Posts with tag gems

Jewelry, like a car or a house, is an investment. Which is why it's so important that it stands the test of time. Sophie Aarons' online shop, Precious and Rare Pieces, offers dozens of items that fit that bill.

Aarons, a second-generation antiques dealer, carries an impressive collection of estate and vintage baubles, from Georgian-era jewelry to vintage David Yurman pieces. I first heard about the site from a friend-of-a-friend, and quickly realized that I'd been let in on a great secret.

My favorite item for sale is this 1920s engagement ring, featuring a .87 carat diamond surrounded by a white-gold filigree. Good luck finding a stunner like that in a modern, mega-jeweler's showroom.

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with jewelry designer Judith Bright, who spent 12 years working for Quincy Jones at his music publishing company before pursuing her longtime dream of designing jewelry.

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with jewelry designer Karen Leslie. Karen creates unique handcrafted jewelry, including many one of a kind and limited edition pieces.

I'm not a diamond girl, and though I'd like to say that my only reason why was something noble like outrage over the diamond mining situation, the truth is that I thought diamonds were (gasp) boring a long time before they were controversial. Beautiful, yes, but give me some color and texture over a diamond any day.

I just got back from a beach vacation where I was reminded how much I love sea glass. Sea glass is simply broken glass -- trash really, that's polished by the ocean over decades (sometimes centuries) and then washes up on beaches like little rainbow gemstones.

Artisans and jewelers set sea glass in everything from sterling silver to Lucite to gold. A couple of my favorite places to find sea glass jewelry: By the Sea Jewelry and West Coast Sea Glass.

Just like diamonds, sea glass has lots of imposters out there. So if it matters to you that your sea glass actually came from the sea, be sure your sea glass is certified genuine and not man-made.

Oh, the joys of summer: lemonade, tank tops, beach parties, and ... unruly tendrils?

All right, so nobody said summer was perfect. Luckily, we have two options for taming our summer-humidity, frizz-prone hair. We can either 1.) take the less popular route, reach for the nearest pair of scissors, and give ourselves a shorter mane, or 2.) grab the tangled mass and put those frizzy locks in a no-hassle ponytail.

Unfortunately, ponytails usually scream, "Look at me! My only other option is a hat!"

So, what is a girl to do?

The answer to the age-old ponytail dilemma is Cara Couture jeweled rubber-bands. The 2-inch round "jewel" gives an otherwise bland hairdo some zing. Choose from sapphire, diamond, amethyst, orange topaz, or the coveted J-Lo pink diamond.

Price: $35.00