Habit-Forming

We all have things we love. And that’s wonderful. Favorite foods we prepare or order in a restaurant, outfits we wear again and again—these are great sources of comfort in changing, often unpredictable times.

But when does a favorite become a habit? When does Old Faithful become a rut?

A woman I know has a note on her computer: “Do something every day that scares you.”

Okay. Maybe not every day. But if you find you’re reaching for that solitaire pendant or string of pearls every single day, consider trying a pearl pendant, maybe a pearl ring, and give that solitaire a rest while you wear a three-stone pendant—or maybe a diamond festoon?

“What’s a festoon?” 

A cousin to the pendant. 
http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-heart-of-matter_17.html

We could also talk about adding a little color to your jewelry wardrobe. Oh, wait. We already did. 
http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/12/add-little-color.html

I always tell my jewelry customers, “I’m going to help you find jewelry in the style you already love—and every once in a while I’m going to invite you to stretch a little.”

I saw that look. But what would you say if someone told you, “You must wear that dress (or eat that dish) every day for the rest of your life”? Chances are, you wouldn’t hear of it.

So let yourself consider, “What kinds of new jewelry would I enjoy? If I wanted to try something new, what would that be?”

Then do it. 

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Where you always get to be yourself—only more so.

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.   

Add a Little Color

At a holiday gathering I met a woman wearing a wonderful blue jacket with a silver thread. She was striking and so was the jacket.

I looked at her earrings. They were also silver, about two inches, almost like an exclamation point without the dot. Very pretty. I looked at her blonde hair and then at the jacket.

"Ever wear color?" I asked.

Not often.

Nothing wrong with that. But I always tell my customers, "My goal is to help you find great jewelry in keeping wih your style--and every so often, to encourage you to stretch a bit."

So I said, "Your earrings are great," and they were, "but you know what would also be pretty with that jacket?"

She waited.

"Sapphire," I told her. "Or lapis." (Blue topaz would have been another good choice.)  "Don't be afraid of color."

I think many people instinctively reach for gold or silver--and don't get me wrong, a lot of metal jewelry is really beautiful--because they haven't been taught how to work with color. (And yes, sometimes also because they are running out the door and it happens to be the easiest thing to reach for.)

So wear your metal jewelry. And when you get home, maybe over the weekend, when you have a moment take a look at the clothes you especially love to wear and consider what colors you would like to highlight.

"Can you give me some more ideas?"

Absolutely! To schedule a jewelry wardrobe consultation (and for all your jewelry needs), call us at 415/796-3969. (Yes, we'll also give you ideas for how to combine accessories for a great look.)

Just as you choose a blouse or scarf to jazz up that suit or sweater and skirt, let your jewelry make your outfits sing.

©2015 Laynie Tzena.

Just the Right Ruby

As jewelry-lovers with birthdays this month are happy to tell their loved ones, July’s gemstone is the ruby.

http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/ruby_gemstone.aspx

It’s quite a beautiful stone, with that rich red color (and also pink; more on that in a moment), and has been beloved for centuries.  It is corundum, which is not a riddle but a species of gemstone, and has a well-known family member:  the sapphire.  In fact, all corundum but ruby is sapphire. So we could actually consider the ruby a sapphire that just happened to turn out red.

It’s always a good practice to buy gemstones from a reputable gemstone dealer or someone who works directly with reputable gemstone dealers (at San Francisco Jewelry Doctor, we work with top-notch gemstone dealers, gemcutters, and gemologists).  This is especially important with rubies, as much of the ruby jewelry sold in stores contains stones that have been filled with glass.

*  *  * 

A Love Story

Once upon a time, a young man proposed marriage and his beloved gladly accepted.  The ring he chose featured rubies flanking the diamond and, since he was just starting out in his career, the rubies in question were not the famed “pigeon’s blood” but instead their less-expensive but no less beautiful deep pink siblings. 

Fast-forward 40 years.  By now the man had had a quite a career, including time spent as a diplomat; when he came to the Jewelry Doctor he was the director of a large nonprofit organization.  His anniversary was approaching, and he asked to have a ruby-and-diamond brooch made for his wife.  That ruby, of course, needed to match her engagement ring, and so I spent three days at the American Gem Trade Association (“AGTA”) pavilion at the Gem Show in Tucson choosing just the right ruby.

*  *  * 

Which takes us back to last month’s theme:  choosing what’s right for you (and your loved one). Clearly, the gentleman in question could now afford a “pigeon’s blood” ruby.  But that wouldn’t go with her ring.  It would have no real meaning.  And jewelry, especially when it comes to anniversaries, is all about meaning.

