A Kimberly Doyle Gemagotchi is 90’s nostalgia at its gemmy best.

May 21, 2024

I am so excited to show you the Kimberly Doyle Jewelry Gemagotchi today, my darlings. This clever little charm has taken social media by storm and for good reason – it’s absolutely irresistible.

The Gemagotchi charm by Kimberly Doyle Jewelry is an homage to the 90's Tamagotchi toy.

If you’re close to me in age, you do not need this reference explained – but the Kimberly Doyle Jewelry Gemagotchi charm is an homage to the 1990’s Tamagotchi craze.

Released in the US on May 1, 1997, a Tamagotchi is a small, egg-shaped digital pet that required constant attention to keep it from dying. If you had the pleasure of going to school with young me in the 1990’s, you’ll know that I had three of these little cuties (one was a knockoff called a Giga Pet) and I wore them all on a necklace so that I could attend to their every digital need in a timely manner.

I did also have human friends back then, I swear.

Now the 1990’s are the hottest retro vintage decade and this treasure from my childhood has been immortalized in solid gold by Kimberly Doyle Jewelry. What a world we live in!

The Kimberly Doyle Gemagotchi charm is inspired by the famous 90's Tamagotchi toy! 90's nostalgia jewelry at its finest.

I knew I needed a Gemagotchi from the moment I saw one. However – much like their namesake – the Gemagotchi is such a hot commodity that one cannot simply buy one.

Gemagotchi hunters must instead sign up for Kimberly Doyle Jewelry’s emails and wait for a Gemagotchi drop to be announced.

I was so overwhelmed by choice during the first Gemagotchi drop I attended that I spent 10 minutes dithering and missed my chance to order one at all. But don’t worry, I was ready next time!! I finally scored my Gemagotchi of choice – an emerald baby – and I’m so happy to be wearing it right now as I type this.

The Gemagotchi drop where I scored my little emerald beauty sold out in about 8 minutes, so I highly recommend knowing which size and stone you want to buy in advance.

The Gemagotchi charm by Kimberly Doyle Jewelry is the ultimate in 90's nostalgia - Tamagotchi jewelry!

These little charms are so adorable in person and their delightful packaging sets the mood as soon as you open the box! Brightly colored 90’s-inspired magic at its finest.

My only concern about buying a Gemagotchi was how I would possibly face the pain of tearing up this packaging to get to my new treasure…but no tearing was necessary!! The plastic bubble is actually hinged, and folds down to release the Gemagotchi with no damage to the packaging. (A thousand gold stars to Kim Doyle for thinking of this feature, it’s brilliant.)

See it in action in the unboxing video I just posted on my Instagram.

The Kimberly Doyle Gemagotchi charm in gold with an emerald. Fine jewelry inspired by the 90's Tamagotchi craze!

These cuties are good from a distance, but utterly irresistible in person. They come in two sizes, “baby” and “mama.” I had trouble choosing which I wanted, but ultimately decided that the baby would fit better with my daily charms. (See the two sizes side-by-side here.)

My emerald baby on my hand should give you a sense of scale! It’s itty bitty, but that just makes the details even more adorable. I swoon for those tiny bezeled diamond buttons and that teeeeny loop of gold ball chain that looks just like the OG Tamagotchi chain.*

*Please note: the Gemagotchi packaging cautions against using the decorative ball chain to hang your charm, because it’s too delicate to offer structural support.

The Kimberly Doyle Gemagotchi charm comes with the most adorable custom packaging.

I saw a quote once that said “Adulthood means that the Tamagotchi you’re keeping alive is you.” It really does feel like that some days, doesn’t it? Drink water, take your pills, decide what you’re going to eat for dinner again and again and again and again…it’s a perfect metaphor.

My daily grind is much improved by having this lil bb cutie to keep me company. Did anyone else have a Tamagotchi (or Giga Pet) back in the old days? Do you love this new tribute to the OG toy as much as I do??

See more from Kimberly Doyle Jewelry on her website or follow her Instagram to stay up to date on the latest Gemagotchi drops – or to check out the fantastic Gemagotchi contest she’s running right now!

