What I’m Reading: Vol. 122.

November 22, 2022

What I'm reading. Photo of bookshelfes by Susan Yin on Unsplash

Hello, my darlings!

Look at me, posting several times in a month! It’s so nice to be getting back into the swing of things a bit. But remember that if you miss me between blog posts, you can always find me on Instagram or over at Instore Magazine.

Last week’s post was especially exciting because I had the great pleasure of covering the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards Editor’s Day event in Texas. If you’re keeping track at home: yes, this was my very first jewelry trip in four years, the first time I’ve traveled for business since my chronic illness became serious.

It was very different from how I used to travel – I needed wheelchair assistance at the airport, several spinal braces, a recovery infusion in my hotel room, and physical therapy prep before and recovery after – but I did it and I’m so happy I went! It was all possible thanks to the lovely Mr. DitL, my amazing husband, who came along to help out.

If things keep going well with PT and the pandemic doesn’t get any worse, I hope to attend more jewelry events in 2023. And stay tuned for Part 2 of my AGTA post coming soon!

I hope that you’ve had a chance to enjoy some beautiful fall weather before winter sets in. It’s already pretty cold here and now that daylight savings time has limited our daylight hours, all I want to do is curl up in a pile of blankets and read. Which is an activity I enjoy, so really things aren’t too bad.

Happy almost Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I know that I’m looking forward to spending time with family this week and enjoying some top notch side dishes (turkey is fine, but I’m in it for the sides).

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. This YA fantasy is the first in a series that is described as “Project Runway meets Mulan.” It is beautifully written and creative, with a mythical feel that is one of my favorite flavors of book to read. I enjoyed it, but I must say that there were one or two moments that reminded me so much of either Project Runway or Mulan that it took me out of the story a little bit. However, those scenes were relatively early on and not significant parts of the overall plot. I wish the references had been toned down just a little, but I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy and I look forward to reading the sequels.

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. This is the latest book in a series that’s absolutely one of my favorite Contemporary Romance releases from the past few years. Like all books in this series, the main characters are actors on a popular fictional tv show based on ancient Greek mythology. The two are drawn to each other from the beginning, but they try to keep things professional since they’re filming on an isolated island together for years. Heehee. #onlyoneisland

All of the books in this series are strongly body positive, with at least one fat main character in each love story. And I don’t mean that one of them has “a cute little belly” or sheepishly admits that they “could lose a few pounds” but finds a partner who will overlook their flaws, I mean that these are fat characters who accept themselves just living their lives, falling in love and having great sex with partners who adore them exactly the way that they are.

The books are amazing and important and if you appreciate love stories, or fanfiction, or body positivity you should read them immediately. Please note: when I say this is a Romance, I do mean the kind with sex in it.

Internets

When Your Mother Is a Ghost Hunter: On the hunt with TikTok star Brittany Broski and her mother Heather Long, lead investigator of the Texas Ghost Gals.

My Modern House: life in a mid-century masterpiece with Monica and Simon Siegel. This house is incredible.

How to Bury an Entire Museum.

Princess Diana’s Iconic Sapphire Engagement Ring Has a Somewhat Controversial History:
It’s very different from other royal rings (and not because of its design).

Discover Whitby Jet on the Art of Mourning.

How Witches Cast Their Spell on Art History: From Remedios Varo to Francisco de Goya, artists have long turned to witchcraft as subject matter.

When a Bible’s Not a Bible: There’s no evidence at all that a small, engraved, gold bead found in Yorkshire is intended to represent a Bible. This article focuses on the question of what this bead is meant to represent, but the artefact itself is incredible – a tiny 15th century bead shaped like an open book.

Back to the party: the Duchess of Devonshire’s Costume Ball 1897.

Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.

Colored gems galore at the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards.

November 15, 2022

Good morning, my darlings!!! I am beyond excited to tell you that I recently attended the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards Editor’s Day, aka colored gemstone heaven. And yes, I took pictures for you!

The 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards entries were displayed at Arkenstone Fine Mineral gallery for the press to admire.

Colored gems galore at the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards.

AGTA stands for the American Gemstone Trade Association, which represents the colored stone and cultured pearl industries in the US and Canada. AGTA and its members lead the industry in educational resources, ethical practices, and the finest colored gemstones and cultured pearls.

AGTA stands for the American Gemstone Trade Association, which represents the colored stone and cultured pearl industries in the US and Canada. The Spectrum Awards is AGTA’s legendary annual jewelry design contest, which was created to recognize and promote both jewelers who use colored gemstones and cultured pearls in exceptional fine jewelry designs and also lapidary artists who create extraordinary faceted gems and pearls, carvings, and objects of art.

I first attended the Spectrum Awards Editor’s Day in 2015 and I had the honor of hosting the Spectrum Awards Gala Red Carpet during AGTA Gem Fair Tucson in 2017.

The Arkenstone is a magical playground for gem nerds. Any time I looked up from the tables full of finished jewelry, I was greeted by shelves filled with otherworldly mineral specimens, raw gemstones, and fossils. The juxtaposition between how these minerals emerge from the earth and what they’re capable of when worked by human hands made the entire experience even more poignant.