Were you a July baby, or do rubies just make your heart and soul sing?  Or perhaps your anniversary is on the horizon?  Give us a call at 415/796-3969, and we’ll design something beautiful and meaningful for you or your special someone.

©2015 Laynie Tzena.

Quality is a Girl's (and Boy's) Best Friend

Our stone of the month is (drumroll, please): the diamond. Since this is the fourth month let's focus on the four important aspects to consider when buying diamonds, usually called "The Four 'C's": color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

Let's start with the size of the diamond. Some people think that the biggest diamond is the best--and the stories we read about celebrity engagements feed that belief. But it's not true. The best diamond is the one that's right for you. 
 
Others think all diamonds are really the same, and the work is about finding the best price. Not long ago someone told me that he had been shopping online and at a well-known mall store for diamond earrings. He really liked the prices, especially given the size of the stones he had in mind. And who could blame him?  

Educating the customer, helping people to make sound choices when it comes to jewelry, is part of my job as the Jewelry Doctor.  So I suggested we dig a little deeper.  

I called my appraiser, who is also a gemologist, and we took a look at the gemological certificates (called "certs" in the industry) for the loose diamonds on the dealer website and the earrings on the mall store site. (He mentioned in passing that "off" diamonds--i.e., lower-quality diamonds--that don't sell in the showroom are sometimes unloaded online, as the customer is seeing them from a distance.) 

In both cases, the diamonds were not good choices.  Either the cut was different (a cushion cut "matched" with a princess cut, for example), the color was off--meaning the diamond in one earring didn't match the diamond in the other--or the clarity was different (one was an SI2 and the other an I1. These designations ["slightly included," and "included," respectively] describe inclusions in the stone, which determine how much light passes through the diamond).

"So what?" some might say. "It's on her ear."

Some people see it that way. But even setting aside the question of brilliance (where color, clarity, and cut all come into play, since it's not just a cushion cut, but the way it's cut) that people love in a diamond, don't you think that when you're choosing to buy a gift for someone--especially diamond jewelry--it's a good idea to focus on quality?

We think so, too.  So if diamonds make your heart sing, call us at 415/796-3969, and we'll find something wonderful just for you.  

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  The real deal.

©2015 Laynie Tzena.

Veronica Has the Floor

Sorry, Betty: a British study investigating “hair color and the intensity of attraction” (we’re all ears, Wikipedia), found that a sizable portion of the male population favors brunettes. (Okay, 51 percent, but we’ll take it. 62 percent said that we were stable and competent, 67 percent said we were independent and self-sufficient, and 81 percent noticed we were smart.)

You say there are brunettes from the Americas to Asia and Africa, and how on Earth can you generalize about so large a group? You may be right. So here are some pointers when shopping for jewelry for your favorite brunette.

Those with fair skin are ravishing in red; choose ruby or garnet for her. The right purple is wonderful: amethyst comes immediately to mind, but have a look at iolite, tanzanite, and grape garnet (yes, the color is natural, and stunning), too. Sapphire—from Ceylon blue to indigo—is a great choice, and so is lapis. In the green family, consider emerald, malachite, and jade.  Smoky quartz, red tiger’s eye, and mahogany obsidian are good choices in brown; in gray and black, choose hematite, gray labradorite, black diamonds, snowflake obsidian, and onyx.

The chatoyan in both tiger’s eye and red tiger’s eye catches the light and will be lovely on a brunette with honey-colored skin; moonstone and labradorite are great on her, too. Citrine, carnelian (especially the light one that looks like melon), yellow sapphire, yellow jade, and amber are fine choices, along with two different garnets: Mozambique, and that Spessartite garnet we were talking about for redheads.   

If her skin is a deeper, richer color, diamonds and pearls are stunning, and she is oh, so pretty in pink, whether it’s a ruby, a pink sapphire, pink tourmaline, rhodolite garnet, rhodonite, or rhodochrosite. Tsavorite garnet, a beautiful green gemstone, is wonderful on her, and so is peridot. If she loves blue, choose aquamarine, a sky blue topaz, or larimar. Both blue and green turquoise are also great choices for her.

Oh, and thanks, Wikipedia, for reminding us that Leonardo’s mysterious friend, the one the world has been trying to figure out ever since she sat for that portrait, was, let us say it in unison: brunette. No information has been recorded as to what kind of jewelry she favored. Just another part of her allure.

