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Bold, beautiful jewels by Stella Flame.

Today, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Stella Flame: a designer whose personality and personal history are as rich and distinctive as the jewelry she creates.

The magnificent jewels of Stella Flame.When I saw Stella Flame’s designs in person a few weeks ago, I was immediately struck by the pieces’ strength. These pieces are unapologetic. They take up space, they demand attention – not in an overbearing way, but because they emanate a feeling of determined being. Much like the charismatic Stella herself, her jewelry has a magnetic presence  that cannot be denied.

Stella Flame’s love of jewelry is lifelong. In her own words:

My background in jewelry began literally in my mother’s lap. A WWII slave labor camp survivor, she had some beautiful statement pieces – a large ring featuring a round deep red coral as well as a huge oval N-S turquoise ring both set in deep yellow 18K. These pieces are etched in my mind and part of my earliest memories. [My mother] had a life long love of jewelry and my father liked to mark special occasions with either a special estate piece or a contemporary piece with a hint of history somehow attached.”

Three rings by Stella Flame jewelryFrom there, the designer’s rich history in the jewelry industry ranges from odd jobs in NYC’s Diamond District to working directly with Phyllis Pressman (Barney’s daughter-in-law) at the Fine and Antique Jewelry Departments at Barney’s and eventually owning her own mini-empire of vintage shops.

Stella gave it all up to focus on family when her daughter was born, but a chance conversation with a stranger in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar many years later left her with an idea she couldn’t shake: what if she tried designing her own jewelry?

The idea proved irresistible.

Three rings by Stella Flame jewelry.Stella Flame’s designs feature precious metals, usually in combination and only with natural gemstones, which are selected with ethical sourcing in mind. The majority of the pieces are sterling silver, often plated in dark or white rhodium or oxidized, and – depending on the collection – combined with pure 24K, 18K, 14K or 8K gold.

Every piece of Stella Flame jewelry is created in one of the designer’s two small Istanbul ateliers. Each design is hand crafted by a master jeweler who ensure that each piece is is unique and exquisitely finished with the utmost skill and attention to detail.

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My January Bidsquare wishlist.

Today we’re going to have an other edition of one of my favorite pastimes: looking at jewelry I want to buy through Bidsquare!

When I feature auctions, the temptation is always to show you the most spectacular, mind-blowing pieces. We’re still going to do a little of that today. But my main focus is going to be on highlighting the achievable Bidsquare pieces: the ones that a person like you or I could potentially afford and wear in real life.

Because that’s the real fun of auctions, isn’t it? The thrill of the hunt, the chance for an unexpected find or a spectacular deal.

I know you’re with me, because I also know that a few of you are the new owners of auction items I featured in December. Thank you for giving those pieces good homes! I can’t afford to adopt them all myself.

An incredibly cool Egyptian revival style enameled silver necklace by renowned Mexican jewelry designer, Margot de Taxco.This is an incredibly cool Egyptian revival style enameled silver piece by renowned Mexican jewelry designer, Margot de Taxco. The silver keeps it affordable while its provenance guarantees quality. It’s awesomeness, I believe, is apparent; it’s so bright and interesting. The bidding for this beauty starts at just $250.

This necklace would fit right into any number of contemporary wardrobes. It’s funky and vibrant, with an obvious quality of craftsmanship that keeps it feeling luxe.

The coolest thing about Bidsquare – as we have discussed before – is the fact that it brings you lots from many different reputable auction houses, all in one place. The lots in this post come from a couple of different sales; click on the links below the pictures to go directly to each piece’s listing.

Antique abalone ring in 10K gold filigree.This is SUCH a cool ring. It’s antique and features luminous abalone in a lacy, filigreed 10K gold. The design is so interesting, and the bidding starts at just $100 so it’s wonderfully affordable as well.

This is a perfect buy for someone who’s new to auctions and wants an exciting piece to start with that won’t do toooooo much financial damage.

A stunning 5.23 ct Ceylon sapphire and diamond ring.This ring is not low budget. But it’s so, so, so good that buying it could never be a bad idea. That’s a 5.23 ct no heat Ceylon sapphire framed by 12 full-cut diamonds and flanked on the shoulders by a pair of baguettes.

This piece is gorgeous and a 5.23 ct Ceylon sapphire is nothing to sneeze at. Even cooler: we know its history. This ring comes from the Estate of Jane Warren Jones, of Greenwich, CT, and Toronto, Canada. She was an accomplished artist with a passion for jewelry, and many of the items in her collection were either custom made for her or purchased from the top jewelers in Greenwich and Toronto in the 1940s-60s.

The auction estimate is $20,000 – $30,000. So as I said…not low budget. But extremely worth buying if possible.

