Category: Fine Jewelry

May 8, 2013

How to Buy Colored Stones and Why the Four C’s Don’t Matter

The saying that one “knows just enough to be dangerous” was invented to describe a lay person who learns about the 4 C’s of diamonds and then goes to buy colored stones. Well, not really–but it could not be more applicable. Generally, people will google the 4 C’s before they buy a diamond and then head off into the trenches to buy a diamond. OK, no harm done. Worst case scenario they just bought themselves a diamond that is not a great fit for their needs or investment strategy but it won’t be horrible. However, walk into a store to buy a colored stone flashing around your 4 C’s and your wallet and/or ego will get a thrashing. You see, when one buys colored stones, the 4 C’s don’t matter at all because an entirely different criteria applies. The second you whip out the 4 C’s the salesperson knows you’re a rookie.

Colored stones are infinitely more complex than diamonds. When it comes to colored stones, color is king. Duh. Always go for the truest color (as long as it appeals to you). However, having said that it is very difficult for a person who is not in the industry to know what the “true color” of a particular stone should be. I know what exact shade of green radiates from the best emerald, the perfect crisp light blue of a Paraiba tourmaline, or deep complex red of a rubellite, from an investment perspective–but for the retail buyer, personal preference plays a larger role than return on investment. Some people prefer deeper green emeralds that are so dark they are almost opaque, others prefer a vivid grass-green. Prices vary immensely based on color.

Inclusions can matter but generally no one cares about inclusions if the stone is lively. By lively, I mean you want to look at a stone and feel as though it is flirting with you. That is the only way I know how to describe it. I’ve seen perfectly clear stones sit on my dealers shelves and never move and then I’ve seen stones with inclusions that seduce their way to a fabulous home. A flirty stone is like someone with a glimmer in their eyes–you can’t miss it.

26 carat Paraiba tourmaline from Mozambique is such a vivid blue and so clear that it costs more per carat than a diamond. This is one sexy stone. The ones from Brazil are so rare I’ve never seen one this size, color or clear.

For a collector, rarity is also key. Thus, it is always important to ask what treatments the colored stones have had. Certain treatments are normal: emeralds are often treated with oil to improve the inclusions, sapphires and rubies are heated to improve the inclusions and color. All collectors hunt for the non-treated natural stones. However, the difference between a treated stone and untreated stone is often hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars so unless you’ve got the zeros on-call, the normal treatments will not matter. The treatment to avoid like the plague is dyeing. Stay away from a dyed stones–once a stone is dyed it’s not worth anything.

Untreated emeralds with no or minute inclusions are extremely rare. This 12+ carat is one of the clearest untreated stones I’ve seen.

Origin is another factor that affects investment value. Certain stones are worth more when they come from specific geographical regions. For example, Colombian emeralds are more valuable than Brazilian emeralds, Brazilian emeralds are more valuable than Zambian emeralds. Paraiba tourmalines from Brazil are the most valuable followed by ones from Mozambique. Burmese sapphires and rubies are more valuable than African ones but a good sapphire from Kashmir or Ceylon can knock the Burmese ones out of the water. It all depends.

For general purposes, focus on color, make sure you choose a flirtatious stone, make sure the colored stone has not been dyed, ask a few questions and make sure the big ones come with certificates. Those interested in collecting or investing in colored stones should always go through an expert.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

March 1, 2013

Diamond Stud Earrings: How Big is Too Big?

When it comes to diamonds stud earrings, how big is too big? With respect to certain things (like hair), methinks that bigger is always better. One would assume the same applies for diamonds (or at least, one would think that I would think so when it comes to diamonds). But in reality it all comes down to proportions. Bigger diamonds are always better for investment purposes but I don’t think anyone wants a pair of 20 carat diamond studs lest you fancy having your ear lobe shredded to bits. At some point, diamonds get too heavy to be worn in the ears as studs–when I say studs I mean the kind with a post, this does not apply to clip earrings which can be far more sizeable. I know you’re thinking: this chic is insane; how many people do you think have the problem of diamonds that are too large for their earrings? Well snarky, the same theory would apply to cubic zirconia studs so listen up.

