Fresh Gems
Leaves of Change
May 27, 2009
The World Gold Council proudly presents Leaves of Change, a collection of leaf-inspired gold jewelry created by pairing celebrity design inspirations with talented gold jewelry designers. Together they created a collection of necklaces that will be auctioned off later this month, with proceeds benefiting each star’s chosen charity. Shown here is Brooke Sheilds’ design, created with Jewelers for Children in mind. The JFC was founded by the jewelry industry and has donated more than $30 million to children in need all over the world. “The idea of creating something that could benefit many children all over the world is enormously rewarding,” Brooke remarks of her experience. “To me, leaves represent rebirth, so I hope to symbolize a budding of compassion toward all people and especially children.” Other celebrities who contributed leaf sketches to the project include: Christina Appelgate, Whoopie Goldberg, Marcia Gay Harden, Samantha Harris, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Chris Noth, Lena Olin, Rachael Ray, Susan Sarandon, and Pauletta and Denzel Washington.
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Marlaina Stone
May 22, 2009
“Call it a necklace, call it a ring, but whatever you do, don’t call it jewelry,” says Marlaina Stone, designer of wearable works of art signed in hand cut sterling silver. Marlaina fearlessly combines precious stones, exotic crystals, and vintage treasures from around the globe and fashions them into one-of-a-kind art pieces. This kind of art won’t be hanging safely on a wall, though. In fact, “safe” isn’t even in Marlaina’s vocabulary. Shown here is the Rebecca necklace, named for a woman who’s a natural-born fashion daredevil who doesn’t follow the rules. It’s only natural for her to pair a leopard print with stripes, for instance, or to wear a giant bright yellow hat to a demure sit-down dinner. Each of Marlaina’s creations has its own unique story. Read all about it at Marlaina Stone Jewelry.
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Too Precious to Wear
May 20, 2009
Scientists are seeing some strong signals that it’s time we started paying attention to what’s happening below our ocean waves. Twenty percent of the world’s coral reefs have already been destroyed due to climate change, pollution, and destructive fishing techniques such as cyanide poisoning, bottom trawling, and blast fishing. In 2008, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation teamed up with SeaWeb, a nonprofit organization that works to keep the ocean healthy, to launch a campaign called Too Precious to Wear. Michael J. Kowalski, Chairman and CEO of Tiffany & Co., said, “We are committed to obtaining precious materials in ways that are socially and environmentally responsible. We decided to stop using real coral in our jewely over six years ago and feel that there are much better alternatives that celebrate the beauty of the ocean.” Tiffany designer Paloma Picasso built a vibrant brooch design around turquoise that is shaped like coral in its natural state, with blue chalcedony, chrysoprase, and 39 round brilliant-cut diamonds in 18-karat yellow gold. “Coral is a precious and rare gift from the sea,” the designer says. “We need to protect this extraordinary jewel of nature.”
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Darley Jewelry Collection
May 11, 2009
Intrepid horse trekker and jewelry lover Darley Newman brings you jewelry inspired by her travels on horseback all around the world, as chronicled on the PBS series, “Equitrekking.” From the great horse state of Kentucky, where the freshwater pearl is the state gemstone, Darley offers a gorgeous pearl bracelet with gold and silver link chain. Blue Lace Agate steals the show in a silver bracelet inspired by a trek with the sturdy Highland ponies of Scotland. My favorite is the Iceland-inspired bracelet, because I had the wonderful experience of horse trekking in Iceland myself. The bracelet’s rhyolite stones, with their rich, varied, and distinctive colors, perfectly capture the rugged lava landscapes the sure-footed Icelandic horses skim across with grace and ease.
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Bamboo Heart
May 8, 2009
This Mother’s Day, John Hardy has created a limited edition sterling silver bamboo heart charm as a tribute to the beauty and strength of all mothers, symbolized by the versatile bamboo plant. In 2006, in partnership with the non-governmental organization Friends of the National Parks Foundation, John Hardy set up a program of bamboo reforestation on the impoverished island of Nusa Penida, off the coast of Bali. The bamboo plantations provide economic opportunities for the people of Nusa Penida, and the bamboo plants themselves provide a habitat for the nearly extinct Bali starling songbird. Proceeds of each piece from John Hardy’s Bamboo Collection are used to plant bamboo seedlings on Nusa Penida. The bamboo heart bracelet comes packaged in a natural bamboo box handmade in Bali, perfect for gift giving.
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