Gina Pankowski's Pearl Orbit series began when she was contemplating child-bearing - which may explain why she sees pearls as a beautiful, life-containing intrusion. Wearing one of her neckpieces will transform you into public art: "People stop to look."
“When a ruby exceeds five carats, and is perfect, it is sold for whatever is asked for it,” Jean-Baptiste Tavernier wrote in 1676. Not much has changed in that regard.