The Belle of the Ball (or Holiday Parties Made Better)

Your favorite necklace broke right before the big night? Read this, honey.

http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/12/saddle-up-white-horse.html

Then call the doctor—the Jewelry Doctor, that is. 

415/796-3969, or text 415/596-4244.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. We’ve got you covered.

And Now, for Something Completely Different

Well, maybe not completely different, just not that particular holiday gift somebody thought you would love. That necklace! Or those earrings. Or that—well, you get the idea. 

So what to do? Simple. Have a cup of your favorite beverage, and read this. https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/12/you-shouldnt-have.html

Then call us at 415/796-3969 (or text 415/596-4244), and we’ll create something you will actually love to wear.

“Promise?”

Promise. Oh, and remember: it’s our little secret.

San Francicsco Jewelry Doctor. Making happy occasions even more so.

Wait, Christmas is the day after tomorrow?

Why yes. So, you know, it might be a really good idea to call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 (or text 415/596-4244) on the double. We have all kinds of wonderful handcrafted jewelry, in porcelain, Venetian glass, Swarovski crystal, and gemstones. But the clock is ticking, so you might want to step on it. 

Here’s a story from our archives to put you in the mood.
http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2013/12/make-it-merry-and-have-sunday-too.html

*If you can read this, we’re in the neighborhood. 

A Little Color for Your Holiday--Or Any Day!

As soon as I saw this Stuller pendant, I thought of Priscilla. Her hubby agreed, and we made her anniversary gift in white gold, set with sapphires. As you can see, it's also lovely in yellow gold with alternating colors, and can be made with one to five leaves. How many leaves would you like, and which gemstones would you choose? 

https://www.stuller.com/products/86983/?groupId=201211&searchTerm=86983&recommendationSource=SearchRedirect

Pat Yourself on the Back, or Happiness Begins at Home

While we put the finishing touches on some more gifts for our customers, here’s a well-loved story from our archives.  

http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2012/12/another-happy-couple_20.html

Note that gold is $1259 today, so you can save even more than our readers way back when.

We now pause so you may pat yourself on the back.

Now then:  You say you’d like your loved ones to love you even more than they already do?  That’s easy: call us at 415/796-3969, or text us at 415/596-4244, and we’ll put our heads together about something just right for you.  

Stuller (www.stuller.com) is open Saturdays through tomorrow, so you can still find wonderful gold, silver, platinum and diamond jewelry, as well as handcrafted jewelry from the Laynie Tzena collection.  We’ll need to finalize the order today for delivery tomorrow or Monday.  (If you’re in the Bay Area, you can also pick up your orders of handcrafted jewelry today through Monday.)

Happy Holidays!

More (Romance), Please

Have you been meaning to pop the question?  Does it feel like the biggest decision in your life, and are you concerned you don’t know what to choose?  We understand.  We’ve helped lots of happy couples over the years, with wonderful bridal jewelry from Stuller
https://www.stuller.com/browse/wedding-and-engagement/?prettyUrl=bridal%2f

as well as jewelry that starts with an idea, then becomes an image on paper (including a napkin, at times), and then voila!  It comes out of the box and you say—well, we leave that part to you.

http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2012/12/baby-its-you-popping-question-during.html

So call us at 415/796-3969 or text 415/596-4244, and let’s put our heads together about the perfect ring for the one you love.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  When you know it’s time. 

Tick-Tock!

My, how time does fly! Here it is almost Christmas. The key word in that last sentence was “almost.” Yes, honey, there is still time to choose both handcrafted jewelry and what in Jewelry-land is called “fine jewelry”—i.e., gold, platinum, diamond and yes, sterling silver jewelry, too. (As our customers know, one of our favorite sources for fine jewelry is Stuller. https://www.stuller.com). But the clock is winding down, and we certainly don’t want you to be left out.

So call us at 415/796-3969 or text us at 415/596-4244, and let us make something beautiful for you and those on your list.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. The best friend your holiday shopping ever had.

You Say Potato, I Say Applesauce

—and just like that, it’s Chanukah again. While we put the finishing touches on another holiday gift and nosh on one more latke, here’s a touching story from Chanukah past. Enjoy.
http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-perfect-gift-times-eight-or-hark.html

And call us, already (415/796-3969; texts go to 415/596-4244). We are always happy to help, but honey, eight is a finite number*, and a bearded guy and a couple reindeer** just called in the window that another holiday is right around the corner. You want your loved ones to talk to you, right?

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. We help you shine.

*Math refresher, no charge. Chanukah has eight nights, which those who read the attached story already know. No, we are not pointing fingers. Just encouraging the art of reading.

**Yes, of course reindeer like to talk. Especially this time of year. Listen closer.

Small Business Saturday is So Romantic

“Oh, goodness, George, here it is Small Business Saturday, and I don’t have my list yet. What should I do?”

George takes out his earbuds. “What did you say, Brenda?”

“You never listen. I said it’s Small Business Saturday, and I don’t have my holiday list yet."

“Oh, that.” George smiles. “Why don’t you just give the money to me?”

He dodges the pillow sent in his direction.  “I don’t understand. You know I’m going to say, ‘Call Laynie at San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.’ You know they have great gifts. You got everything from her last year, and she’ll help you figure out the best choices this year. Need I add you always say I am clueless when it comes to making any kind of decision whatsoever?  So why are you asking me?”

Brenda is humming a pretty melody as she makes the call. She puts a hand over the phone and says, “Just a formality, dear, just a formality. You can go back to learning Italian.  Oh, and honey?  Love you!  Graci.”

After a slight pause, we hear what sounds like “Prego.”

* * *

That Brenda always has great ideas, and this might be the best of all (aside from that trip to Italy in the spring*). Have you called your friendly neighborhood** jewelry doctor yet?  415/796-3969 (or text 415/596-4244).

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  Holiday shopping, simplified.

*“How did you know they were going to Italy?”

Honey, as we have previously established, I am a doctor.  We know everything.

**If you can read this, we're in the neighborhood.

Color and Line

Two important elements of jewelry design are color and line. Let's start with color.

Part One. What About Value?

People sometimes ask, when we’re discussing redesigning a piece of jewelry, “Does it make sense to invest in a really nice setting for such an inexpensive stone?”

A perfectly reasonable question, right? 

Sure. But let’s dig a little deeper.  

First, did you think, “This is an inexpensive stone” when you bought the original piece of jewelry, or when it was given to you?  

Probably not. If the jewelry was a gift, it’s likely that you thought what a lovely gesture it was. If you selected the jewelry yourself, you might have just loved the look of the piece, and enjoyed wearing it.  

But perhaps over time your style has changed, and you’re ready to have a piece of jewelry designed that reflects who you are now.

Say it with me: jewelry is personal. Which means it’s not about what someone else thinks of the stone, or how much it cost. It’s about your connection to it. Related story here.

http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2011/04/do-you-see-what-i-see.html)

But there’s more to the story. Many of us have a dynamic friend, someone who is the “life of the party,” really funny, fun to be around. And we love that friend. But we probably don’t want to spend all our time with that friend and, chances are, we don’t want to have a party consisting of lots and lots of people like that friend. It would wear us out. Instead, we like to spend time with (and balance gatherings with) lots of different kinds of people, some outgoing and some a little quieter.

In the world of food, the seafoods of choice when a chef wants to show off an elaborate sauce are often cod, flounder, and sole; halibut is also a great choice. Tuna or another strongly flavored fish, however delicious, would steal the show.

With these things in mind, let’s look again at those lighter colored stones. Salmon coral, Swiss Blue topaz, rose quartz—the color here is not as saturated as these gemstones’ sisters, oxblood and London Blue, or cousins, rhodonite and rhodochrosite. But they are every bit as lovely. 

Remember, when it comes to color, the word "value" just refers to shading. http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/color/color.htm A lighter stone may have a lower price tag (though not always). It will always have its own winning qualities.

The question isn’t, in the end, about the grade of gemstone (many pieces of jewelry are set with "A" stones, some with "AA," and some with "AAA"), but what you do with that stone. For the customer, it’s all about finding a stone that’s just right for you (related story here http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/07/just-right-ruby.html) or working with your jewelry designer to make the most creative, beautiful use of the stone you have.

Thinking again about cooking, some designers might say the “lighter tones” offer a certain freedom in design. More about that next time.

©2018 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

A Delicate Matter

Filigree is one of the most beautiful words in the language, if you ask us.  You could consider it a cousin to lace, as Wikipedia suggests. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filigree

But it is delicate, and that wonderful openwork, like that of lace and those lovely crocheted sweaters, can get caught on something and—oh, no!

Don’t panic.  Call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969, and we’ll restore your filigree jewelry for you—and give you tips on how to maintain it.  

*If you can read this, we’re in the neighborhood.

Shine a Little Light, or New Life for Those Swarovski Brooches

Many customers come to the Jewelry Doctor with beautiful vintage Swarovski crystal pins (or brooches) in need of a little TLC. When they do, we create a “treatment plan.”

Sometimes the pin back has broken off (more on that soon), and sometimes a crystal or two has flown the coop.  Of all the nerve!  

But one might actually ask, “How did the crystal get there in the first place?” Answer:  the crystal is held in place by jewelers’ cement, which dries out over time—and not all at the same time.  When the cement dries out the metal can no longer hold the crystal, and out it tumbles. 

Some customers find the wayward crystal when it drops. But if it is gone, gone, gone, I check my sources and try to locate Swarovski crystal in the same size, shape, and color.  Given that these are vintage pieces, the dimensions and colors we need are not always available.  

If the crystal in the brooch is all the same color (and that color is available), no problem.  We can just replace it.  But what if the crystal is many-colored, like the gemstones in the ring you may have read about here?  https://www.kudzu.com/m/Laynie-Tzena-Design-7716176  And say one or more of the colors is not available? Then we have a decision to make.  Which colors should we choose so the brooch will have a harmonious look?

When replacing a crystal, I always check the “seaworthiness” of the others in the brooch. But since the cement doesn’t dry out under every crystal at the same time, it can happen that a month later a crystal drops out and the customer wonders, “Why is this falling out when it was just replaced?” Answer: it wasn’t the same crystal!

So if you love those Swarovski brooches—and who doesn’t?—know that they require maintenance.  Just as you have the prongs checked in your diamond jewelry (which you’ve been doing since you read this, right?  http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2014/04/building-your-jewelry-wardrobe-lets.html), your brooches will require a “look-see” every so often to make sure each crystal is safely in its bed.

Did you also know your Swarovski brooches can do double-duty as pendants?  Just ask us how.  

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor, 415/796-3969. We make things sparkle.  

Cleopatra Says, "Go Green!"

Is it “pehr-ee-dow?” “Pehr-ih-dot?”  However you say it, this month’s birthstone is a beauty, with that bright olive color (and it is olivine), sometimes a bit lighter than that—so stunning on blondes, brunettes, redheads, and those whose hair shines in silver and gray.  People have loved this gemstone forever—Cleopatra’s famous emeralds may actually have been peridot.

Here’s some more information from the Gemological Institute of America (“GIA,” for short).  https://www.gia.edu/peridot-history-lore 

So—what’s on your wishlist? Call us at 415/796-3969, and you’ll be feeling like a queen in no time. 

Did Somebody Say Ruby?

Wait till you see what we’ve been designing!  (Well, you don't have to wait; just call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 to see the collection--and, of course, to tell us what’s on your wishlist.)

In the meantime, here is a favorite from our archives with vital information about a very special stone, which, as many of you know, is this month’s birthstone.  http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/07/just-right-ruby.html

*If you can read this, we're in the neighborhood.

Real Estate, or The Long and Short of It

 “I don’t know if there are enough beads,” said Carolyn.  

She was right. There were a lot missing.

We talked about a couple solutions:  

a) Rebuild the necklace, keeping the design intact but making the bottom section on each side two-strand rather than four-strand; or 

b) Make the right side of Section One the center—in which case, we’d end up with two sections, not three, on each side.

We were also talking about a couple of pearl necklaces—one of which you’ve just seen—and what came out in conversation was that Carolyn didn’t really like wearing long necklaces. She prefers chokers.  

The challenge now became how to keep the spirit of the original necklace at the shorter length. We often use the expression “writ large” to describe something that has been expanded to a larger scale. In this case, the necklace needed to be writ small.

The center of the original necklace featured lapis, coral, and turquoise in a 4-2-2-4 pattern. Turquoise and coral make a winning combination (ever visit the Southwest?) and these stones are also wonderful with lapis, but there wasn’t enough turquoise or enough “real estate”—i.e., space to work with—for that to work in the new choker.

I turned my attention to the other segments. The segment after the center one had a 6-4-6 pattern, and the top of the necklace had a 5-4-5 pattern. Those color “bands,” that color balance, needed to be maintained or the choker would be missing the “feel” of the original. Carolyn also mentioned that she would like all the lapis discs (often called “lentils”) to be used in the necklace, and she wanted to use the silver beads, too, if possible.

I tested a few versions of the color bands and decided that alternating a 2-1-2 and 3-2-3 pattern would best serve our purposes.  

Drumroll, please.

And that’s the long and short of it!  

©2018 Laynie Tzena. 

Cracking the Code

“You can just restring this,” said Carolyn.

I wish.  

Look closely.  This necklace had a past.  The person who fixed it most recently was probably trying her best to get the necklace to the sixteen-inch length Carolyn prefers. Unfortunately, some of the large round (Swarovski) pearls and the smaller (freshwater) ones were missing, and she apparently thought the best solution was to leave a lot of room between the beads.

Result:  Swiss cheese.  Or, to be more precise, a whole lot of gaps in the necklace. (The actual length, once the pearls were brought together, was just over thirteen inches.) Also, the combination of several colors of Swarovski pearls and three colors of freshwater was a bit hard on the eyes.

What to do?

At first, I thought I’d just add more of the larger white freshwater pearls.  But that didn’t work.  And then the magic happened.  As I continued to look at the necklace, I saw what the original jeweler had in mind.  I was able to crack the code.

“What code?”

The rhythm the jewelry was intended to have.  In this case, it was what I call a “Morse Code” design:  dot-dash-dot-dash.  I believe that’s what the original intent was, and once I looked closely at the broken necklace, the solution was obvious.

©2018 Laynie Tzena.

Your Mother Would Like a Little Something

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

I just saw a sign. Not the kind they talk about in circles on the floor, the kind you pass on the freeway. This one said Mother’s Day is next Sunday. Next Sunday! Yikes! 

What do I do? My mother always says, “Thank you, Dear,” and then never wears what I give her. Should I just send her flowers, or tell her I’ll take her out to dinner when I visit her in August or September?

Flummoxed in Baltimore

Dear FIB:

First of all, do not panic. There is a wonderful invention called “UPS” (and its cousins, “FedEx” and “USPS”). The Jewelry Doctor cannot recommend dilly-dallying, but she is pleased to tell you that if you step on it, you can have a wonderful gift in time for Mother’s Day. 

Which brings us to our next point: Flowers are out. They wilt, and she may have developed allergies since the last time you saw her. (No, we are not judging. We know you had your reasons.) Jewelry, on the other hand, is a perennial. That’s why those smart people put that sign on the freeway for you to find. As for asking someone to wait for a gift until later—well, how did you like it when they did that with your graduation present?

No, no, no. The answer is jewelry, of course. But how to select the right gift? Well, let’s talk about your mother. (Honey, there’s no way around it.)

Does she favor classic design? Is her style simple and elegant? A solitaire pendant on a chain would be a great choice—or just a pretty chain to go with the pendants she already has. (And ask about the Laynie Tzena collection: beautiful handcrafted pendants, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in porcelain, Venetian glass, Swarovski crystal, and gemstones.)  

Is her taste more casual? Take a look at our jewelry in wood and contemporary metals. You say she’s a big sports fan? Give her a “sporting” pendant: we’ve got skaters, tennis racquets, footballs, baseballs, basketballs (and maybe a hockey puck, too—we’ll check), in both gold and silver.  

Whatever kind of jewelry your mom adores, we’ve got you covered. Call us at 415/796-3969—oh, and honey, do it now, while there’s still time.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. A mother’s best friend (well, aside from you, of course).

©2018 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks, Sandy!

Most of our customers are online, but not all, and some prefer to keep a low profile. Here’s a note from a happy customer we'll call “Sandy.”  

My engagement ring sports my grandmother’s European-cut diamond. My husband and I laughed that our wedding, over 25 years ago, was a BYOD (Bring Your Own Diamond) affair.  

Some time ago I noticed that the diamond was loose and that a fault in the diamond had become a chip. I was afraid the stone would fall out. I actually stopped wearing my ring, not knowing who could fix it properly.

I took the ring to Laynie Tzena to see if anything could be done. Her diamond cutter reshaped the stone and redid the prongs. The diamond and the ring came back better than I remembered, and certainly far more beautiful than I had imagined possible. I admire it all the time, as I wear it confidently morning, noon and night.

My daughter, who was away at college, noticed the ring almost the moment she came home for a break. Even my husband commented how sparkly my ring looks, although I am still unsure if he noticed it was off my hand since 2006. 

Glad to help, Sandy—what a beautiful ring!—and here’s wishing you many more healthy, happy years together.

Are You Listening, Robert?, or The Gift of Friendship (On a Friday Afternoon, No Less)

“I hate Valentine’s Day!”

Jerry looks at his phone. “Who is this? It says ‘Robert,’ but that can’t be right. See, I just saw Robert yesterday, and he was going on and on about how much he adored the woman he’s been seeing. Said they were made for each other.”

“I do, I do! We are! That’s the problem,” says Robert.

“You lost me,” says Jerry. “And it’s Friday afternoon. I’m due at a meeting in less than five. That gives you two minutes to get to the point and one minute for me to respond. Go.”

“Okay,” says Robert. “You probably won’t understand—“

“The clock is ticking.“

“—because you seem never to have had a problem picking out a gift.”

If he only knew, Jerry thinks, but he says, “Right. So what’s your point?”

“I’m afraid I’ll blow it! Linda won’t like the gift, and she’ll think I’m not the guy she thought I was.”

“Well, you’re not, Robert,” says Jerry. “You’re on your best behavior. But good news! So is she. Now, in your remaining 20 seconds, I will answer your implied question, which is: ‘How do I pick out the perfect gift?’”

“Exactly!”

“Simple. You get off the phone with me and call Laynie at San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. 415/796-3969. Oh, and I just sent you something to read. You’re welcome.” http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2014/04/hard-to-shop-for-not-any-more_27.html

“I will! I promise. Thanks!”

Jerry actually has another half-hour before his meeting starts, but Robert can go on, so we’ll keep that between us. Now: Will Robert read the article? Will he use his newfound knowledge to find wonderful gifts, every time? Stay tuned.

Spring Comes Early, or Then and Now

“Anything we can do about this pin?  It was my grandmother’s,” said Nancy.  

And what a beauty!  Look at those flowers.  And that gorgeous Swarovski crystal—did you notice the color is amethyst, this month’s birthstone?

“Sure thing,” I said.

“Ooh!” said Nancy. “That is really pretty.”

“Especially on you,” I said.

* * *

Any amethyst-lovers on your Valentine’s Day list?  Call us at 415/796-3969.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  We see beautiful things in your future.   

Pictures Are A Wonderful Thing, or All Is Not Lost

Few writers love the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” But pictures can be oh, so helpful when it comes to jewelry. I always take pictures of jewelry before I work on it, not only so we have a

“before” and “after” to enjoy, but so my customer has a record of what the jewelry looked like in case it is ever lost. (Helps for insurance purposes, too.)

It's always great if you can have someone take a picture of you wearing some of your “greatest hits”—i.e., your favorite jewelry to wear—as well as a picture of the jewelry by itself. But in a pinch just take a picture of the jewelry on a clean surface (black, gray, or white are usually best). Then, whether we need to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again
http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2016/07/humpty-dumpty.html
or recreate Humpty-Dumpty from scratch or fill in missing pieces, we'll know what we're aiming for.

Make sure the jewelry is centered in the picture, with the whole necklace (or earrings, or bracelet) visible. That's important when it comes to reconstructing it.

“But I don't have a picture!”

Not to worry, honey: the Jewelry Doctor understands, and is still happy to help. (She is a doctor!)  But if you have one, that's even better.

A Moving Experience

“I don’t know about this necklace,” said Ariane.

I looked at it. Green African Trade beads, often called “Vaseline beads.” Nothing wrong with them. But what’s that copal doing here?

Moving, it turned out.

“People move it while I’m talking to them. They don’t even ask. They just adjust it. Very annoying,” said Ariane.

Now, copal has its place (see “Expect the Unexpected”: http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2010/05/expect-unexpected.html). But not in this necklace.  

But wait! There’s more.

“This necklace is too heavy,” said Ariane.  

And it was rather heavy.

What to do? I thought of other jewelry Ariane had shown me. She liked neutral tones, and one piece in particular came to mind—a multistrand black and white necklace.  

“Kukui!” I thought.  

“Kukui?”

A seed from Hawaii (a nut, actually)—you often see a bunch of them on strands. But I think they’re more interesting when you isolate them. I’ve often made kukui pendants, with just a simple accent.

Drumroll, please.

And one of the kukui had a different pattern on each side. Presto! A reversible necklace.

But take a look at the silver in that wood necklace. Once it was cleaned up it was rather beautiful and became a focal point.

Ariane was very happy, and there has been no report of people trying to adjust her jewelry for her. 

“What about the copal and wood beads in the original necklaces?”

Not her colors, it turned out, but they may show up in a gift for someone. Stay tuned.

The Heart of the Matter

Many a “patient” that comes to visit the Jewelry Doctor isn’t broken. Well, this bracelet was a little stretched-out, that’s true.

But it could have been restrung on elastic and sent out into the world. This was not an appealing idea, since the bracelet seemed to suffer from an identity crisis. If you look closely, the design goes in several directions at once—which has its own charm, you could say, but is not, for some of us, all that appealing. It was also missing some pieces.

Time for a redesign. But where to begin?

“Ask your customer,” you might say. 

Good idea. But this was an unusual situation. You see, the bracelet wasn’t brought in by a customer, but was a yard sale find from long ago. 

Jewelry often has “a name on it”—it reminds you of someone. It seems in keeping with that person’s style. I had looked at the bracelet a few times over the years, but didn’t have any immediate design ideas, and nobody in particular came to mind. But a while back I was preparing to meet with one of my favorite customers, for whom I had designed and redesigned many a treasure, when I came across the bracelet.

“I have to show this to Marguerite!”, I thought.

I brought it to our next meeting. 

“Intriguing,” she said.

“I think it would make a great festoon!” I said.

“What’s a festoon?” you might ask. Marguerite asked that very question—one that your Jewelry Doctor might have asked a couple years ago, but by now I had designed a few of them.

A festoon, simply put, is a centerpiece. It may be a design in gold, silver, or perhaps copper, or, as in this case, it may be a beaded design. Unlike its cousin, the pendant, which has a bail or jump ring at the top, a festoon has jump rings on each side, and is often joined to the body of the necklace via open jump rings, which are then soldered for a seamless look. A more fun way to go, if you ask me, is to attach spring rings* to the body of the necklace. When you use spring rings, you can play “mix and match,” changing the look of your necklace by using different necklaces (or chains) for the top.

When Marguerite saw the festoon, she said, “Wow. I really like that.”

Here’s the necklace we chose to go with it. Note that the loops, which now extend just below the silver and wire mesh balls, are echoed in the pattern of the chain.

And what a gorgeous chain! Since it connects to the festoon by spring rings, we were able to add an extender chain to those and presto! A chain necklace. Well, to be exact, I made three, which could be worn singly, as a dynamic duo, or all together for a dramatic look. 

That done, we still had some chain left over. I didn't have any immediate ideas as to what else we might do with it. Then one day I was looking at some bracelet designs.

“That chain would make a great multi-strand bracelet,” I thought.  

“Okay, fine,” somebody says. “But what happened to the heart and key charms in the original bracelet?”

This.

“So that’s it, right?”

Almost. I just loved the look of that flat oval chain. We had some left over from the multi-strand bracelet. One morning I woke up and, in my mind’s eye, saw the chain as a pendant—a multi-dangle pendant. (Which led, inevitably, to earrings.) Is it a tassel? Is it fringe? You tell me.

Speaking of earrings, here are those key earrings once again, and a pair of hearts that bring everything full circle.

*Spring rings are clasps that look like little circles with a notch; they are often found on gold and silver chains.

©2018 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

You Love Your Jewelry? We Understand.

Once upon a time the Jewelry Doctor heard someone say she had been told people should just toss their broken jewelry. Not worth fixing*, it was said. 

The Jewelry Doctor couldn’t believe her ears. Did the person who said that know how people feel about their jewelry?

One day someone arrived with a tale of woe.

“I love this chain, but it broke!” said Allison, referring to a beautiful 14 karat gold rope chain she held in her hand. “Anything we can do? It was already a little short.”

“Of course,” said the Jewelry Doctor.

Solution: A new chain for Allison (in the right length, this time**). 

“What happened to the broken chain?”

This.

Are there “patients for the Jewelry Doctor” on your mind? Call us at 415/796-3969, and you'll be wearing them in no time. 

*Now, there are times when something cannot be fixed, or the cost to do so exceeds the value of the jewelry to the customer. (See “Is This Worth Fixing?”) But this was not one of those times.

**Standard lengths are 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 inches.  But people aren’t always offered all those options—the store may just carry 16 and 24, for example, so the customer buys a 16-inch and it’s too short, or a 24-inch that is too long.  Because we work with private customers and order finished jewelry, such as chain, according to the customer’s preference, we can provide more selection.

Just For You

New year, new jewelry? Well, that’s a fine idea—especially if you found yourself, this holiday season, in the situation the Jewelry Doctor heard described just the other day. 

“I didn’t get any gifts.  I’m the one who does all the giving!” said a LPDHOT (“Lovely Person who Deserves Her Own Treasures”), sadly.

If that’s you, not to worry! We’ve got all kinds of pretty things for you—and you don’t have to give them away (we can help with that birthday coming up, of course, but you come first, honey).

So call us at 415/796-3969, or text that very same area code, followed by five-nine-six, four-two, four-four. And take a look on this very page for tips on shopping for jewelry, jewelry care, and all kinds of other great things. 

Welcome aboard, and Happy New Year!

*If you can read this, we’re in the neighborhood.