©2012 Laynie Tzena.

Do Blondes Have More Fun? You Decide.

As we recently discussed, I once aspired to be blonde, and ended up with hair that was screaming orange.

I came to love having dark hair—good thing, too, since that’s the kind that grows on my head—but I really enjoy designing jewelry for blondes and those who love them.

Today we’ll talk about what kind of jewelry is best for blondes.

You’ve probably already thought of gold jewelry, and that’s certainly a good choice.  Anything that picks up that beautiful color works well.  So for a lovely gold pendant for that blonde in your life (or the one in the mirror :>;), set that gold with citrine, topaz, tiger’s eye, amber, agate (“Picture Jasper,” anyone?), or yellow sapphire.

That sapphire could be a blue one, too, a stone that is stunning on many a blonde.  A glance at the color wheel might explain why that’s so, and why lapis is such a winner, too. But had you thought of emerald? Wow! And don’t forget jet or onyx—the contrast is what makes that “little black dress” such a knockout when the wearer is blonde).

At the other end of the spectrum, pink tourmaline, diamonds, and pearls are all beautiful on blondes.  Also on brunettes.  More on us soon.

©2012, 2014 Laynie Tzena.

Sun-In Not Required

I love it when people ask, “What kind of jewelry do you design?” All kinds of beautiful jewelry, actually—from very simple to very elaborate. A few years ago I created a line of tiny pendants (called “pendientitos”) in porcelain, Venetian glass, and gemstones for the “Tiny” show at Studio Gallery. They were so much fun to make! But I also love multi-strand necklaces and great big pieces my friend Jane would call “show-stoppers.” It’s all about the customer’s taste. 

There are wonderful pieces in the collection that I could never wear. They’re either not in my colors, or not my style. That’s one of the things I love about designing jewelry—the variety of it, and the fact that it’s all tailored to the customer.

As a teenager, I so wanted to be blonde. Honey, did I ever!

"Blondes have more fun!" people notified us regularly. "If I've only one life to live, let me live it as a blonde!" said a woman on TV.

"Sign me up!" I thought.

Alas, my brief fling with Sun-In did not yield the desired result. My hair turned orange—and not an orange that worked for me. Take my word for it.

But I sure do love red hair. It's so beautiful! For you redheads out there, and those of you who have a friend or loved one with red hair, here are some gift ideas.

First, let's talk about gold tones vs. silver ones. The gold shimmers next to that red hair, but white gold, platinum, and sterling silver all provide a nice contrast. Think about what the redhead on your list chooses most often.

Carnelian sings on redheads. I paired it with hematite in a bracelet for a great look. It's available in both deep orange (in clothing, the color is called "rust") and a lighter shade, too.

For those who favor earth tones, "flower agate" or striped agate is wonderful.  Red tiger’s eye is terrific, with that chatoyan (the band that shimmers a bit), as is mahogany obsidian.

In the green family, unakite is a great choice, since the green is flecked with a russet color; labradorite is lovely, too. Green tourmaline and emerald are also fine choices.

Redheads who love blue look wonderful in aquamarine, blue tourmaline, lapis, larimar, sapphire, and Swiss blue topaz.

For a sparkly look that will pick up that red hair, choose yellow sapphire or Spessartite garnet. (Yes, it’s a garnet—a gorgeous orange one.)

There are many more choices, of course, but these will get you started.  Call 415/796-3969 and let’s talk about the redheads on your list.

©2012, 2014 Laynie Tzena.

Expect the Unexpected

Janet said she'd brought back malachite from Fez, and I said thanks. But as soon as I took one look I knew it was fossil.

I was equally sure about Willow's beautiful wood, formerly three-strand necklace.


Which is actually copal, sometimes called "copal amber." (This is why my team includes gemologists, appraisers, stone-cutters, and people who buy and sell stone. I was right about the "malachite," though. Fossil, sho'nuff.)

"Hang on. Did you just say amber?"

Copal.  Sometimes called "copal amber," but that's actually a misnomer.  Copal is not amber.

"But wait. Didn't Willow send you a bracelet and some loose beads? And didn't you have half a strand of some beads in that color family on hand, and some copal, too, from somewhere eons ago?"

Yup.



"Great. Looks like you've got enough of everything."

But no. That would be too easy. (And neither of us wanted to take apart that beautiful bracelet, if it could be avoided.)

So this project was more complicated than it seemed at first glance. Here are the main challenges:

1. It's multi-strand, which means, in this case, three different lengths, and the measurement of each one must be exact or the strands won't sit right on the neck.

