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

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Two fantastic floral brooches by Margherita Burgener.

I’ve shown you Margherita Burgener’s fantastic brooches before (one of them, anyway). Today you get two!

Floral brooch by Margherita Burgener with a 22.32 carat kunzite and diamonds set in titanium. Via Diamonds in the Library.

I adore the lavish, sprawling expansiveness of this brooch. It’s like a floral explosion. It’s designed as the head of a flower, made of titanium and centered by a 22.32 carat kunzite. The petals of the flower are lined with brilliant-cut diamonds and – my favorite part – where the backs of the petals are showing, the titanium is completely encrusted with diamonds.

Floral brooch by Margherita Burgener. 16.16 carats of rose-cut pear-shaped pink sapphires and 4.70 carats of diamonds set in titanium. Via Diamonds in the Library.
This brooch is also titanium, but of a more colorful sort. This more stylized flower is set in the center with a cascade of rose-cut pear-shaped pink sapphires weighing 16.16 carats. The sapphire cascade is accented by round diamonds. The titanium petals of this brooch are also outlined in diamonds, bringing the total diamond weight to approximately 4.70 carats.

Both of these brooches were listed in Sotheby’s auctions. All images and info are thanks to Sotheby’s.

Cartier orchid bracelet.

You don’t need me to tell you that this Cartier orchid bracelet is fabulous.

Orchid bracelet from the Cartier Sortilège collection. White gold, diamonds, and pink and purple sapphires. Via Diamonds in the Library.

This bracelet, which features an explosive orchid set with white gold, pink and purple sapphires, brilliant-cut diamonds, comes from the Cartier Sortilège collection. It’s a little chunkier overall than what I usually go for – I have small hands, and I think larger pieces often look silly on my wrist. But that orchid is to-die-for.

How would you style this Cartier orchid bracelet? I’m picturing it as the main accessory to a simple but brightly colored cocktail dress – maybe paired with diamond or sapphire studs or simple line earrings. What do you think?

I’ve shown you a couple of other pieces from that collection already, two bracelets and a ring shaped like an orchid. They’re all fabulous. This one’s more in line with the orchid ring than the other pieces, which are more restrained.

All images and info are thanks to CIJ Jewellery Magazine.

Mimi So ZoZo collection: opals for days.

If you saw my earlier post on Mimi So’s bow collection, you probably got excited about this post as soon as you read the title. I won’t disappoint you.

The Mimi So ZoZo collection is composed entirely of bespoke, one-of-a-kind pieces that feature rare  boulder opals. A boulder opal would be impressive lying on a paper plate, but these pieces are a lesson on how careful setting of natural treasures can bring the innate beauty of an exceptional stone to an entirely new level. Are you dying to see them yet? I won’t make you wait any longer.

Mimi So's ZoZo boulder opal earrings - 101 carats of boulder opal and .80 carat of pave diamonds set in 18 karat white gold. Via Diamonds in the Library.
Hard to believe they’re real, isn’t it? These are the ZoZo boulder opal earrings: 101 carats of boulder opal and .80 carat of pave diamonds set in 18 karat white gold. I’ve honestly never seen a piece of jewelry look more like a sun-drenched sea. Here’s a taste of how they look on a person, to help you fill in the blanks of your daydreams:

Mimi So's ZoZo boulder opal earrings; 101 carats of boulder opal and .80 carat of pave diamonds set in 18 karat white gold. Via Diamonds in the Library.

The collection was inspired by the Italian coastline – while on vacation in Portofino, Mimi was fascinated by the graphic rocks and the blue and green sea. Those organic shapes and colors informed much of the design of ZoZo. Once you know the inspiration, it’s hard not to see nature’s beauty reflected back at you in the ZoZo pieces, especially the ones with larger opals.

Stay with me, I have several more ZoZo pieces to share and you’re going to want to see all of them.

Mimi So's ZoZo Boulder Opal and Diamond Necklace. It centers a 12.3 carat boulder opal capped with 18 karat white gold and .55 carats of pave diamonds.

Hello, beautiful thing. This is the ZoZo Boulder Opal and Diamond Necklace 18kt white gold. It centers a 12.3 carat boulder opal capped with 18 karat white gold and .55 carats of pave diamonds. It reminds me of the moon, or of a lake. I love how it defies the typical treatment of opals – I would have expected to see this stone suspended from the narrow edge as a drop, rather than turned on its side like a crescent.
Mimi So's ZoZo Two-Drop Boulder Opal Earrings. Set with 2.3 carats of boulder opals and .17 carats of diamonds. Via Diamonds in the Library.
These beauties are the ZoZo Two-Drop Boulder Opal Earrings. Set with 2.3 carats of boulder opals and .17 carats of diamonds, they’re one of the smaller pieces in the collection. But that certainly doesn’t make them any less lovely. Look how the warmth of the 18 karat yellow gold draws flashes of red fire from the opals – gorgeous.
Mimi So's ZoZo opal and diamond pave ring. 1.38 carats of opals and 1.87 carats of diamonds set in white gold. Via Diamonds in the Library.
This is the ZoZo opal and diamond pave ring. I realize it might look like a bracelet at that size, but I  promise it’s a ring. See? Proof.
Mimi So's ZoZo opal and diamond pave ring. 1.38 cts of opals and 1.87 cts of diamonds set in white gold. Via Diamonds in the Library.

This piece sparkles with 1.38 carats of opals and 1.87 carats of diamonds set in white gold. It just might be my favorite of the ZoZo collection – today, anyway. It’s like something out of a fairytale; it looks like it grew, rather than was made by a human. Once I read about Mimi’s inspiration for the collection, I was able to see how much this piece looks like seafoam on rocks.

Mimi So's ZoZo Boulder Opal and Pave Diamond Necklace 18kt Yellow Gold. This baby is set with a 7.20 carat boulder opal and .38 carats of pave diamonds. Via Diamonds in the Library.
Another yellow gold piece: this is the ZoZo Boulder Opal and Pave Diamond Necklace 18kt Yellow Gold. This baby is set with a 7.20 carat boulder opal and .38 carats of pave diamonds. I bet it looks fantastic with the yellow gold two-drop boulder earrings, above.
These pieces (and many more) are always available for oogling on my Mimi So Pinterest board. For purchase information or to see even more of Mimi So’s fabulous work, please see her website. All images and info in this post are thanks to Mimi So and her friendly and helpful publicity team (thanks, Molly!).

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