This next resident of our hypothetical ‘chocolate’ jewelry box is best approached with more than a teaspoonful of caveat emptor caution: chocolate pearls. The most important thing to remember about pearls that are advertised or popularly regarded as “chocolate” is that 99.9% of them have been dyed or bleached in order to achieve that color.…
The words ‘chocolate’ and ‘opal’ don’t usually pair in most jewelry aficionados’ minds – considering that their wondrous play of color is what makes opals so special – but there actually is such a thing. However, they differ in several respects from the more familiar forms of opal. The differences begin with how chocolate opals…
For someone who was once enough of a chocoholic to actually create a ‘chocolate garden’ planting bed – but who can sadly no longer eat chocolate – the notion of having chocolate-themed jewelry seemed tailor-made. It’s clear that the jewelry industry has also jumped on the chocolate bandwagon in a big way, and the first…
Although opal is often regarded as the ‘Queen of Gems’ there is also – as in any royal family – a recognized hierarchy among them. As examined in my Opals, Real and Faux post, the top honors for both rarity and beauty are accorded to the black opals, especially those found in the Lightning Ridge…
The final instalment in our series on jewels that play with light examines three different gems that, while they do not change color, have a unique internal structure that allows light to produce interesting optical effects. Two of them, popularly known as cat’s eye and tigers eye, are well known. The third family of stones…
By far the rarest of all the “jewels that play with light” is alexandrite. Despite the fact that it is the precious birthstone for June as well as for a 55th wedding anniversary, it is not well known by the public. It may surprise many people to learn that this gem can be far more…
Second in our series on jewels that play with light is the mysterious moonstone, along with its two “sisters” labradorite and sunstone. All three are feldspar stones, a family that comprises about 60% of all minerals found on earth. A shared characteristic of all the feldspars is that their internal structure is crystalline. It’s this…
Within the small family of jewels that “play with light”, opals surely claim top honors for variety as well as sheer beauty. The opal’s fascination deepens when one realizes just how many kinds there are and how they differ. From natural to synthetic to frank imitations, the range is nothing short of amazing. Let’s look…
