Paging Carole Lombard

The mail is just piling up over here! Always great to hear from you.

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

 

I sometimes ask my girlfriend, “Are you sure you’re not time-travelling from another century?” She likes ’30s movies, late ’50s cars, makes a mean meatloaf, and—get this—she sends thank you notes. Thank you notes! I don’t know anybody else who does that.  

 

So the latest, trendiest styles are not for her, and that’s what you see everywhere. What’s a guy to do? I saved up and took her to New York one year (we spent most of our time in the historical museums, natch, and looking at old churches. Oy.). But in the pandemic, we’re not supposed to travel. And perhaps you’ve heard that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner? Help!

 

Stumped In Fort Lee

 

Dear STIFLE:

 

Yes, word has reached your Jewelry Doctor that Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, and she stands ready to help you. (Actually, she was standing but she’s sitting down for the moment, nibbling on a chocolate heart.)

 

Thank you notes! Your girlfriend is our kind of people. Here’s something from Stuller that looks tailor-made for her. (It’ll also bring a smile to the people on the receiving end of her notes.) It’s pictured in 14 karat gold, and it’s also available in white gold, rose gold, platinum, and sterling silver.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87576/?groupId=207359&recommendationSource=productpage&recommendationType=recommendation&recommendationId=205764

 

Here are its companion earrings.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/87341/?groupId=205764&recommendationSource=productpage&recommendationType=recommendation&recommendationId=207359

 

A heart earring would also be a great choice to accompany the necklace. Here are a couple ideas.  

https://www.stuller.com/products/85883/8984952/?groupId=119271&recommendationSource=RelatedSiteSearch

 

https://www.stuller.com/products/84604/?groupId=99622&recommendationSource=RelatedSiteSearch

 

If her ears aren’t pierced, not to worry; we can change the posts or wires to clips. Just call us at 415/796-3969 (text 415/596-4244) and we’ll take care of all the details.

 

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. Gifts to celebrate good old-fashioned love.

 

©2021 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.

A Word from Our Sponsor, or Remember Those Cookies and Coloring Books?

Your friendly neighborhood Jewelry Doctor would like to remind you that you are only reading this because someone brought you here, and there is a day devoted to that very person.

"Do you mean Mother's Day?  I already got her a couple of cards and some flowers."

What a wonderful beginning.  A bit like what would have happened if your Mom, say, had given you a nice breakfast but decided you didn't really need lunch and dinner.

"Are you saying I have to buy a gift to show her I love her?"

Absolutely not.  And she didn't have to take you to the doctor with that ear infection, either.  Chances are, it would have healed perfectly fine on its own.

"Ah.  I understand.  Well, does San Francisco Jewelry Doctor have any Mother's Day gifts?"

As a matter of fact, we do. 

"We both hate hearts."

No problem.  We have lots of other gorgeous jewelry.  But how nice that you have that in common.

"Also, I'm in Pennsylvania."

Well, that's wonderful.  Philadelphia and everything.  I understand UPS and FedEx both serve Pennsylvania, and of course you have post offices.  Just don't leave it to the last minute.

"What's your phone number?  I'm calling you now."

415/796-3969.  Oh, there's the phone.  That must be you.  Hello!

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  Helping you with great jewelry for every occasion, so you don't spend the next year hearing about how it's not really that big a deal, it just would have been nice.

©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.

Another Happy Couple

As we enter the room, Rhonda and Bill are sitting by the fire. Rhonda stirs the coals, sits down and says, “Bill, honey, remember how I was saying I was thinking about how nice it would be to have a new gold chain, and maybe a couple of other things, too?”

“’Deed I do,” says Bill, giving Spot a treat.

“Well, someone just told me gold is at $1651* an ounce today, the lowest it’s been since August!”

Bill smiles.

“So help me, Rhonda, you have the greatest timing. I was just trying to decide on your gift. I know: why don’t you call Laynie at San Francisco Jewelry Doctor and pick out some pretty things?”

Rhonda jumps up and down. Spot follows suit. “Bill,” she says, “I love you so! I always will,” and on her way to the phone she leans over to give him a kiss, as we quietly depart.

Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year, if you ask the Jewelry Doctor. 415/796-3969.

*The fine print: Remember, that’s today’s gold market price. So all the gold jewelry you order today (and yes, PayPal, MC, and Visa are all fine) by 3 p.m. PST will be priced at $1651/oz., even if the market closes higher.

©2012, 2013, 2015 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.