Hot Rocks
Back on the block: JAR topaz earrings
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!One of the JAR jewels made famous at the 2006 sale of Ellen Barkin’s jewelry is up for grabs again – four years later and in the same showroom, Christie’s announced yesterday. Those who didn’t make the winning bid... »
JAR: designer jewelry as calling card
Jewelry designed by JAR is so rare and coveted, women who own it wear it like a calling card. A piece by JAR is more than a beautiful, expensive jewel. It's evidence that you've made it. You have the inside track. »
Peridot: a reservation’s buried treasure
Charles Vargas is one of the few Apaches born and raised on San Carlos Reservation who left to get a college education and work in the outside world. That experience helped him recognize the treasure he and his tribe had been sitting on for more than a century: peridot. When I visited the reservation in... »
August birthstone: Peridot
First recorded peridot was found as early as 1300 B.C. on Saint John’s, an Egyptian Island in the Red Sea. It’s said that this green gem was impossible to spot by day but glowed in the dark, so was mined only after nightfall. Set in gold, peridot was said to achieve its full sun-driven power against... »
Buying pearls with design in mind
Good news: there has never been a better time to get creative with pearls. A few tips for what to look for and how to get the must luscious pearls for your money. »
Gina Pankowski: pearls in orbit
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." »
July birthstone: Ruby
“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. »
In the pink: Fancy pink diamonds bring big prices
Pink diamonds were among the five top sellers at Christie's today. Now that's unusual - in more ways than one - and a real feast for the eyes. »
Beware: That ruby may be a glass composite
If you're in the market for rubies, read this. There's an interloper among those red beauties - and it's been spotted at mainstream retailers, priced well above its true value. »
June birthstone: Pearl
Nothing is more universal and timeless than pearls. Wander through any major art museum and you’ll find them on everyone from maharajahs to lowly servants. There’s Rembrandt’s “Weighing of Pearls,” Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”—which inspired a Hollywood movie—and nary a portrait of Queen Elizabeth where she isn’t dripping with them. Leonardo da Vinci... »