Exquisite Natural Gemstones
The Gem Fair, San Diego, had the most breathtaking collection of natural gemstones and organic beads such as coral and pearls. I went yesterday and once again was delighted to see such an abundance of shimmering, faceted gemstones at every booth.
Handcrafted, Tibetan Ornaments
One of my favorite vendors, Tenzin and Pasang and Pema Arts had a fresh collection of one of a kind, handcrafted ornaments created by Tibetan artisans. These pendants with their large turquoise cabochons and silver shapes with lizards, birds, dragons inspire me to create necklace designs with global appeal. My sister business partner and fellow designer believes that being in presence of artists from other cultures is an honor. I have to agree. As jewelry designers, we both rely on our cultural life experience to create feminine and eclectic adornment.
Labradorite Briolettes
I purchased a strand of fancy, shimmering Labradorite gemstone briolettes. Labradorite is a gemstone that exhibits a high degree of irridescence like spectrolite and moonstones. High-quality stones are the result of light refracting from intergrowths created as the stone cooled. Stones with good iridescence are prized, expensive and highly sought after in high-quality jewelry.
Design Collaborations ~ Lapidary to Designer
I love the Gem Fair experience! The fair sparks hundreds of ideas and creates mental pictures of luxurious designs just waiting to happen. There is always something new! This trip, I also found exquisite, earthy white turquoise, free-form slab beads. These magnificent pieces remind me of the story of that every bead has ~ from the turquoise mines, the geologists, the lapidary specialists, the vendors both national and international, the jewelry artists and designers, to finally, the customers viewing the art work at galleries and art fairs. What an unspoken but amazing collaboration it is!
Gem fairs are hosted throughout the United States--a fun day for anyone, and a real inspiration for jewelry designers.
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