Design Possibilities If there was ever a “man’s stone,” especially a “thinking man’s stone,” this is it. Think intrigue! Think distinction! Think southern Africa-the subtropics, Kalahari -lion, elephant, hippopotamus, crocodile country. Mix them together and you’ve got Botswana agate. Set these distinctly banded agate cabochons into rings and tie tacs (for the man of distinction) [...]

Agate, Crazy Lace Gemstone Properties Design Possibilities Crazy lace agate’s colors and designs are like a wonderful quilt you want to wrap around you. Creamy browns, blacks and golds and occasional pinks swirl together creating complex patterns that make this a unique agate. Combine it with other earth color stones or use it alone. Whether [...]

Emeralds are fascinating gemstones. They have the most beautiful, most intense and most radiant green that can possibly be imagined: emerald green. Inclusions are tolerated. In top quality, fine emeralds are even more valuable than diamonds. The name emerald comes from the Greek ‘smaragdos’ via the Old French ‘esmeralde’, and really just means ‘green gemstone’. [...]

a short (usually 14-16 inches) necklace strung simply with a line of faceted gems, often graduating in size, and individually set; when the style first developed, in the late 17th or early 18th century, the settings were closed-back, but later versions had open settings, so that the effect was a continuous, shining stream around the [...]

Definition: a piece of jewelry – usually a necklace or a bracelet – consisting of several strands that are twisted together to produce a rope-like effect (“torsade” means “twist” or “cable” in French); typically made of seed pearls, but chains or other beaded stones can be used as well; while an old style – examples [...]

Definition: originally, a neck ring (rigid necklace) or armlet that is open-ended, with the two ends typically capped with balls, cubes or a more ornate ornament; made of precious metals, the body of the piece is often twisted or braided; an extremely ancient style, with examples dating from 1800 BC in Egypt, it’s typically associated [...]

a very long chain or beaded necklace, often terminating in tassels dangling from each end or sometimes a single, detachable pendant (similar to a lavalier, but much longer and more substantial); originally developed around the turn of the 19th century, in imitation of military braids or chains, it’s frequently looped around the neck and worn [...]

a chain or small link necklace, fairly long, that terminates in a single large pendant or tassel, which in turn often has additional pendants or tassels dangling from it; though named for a mistress of Louis XIV, the style is usually associated with turn-of-the-20th century jewelry, and remained popular into the 1930s Pronunciation: lah-val-ee-air Alternate [...]

Dog collar”: it seems a clunky, casual name for any piece of jewelry, let alone one featuring intricate metalwork, diamonds and pearls. Yet despite its inelegant title, this snug form of necklace flourished for nearly 50 years, reaching its zenith at the turn of the 20th century – the Belle Époque or Edwardian Era. In [...]

a short necklace, no more than 15 inches, that fits snugly around the neck; may include a pendant affixed in the center or dangling just above the collar bone; can be composed entirely of beads or stones, usually of uniform size (an extremely old style, dating back to ancient Samaria), a ribbon encrusted with gems [...]

type of large, dramatic necklace, circular or triangular in shape, consisting of a web-like mesh of metal or multiple strands of gemstones which often dangle at regular lengths (like a round collar) or uneven ones, for a fringe-like or cascading effect; extremely old – variations have been found in 7th-century Greek and Roman jewelry – [...]

a braided necklace composed of several strings or strands of beads, usually seed pearls, twisted together; the pearls can be matching or multi-colored; though it dates back to the 18th century, the style was especially popular around 1900, when the rope-like main necklace was often augmented with a pendant or tassel at the end (see [...]