Shout out to the lovely Mr. DitL, my amazing husband (above), who came along to help out!

Enough talk. Let’s get to the jewelry!

Gold and platinum, 'Underworld' ring by Third Eye Assembly, with a 1.62 ct. black Opal, tsavorite Garnet, sapphire and diamond. Side view.

Gold and platinum 'Underworld' ring by Third Eye Assembly, with a 1.62 ct. black Opal, tsavorite Garnet, sapphire and diamond

Gold and platinum, 'Underworld' ring by Third Eye Assembly, with a 1.62 ct. black Opal, tsavorite Garnet, sapphire and diamond. Front detail

Gold and platinum, 'Underworld' ring by Third Eye Assembly, with a 1.62 ct. black Opal, tsavorite Garnet, sapphire and diamond. Side detail.

Kicking things off with one of the most memorable pieces from the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards…this is The Underworld Ring by Third Eye Assembly. Made from 18K yellow gold, platinum, 22k rose and green gold, 24K yellow gold and 18K white gold, The Underworld Ring features a 1.62 ct. black Opal, tsavorite Garnets, sapphires, and diamonds and is exquisitely detailed with mythological and astrological scenes.

According to Third Eye Assembly’s Instagram, this remarkable piece is meant to be an “astrological self portrait” of the artist (a Scorpio). In the designer’s own words:

“Depictions of Hades and Hecate, the male and female greek gods of the underworld, flank the east and west sides of the ring. Earth and Mars are depicted on the North and South sides of the ring along with diamonds and sapphires that align with the Scorpio star constellation.”

18K white gold floral earrings with diamonds and pink sapphires. By Caroline Chartouni of Caroline C Jewelry, at the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards.

I didn’t see quite as much pink as I would have expected, given the color’s current popularity, but the pink I did see was extremely noteworthy. Look at the almost-neon Barbie shade of the pink sapphires in these earrings!!

These lovely floral earrings are by Caroline Chartouni of Caroline C Jewelry and feature two luscious pink sapphires totaling 10.94 carats, surrounded by 14.75 carats of diamonds and a further 9.45 cts of pink sapphire. Can you imagine these on a bride, or with a red carpet gown? Yes please.

Sapphire engagement rings from the AGTA Spectrum Awards! By J.R. Dunn Jewelers, Skatell's Manufacturing Jewelers, and Nicole Mera.

What I did see a lot of was gorgeous sapphire engagement rings. A couple of pinks, one truly jaw-dropping purple, and then a sea of enchanting vibrant blue. These three sapphire engagement rings are by J.R. Dunn Jewelers, Skatell’s Manufacturing Jewelers, and Nicole Mera.

Sapphire engagement ring by Pompos Jewelry, with a 6.29 ct Ceylon Sapphire and accent sapphires and diamonds in platinum.

The sapphire center stones themselves were breathtaking, but I also loved the creativity evident in the design details of the settings. Look at these two, by Pompos Jewelry (left) and Robert Pelliccia of J.R. Dunn Jewelers (right).

The Pompos Jewelry ring features a 6.29 ct Ceylon sapphire and the J.R. Dunn ring features an 11.32 ct cushion cut sapphire. These are serious stones.

My first Fellows jewelry auction.

November 3, 2022

I have a confession for you, my darlings: I’ve never bought jewelry from an auction house. Shocking, I know. But it’s true! I find auctions intimidating and I’ve never managed to push through the fear…until now.

I’ve partnered with my friends at Fellows in England to have my very first jewelry auction experience and share it with you here so that we can all become auction aficionados together!

Three antique rings recently sold in a vintage jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

My first Fellows jewelry auction.

You might associate jewelry auctions with either eBay tchotchkes or very very very expensive museum pieces, but that’s a misconception. A huge number of the lots in the Fellows jewelry auction I’m currently browsing have starting bids under £100 and auction estimates under £500.

Yes, it’s in GBP, not dollars. Don’t get scared! We can do this! Current exchange rates mean that the dollar and the pound are very close in value. Use any online currency converter to be sure you have your numbers straight.

The exchange rate is a big part of why we’re talking about this today: do you know how rare it is for the dollar and the pound to be this close?? We Americans have to snap up that sweet across-the-pond jewelry while the currency is in our favor.

Beautiful vintage and antique pendants and a ring listed in recent Fellows jewelry auctions.

Why would I want to buy jewelry at auction?

Auctions are an opportunity to score great jewelry at good prices because it’s a purchase point close to the beginning of the retail food chain. Most jewelry stores source jewelry from dealers, who acquire their jewelry from collectors, other dealers, or auctions.

Each time a piece changes hands in this process, its price goes up. When you buy from an auction house instead of from a retail store, you skip two whole stages and therefore two levels of price increase.

Auction houses also have quality control procedures in place that simply don’t exist in more casual jewelry buying situations. Every piece in a Fellows jewelry auction has been evaluated and authenticated by Fellows’ in-house jewelry specialists.

A late Victorian 9ct gold portrait miniature locket pendantrecently sold in a vintage jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

How does bidding work?