So how do you know if diamond stud earrings are too large? It depends on the size of your ear lobes (cue enlightenment music). A diamond stud earring depends on the lobe upon which it rests for support. Therefore, the larger and thicker the lobe, the larger the earring one can pull off. I genuinely feel bad for women with flimsy ear lobes. Nothing breaks my heart like a massive pair of 3 carat (each side) studs on a wimpy lobe–the diamond is so heavy for the lobe it’s practically facing the ground and no one can detect the spectacle that is 6 total carats of diamonds. I am ~~cursed~~ blessed with ginormous ears and correspondingly large lobes. A pair of 1 carat (each side) studs is practically undetectable amidst the infinite mounds of flesh that are my ears. Seriously. A pair of 4 carat (each side) diamond earrings look positively normal on my ears; not flashy, just normal. Kind of like Godzilla making an airplane look like a toy.

Headline: Godzilla Lobes Make Enormous 4 Carat (each side) Diamond Earrings Look Normal.

3 carat (each side) Cubic Zirconia studs on a normal person’s lobes; available here.Witness another woman with massive ears: Charlize Theron in Harry Winston emerald-cut diamond studs (5 carats each side).

What does one do then if one wants to wear larger diamonds but has wimpy lobes? Have bespoke ones made with a clip in the back. Clips will support the weight of the diamonds in front and help them lie flat against your ear.

When applied to cubic zirconia studs, the rule remains the same–go as big as your lobes can support without the diamonds drooping. A little bit of droop is ok but if it starts affecting the brilliance of your earrings then you need to pull back. Also, keep in mind that CZs are heavier than diamonds so one would not be able to get away with as large a size in CZs as in a pair of diamond stud earrings.

If you are in the market for diamond stud earrings, get them made bespoke. Here is why along with a buying guide. If you’re looking for CZs, here are a few options:

Cubic zirconia studs: 1 carat available here, 4 carat available here, 6 carat available here.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

February 11, 2013

Super-Precious Semi-Precious Stones

Whomever came up with the term ‘semi-precious’ should be stoned. A mother would never name one child ‘Favorite’ and the other ‘Second Best’. Why on earth would you call some of the most vividly colored gems ‘semi-precious?’ Cold-hearted villainy that’s why! In case I haven’t made myself plain yet, I am a big fan of ~~semi-precious~~ colored stones. Especially nowadays when diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are commanding such enormous prices and big jewelry is all the rage–colored stones are the investment-minded woman’s alternative to costume jewelry. Colored stone mines are being depleted and no new mines are currently under development so the price of colored stones keep increasing and will continue to do so–making them an excellent investment with a much lower buy-in than diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. My personal favorite colored stones are tourmaline, peridot, kunzite, rubelite and spinel.

Pink tourmaline, Peridot (light green) and green tourmaline (dark green) lined up for earring designs.

Hemmerle, spinel and aquamarine earrings.

Marco Bicego, gold tourmaline and green Peridot earrings; available here.

All the colored-stones range from brown to the most electric shade of their most sought-after color, which varies depending on each type. Tourmalines come in an array of different colors, pinks, greens, purple, blues–one of the most sought after types of tourmaline is Paraiba tourmaline, a vibrant aqua gem the color of a crisp, tropical blue sky; kunzite in its most common form is brown but pink kunzites (like my ring here) are more rare and command a higher values; Peridot ranges from brown and yellow to a sharp grass-green.

Paraiba tourmaline and rose-cut diamond earrings.

