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A lady with a love for literature and shiny things discusses books & bling.

What I’m reading: Vol. 95.

What I'm readingHello darlings,

If you follow me on IG, you already know I’ve had some personal stuff going on this week and it’s definitely been slooowwwwwingggg down my blog schedule. It’s frustrating, but such is life! I’m working on sorting myself out and then we’ll be back to business as usual.

For now, though, I’ve got some fun internets for you below and we’ll be back to the jewelry we all love to love soon.

xoxo,
Becky

Internets:

Have you heard the story of the The Cartier Lusitania tiara? It’s incredible.

Twitter does William Carlos Williams. #plums

Avocado proposals? Avocado proposals.

Colorado By Nature: The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872.

Town & Country says the emerald engagement ring is back! What do you think?

Here’s What Happened When I Pulled a Rihanna and Only Wore Bathrobes For a Week. THIS IS ALLOWED?!?! I’ve been changing out of my robes when I leave for my house FOR NO REASON?!?!

The Artist Who Preserved the Vanishing Technology of Knots.

Mary Berry Shares Advice on Getting Party Guests to Leave. This is everything I’ve ever wanted in life.

Level up your photos with a clip on phone light.

I added a clip on phone light to my on-the-go  photography arsenal shortly before my VicenzaOro adventures last fall and ever since then, people have been chasing me down at trade shows to ask me where I found it. The happy truth is that it’s easy to find, easy to use, and super cheap!

Level up your jewelry photos with a clip on phone light.

If you’ve ever seen me in action at a trade show or jewelry store, you know I’ll do anything to find the right lighting. I’ll sit on the floor, I’ll lean under a table – whatever it takes. But sometimes even the most undignified contortions get me nowhere. Some places are too dark, too bright, or just wrong.

This clip on phone light is my new favorite jewelry photography tool!A clip on phone light solves this problem. Having an easily portable source of adjustable light makes an enormous difference. A lot of convention centers (which is where trade shows usually are) have reddish or yellowish light, which doesn’t do most jewelry any favors. The clip on phone light shines white light, which is perfect for diamonds.

We’ve talked about tips and tricks for good phone photography here on the blog before. Anyone who’s ever taken a picture knows that light is the biggest thing to make or break a shot, and when you’re working with a subject as reflective as jewelry, it’s even more critical.

An example of the difference a clip on phone light can make in jewelry photography. This necklace is by Susan Elnora.See what a difference it can make? Two completely unedited photos: the first with a phone light, the second without. This fabulous necklace is by Susan Elnora.

The clip on phone light’s biggest issue is that it sometimes provides too much light, and the ring of light can be reflected in certain gemstones, especially cabochons. This particular light adjusts to offer three different levels of light.

Like any photo strategy, the clip on selfie light requires some practice to to really get things down. But I’ve found that it’s definitely worth the effort, especially if you take a lot of jewelry photos on the go like me!

An example of the difference a clip on phone light can make in jewelry photography.I can’t tell you how many people have ordered these for themselves after seeing mine in action – more than a dozen by now, if not two dozen.

This post is for all of you who have wanted to ask how to get your own phone light but haven’t had a chance. And so that instead of giving the laborious instructions, “Go to Amazon, search for clip-on selife light’ and then look for the one that….(etc)” I can just say “Search ‘phone light’ on my website and you’ll find the exact one!”

And on that note: I have to thank my fabulous friend Hannah Becker, who taught me about clip on phone lights in the first place! I’m spreading the phone light gospel, but I didn’t discover them without help. 

This post contains affiliate links. 

 The best thing you can do for your jewelry photos is to get yourself a clip on phone light! It makes a huge difference. An example of the difference a clip on phone light can make in jewelry photography. An example of the difference a clip on phone light can make in jewelry photography. This necklace is by Susan Elnora.

The gorgeous jewels of AGTA GemFair 2018.

Good morning, my darlings!! I’m home and caught up at last – which means it’s time for us to ogle all of the spectacular, sparkling specimens I met on my travels, beginning with my AGTA GemFair adventures in Tucson.

The gorgeous jewels of AGTA GemFair 2018.

Beautiful, bountiful, colored gemstone jewels at Kimberly Collins Gems. I saw these at the 2018 AGTA GemFair. How much do I love the AGTA GemFair?? Words alone cannot express. Which is why I brought home digital droves of photographic evidence to share with you.

I met the above rainbow of beauties at Kimberly Collins Gems. The dealer is best known for her selection of loose gemstones, but she also makes a selection of irresistible finished pieces (which I loved so much that one home with me). Kim herself is a delight and I highly recommend visiting her booth even if it’s just for a chat and a cookie.

This incredible Paula Crevoshay necklace portrays a beautiful Portuguese Man o' War jellyfish in opal, chrysocolla, sapphire, and coral.

From sleek stackers to a museum quality masterpiece! And I do mean literally museum quality: designer Paula Crevoshay is has shown her work in multiple museums and is preparing for another exhibit soon.

This piece, inspired by the Portuguese Man o’ War jellyfish, features opals, chrysocolla, sapphires, and coral. Totally bananas, in the best way.

I spent most of my GemFair focusing on the finished jewelry on display, leaving the loose gems and pearls to my fellow Gembassadors (and Gemologists) Ben Guttery and Hannah Becker. But I had to stop at Kaiser Gems when I saw this.

This glorious, perfectly organized tray of color-sorted gems was just too perfect for me to resist. I don’t know if you know this about me…but I love organizing things. Sometimes when I’m sad, I go to the Container Store. Gazing at this tray of precisely partitioned gems fills me with both joy and calm.

Speaking of joy, calm, and gemstones: this seems like a good time to remind you that because this is the AGTA (American Gemstone Trade Association) GemFair, every single vendor has satisfied the AGTA’s stringent ethical standards.

One of the best parts of AGTA GemFair 2017 was meeting the fabulous Dallas Prince of Dallas Prince Designs, who covered me in jewels and offered to adopt me (and the feelings of adoration are entirely mutual). When I arrived on the floor at GemFair 2018, I sashayed directly over to Dallas’ booth and played dress up for as long as I could justify.

This was one of my favorite looks we put together! Look at all those luscious greens and blues. I particularly love the bold scale of the earrings, the irresistable navette shape of the ring, and the creative use of briolettes in the necklace.

A stack of sapphire engagement rings from Under the Crown jewelry! Some vintage, some newer, all fantastic.A stack of sapphire engagement rings from Under the Crown jewelry! As the public shows more and more interest in individuality where engagement jewels are concerned, colorful bridal is increasingly important to consider.

Pink and purple were the hottest hues on many AGTA GemFair shoppers’ lists, as attendee after attendee told me they were hunting these two particularly sweet shades – in spinel and sapphire, specifically. One suspects the Pantone color of the year, Ultraviolet, and Princess Eugenie’s instantly infamous Padparadscha are at least partly responsible.

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