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

GemBank1973: antique jewelry that collectors love.

If you spend much time on antique jewelry Instagram, you’ve already seen GemBank1973’s posts. They’re always sharing beautiful jewelry close-ups and eye-catching themed group shots.

But have you ever looked at their online store? Because I hadn’t until last week, and it totally blew me away.    

A selection of antique and vintage turquoise rings from family-owned antique jewelry dealer GemBank1973

GemBank1973: antique jewelry that collectors love.

I knew from Instagram that GemBank1973 had great antique jewelry, but I didn’t realize that they were a family-owned business that has specialized in jewelry for three generations. That’s some serious history, the kind of background that brings connections and knowledge. They’re also an established member of LAPADA, a very well-respected UK Association for experienced antique dealers.

And, of course, there was the jewelry itself! There were so many things that caught my eye on GemBank1793’s website that we’re going to look at categories of jewelry rather than individual pieces.

Let’s start with a personal favorite: chains.

Antique chains from family-owned antique jewelry dealer GemBank1973.


Chains

As any serious antique jewelry lover will tell you, chains are an invaluable part of a jewelry collection. They’re beautiful on their own, with their finely wrought links of old gold, platinum, or silver, but they also allow us to wear charms, pendants, brooches, and more in so many fun ways.

GemBank1973’s chain section features over 100 chains, ranging from delicate chokers to sturdy trombone links and ample longuards. If you’re on a budget, they also have a dedicated page for chains under £500.


Celestial jewelry

Is there anything more whimsical than a jewel that reminds us of the heavens? These twinkling star and moon beauties are romantic and timeless, whimsical designs that dreamers of any era can appreciate.

GemBank1973 has a dedicated page for celestial jewelry, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before! Click through and you’ll find sparkling starbursts and crescent moons from the past 200-300 years.

A selection of antique and vintage charms from family-owned antique jewelry dealer GemBank1973.


Charms

GemBank1973’s robust charm section offers a wonderful variety of these delightful little treasures in all shapes and styles. Most are around $150, but there are a few under $100.

I think my favorite of this batch is the little mouse with the articulated tail. Or maybe the skier with the pearl head? But I also love the baby sputnik and that teeny tiny corkscrew.

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Treat yourself: stud earrings under $100 from Tai Jewelry.

Fun stud earrings are a daily staple for me – they’re subtle enough to throw on for any occasion but can still pack a serious style punch. I recently discovered Tai Jewelry’s demi-fine stud collection and I liked them so much that I knew I needed to share them with you!

We haven’t done a Treat Yourself post in a while, so as a reminder: Treat Yourself is my series dedicated to jewelry under $300. Because museum-quality jewelry is fun to look at, but sometimes you want something that you can just snap up without needing to worry about your rent.

Treat yourself: standout stud earrings under $100 from Tai Jewelry.

Stud earrings by Tai Jewelry Four rows of stud earrings.

Standout stud earrings are something I’m always on the lookout for and I came across Tai Jewelry’s current selection of studs while looking for holiday gifts for my sister at the end of last year. Tai Jewelry offers both demi-fine and fine jewelry, but my only experience is with their wonderfully affordable demi-fine jewelry, so that’s where we’re focusing today.

I love the variety of stud earrings that Tai Jewelry offers. There are plenty in neutral colors, but some more statement shades as well. There are abstract designs and cute figural representations of watermelons or champagne glasses. There are tiny little studs and ones large enough to have major 1980’s vibes.

Spectacular stud earrings by Tai Jewelry

Tai Jewelry’s stud earrings were SO cute online…could they live up to it in person? Not all demi-fine jewelry is created equally and my sister and I both have sensitive ears, so we both need our earrings to meet a certain standard of quality to avoid itchy red lobes. I decided to chance it, so I ordered some stud earrings to gift to my sister and one pair for myself.

To my delight, the Tai Jewelry studs were even more fantastic IRL than I’d imagined. They looked wonderful right out of the package and they felt even better. They even passed the sensitive skin test: my sister and I can both wear Tai Jewelry’s stud earrings with no discomfort.

Standout stud earrings by Tai Jewelry

And the best part: all of these pretty little things are under $100 and many are under $50! So go forth and treat yourself to some fun stud earrings, my darlings. You deserve it.

Want more affordable jewelry? Visit my Treat Yourself Pinterest board here or my Treat Yourself blog archive here.

Images c/o Tai Jewelry.

