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

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Sweet Suzy Landa pink tourmaline delights.

I hope you’re in the mood for something wonderfully pretty today, my darlings. These Suzy Landa pink tourmaline delights caught my eye on Instagram, and I couldn’t resist sharing them with you.

A Suzy Landa pink tourmaline ring. In white gold with diamonds.

A delicious pink tourmaline, set in bright white gold and sprinkled all around with bright, white diamonds.

I love the way Suzy Landa plays with texture and space. Just look how I think the fact that each accent diamond is in its own metal bezel with space in between them, and how that design is echoed on the ring’s gallery with plain metal bumps. This kind of design element is what I think of as Suzy Landa’s signature, and it serves her very well here.

A Suzy Landa pink tourmaline necklace in white gold with diamonds.

Hello, beautiful!

This is the first of the Suzy Landa pink tourmaline pieces that caught my eye. It’s just so fantastic, I can’t even deal with it. It actually reminds me of this Edwardian pendant that I featured a million years ago when I was still a little baby blogger. Except that Suzy’s version is all things modern and sleek, which the antique piece exemplifies Edwardian fussiness.

I don’t mean that critically – I’m very fond of Edwardian fussiness.

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Come hear me speak at the WJA DMV!

Good morning, my darlings!

Are you in the DC area? Are you free on the evening on March 3rd? Then you should come hear me speak at the DC/MD/VA chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association!

 

Come hear me speak at the WJA DMV

I’ll be chatting a bit about Diamonds in the Library in general, as well as touching on my recent adventures and answering any questions you have to ask me about Tucson, Miami, jewelry, blogging, or whatever else you’re interested in hearing me talk about.

WJA members and non-members alike are welcome, but you are asked to RSVP so the lovely organizers can make sure there’s enough room for everyone: you can do that right here, at the link.

Hope to see some of you there!!

xoxo,
Becky

PS: This talk is happening in my hometown, so there’s a pretty good chance that anyone who comes to see me will get to meet my parents, too!

The spectacular treasures of the AGTA GemFair.

This year was my very first time visiting the famous Tucson gem shows and I went straight to the top: to the crème de la crème of the colored gemstone and cultured pearl market at the legendary AGTA GemFair. I came into it expecting to have my mind blown, and even my high expectations were blown out of the water.

The AGTA GemFair is a closed show, open only to gem dealers, store owners, designers and others in the jewelry industry, so the beauties that you’re about to see are from a show that the general public usually doesn’t get to experience at all – at least until the jewels displayed there turn up on celebrities or socialites or go back to the museums they came from.

Enough chit chat. The reason I did my pre-AGTA GemFair post was so that I could dive right into the pretties in my recap without needing to take time for background. Let’s get to it!

A stunning Mexican play of color fire opal from fair trade supplier, Columbia Gem House.

The majority of photos I took at the AGTA GemFair were of finished colored gemstone jewelry, but I couldn’t do the GemFair justice if I didn’t play with some loose stones as well.

This particular stone looks to me like some kind of ethereal fairy dewdrop, rather than a rock from the ground – but it’s completely natural. This is a rare Mexican play of color fire opal, displaying an unusual effect called “rain” (video here).

Even better: this miracle comes from Columbia Gem House, a mine-to-market company who is leading the industry in responsible gemstone sourcing and fair trade practices. If you care about ethical sourcing, Columbia Gem House is a brand you should know.

The Queen of Tiye fire opal bracelet by Paula Crevoshay, with fire opals set among blue zircons and green tsavorite garnets.

Here’s something wonderfully unusual: The Queen of Tiye fire opal bracelet from Paula Crevoshay.

This masterpiece features five truly spectacular Mexican fire opals set among blue zicons and tsavorite garnets. The vibrancy of the stones, color contrast of the juxtaposition, and organic feel of the entire piece creates a dreamlike mix of organic lines and pure luxury that is emblematic of the famed Crevoshay’s unforgettable designs. This particular piece is named after the Queen of Tiye, the Queen of Sheba’s sister.

All decked out in Dallas Prince designs jewelry!! I miss this crown. I should have bought it.

Look, I’m wearing a tiara!! I love when I get to wear a tiara.

This particular tiara – as well as the earrings and the necklace – are by Dallas Prince designs. I’d seen a Dallas Prince piece or two in past AGTA Spectrum Awards press previews, but I had no idea how utterly fantastic Dallas herself is until we spent at least an hour playing with her designs at the AGTA GemFair. We’re lucky I remembered to take pictures at all, I was having so much fun. (Also a sincere thank you to Mr. Dallas Prince, for assisting us so cheerfully).

Glamorous jewels by Dallace Prince! I loved meeting this fabulous designer at the AGTA GemFair.These gorgeous things are by Dallas Prince as well!

The best news is that while many of Dallas’ designs feature fine gemstones, she has an affordable line too. This cuff in particular is from her chrome marcasite collection; which offers pieces that have a million dollar look at a price point with waaay fewer digits.

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