry. It's bright, brilliant and dripping with fun and a sense of possibility.

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Mimosa is the color of Spring 2009". Mimosa is described as "a warm, engaging yellow" color, named after the mimosa tree and the yummy cocktail. Though we are still in the middle of winter, you can already add the mimosa color to your wardrobe for instant cheer, style and inspiration. Wear with jewelry made from natural elements, like wood, for a complementary look that blends well with other colors also.

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Easily incorporate mimosa into your wardrobe with a simple scarf,nail polish or a bright headband. Look for jewelry in the yellow color - amber (especially Butterscotch Amber), citrine, sapphire, spinel, tourmaline are a few that come to mind. Consider a coat in a bold gold or mimosa color to brighten up your everyday winter look. Layer over gray tights or tees for a pretty transition into Spring.

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For late Spring and early Summer, add jewelry made of coral or turquoise to look fresh and tropical, without going overboard.

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Exerpts of articles from the Houston Examiner and Los Angeles Times.

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Holiday Season Gems - Frankincense and Myrrh !

Items straight out of the Christmas Story and the Bible. Although the actual story in the Bible was written many years later, the fact that Frankincense and Myrrh were probable gifts is hard to deny in that area of the world. The picture above is of Frankincense (top) and Myrrh (bottom) directly out of the Middle East.
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Frankincense is tapped from the very scraggly but hardy Boswellia tree through scraping the bark and allowing the exuded resins to bleed out and harden. These hardened resins are called tears. There are numerous species and varieties of frankincense trees, each producing a slightly different type of resin. Differences in soil and climate create even more diversity in the resin, even within the same species.
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Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried sap of the tree Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen. H igh quality myrrh can be identified through the darkness and clarity of the resin. However, the best method of judging the resin's quality is by feeling the stickiness of freshly broken fragments directly to determine the fragrant-oil content of the myrrh resin. Many times Myhrr appears as a powder with small chunks included.
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The following pictures are of Myrrh and Frankincense as seen in the Market Places in Yemen. Neither of these items, because of their crumbly nature, would make into gemstone jewelry for wear, but many incase either substance in small bottles or silver pouches, and wear on necklaces and earrings.


Myrrh powder and chunks................... Frankincense chunks
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To Agree or Not Agree to be Trendy !

Be Bold ! Try this Crazy Lace Agate, Turquose & Amber Memory Wire Necklace / Earring Set

Fall Winter Trends Report 2008-2009

From the Jewelry Information Center

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Eureka! The exclamation, attributed to Archimedes on discovering a method for determining the purity of gold, has never been more appropriate. This season, jewelry designers did not hold back creativity, investment and commitment despite the poor value of the dollar and the rising oil and gas prices. For consumers, jewelry continues to be the bright spot in peoples’ marking happy, momentous occasions. Here’s what jewelry styles will be abundant this season:

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Necklaces:
Hard to ignore, oversized necklaces have been shown universally in the major fashion publications over the past several months. There are a few beauties to note in the fine jewelry arena including: Snake-like chain link triple strand necklaces; Mesh webbing “bib” shaped precious metal styles; Intertwined chain link necklaces, modern chunky Riviere necklaces (made to look like a river of gemstones) crafted from affordable colored gemstones clustered together.

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Bracelets:
For Fall/Winter we will see big, bold, blackened and bejeweled cuffs. Blackened sterling silver in particular is the metal of preference for bracelets. Colored gemstones, mostly cabochon, milky and opaque are popular accents. Rose-cut diamonds and colored gemstones also make for subtle sophisticated detailing. Black gemstones paired with high karat gold is a rich look that will also be seen this Fall/Winter.

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Earrings:
Big earrings are back- especially in the form of large gold hoops. Note that the freshest versions are forward facing. Concentric circles floating in the center of an outer hoop are trending. Pavé diamond hoops with lots of “bling” are also welcome additions. Bigger, bolder and brighter diamonds are being used as well as black and brown, champagne, cognac diamonds.

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Rings:
Loved for their punch of color and breath taking size, gemmy cocktail rings have become a fun classic. The news in this category however are the cocktail ring crafted without using large heroic gemstones. Large disks made from precious metals with interesting treatments sit atop the finger for a sixties “Mod” cocktail ring. Clusters of small gemstones form a dramatic compilation cocktail ring. Solid carved gemstones with a hole for the finger are the most avant-guard kind of cocktail rings, appealing to the artsy and confident consumer.

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Reprinted from the AGTA's Information ePrisim.

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Big and Bold Autum Colors using Glass Pearls.
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