Pandemic (and Post-Pandemic) Mommy

Okay, giving birth was harder. We grant that. And Mommy is probably vaccinated by now. So, depending on her vintage, she may well be painting the town red (and will happily explain that expression to you, if you ask).  

 

Still, can you imagine being a mother during the pandemic? What’s that? You yourself are a mother? The Jewelry Doctor stands in awe, hoping you can hear her applause. (She is not joking. You are impressive.)

 

Now where were we? Oh, yes. We were thinking about a certain holiday coming up May 9, which mothers know is this very Sunday. (Mothers also could tell you your birthday—well, you always remember that—and your anniversary, as well as your siblings’ and cousins’ birthdays and anniversaries. She also remembers what you wore to that party even though she begged you not to, but she keeps her mouth shut. [She has read Deborah Tannen.])

 

So, beloved sons and daughters, let us get with the program. Stuller has lots of lovely Mother’s Day gifts (which can be enjoyed year-round). Here are a couple items that caught our eye. 

 

Check out these bar earrings.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87603/?groupId=206815&categoryId=28284&inStockOnly=true&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

And a beautiful pearl pendant—with a bow!  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87602/17696969/?groupId=206814&categoryId=28284&inStockOnly=true&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

Hard to choose between these? You could always combine them.

https://www.stuller.com/products/6527/?groupId=206318&categoryId=28284&inStockOnly=true&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

If your mom prefers handcrafted jewelry, she’ll love the Laynie Tzena collection of pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings featuring gemstones, Venetian glass, porcelain, and Swarovski crystal). Just write to us here or mention it when you call, and we’ll be happy to send images your way.  

 

Special note to moms reading this: Of course we can provide gift ideas that you can discreetly mention to those who want to honor you on your special day but are not sure what you would like.  

 

“I’m on it! What’s that number again?”

 

Glad you asked! The Jewelry Doctor is here for all your Mother’s Day (and any other) jewelry needs. Call us at 415/796-3969, or text 415/596-4244.  

 

Oh, there’s the phone. Hope it’s you!

 

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Life isn’t always pretty. But pretty things can help.

 

©2021 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

One Step Ahead (And Just In Time)

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

My girlfriend prides herself on being different. She’s aware of the trends, all right, but she’s always on the lookout for something everybody else isn’t wearing. Any ideas for jewelry that says “Valentine’s Day,” but maybe puts a different spin on the usual themes?

 

Dennis, Stumped In New York

 

Dear DESTINY:

 

Welcome! You’ll find ideas galore in the recent stories here for Valentine’s Day, and here are even more fresh ideas for your sweetheart.

 

Try this Mozambique garnet-diamond pendant.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87497/?groupId=206606&categoryId=28080&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

Or this updated heart on a chain.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87439/?groupId=206157&categoryId=28080&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

How about a heart bracelet dotted with amethyst?  

https://www.stuller.com/products/brc746/?groupId=114968&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

This bracelet says, “Two hearts are better than one.”

https://www.stuller.com/products/652690/?groupId=196224&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Here’s an eye-catching pendant featuring diamonds set in rose gold.  https://www.stuller.com/products/87473/?groupId=206338&categoryId=28080&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

With earrings to match, natch.

https://www.stuller.com/products/87472/?groupId=206336&categoryId=28080&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

And while we’ve all seen that charm bracelet with the heart toggle (not that there’s anything wrong with that), how about one with hearts top to bottom? 

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch839/?groupId=85230&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Or one that fastens with a heart?

https://www.stuller.com/products/ch851/?groupId=85187&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

This bracelet holds a tiny key.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/brc799/?groupId=206642&categoryId=28080&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

And last, but not least, here’s an earring she won’t see coming and going—a hoop in the shape of a heart.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87040/?groupId=202346&categoryId=28080&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

 

So many choices! And, if you call us circa immediately at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244), just in the nick of time, too.

 

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Think of us as Cupid’s Concierge.

 

©2021 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

  

Rose for Your Favorite Redhead

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

My gal has gorgeous red hair. She’s been leaning toward rose gold lately. Any Valentine’s Day jewelry in rose gold?