2. The beads are graduated, which means you have to keep to the same proportions or the necklace won't be balanced. You can't just add a few beads here and there.

3. Light and dark hues of that beautiful yellow-brown alternate in the necklace, and that variation has to be respected or the color will look wrong. (You can go lighter or darker within the same color family, but you can't interrupt the color alternation.)

4. Copal is not easy to find in this shape and size. If you can find it, it can be veddy expensive.

Other than that, a piece of cake. (Or shortbread, which is what Willow's company, Heritage Shortbread, makes a particularly yummy version of back in South Carolina [we'd met at a trade show]. I mention this for you folks outside the Bay Area. Just gently pack the patient and send it along. Do call me first, though, so I know it's coming.)

So I was stumped once again. But I am too stubborn to quit. So I kept trying different options: wood beads, amber, copper, even buttons. Nothing worked.

But life always intervenes. And so it was that, after trying said bazillion different options, each of which had problems, and emailing Willow to say the patient was not responding but the doctor had not given up, on a very hot day (which we rarely get in San Francisco) when I was supposed to be somewhere else, I walked into one of my favorite shops and found lovely brass barrels that, with the dipped glass beads I had on hand from I still don't remember where (I think I've had them for years) solved the problem.


To be specific: I changed the 4-5-6 pattern at the top of the original necklace to 3-4-5 and built a new top for the necklace using a 1-2-3 pattern of dipped glass beads following the brass barrels, and everyone was happy ever after.

Big thanks to Susan and Haley.

©2010, 2014, 2015 Laynie Tzena.

Time Travel

Once upon a time, a woman had a beautiful five-strand pearl necklace. She wore it often. This was the "Jazz Age," and faux pearls were all the rage. Karl Lagerfeld designed with them.

But alas, the pearl necklace broke one day. And she never wore it again. When she died, "Grandmother's pearl necklace" was given to Carrie. Who brought it to me.

At first, we thought we'd just make it into a three-strand necklace. Surely there were enough loose pearls to do that. But no. This is a graduated pearl necklace, and the remaining pearls weren't all of the right size. We needed more pearls. Graduated faux pearls. From that time period. In the same color family. I looked hither and thither and what do you know?

Then one day Carrie took out a sheet of notebook paper and made a sketch of a pair of earrings she had seen someone wearing. I used that drawing as a starting point for these earrings, which accompany a graduated bracelet that seemed only fitting to go with her necklace.

Turned out we also had enough pearls for a graduated single-strand necklace to go with her bracelet.

Last but not least, Carrie had mentioned that her grandmother grew roses. So some of the remaining pearls show up here:

And here:



Carrie tells me her father and uncle were amazed to see the restored necklace. The last person they'd seen wearing those pearls, of course, was their mother--"Grandmother," to Carrie.

©2009-2015 Laynie Tzena.

Look Again

Photographer Dewitt Jones was doing an assignment for a magazine. He was to be dropped off at one location and soon picked up there and taken to the place where he'd be shooting. He waited at the designated location. Looked at his watch. Waited some more.

Finally, he said to himself, "Dewitt, look around." He started shooting.

Nothing ever came of the original project. The photographs he took while he was waiting, just looking around, ended up in the magazine.

Getting from Point A to Point B with a group of kids can be a challenge, because they're always looking around. As a kid, I loved to look at rocks under water. Turns out half the work in jewelry design and restoration involves looking closely at things, until you can see beyond the obvious.

Take Michele's bracelet.



When I first looked at it, all I saw was a broken bracelet with mystery metal (usually called "base metal"), busted tabs, and missing links.

I kept looking at it.

Problems emerged: The mystery metal proved to be metalized plastic, meaning that adding metal, soldering, and laser welding were all out of the question. There seemed to be no way to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

It was tempting to give up. But by then I had fallen in love with the pattern in those squares. There were working tabs on one of them. What if we put that square front and center, and built the bracelet around it?

Fine, but what kind of bracelet? Well, black and gold, right? Yes and no. There are many shades of black. Onyx proved to be the closest in color.

One more challenge: The original bracelet contained three segments with side tabs connected near the base with links. How to get the new one to align properly? Saucers saved the day. They were just wide enough to anchor the bracelet at the center. I used a slightly smaller round onyx to create a two-strand bracelet dotted with 14K gold-filled beads, then made the African ceramic and onyx earrings to complete the set.



And no, we haven't given up on those other two squares. Stay tuned.

©2009, 2013 Laynie Tzena.