The Gem Corps’ Sweet Chairiot is a tribute to Black history, resistance, and remembrance.

February 20, 2024

I have a very special piece of jewelry to show you today. my darlings: The Gem Corps’ Sweet Chairiot, a cleverly designed social justice talisman that has already made a huge impression on the jewelry lovers of Instagram.

Necklace layers from The Gem Corps featuring her iconic design, the Sweet Chairiot folding chair charm in gold with diamond.

The Gem Corps’ Sweet Chairiot is a tribute to Black history, resistance, and remembrance.

Sweet Chairiot is many things: an adorable itty-bitty folding chair, an impressively engineered piece of fine jewelry, a chic addition to any neck stack. But the most important thing about this tiny chair is the countless years of perseverance and bravery it represents.

It is my honor to help spread the word about this remarkable design, but as a white woman, the story behind Sweet Chairiot is not mine to tell.

Sweet Chairiot is a piece of jewelry by The Gem Corps, designed as a symbol of resistance and remembrance for Black lives lost to racism.

The Gem Corps’ husband & wife team, Nia Tahani & Leroy Wilkes III, describe the origin of Sweet Chairiot, in their own words:

When Shirley Chisholm declared, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” she could not have imagined the iconic symbol the folding chair has become since the August 5, 2023 “Montgomery Brawl,” when Black riverboat co-Captain Damien Pickett was viciously attacked by a group of white boaters resulting in Black bystanders coming to his aid.

The day after, Nia Tahani Wilkes, a Black jewelist and estate jewelry curator, and her husband Leroy Wilkes III, a classically trained sculptor, began designing Sweet Chairiot, their antique-inspired and culturally informed heirloom for modern times, the first release in a collection.”

Sweet Chairiot by The Gem Corps, a powerful social justice talisman and tribute to Black history.

Continuing in the designers’ own words:

The name, SWEET CHAIRIOT, is a play on the associations that were made between the Negro spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” by black Choctaw freedman Wallace Willis, and the symbol that the folding chair has become since Shirley Chisholm’s famous quote and last summer’s “Montgomery Melee.” It has expanded into the realm of social justice memorabilia for those who are saying, “Not on our watch.”

[The folding chair is] a symbol of resistance and remembrance for the black lives – entire communities – lost to senseless racism from the Middle Passage to today.”
– Nia Tahani & Leroy Wilkes III

Three layers of The Gem Corps' iconic design, the Sweet Chairiot folding chair charm, which honors Black history and Black lives lost to racism.

Available in 14K gold, 18K gold, or sterling silver, with or without a gemstone, Sweet Chairiot comes in two versions: “Rest Mode” and “Resist Mode” (copyright pending). Rest mode is the fully articulated version, capable of opening and closing, while Resist mode is fixed in the closed position.

Each Sweet Chairiot features an eight-pointed “Freedom Star” on its seat, set with an optional diamond in the center, and a Victorian-inspired ancestral hand holding the handle of the backrest. When worn on a chain, the chair will naturally fall into Resist Mode (closed).

The Gem Corps wanted Sweet Chairiot to help the world tangibly as well as symbolically, so they are donating 10% of the design’s pre-launch sales to Alabama Arise, a non-profit that works to “strengthen voting rights, expand health coverage, and advance racial and economic justice across [Alabama],” according to the organization’s founder, Robyn Hyden.

A jewelry styling photo from The Gem Corps featuring her conic design, Sweet Chairiot, which honors Black history and Black lives lost to racism.

This exquisite golden chair is a perfect example of what I love most about jewelry. It’s objectively beautiful, with its tiny legs, its shining diamond, its carefully-sculpted Victorian-inspired hand bale, but this talisman’s appearance is the least important thing about it.

Sweet Chairiot is everything it represents: it is years of perseverance, it is hope and joy after immeasurable pain, it is the triumph of every generation that never gave up, it is a promise to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, and it is the hope for a better future, all forged into a wearable moment of beauty fully envisioned and created by Black artists.