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Meet your AGTA Gemfair Gembassadors!

I’ve been hearing about the annual AGTA GemFair in Tuscon, Arizona for years. It’s become mythical in my imagination: I picture it as a vibrant desert oasis piled to the clouds with rainbows of precious stones and heaps of colored gemstone jewelry.

I have to imagine what it’s like because I’ve never seen it firsthand. But that’s about to change: I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be attending the 2017 AGTA GemFair as one of the AGTA’s very first official Gembassadors.

Becky Stone and Hannah Becker are the 2017 AGTA GemFair Gembassadors! Graphic by DiamonDoodles.What is a Gembassador?

Hannah Becker of DiamonDoodles and I are partnering up with AGTA to help bring the 2017 GemFair to you!

It’s our honor to serve as your Gembassadors, charged with the all-important mission of  giving the outside world a window into the AGTA’s legendary industry-only events.

Hannah and I will be walking the floor of the AGTA GemFair, digging through the mounds of treasures on display and sharing them with you on our individual Instagram accounts and through takeovers of the AGTA’s Instagram account. We’ll also be covering the prestigious Spectrum Awards, both exploring the masterpieces submitted for the awards and chronicling our glamorous adventures at the Spectrum Gala on the night of the ceremony, February 5th.

So basically: colored gemstones everywhere, all the time. I am SO EXCITED.

Peacock feather necklace by Robert Pellicca of J.R. Dunn Jewelers. With a 7.78 carat opal, sapphires, tsavorite garnets, yellow sapphires and diamonds.

Peacock feather necklace by Robert Pellicca of J.R. Dunn Jewelers.

Let’s lay down some background so that we’re all ready to embrace the fabulousness next week:

What is the AGTA?

The AGTA is the American Gemstone Trade Association. They represent the colored stone and cultured pearl industries in the US and Canada.

AGTA GemFair 101

The AGTA GemFair has been held yearly since 1982. Since its inception, it has grown into what is now considered the world’s most important annual marketplace for natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls. The wide array of carefully-selected vendors also includes designers offering finished colored stone and cultured pearl jewelry, as well as some antique and vintage jewelry dealers.

In addition, there’s a pavilion dedicated to jewelry tools and technologies, educational seminars, a CAD design studio, book signings, exhibits from the Cultured Pearl Association, The Smithsonian Institution, MJSA, the Gübelin Gem Lab, and more.

As your AGTA GemFair Gembassadors, Hannah and I will divide and conquer to bring you the best of all treasures on display! I’ll be hunting down the finest in finished jewelry to share with you, while Hannah, as a Gemologist, will focus more on the gemstones themselves.

Lapis and pink tourmaline earrings by Gregore Morin of Gregore Joilliers.

The spectacular Spectrum awards!

I’ve had the pleasure of attending the Spectrum awards press preview in NYC a couple of times, but I’ve never been to the actual Spectrum Awards gala before.

From agate to zircon, the Spectrum Awards challenge the jewelry industry’s greatest talents to surpass their abilities in jewelry design for colored gems and cultured pearls, throwing down the gauntlet for higher and higher achievement.

But it’s not just jewelry: in 1991, Spectrum expanded to include the Cutting Edge Awards, to honor creativity in lapidary arts, including faceted gems and pearls, carvings, and objects of art. I’ve seen pieces at the Spectrum Awards that I never dreamed were possible, and I’m sure this coming year’s submissions will open my mind yet again.

While I’ve been to the Spectrum Awards press events, I’ve never before seen any of the actual Spectrum Gala, the night that the awards are presented. But this coming February 4th, I’ll be right there in the middle of things with my fellow Gembassador, sharing it all with you.

Two emerald and diamond rings by VALANI.

Two emerald and diamond rings by VALANI.

I can’t even tell you how delighted I am about all of this.  And not only do I get to attend the AGTA events I’ve been dreaming of for years, I’m working with the AGTA directly to share it all with you.

How to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Follow Diamonds in the Library, DiamonDoodles, and the AGTA on Instagram. You can also use the individual event hashtags (#AGTAGemFair17, #Gembassadors, #AGTASpectrum16) to makes sure you see everyone’s posts – or to contribute posts of your own, if you’re going to be there too!

I’ll also be writing a big, juicy blog post once I’m home, detailing my adventures with many, many pictures. So if Instagram’s not your cup of tea, just hold tight and I’ll bring everything to you just a little bit later.

Now I have a very important question for you all: what do YOU want to see from the AGTA GemFair??? Give me requests, so that I can go out and take pictures of your favorite gemstones for you!

This sponsored post is brought to you by AGTA. AGTA graphic by DiamonDoodles; all other photos are mine from past Spectrum Awards press events. 

Follow along with me on Instagram