 

Thanks,

 

Boring Brown-haired Boyfriend

 

Dear B³:

 

The Jewelry Doctor is going to skip right over the silly notion that you could possibly be boring and go directly to recommending this lovely necklace for your one-and-only.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87276/17542648/?groupId=206140&recommendationSource=Brochure9076

 

She might also like this rose gold diamond heart necklace.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/86335/?groupId=192742&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Which has coordinating earrings, and a companion ring, too.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/86336/12146426/?groupId=192781&recommendationSource=productpage&recommendationType=crosssell&recommendationId=12146417

 

https://www.stuller.com/products/122822/12146368/?groupId=192746&recommendationSource=productpage&recommendationType=crosssell&recommendationId=12146417

 

This diamond heart necklace is a beauty. It’s available in 9.7 x 8.5mm (about 1/3 inch by 1/3 inch) all the way up to 28.2 x 25mm (three times that size—close to 1¼ inches by just under an inch).  

https://www.stuller.com/products/66415/?groupId=88792&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Your mission is to see which one you think will make her heart and soul sing. Then call us at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244), and we’ll make it happen.

 

Thanks, and please stop calling yourself boring.

 

The San Francisco Jewelry Doctor, who knows whereof she speaks because a) she is a brunette and no one has ever called her boring, and b) she is a doctor and as we have previously noted, doctors know everything.

 

P. S. After the holiday be sure to show her this story about all kinds of other wonderful jewelry for redheads. 

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

 

©2021 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

Big and Beautiful

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

 

A lot of the jewelry I see out there is pretty, but kind of small. 

Not my wife! We’re both athletes (that’s how we met). So she needs something substantial. And there’s another wrinkle: Unlike her friends, when she’s off the court she goes “super-fem”: skirts, dresses, and a whole lot of pink.  ,

 

“Save the sweats for my workout,” she says.

 

I liked those lockets you recommended to Fanny yesterday, but they’d disappear on my wife.

 

Any ideas?

 

Sandy

 

Dear Sandy:

 

A locket would be a great choice for your wife. This one, in 14 karat gold, is really pretty and makes a statement. It’s 34.2 x 24.8mm (almost 1½ inches by just under an inch), so it’s got some presence. To give it even more, we could choose a chain on the wider side

—say 2mm or 2.5mm. https://www.stuller.com/products/2705/?groupId=16239&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Here’s a sterling silver locket. This is a bit smaller—33.9mm x 19.5mm. Again, we can give it a little more heft by choosing a wider chain for her. https://www.stuller.com/products/21949/?groupId=13185&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Another wonderful option is a monogrammed pendant. Here are two 40mm pendants (that’s over 1½ inches in diameter). Both have the monogram written in script, and are available in 14 karat gold (“yellow gold” in Jewelry Land), 14 karat white gold, 14 karat rose gold, and sterling silver, along with 10 karat gold (though there’s much more selection in chains in 14 karat).

https://www.stuller.com/products/86020/9654443/?groupId=119873&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

https://www.stuller.com/products/86014/9653978/?groupId=119862&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Here’s a beautiful, graceful leaf pendant, measuring 45 x 18.25mm (over 1¾ inches by close to ¾ inch) 

https://www.stuller.com/products/83584/1936255/?groupId=42674&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

And a lovely “flower in a frame” (30mm x 16.2 mm, or just under 1¼ inch by just under ¾ inch), displayed here in 14 karat rose gold. (It’s also available in yellow gold, white gold, sterling, and platinum.)  

https://www.stuller.com/products/83579/?groupId=42664&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Last, but certainly not least, this five-stone pendant is a little smaller (24mm x 12.25mm), but the diamonds give it a lot of wattage. And again, we can add more presence here by choosing a wider chain.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/83558/1913877/?groupId=74169&recommendationSource=SiteSearch

 

Now the question is: Which of these do you think your wife would most love? Call us at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244) so we can discuss the details.

 

Rooting for You,

 

The San Francisco Jewelry Doctor

 

©2021 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved. 

Holy Mother's Day!

“My mother’s gotten a bit more religious in the past few years. Do you have any religious jewelry?”

Why, yes, we do. We have everything from crosses to rosaries to Stars of David (often called “magen davidim”). 

https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=religious+jewelry

Here’s a magen david pendant we recently designed for a customer (who wanted to repurpose diamonds from her five-stone ring—the studs are very pretty, too :>). This pendant could also be made with your mother’s birthstone or, after the holiday, yours?)  

Call us at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244) and let us know what kind of religious jewelry your mom prefers.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Now, that’s the spirit!

©2019 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.