And in case you missed it in the quote up above, The Gem Corps said Sweet Chairiot is the beginning of a collection! So we’ll have to keep an eye out for what’s coming next from them.

Sweet Chairiot by GemCorps, a powerful social justice talismen

If you love Sweet Chairiot but it’s not in your jewelry budget right now – or if you just like cozy clothes with cool designs – you can always rock a Sweet Chairiot hoodie.

Sweet Chairiot is available on The Gem Corps website. For more from The Gem Corps, follow along with their Instagram here.

Images c/o Gem Corps.

The beautiful strength of Loriann Jewelry’s Modern Renaissance.

June 20, 2023

I loved Loriann Jewelry’s Modern Renaissance collection before I even saw it.

My introduction to this gorgeous new line came via a phone call from the designer, Lori Friedman. I stood in my kitchen as Lori walked me through the collection’s evolution and inspiration; her words painting pictures in my mind.

I had to wait a few more months before I had the pleasure of seeing Loriann Jewelry’s Modern Renaissance collection for myself in real life, but oh my goodness, my darlings. It was worth the wait.

The Magdalena and Anastasia pendants from Loriann Jewelry's Modern Renaissance collection. Moonstone necklaces with black enamel.

The beautiful strength of Loriann Jewelry’s Modern Renaissance.

It’s one of my favorite things in the world to see a jewelry designer’s aesthetic evolve over time, and I’ve now had the pleasure of featuring several different collections of Loriann Jewelry‘s work here on Diamonds in the Library.

As one might expect, the Modern Renaissance collection was strongly influenced by the art of the Italian Renaissance. It features bold enamel, fleur-de-lis motifs, and sword and shield-inspired designs.

But it is also an homage to the concept of the Renaissance Woman: the strong and curious “Jill-of-all-trades” soul who wears many hats, has many interests, and loves to explore new things.

These enamel, diamond, spinel and moonstone rings are from Loriann Jewelry's latest collection, which is inspired by Renaissance jewelry

The further Lori got into Modern Renaissance, the more she realized that it was really a tribute to one particular Renaissance woman: her own mother, Lily, who had recently passed away. In her own words:

After [my mother] passed in the Spring, I was flooded with the emotional impact of how much influence she had on my life and much of what I learned and my many interests were gleaned through osmosis. My love of nature, art and art history, antique jewelry, music and cooking were some of the gifts she bestowed upon me.

I am grateful to have experienced a childhood that was so rich in culture and tradition and that I was able to translate this into my art form to share with others. My Mother was a true Modern Renaissance woman and this collection is my tribute to her.”
– Lori Friedman

It’s no wonder this collection is so compelling and impactful, with such a powerful emotional resonance behind its inspiration.

The Magdelena Fleur de Lis earrings from Loriann Jewelry's Modern Renaissance collection. Black enamel, diamond, and moonstone earrings in gold.

The Modern Renaissance collection uses colorway of yellow gold accented with black enamel, black spinel, iridescent moonstones, and black and white diamonds.

These are the Magdelena earrings, one of the best examples of how this collection powerfully juxtaposes strength and delicacy by pairing the drama of the black enamel with the elegant, slender curves of the fleur-de-lis accents and the soap-bubble fragility of those moonstone teardrops.

The Giovanna ring by Loriann Jewelry with black spinel and black diamonds in gold. Inspired by Renaissance jewelry!

The Giovanna ring (a personal favorite of mine) is perhaps Modern Renaissance’s most overt reference to Renaissance era jewelry, with its high profile, quatrefoil shape, dramatic shoulders, and reverse-set black spinels.

It’s also just an incredibly badass and beautiful piece of jewelry, IMHO. Wearing it made me feel like a warrior queen who can do anything. Every time I put this ring down, I would find myself picking it up again to discover a new detail or delight in a fresh angle.

(Click here to go to my Pinterest board of Renaissance Jewelry if you’d like a reminder of what OG Renaissance rings look like.)

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The Gem Corps’ Sweet Chairiot is a tribute to Black history, resistance, and remembrance.

The beautiful strength of Loriann Jewelry’s Modern Renaissance.

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