The key mechanics of auctions are the same everywhere: bidders say how much they’re willing to pay for an item and the person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item. Don’t forget that once you win an item in a jewelry auction, you’re obligated to buy it for that amount; a bid is a binding promise.

To place a bid, simply scroll to the item’s listing in the current Fellows jewelry auction, type the amount you’d like to bid, and click “place bid.” If someone outbids you, you’ll receive an email notification and then you can decide if you want to add a higher bid or accept defeat.

If someone places a bid within the last 30 seconds of a Fellows auction, the auction will extend the bidding time for that item by an additional 30 seconds so that anyone who wants to place a higher bid may do so.

A late 19th century 15K gold turquoise double heart brooch sold in a jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

How do I know what I’m buying?

Every listing in a Fellows jewelry auction includes the key information about the item for sale, as well as photos. If you want more, you can contact Fellows to request more images or a set up virtual viewing.

A virtual viewing allows you to have a one-on-one Zoom meeting with a Fellows specialist to discuss and view any of the items in the auction that interest you. It’s basically free personal shopping. The Fellows auction specialist can also help explain the buying process to you, if you are a first-timer like me.

If you get confused by any of the terms in the listing, the handy Fellows Auction Terms Glossary is there to help.

Don’t auctions have hidden fees?

Auctions do have fees, but at a reputable auction house like Fellows, none of those fees are hidden. The vast majority of Fellows jewelry lots ship for free, and the ones that don’t offer free shipping are clearly marked.

If you win something in a Fellows jewelry auction, you’ll pay the amount of your bid (called the “hammer price”) plus a Buyer’s Premium, which is 30% of the bid. You can use the Fellows Bid Calculator to calculate the final price of your purchase at any time.

Now that we’ve discussed why one would want to bid in a Fellows jewelry auction and assuaged our fears, it’s time to get in there!

A midcentury vintage diamond cocktail watch sold in a recent Fellows jewelry auction.

How do I register to bid in a Fellows jewelry auction?

Signing up through the Fellows website is very straightforward. You enter your name, address, basic contact info, password, everything you would expect. I was happy to see that the registration form offers both “nonbinary” and “prefer not to say” as options for the gender field. Yay, inclusivity!

That gets you an account, but there’s one more step before you can place a bid: you have to verify your name and address through Fellows’ Identity Checker. I uploaded a photo of my Driver’s License, allowed the Identity Checker temporary access to my webcam to confirm that my face matched the image I uploaded, and I was in!

(Pro tip: the Identity Checker was initially confused because I was too far away from my webcam. I had to get close enough to the camera for my face to be the same size as it was in the Driver’s License photo I uploaded before it approved me.)

Lot 192 – yellow sapphire and diamond cluster ring.
Lot 946 – 18k gold and sapphire rainbow hoop earrings.
Lot 349 – late 19th century gold old-cut diamond cluster ring, with vari-cut diamond shoulders.
Lot 365 – early 20th century split pearl and amethyst pendant.
Lot 448 – onyx and diamond earrings.
Lot 884 – late Victorian gold ring with floral motif, circa 1887.
Lot 571 – early 20th century gold scarab beetle and garnet pendant on a gold fancy-link chain.
Lot 854 – rose cut diamond and garnet ring.
Lot 728 – midcentury gold, ruby, and cultured pearl clip earrings.
Lot 1 – early 20th century gold and enamel cat ring, with diamond eyes.
Lot 785 – old-cut diamond and cultured pearl dress ring with rose-cut diamond shoulders.
Lot 462 – early 20th century gold split pearl foliate brooch.
Lot 479 – diamond cluster ring.
Lot 255 – turquoise and diamond cluster ring.
Lot 526 – early 20th century peridot and split pearl pendant.
Lot 641 – emerald and split pearl earrings.
Lot 763 – floral diamond ring
Lot 512 – ruby floral cluster earrings.
Lot 732 – garnet and red gem cluster ring.
Lot 751 – early 20th century Russian Art Nouveau old-cut diamond and demantoid garnet floral pendant.
Lot 323 – Citrine ring.
Lot 2 – early 20th century gold pique tortoiseshell earrings.
Lot 604 – flower ring with rose-cut diamond accents
Lot 897 – sapphire, emerald and pearl earrings.
Lot 541 – early 20th century 9ct gold cube charm,
Lot 343 – early 20th century 18k gold rose-cut diamond and enamel stud earrings.
Lot 289 – early 20th century 18k gold old-cut diamond ring.
Lot 269 – early 20th century gold turquoise and split pearl heart pendant.

Here’s a peek at my own Fellows wishlist!! This slideshow is all of the lots I’m considering bidding on in the current auction. It’s an epic two day jewelry sale that just opened yesterday. Day 1 of the sale ends November 8th, Day 2 on November 9th, so go take a look right now!

Click here for Day 1 of the Fellows Jewellery Auction (ends November 8th, 2022)
Click here for Day 2 of the Fellows Jewellery Auction (ends November 9th, 2022)

What do you think, my darlings? Are you comfortable bidding in jewelry auctions, or is it new to you too? Do you have any advice for me on my auction journey? Have you ever bought anything from Fellows?

This sponsored post is brought to you by Fellows. All images c/o Fellows.