About Your Mother (No, No Freud. There's No Time For That.)

“Oh, no!  Mother’s Day is tomorrow, and here it is almost the last minute.  My mother will kill me!”

Honey, please calm down.

a.  Reality check:  Good news and bad news.

First, the bad news:  It isn't almost the last minute.  It is the last minute.

Now for some good news:  Our handcrafted jewelry gets rave reviews, and we have lots of wonderful gifts on hand.

"How can I see it?  It's not here!"

Oh, but it is.  Just send us an email, and we'll send you some pictures.  Even better, call us at 415/796-3969.

b.  More good news:  The time you were really in danger of your mother even wanting to kill you?  That time when you were little, or maybe that night when you were 15--

"How do you know about that?"

Honey, I'm a doctor.  We know everything.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  Building happy families, one gift at a time.

©2014 Laynie Tzena.

Hard to Shop For? Not Anymore!

“My wife never wears the gifts I give her,” say some men.  

Your Jewelry Doctor creates a lot of gifts (and provides others from her sources). They always get rave reviews.  Now yours can, too.  

What’s the secret?  Well, remember the “reconnaissance mission”? 

“If you’ll excuse me, Doctor, that operation is used in war.  We’re talking about love.”

True.  But “gaining intelligence”—here, about your special someone’s taste in jewelry—makes the difference in both worlds.

Here’s how it works:  on a date, or across the breakfast table, notice what kinds of things your sweetheart loves to wear.  

Color

Earth tones or jewel tones?   Warm colors or cool colors?  Pastels or true colors?  Does she wear a lot of black?  Does she like colors that blend, sharp contrast, or a bit of both?

Shape

Now let's consider the outline of the kinds of jewelry she loves.  What kinds of shapes does she choose?  Round?  Oval?  Pear-shaped?  Triangular?  (We call those "trillion.")  Rectangular? (We call the long ones "emerald," and the square, "princess.")  Does she prefer soft lines, or crisper ones--more "Art Nouveau," or more Deco?

Environment (and Personal Style)

Let's think about how she likes to wear the jewelry.  Does her style tend toward suits, or a more casual look?  Does she wear necklaces with a lot of texture or a mix of shapes, or something simple and elegant, like a solitaire pendant or a strand of pearls?  Are her earrings flush against the ear—we call that a “button post” or a “stud”—or a dangle?  How long a dangle does she like? 

When Lights Are Low

You’d be amazed how much information you can pick up over breakfast.  And if you want to step up your game, go out for a romantic dinner.  Does her jewelry change?  Obviously, it’ll be dressier.  But does she also choose different colors and/or shapes for special times?

What She Chooses for Herself

Next time you’re home alone, take a look at her jewelry box.  Notice any patterns?  Just as men often buy the same kinds of ties with slight variation, women often favor, say, a simple gold pendant on a chain.  You might see three or four of these, each with a different gemstone.  Look to see if there are coordinating earrings.  Does she prefer matching jewelry, or what we could call “counterpoint”—i.e., jewelry that coordinates, but doesn’t repeat the same exact pattern?

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Make some notes.  And take a picture of your special someone, if you don’t have a recent one.  It not only feels great to have that with you, it makes a big difference when you shop.  I’ve helped people choose gifts for loved ones across the country, using the clothes they’re wearing in a snapshot to determine their style.  (And those clothes are usually in the colors they prefer, too.)

Putting It Into Practice

So don’t be afraid to shop.  You’re no longer groping around in the dark.  Now when you go looking for gifts, you’re halfway there:  you already know what she likes!

What’s your next special occasion?  Anniversary on the horizon?  Is her birthday coming up soon?  Or is the woman in your life a mother?  Mother’s Day is just two weeks away.  Call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969, and let’s put our heads together. 

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  We make gift-shopping fun.

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

©2014 Laynie Tzena.

Crowds Not So Pleasing, or Time to Call the (Jewelry) Doctor

“Oh, no! I'm toast! Why didn't I call Laynie at San Francisco Jewelry Doctor in time? I'll have to sit in traffic and stand in line--and maybe lose one of my toes, the way Sammy did!”

Not to worry, honey. Our handcrafted jewelry (you know, the pendants and necklaces and bracelets and earrings everybody raves about) is available until tomorrow afternoon. And if your loved ones are, shall we say, ever so slightly challenging to shop for, we have gift certificates.

As for Sammy, someone substantial did step on a toe or two at that big box store. But you know, he has that dramatic side to him. We saw him dancing later that night.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. We make people happy.

Okay, it's true, we can't make you happy. But we can help. 415/796-3969.

©2013 Laynie Tzena.

Make it Merry--and Have a Sunday, Too!

"Oh, I really want to stand in line today!"--said no real person ever.

Good news:  You can call the Jewelry Doctor and get great gifts before brunch!  (Or after; we're flexible.)

We explained it all at this very time last year, and the result was a lot of very merry people.  http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-jewelry-doctor-knows-santa.html

"What's that number, again?"

415/796-3969.  The reindeer are all antlers.  And the Jewelry Doctor? She's pouring another cup of tea and can't wait to hear what's on your list.

"I thought they drank eggnog at the North Pole.  And how would the gifts get here in time?"

a.  The Jewelry Doctor loves eggnog--after your jewelry has been delivered.  Didn't you see the pictures from last year?  Oh, right.  They disappeared somehow.  Well, take our word for it.

b.  Read "The Jewelry Doctor Knows Santa Personally." http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-jewelry-doctor-knows-santa.html

(Yes, she does.  He's a great guy.)  And call us at 415/796-3969.  Unless you really like coal in your stocking--

©2013 Laynie Tzena.

The Jewelry Doctor Knows Santa Personally

“Please don’t tell me I have to go over to the stores in this weather or else I will be a Really Bad Person*.”

Not to worry, Honey. We’ve got plenty of beautiful handcrafted jewelry for you and yours: pendants, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, in porcelain, Venetian glass, and gemstones. You can have your gift today or tomorrow.

Now, if you feel a tinge of a need for that certain ambiance, just ask and we’ll put on some of that nice holiday music and see if we can get anybody to yell and scream in the background. You’ll have to get someone on your end to spray the perfume and other memorable fragrances, though.

Escape from the stores. We’re friendly—and we have jewelry! Call the San Francisco Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969. Reindeer standing by.

*Honey, don’t be silly. Going to stores at this time of year doesn’t make you a better person. (It might make you something else, though.) Becoming a better person only happens through a lot of soul-searching and giving great gifts from the Jewelry Doctor.

©2012, 2013, 2014 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.