  

New Beginnings

"My husband came to me after all these years together and told me he was gay.  I want him to be happy--I love the guy--so we ended the marriage. I know it was the right thing to do. But now every time I look at the ring, I start to cry. What can we do?"

This.

"Thank you," read the note that arrived a few days later, "for taking something painful and turning it into something beautiful."

Anytime, honey. As my mother always says, 'Wear it in good health!"

©2016 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.

Building Your Jewelry Wardrobe, Part One: T.L.C.

I love helping people build their jewelry wardrobe.  As you might imagine, “building a jewelry wardrobe” doesn’t mean buying everything in sight, anymore than most people would take that approach when it comes to clothing or furniture.  We buy things we love that complement things we already have, fill in gaps, and sometimes we decide we want to expand a bit, too.  Nothing wrong with that. 

Let’s talk about taking care of the jewelry you already own and love.

Part One:  Taking Care of Your Jewelry:  A Little Maintenance
Goes a Long Way.

When you have things you love, you take care of them.  In the case of clothing, that means a regular trip to the dry cleaner and shoe repair.  Furniture doesn’t ask much—a shine now and then, perhaps a little T.LC. (“tender loving care”) to repair a nick on the surface.

Jewelry not only attracts attention when you wear it—especially you :>; it also needs attention at home.  Let’s take a look at jewelry set with prongs.  Well, you can take a look at it—the light shines clear through it.  That’s the magic.

But where a diamond or other gemstone with a bezel setting is protected on all sides (or, with the half-bezel, the stone is partially protected) from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, those prongs we were just talking about don’t cover all that much of the stone.

At the beginning, that’s not a problem, assuming you bought your jewelry from a reputable source:  the prongs in the setting hug the stone.  If the prong jewelry in question is a pendant, you’ll be fine for the foreseeable future. 

But think about a ring.  Some people sleep with their rings on.  Most people wear them at work.  So you turn in bed and the prong catches on the sheet, just a little, and you gently pull it back and maybe in the morning look, and it seems fine.  Or you’re talking with John or Kim about that project and your hand bumps against the phone as you’re checking something. 

A fly on the wall would tell you that both times the tip of the prong was bent, and in one case part of it broke off.  Tiny.  Easy to miss.

Another night tossing and turning, more projects at work, games with the kids, presentations, camping—so many opportunities for the tip of the prong to snap off and the prong itself to get yanked (just a bit each time), and then “Where did the stone go?”

Tip:  Write the date you bought your prong jewelry (or the date you received it) on your calendar.  Put it in the media you use for keeping track of appointments.  Now add a reminder every three to six months (depending on how active you are) to have the prongs checked to make sure they’re intact and see if they might need to be tightened or the tips or whole prongs might need to be replaced.  (You don’t want to overdo the tightening—remember, the prongs put pressure on the stone—but you want to be sure the prongs are strong and secure.)

Enjoy!  Prong jewelry does require attention, but seeing the light through the stone—doesn’t that make it worth a little effort?

©2014 Laynie Tzena.

What Now, My Love: Time to Update That Ring?

She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. But the ring, after all these years? Not so much.

“But she never said anything.”

And she may not. To you. But here’s what she told a dozen of her closest friends, including the Jewelry Doctor.

“It’s a beautiful stone, and the ring was perfect—for then. But I’d like something a little more up-to-date. And I’m afraid to bring it up, because I don't want to hurt his feelings.”

Okay, fellas, you heard it here: if you’ve been married more than a few years, ask your wife. But how?

Here’s an idea. Try your own version of this: “Honey, I saw a really pretty pair of earrings the other day. They were in the same style as your ring. And I almost bought them for you. But then I thought I’d better ask you first. It’s such a beautiful ring. And I love the way it looks on you. But somebody told me sometimes women like to update their wedding rings after a while. What do you think?”

You will probably receive one of two responses—either “No, honey, I love this ring. I don’t want to touch a hair on its head,” or “Well, now that you mention it, I’ve been thinking about that myself. Would you be okay with changing the ring to a different style?”

If the answer is “a” (leave the ring as is), take a picture of it, if you can, or just make a quick sketch, and we’ll choose a pair of earrings that echo the design. And if it turns out your wife has been dreaming of updating the ring, just say, “What a coincidence. I just met Laynie Tzena, who’s known as the ‘Jewelry Doctor.’ I bet she can help us create a jazzy new ring for you. How does that sound?”

Hark! I believe I hear music.

©2013 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.