A Delicate Matter

Filigree is one of the most beautiful words in the language, if you ask us.  You could consider it a cousin to lace, as Wikipedia suggests. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filigree

But it is delicate, and that wonderful openwork, like that of lace and those lovely crocheted sweaters, can get caught on something and—oh, no!

Don’t panic.  Call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969, and we’ll restore your filigree jewelry for you—and give you tips on how to maintain it.  

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

Shine a Little Light, or New Life for Those Swarovski Brooches

Many customers come to the Jewelry Doctor with beautiful vintage Swarovski crystal pins (or brooches) in need of a little TLC. When they do, we create a “treatment plan.”

Sometimes the pin back has broken off (more on that soon), and sometimes a crystal or two has flown the coop.  Of all the nerve!  

But one might actually ask, “How did the crystal get there in the first place?” Answer:  the crystal is held in place by jewelers’ cement, which dries out over time—and not all at the same time.  When the cement dries out the metal can no longer hold the crystal, and out it tumbles. 

Some customers find the wayward crystal when it drops. But if it is gone, gone, gone, I check my sources and try to locate Swarovski crystal in the same size, shape, and color.  Given that these are vintage pieces, the dimensions and colors we need are not always available.  

If the crystal in the brooch is all the same color (and that color is available), no problem.  We can just replace it.  But what if the crystal is many-colored, like the gemstones in the ring you may have read about here?  https://www.kudzu.com/m/Laynie-Tzena-Design-7716176  And say one or more of the colors is not available? Then we have a decision to make.  Which colors should we choose so the brooch will have a harmonious look?

When replacing a crystal, I always check the “seaworthiness” of the others in the brooch. But since the cement doesn’t dry out under every crystal at the same time, it can happen that a month later a crystal drops out and the customer wonders, “Why is this falling out when it was just replaced?” Answer: it wasn’t the same crystal!

So if you love those Swarovski brooches—and who doesn’t?—know that they require maintenance.  Just as you have the prongs checked in your diamond jewelry (which you’ve been doing since you read this, right?  http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2014/04/building-your-jewelry-wardrobe-lets.html), your brooches will require a “look-see” every so often to make sure each crystal is safely in its bed.

Did you also know your Swarovski brooches can do double-duty as pendants?  Just ask us how.  

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor, 415/796-3969. We make things sparkle.  

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. 

Did Somebody Say Ruby?

Wait till you see what we’ve been designing!  (Well, you don't have to wait; just call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969 to see the collection--and, of course, to tell us what’s on your wishlist.)

In the meantime, here is a favorite from our archives with vital information about a very special stone, which, as many of you know, is this month’s birthstone.  http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2015/07/just-right-ruby.html

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

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. 

Cracking the Code

“You can just restring this,” said Carolyn.

I wish.  

Look closely.  This necklace had a past.  The person who fixed it most recently was probably trying her best to get the necklace to the sixteen-inch length Carolyn prefers. Unfortunately, some of the large round (Swarovski) pearls and the smaller (freshwater) ones were missing, and she apparently thought the best solution was to leave a lot of room between the beads.

Result:  Swiss cheese.  Or, to be more precise, a whole lot of gaps in the necklace. (The actual length, once the pearls were brought together, was just over thirteen inches.) Also, the combination of several colors of Swarovski pearls and three colors of freshwater was a bit hard on the eyes.

What to do?

At first, I thought I’d just add more of the larger white freshwater pearls.  But that didn’t work.  And then the magic happened.  As I continued to look at the necklace, I saw what the original jeweler had in mind.  I was able to crack the code.

“What code?”

The rhythm the jewelry was intended to have.  In this case, it was what I call a “Morse Code” design:  dot-dash-dot-dash.  I believe that’s what the original intent was, and once I looked closely at the broken necklace, the solution was obvious.

©2018 Laynie Tzena.

Your Mother Would Like a Little Something

Dear San Francisco Jewelry Doctor:

I just saw a sign. Not the kind they talk about in circles on the floor, the kind you pass on the freeway. This one said Mother’s Day is next Sunday. Next Sunday! Yikes! 

What do I do? My mother always says, “Thank you, Dear,” and then never wears what I give her. Should I just send her flowers, or tell her I’ll take her out to dinner when I visit her in August or September?

Flummoxed in Baltimore

Dear FIB:

First of all, do not panic. There is a wonderful invention called “UPS” (and its cousins, “FedEx” and “USPS”). The Jewelry Doctor cannot recommend dilly-dallying, but she is pleased to tell you that if you step on it, you can have a wonderful gift in time for Mother’s Day. 

Which brings us to our next point: Flowers are out. They wilt, and she may have developed allergies since the last time you saw her. (No, we are not judging. We know you had your reasons.) Jewelry, on the other hand, is a perennial. That’s why those smart people put that sign on the freeway for you to find. As for asking someone to wait for a gift until later—well, how did you like it when they did that with your graduation present?

No, no, no. The answer is jewelry, of course. But how to select the right gift? Well, let’s talk about your mother. (Honey, there’s no way around it.)

Does she favor classic design? Is her style simple and elegant? A solitaire pendant on a chain would be a great choice—or just a pretty chain to go with the pendants she already has. (And ask about the Laynie Tzena collection: beautiful handcrafted pendants, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in porcelain, Venetian glass, Swarovski crystal, and gemstones.)  

Is her taste more casual? Take a look at our jewelry in wood and contemporary metals. You say she’s a big sports fan? Give her a “sporting” pendant: we’ve got skaters, tennis racquets, footballs, baseballs, basketballs (and maybe a hockey puck, too—we’ll check), in both gold and silver.  

Whatever kind of jewelry your mom adores, we’ve got you covered. Call us at 415/796-3969—oh, and honey, do it now, while there’s still time.

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor. A mother’s best friend (well, aside from you, of course).

©2018 Laynie Tzena. All Rights Reserved.