Cactus earrings and snake earrings by Tai Jewelry. Great stud earrings!
Champagne glass and cocktail stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Dangly pearl stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Sparkly pizza stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Three pairs of celestial stud earrings by Tai Jewelry! Beautiful moon, star, and shooting star stud earrings.
Three pairs of eye-inspired earrings by Tai Jewelry! Astract evil eye or more literal.
Three pairs of flower cluster stud earrings by Tai Jewelry. Two bunches of colorful flowers, and one gold with cz.
Three pairs of sparkly stud earrings by Tai Jewelry. Dainty gold stud earrings, sparkling with cz and perfect for layering earrings.
Two pairs of colorful green stud earrings by Tai Jewelry.
Two pairs of enamel stud earrings by Tai Jewelry! Lemon earrings and tulip earrings.
Two pairs of flower stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Two pairs of glamorous round gold and CZ stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Two pairs of heart stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Two pairs of malachite stud earrings by Tai Jewelry
Two pairs of rainbow stud earrings by Tai Jewelry.

More colored gems from AGTA’s 2022 Spectrum Awards.

I promised you a Part 2 with more colored gems from AGTA’s 2022 Spectrum Awards Editor’s Day and I am here to deliver!

Meeting a T. Rex skull at the Arkenstone Gallery of Fine Minerals.
Introducing my gold T.Rex dinosaur pendant to a real T.Rex skull at the Arkenstone Fine Mineral Gallery.

More colored gems from AGTA’s 2022 Spectrum Awards.

As a refresher, the American Gemstone Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum Awards are a yearly competition that gather jewelry and gemstone submissions from some of the finest jewelers and lapidary artists in the country. Before they sent this year’s contest entries back, AGTA flew me to Texas to (very carefully and respectfully) play with them all.

The event was held at the glorious Arkenstone Gallery of Fine Minerals, which I strongly recommend visiting if you enjoy this sort of thing. What you see above is me and Mr. DitL geeking out over Arkenstone’s T. Rex skull – and of course introducing my T.Rex skeleton necklace to its ancient cousin.

To revisit Part 1 of my 2022 Spectrum Awards recap, please click here.

Spinel engagement ring by Omi Prive. With 3.11 ct cushion-cut cobalt blue Spinel, accented with Hauyne, Paraiba Tourmaline, and diamonds. Seen at AGTA's 2022 Spectrum Awards.


I told you in my first recap post that spinel was one of the standout stones of the 2022 Spectrum Awards, but I didn’t have a chance to show you all of the spinels I fell for.

This engagement ring was one of my favorite spinel pieces. It’s by Omi Prive, who is rightfully famous for their extraordinary gems. Look at it glow! It features a 3.11 ct cushion-cut cobalt blue Spinel, accented with hauyne, Paraiba tourmaline, and diamonds. Rare and extraordinary.

14K SpectraGold Atlantis men's ring featuring a 13.50 ct Indicolite Tourmaline accented with Diamonds. By Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry.
14K SpectraGold Atlantis ring featuring a 13.50 ct Indicolite Tourmaline accented with Diamonds. By Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry.

Many of the most exciting design moments in the 2022 Spectrum Awards came from the men’s category, like this sleek tourmaline ring. Look at its angles, its details!

This is the SpectraGold Atlantis ring by Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry, featuring a 13.50 ct Indicolite tourmaline accented with diamonds in 14K yellow gold. The tourmaline is great, but it’s the thoughtful placement of those side diamonds that really slays me.

18K rose gold Hummingbird necklace with blue Sapphires, green Garnets, pink Sapphires, and Diamonds. By LeVian. Seen at AGTA's 2022 Spectrum Awards.


This one is just so pretty, isn’t it?

It’s an 18K rose gold Hummingbird necklace with blue sapphires, green garnets, pink sapphires, and diamonds, by LeVian. I especially love the color contrast between the hummingbird’s pink sapphire throat and emerald eyes.

Campbellian Collection Moonstone ring with a 11.03 ct moonstone, 24 blue sapphires, and diamonds.
Campbellian Collection Moonstone earrings with 11.45 carats of moonstone, accented with sapphires (4.36 TCW) and diamonds.
Campbellian Collection Moonstone ring and earrings at the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards.

It just isn’t an AGTA event until I’ve found a new Campbellian Collection piece to fall in love with. Aren’t these dreamy? I love the moonstones themselves, but the frilled settings and pale blue sapphires are the perfect accents to the remarkable center stones.

This Campbellian Collection moonstone ring features a 11.03 ct moonstone, 24 blue sapphires, and diamonds; while the earrings feature 11.45 carats of moonstone, along with 4.36 cts of blue sapphires and diamonds.

Platinum and 18K gold Je T'Aime ring with a hidden message! Featuring 2.55 cts of blue-green Sapphire and a cabochon Ruby. By Remy Rotenier. Seen at AGTA's 2022 Spectrum Awards.


At first glance, this ring appears to be a thick men’s band covered in blue-green sapphires. But if you look more closely, you’ll discover there’s a secret door that opens to reveal a gold-lined compartment with a ruby heart and the sweet message, “je t’aime.”

This platinum and 18K gold ring is by Remy Rotenier and features 2.55 cts of blue-green sapphire and a cabochon ruby. One of the coolest design moments in the 2022 Spectrum Awards.

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