When buying colored or semi-precious stones, color is king–a vivid, clean, natural color (one that has not been color-treated) will command the greatest prices, then look at the cleanliness of the stone (the inclusions) and the cut (symmetry and polish). Make no mistake, although colored-stones are more affordable than diamonds, rubies and emeralds, a high-quality investment-grade semi-precious stone will still cost a pretty penny (a few thousand dollars per carat) but that is still far more affordable than a large diamond which can range upwards of tens-to-hundreds of thousands of dollars per carat.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

February 6, 2013

Doyenne Earrings

There is a certain satisfaction that comes from creating something from one’s imagination that makes up the essence of bespoke jewelry. Knowing that one can create something starting with just an idea and see it out to fruition is one of the most satisfying experiences a person can have. You are limited only by science–the laws of physics, chemistry, geometry, metallurgy and gemology–but that’s all. Science is predictable yet the imagination is vast. The combination of the two is nothing short of magic. It’s like giving birth I suppose, but much more predictable and less messy.

Sketch of the ‘Doyenne’ earrings.

‘Doyenne’ earrings in rose gold and hand selected white diamonds before setting.The finished product: ’Doyenne’ earrings in rose gold and diamonds with mille graining.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

January 28, 2013

Jewelry in Art: Vermeer’s Pearl Earrings

Ever since I began rendering jewelry a few months ago I’ve been obsessed with the treatment of jewelry in works by the Great Masters. I can literally spend an entire day staring at jewelry in paintings, getting super close until the jewelry morphs into light smudges on dark canvas and then pulling away until the necklace, chain, earring etc. pulls back into sharp focus. Every time it blows my mind that color can be translated into light and the eye interprets shape, volume and texture. Magic!

Vermeer, Girl With a Pearl Earring

Pearls are the oldest known gem and for many centuries it was also considered the most valuable–the oldest pearl can be seen in the Louvre, it was found on the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC. In ancient Rome, only the nobility were allowed to wear pearls and similar laws existed in much of Europe in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Julius Caesar collected pearls and it was said that Cleopatra famously dissolved a massive pearl earring in vinegar and drank it in order to win a wager with Marc Anthony about whether she could spend a small fortune on a single meal. Pearls symbolize purity and perfection and although men often adorned themselves with pearls as well, they have always been regarded as a feminine gem; perhaps because of their ancient association with the moon.

Johannes Vermeer had a thing for pearls. I say this not only because his most famous work, “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” uses a pearl as the focal point but because of his skill at rendering pearls and the frequency and size of pearls in his work–eleven of the women he painted wore pears, eight of whom wore the same pearl tear drop earrings. There is much speculation about the pearl earring in “Girl With A Pear Earring,” many think the earring was either an artificial pearl or that Vermeer exaggerated the proportions because a pearl of that size would have been far beyond most people’s means in the 17th century. If you look at the size of the pearl in relation to the girls face, one can estimate that the pearl must have been at least 1 inch in width and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length! Natural pearls of that size (especially a matching pair) would have been astronomically expensive, not to mention hard to come by. Interestingly, the same pearl earrings appear in eight of his other works. There are only three explanations I can think of: 1) he was fixated on that particular pair of earrings that he repeatedly incorporated into his paintings from memory; 2) Vermeer had a pair of artificial pear earrings that he used as a prop for his portraits; 3) pearl teardrop earrings were insanely popular in the 17th century and every woman he painted either owned a pair of large imitation pearl earrings or owned a small pair of real pearl earrings that Vermeer exaggerated in portraits.

The pearl earring depicted in eight other works by Vermeer: The Concert (1), Mistress and Her Maid (2), Girl with a Red Hat (3-4), A Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid (5 ), A Woman With a Lute (6), Woman With a Pearl Necklace (7), A Lady Writing (8), A Study of a Young Woman (9 below).

I am not surprised that Vermeer had such a fondness for pearl earrings; they illuminate the face and tear drops are much more ubiquitously flattering than round. These days, pearls as large as the ones in Vermeer’s paintings are impossible to find as cultured pearls are rarely given the opportunity to grow to such size and natural pearls are becoming more and more rare as waters are polluted and pearls beds are harvested to the brink of collapse. However, there are some designs out there–real and faux–that I’m sure Vermeer would have loved to get his paws on. I still have yet to find a pair of costume pearl earrings of such massive proportions but in the meantime, these pairs below will do nicely: