That Gorgeous Gray

Whether gray has arrived naturally or you have chosen the color, 

your jewelry can really make that beautiful hair even more striking. Sterling silver, white gold, and platinum are all fine choices. For some, rose gold is also pretty.

Good stones for you? Diamonds, of course—the lighter ones and for some silver-haired beauties, champagne, coffee, and cognac ones, too.  We talked about diamonds here.

https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/04/quality-is-girls-and-boys-best-friend_12.html

For a soft look, choose rose quartz, amethyst, or tanzanite. And don’t overlook the opals, including the power of fire opal. 

If your gray has brown undertones, you may really like mahogany obsidian and red tiger’s eye. Tree agate and malachite are wonderful for those whose undertones are cooler. Snowflake obsidian is sensational on just about everybody, with its gray and black combination. Onyx is another winner. And don’t forget gray labradorite. Hematite is great on some, too harsh on others with silver and gray hair. You be the judge. 

Sky colors are often a winner for those with silver hair. Aquamarine and blue zircon will sing on many of you; if you want to go deeper, choose sapphire, either the brilliant blue of Ceylon sapphire or the equally beautiful indigo. (And since we’re talking about blue, lapis lazuli is another lovely way to go.)

What about jewel tones? Garnet is a great choice for many. You’re probably familiar with rhodolite garnet and Mozambique garnet, but Tsavorite is positively gorgeous. Have a look at grape garnet earrings here. https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/you-love-your-jewelry-we-understand.html

Tourmaline is a favorite stone for many. Emerald is another, as is next month’s birthstone, the ruby. More on that soon.

So if your locks are gray, don’t hide them away! Let the world see that shimmer.

©2109 Laynie Tzena.

Seeing Stars at the Barbecue

Can it be? The Fourth of July is a week from today. Wear one of these bracelet-earring sets, and you’ll be a star at the barbecue—and after it, too.  

Love stars? Call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244), and let’s design something heavenly for you.

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

©2019 Laynie Tzena. 

Such a Lovely Month, or You Must Remember This

Oh, no! It’s the question that strikes fear in many a spouse’s heart:  

“Do you know what today is?”

You rack your brain. Nothing. (BTW: It’s your anniversary.) 

“How could you have forgotten?”

Gulp.

Look, we’re all busy. Understood. But there is a cure for “anniversary amnesia.” Tell your Jewelry Doctor key dates you need to remember, including your anniversary. She will create a calendar for you and remind you as those dates approach.

We now return to the former nightmare.

“Do you know what today is?”

Blank look.

“You forgot again, didn’t you?”

Smile. Reach into your pocket and pull out the box with the perfect gift you’ve chosen*—  

Fade to sunset.

*How do you know it’s the perfect gift? Have a look here. 

https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2014/04/hard-to-shop-for-not-any-more_27.html

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes A Necklace Just Needs A Little Something

There are times when a necklace just needs a little more pizzazz. 
Kat loved the pearls her father had brought back from a trip—

—but since it was time to restring them, she’d been thinking they could use a little something—maybe a new clasp?

There were many wonderful contenders.

https://cgmfindings.com/subcat/456/clasps/14k_gold/clasps_with_diamonds_.html

https://cgmfindings.com/item/6026PW/14K_Clasp_Square_Diamond_w__Pearl_White_Gold_15mm.html

https://cgmfindings.com/item/6077/14K_Clasp_w__Pearl_11mm.html,

https://cgmfindings.com/item/6085/14K_Clasp_Flower_14mm_w__Pearl.html

Which is your favorite? Wondering what Kat chose? Stay tuned, or call us at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244).

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

"Grandmother's Pearls" Live On

Carrie was sad that her favorite pearl necklace, which had belonged to her late grandmother, was in pieces. Then one day she met the Jewelry Doctor, who waved her magic wand and it was “Happy Ever After.” https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2009/05/time-travel.html

A Little Movement, or It's All In The Arrangement

Nothing wrong with these earrings. 

In fact, Fred said she liked them when she bought them. But they sat in the drawer.

That would be the late Fred Bloebaum, one of my all-time favorite customers. Fred had style for days, and a real sense of life about her. She was open to all kinds of things, and gave me (and probably anyone else who designed for her) enormous freedom when it came to design, probably because she was a designer herself—a fashion designer who created a line of classic patterns called “Designs by La Fred,” wrote for Threads Magazine, led sewing retreats, and taught at workshops around the country and at Stone Mountain and Daughter in Berkeley, where I think of her every time I shop for buttons for the loop-and-button fastenings I create for bracelets and other jewelry. 
(More on button jewelry soon.)

“I don’t know what it is,” she said, showing me the earrings. “They just don’t do anything for me.”

I looked at them. The components were pretty, especially that blonde wood saucer currently hiding under a brass bead. 

The round bead at the top and the pebble underneath it weren’t helping, so out they went. I decided the overall problem was the earring design was too static—especially for Fred. So I tilted the saucer and wire-wrapped it, turning it into a modified donut, added an onyx bead above it to support the amber pebble now visible. Small onyx pebbles served as cradles for the rhyolite (sometimes called “rainforest jasper”) that formed the top of the new earring. The angled wires on the original earrings were fine, but not with this design; ball posts would show the earrings to better effect.

“Great!” said Fred, and we were on to another project. 

RIP, Fred. You had such a spark.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Red, I Said!

More and more people are exploring a new hair color (or two). 
So let’s take a look at the kind of jewelry that works best for your 
hair color—whether it came from the crib or from a bottle a little later. We’ll start with redheads. 

https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2012/12/sun-in-not-required.html

Finding the Perfect Chain

“I think I’ll just pick up a chain to go with that pendant I bought the other day.”

At the store (sadly, the customer has yet to meet the Jewelry Doctor) the customer realizes the pendant is at home. No problem, says the salesperson, handing a gold or silver chain to the customer—most likely, a cable or curb.

“This is our most popular chain,” the salesperson adds, and the customer thinks, “That was easy,” and walks out of the store.

Sometimes it all works out fine. But sometimes the chain doesn’t look right with the pendant: maybe the silver in the chain looks a little different from the pendant (one might be oxidized or treated with rhodium to make it more shiny—more on that here:

https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2012/11/white-turquoise-or-whats-big-deal-really.html). Or the chain length isn’t exactly right. And sometimes the combination is just a little ho-hum. 

What to do instead? Start by taking a closer look at the pendant the chain will be complementing (we talked about complements here:  

https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2019/05/building-your-jewelry-wardrobe-part-two.html). What kind of chain would highlight it best?

For example, remember that wonderful fused glass pendant we talked about recently? 

Let’s say the customer had decided she would like a chain, rather than a more elegant version of the original cord. What kind of chain would be appropriate?

Take a look at the pendant’s pattern, along with its shape. A box chain might echo those beautifully. Here are a couple of box chains. https://www.stuller.com/products/ch707/7429/?groupId=46189&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch1032/12031163/?groupId=120408&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

A snake chain would also be a good bet. Here, we’re not trying to echo the pattern or shape, but to create something neutral (and sleek) to jazz up the pendant.

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch1032/12031163/?groupId=120408&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

We’ll talk more about chain options soon. For now, remember to take the pendant along when you’re chain-shopping, and think about what the pendant design is really asking for.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Take Another Look at Pearls

Like many months, this one has more than one birthstone. The stone most people think of when it comes to June is the lovely pearl. 

And when people hear the word “pearl,” many immediately think of something like this.

https://www.stuller.com/products/61202/?groupId=29697&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Classic. Beautiful. No complaints—unless somebody says that’s all pearls can do. Actually, pearls show up in all kinds of places. Look what they’re up to here:

https://www.stuller.com/products/68634/?groupId=109586&recommendationSource=productpage&recommendationType=recommendation&recommendationId=116531

And how about this bar necklace?

https://www.stuller.com/products/86715/?groupId=198109&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Here’s a pretty pearl coin necklace.

https://www.stuller.com/products/66363/?groupId=88088&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

A rope pearl ring—

https://www.stuller.com/products/6468/?groupId=119402&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

—which would look wonderful with this pendant we were recently talking about, don’t you think?

https://www.stuller.com/products/86167/?groupId=121782&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Not to mention these rope jackets for your pearl studs. 

https://www.stuller.com/products/86743/?groupId=198272&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

What’s that? No studs? We’ve got ’em. 

https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=pearl+stud+earrings)

And to close (for now), here are some simply elegant pearl earrings:

https://www.stuller.com/products/86726/?groupId=197858&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

So wear some pearls, and let your luster show!

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Consider us Pearl Central.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

A Better Necklace for Nancy

Have you seen all the chain jewelry out there? So many wonderful things! But sometimes a design one person loves—well, you’ll see, in this story about a favorite chain necklace that didn’t start out that way. https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2011/04/geometry-after-all.html

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

A Winning Combination

K and I were wrapping up our initial meeting, after looking at a number of “patients” she had for the Jewelry Doctor. Suddenly something we had talked about gave her an idea.

“Is there anything you could do so I could wear this—” 

“—with this?

Now that was a tall order! Without a clasp, there was no way to feed the tassel onto the necklace, even if it had a bail (see one anywhere?).

Another time, a pendant enhancer would be a great solution. These are a special kind of bail that open and close over a necklace. You often see them with pearls. But when we looked at them here, we saw that to use one with a narrow necklace like this one wouldn’t work. The combination would look clunky.

“Let me see what I can do,” I said. 

First order of business: creating a necklace that opened and closed. After taking pictures I made a pattern from the original necklace, took it apart, and rebuilt it with new chain and a clasp. 

Next, I added a fluted sterling bail. Presto! The tassel was now a pendant. The bail we selected allowed K to wear her new tassel pendant on a sterling chain, if she chose to do that, and to wear the necklace on its own, too.

Since we had some garnet left over, I made a bracelet for K to wear with her new necklace.

Here’s hoping K receives lots of compliments on the ensemble. It’s been a big hit with our other customers, two of whom have ordered variations on the theme. Stay tuned.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Roses for Ceanne

“I don’t know if this can be fixed,” said Ceanne.

“Let’s see,” said the Jewelry Doctor.  

Turned out Ceanne was right: that ivory rectangle had a missing corner, so replacing it in the silver setting—putting it back together exactly as was—wouldn’t work.  

Fortunately, there was another solution.

“Wow!” says someone.“And isn’t that the same pattern we saw yesterday in that festoon?”

Good eye! Yes. The end bars have a similar design to the festoon that went with Helen’s earrings.

“Great. End of story, right?”

Well, not exactly. You see, the bracelet was now too long. What to do? Shorten it, of course. 

This freed up one of the segments. Roses and more roses!

Oh, and that other rose we were talking about, the one with the corner missing? 

It might be reshaped and have another life as a pendant—or maybe a brooch? Stay tuned.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

A Fine Accompaniment

Helen loved these earrings—and who wouldn’t? 

She thought it’d be great to have a necklace to go with them. We looked at various options, and decided on a festoon. Remember festoons? They come in all shapes and sizes. We talked about festoons here. https://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-heart-of-matter_17.html

This festoon picked up the earring pattern nicely.

Here it is with the cable chain Helen selected (in two lengths, with spring rings at the ends so she can mix and match):

Another look at that set. 

And they all lived happily ever after.

Do you have a pair of earrings that could use a little company? Call the San Francisco Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244), and we’ll find them a suitable companion.  

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Consider us your jewelry matchmaker.

©2019 Laynie Tzena.

Less Is More

Nicky held out a box. “I’m never going to wear this.”

The Jewelry Doctor took a look.  

Knowing Nicky’s style, she could see why she wasn’t wearing it. But she also saw something else.

“Those cubes are wonderful,” she said.

“Uh-huh,” said Nicky, unconvinced. “You can have them.”

“Thanks,” said the Jewelry Doctor, who went on to design several pieces of jewelry with those very cubes*. Before delivering the jewelry to Marguerite she showed it to Nicky, who decided she liked the coral cubes after all. The two of them decided an “S-Curve” necklace would be great for Nicky—

—who has been happily wearing it ever since.

*And yes, that other cube jewelry will be appearing here soon. Stay tuned.

©2019 Laynie Tzena.  All Rights Reserved.

Better Surroundings

Once upon a time an artist created a beautiful abstract fused glass composition. Just look at those colors!  

Wanting the piece to be wearable, the artist made openings where a necklace could be added.

“Then what?”

Nobody knows for sure. The next time that wonderful fused glass piece was seen it was attached to a flimsy-looking cord, with some glass beads hanging around to keep it company.

The fused glass was miserable.  

“I deserve better!” she was heard to mutter. “Nobody really sees me!”

One day the woman the glass piece was living with (whom we will call “the customer”) thought, “Maybe I should do something with that glass necklace.” Off she went to the San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  

The Jewelry Doctor saw that the fused glass had real potential. She suggested showcasing it by removing the little glass beads on either side and creating detachable necklaces, each using one of the colors in the design of the glass.

But the customer had come to like those little glass beads on either side of the fused glass, and also just wanted one necklace, thank you very much, preferably with kind of the same look as the original. Only a little nicer.

The Jewelry Doctor noticed her magic wand hanging nearby, and waved it. Presto!

“I love it!” said the customer.

The fused glass stopped muttering. She still hoped to date some other colors someday, aside from the jet (not that there was anything wrong with the jet; she just liked variety). But she knew her life was much better, so she just bided her time.

As to the original cord and the sad clasp that came with it, they were never seen again.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

  

Circles And More Circles, or What Goes With Hoops?

Marian said, “My sister’s very ‘matchy-matchy.’  That’s not me at all.”

Some of our customers are like Marian’s sister. They love the idea of having everything go together. They think of it as having “a set.”  

And some are like Marian herself. We call their approach to choosing accessories to go with a given outfit or piece of jewelry “counterpoint.”

Omega chains qualify. They form a circle, echoing the hoop earring, but they don’t exactly duplicate it.  

Here’s a sterling Omega chain. 

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch275/?groupId=45761&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

There are also some pretty reversible ones. The 14K Yellow & White Two-Tone reversible Omega— 

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch747/?groupId=46231&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

—has a coordinating 7-inch bracelet (if that’s not too matchy-matchy 

for you): https://www.stuller.com/products/ch747/1696539/?groupId=46231&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

There’s also a sterling and 14 karat gold reversible omega Chain:

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch878/?groupId=89111&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

For those narrow hoops, here’s a 2.6mm sterling reversible Omega:

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch997/?groupId=107948&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

And a 2.3mm one, also reversible, this time with a matte and polished look:

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch992/?groupId=107942&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Do you love matching jewelry, or do you, like Marian, prefer counterpoint? Both have their charms. The main thing is to choose jewelry that looks like you.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

What's Your Dangle?

We’re used to thinking of hoops as solo performers, but they’re sometimes found with supporting actors, commonly known as 

hoop dangles.

Here’s a lovely diamond hoop with a pearl dangle.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/85900/9985188/?groupId=120344&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

A religious dangle: https://www.stuller.com/products/87187/?groupId=203308&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

A dangle with a halo:

https://www.stuller.com/products/68661/?groupId=109664&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

A hoop with a dangle that looks like a little suitcase.  https://www.stuller.com/products/85679/?groupId=116781&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Of course, where there’s a dangle, you’ll often find a hooplet.  https://www.stuller.com/products/67259/?groupId=97733&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

More hooplets may be found here

https://www.stuller.com/products/68661/?groupId=109664&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

and here.

https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=hooplets

Actually, many a dangle earring can be redesigned as a hooplet. Just call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244), and we’ll make it happen.

Are you a dangler? What do you envision dangling from your hoops?

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

©2019 Laynie Tzena.  All Rights Reserved.

Hoops With Staying Power

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

Please don’t talk to me about hoops. I tried them, but they are too much trouble! Half the time you can’t get them to close. The little wire can get bent and stop working. One time it actually snapped off in my hand—of course it was on a day when I had no time to spare. After that I said, “Forget it.” 

No Hoops for Me

Dear NHM:

How frustrating! The good news is there are lots of other fish in the sea, when it comes to earrings.  You certainly don’t have to wear hoops.  

But say you still like the look of hoops. Then what? 

First, look a little closer at the construction before buying them. Does the wire (or the whole hoop) seem flimsy? Move on.  

Next, take a look at different kinds of fastenings. The ones with latches are much easier to close, and stay closed. (You may need to have the latches tightened every so often.) 

You might also like “huggie hoops” (also known as hinged earrings).  

https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=huggie+hoop

Last, but not least, consider post hoops—no, that is not the time after the existence of hoops :>. The back of the hoop is actually a post earring.  https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=hoop+earrings+with+posts

Whatever you do, enjoy your earrings!

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Forward-Facing Hoops

Today let’s talk about the cousin to the hoop earring: the circle earring. Circles are among our most ancient designs. More on circles here. https://hyperallergic.com/266126/an-eccentric-visual-history-of-our-most-basic-shapes/

And here. https://www.fastcompany.com/90120049/why-humans-are-obsessed-with-circles-according-to-science.

Of course, you could say a hoop is a circle, and who could argue with that? But circle earrings are a bit like forward-facing hoops.  And they come in a whole host of pretty designs.

Last time we started with a basic hoop. Here’s a forward-facing one.  https://www.stuller.com/products/651817/11686611/?groupId=123896&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Here’s another simple circle. 

https://www.stuller.com/products/651817/11686611/?groupId=123896&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

And another version of that design, with a jump ring at the bottom to support a dangle. What stone would you choose?  

https://www.stuller.com/products/2000364/16635412/?groupId=203189&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Here’s a “circle and square” design, with a princess setting near the top https://www.stuller.com/products/86688/?groupId=197335&recommendationSource=SiteSearch,

and some circle rope earrings. 

https://www.stuller.com/products/86821/14383214/?groupId=199340&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

Which, you could say, almost brings us full circle, since we talked about rope hoops yesterday.  

Another kind of circle tomorrow. In the meantime, if you’ve seen something you’d enjoy wearing, just jot down the item number and call us at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244) for pricing and availability.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Where you are always part of the circle.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

How About Hoops?

Yesterday at a local café Sally said, in response to my compliment about her earrings, that they were big this year. (The style, not the earrings.)  She’s right.  I counted six different kinds of hoop earrings at the grocery store last night.

Hoop earrings have been fashionable for a long time.  In recent times people have been reminding others of their history. https://i d.vice.com/en_us/article/j5mqyy/who-owns-hoop-earrings

While the debate about hoops goes on, let’s talk about the range of designs in hoop earrings these days. When most people think about hoops, something like this comes to mind.

https://www.stuller.com/products/20826/?groupId=11186&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

And those are great. But there’s so much more! Hoops come in all shapes and sizes. There are double (oval) hoops,

https://www.stuller.com/products/86059/?groupId=120001&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

two-tone diamond hoops,

https://www.stuller.com/products/86473/?groupId=193657&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

geometric hoops,

https://www.stuller.com/products/86792/?groupId=198643&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

flower hinged hoops,

https://www.stuller.com/products/83681/?groupId=42774&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

and rope hoops, 

https://www.stuller.com/products/86450/12368134/?groupId=193512&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

which would be rather pretty with this bracelet:

https://www.stuller.com/products/652763/?groupId=196543&fromRAC=true&recommendationSource=SiteSearchRAC

Your hoops don’t even have to be round! Try these triangular ones.

https://www.stuller.com/products/86988/?groupId=201780&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

We could also talk about hooplets, but we’ll save those for another day.

So which are your favorite hoops?  Call San Francisco Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244), and you’ll be wearing them in no time.