tormalina

Ingo Henn, luxury and surprises

Stones, volumes, romanticism and rationality: the jewelry of Ingo Henn with his Henn of London ♦

Ingo Henn belongs to the category of those who wanted to design jewelry since childhood. Not only that: as a child he loved the big colored stones. And he made it a profession. The designer, of German origin, but transplanted to London, uses precious stones with unique colors. Let’s face it all: it is the son of Hans-Jürgen Henn, one of the main gem dealers. As a good German, Ingo has done things right: he studied the profession of goldsmith (gemmology has learned at home), has traveled, has known techniques and designers at the highest level.

Anello con tormalina paraiba del Mozambico, diamanti, platino
Anello con tormalina paraiba del Mozambico, diamanti, platino

In the mid-nineties he decided to have learned what was necessary and founded his brand in the jewelery district of Hatton Garden, in London. The jewelry is right next to the offices of the company that trades in gems. Germanic rationality. But this does not prevent Ingo Henn from developing some of the most romantically eclectic jewels of our century, with his Maison, Henn of London. Precious stones of refined color and quality, but combined with a precious design for the combination of colors and surprising use of volumes. His jewels are unique pieces, designed around the color and type of stone used.

Pendente in oro giallo, con granati mandarino, diamanti e smalto
Pendente in oro giallo, con granati mandarino, diamanti e smalto
Pendente in oro bianco con tanzanite intagliata a mano da 57,45 carati, diamanti, smalto
Pendente in oro bianco con tanzanite intagliata a mano da 57,45 carati, diamanti, smalto
Pendente con topazio rosa, diamanti, smalto, oro bianco
Pendente con topazio rosa, diamanti, smalto, oro bianco
Pendente con acquamarina Santa Maria intagliata (non riscaldata), diamanti e oro bianco
Pendente con acquamarina Santa Maria intagliata (non riscaldata), diamanti e oro bianco
Orecchini con tanzaniti ovali, diamanti, smalto, oro bianco 18 carati
Orecchini con tanzaniti ovali, diamanti, smalto, oro bianco 18 carati

Spectacular pieces with Spoleto Gioielli

Spoleto, an Umbrian city in Central Italy, famous for its cathedral and theater festival. But it should also be known because it is the headquarters of Spoleto Gioielli, a Maison founded in 1980 on the initiative of Enrico Morbidoni. Even the jewels that Spoleto Gioielli offers are theatrical, perhaps in harmony with the series of summer shows. They are large, colourful, with many precious and semi-precious stones, in particular tourmaline. They are necklaces and rings to show off without fear of attracting attention. And they are also original in their shapes.

Anello con tormalina watermelon
Ring with watermelon tourmaline. Copyright: gioiellis.com

As in the case of the modular ring which uses an unusual external frame and can be worn in two different ways. And the series of detachable jewels is precisely a feature of Spoleto Gioielli. They are pieces that present themselves in different ways and increase the choices of those who own them.
Anello con tormalina rosa di 12,80 carati e diamanti verdi. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Ring with 12.80 carat pink tourmaline and green diamonds. Copyright: gioiellis.com

All the fruit of the creative imagination of Enrico Morbidoni, who graduated from the Spoleto Art Institute in 1977 and subsequently attended a goldsmithing course in Valenza. In 1986 he created a laboratory specialized in innovative design in Spoleto. He participated in the Festival dei Due Mondi. In 1993 he obtained a diploma in gemology from the Igi in Milan. He has participated in numerous fairs, such as the missing Baselworld or Vicenzaoro. He has also started a collaboration with the American-based International Jewelery Design Guild.
Anello componibile in oro, diamanti e rubellite senza montatura esterna
Modular ring in gold, diamonds and rubellite without external frame. Copyright: gioiellis.com

Anello componibile in oro, diamanti e rubellite con montatura esterna
Modular ring in gold, diamonds and rubellite with external setting. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Anello componibile in oro e diamanti verdi
Modular ring in gold and green diamonds. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Anello con quarzo citrino di 253 carati e diamanti
Ring with 253 carats citrine quartz and diamonds. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Anello-ciondolo con tormalina verde di oltre 60 carati e tormalina rosa
Ring-pendant with green tourmaline of over 60 carats and pink tourmaline. Copyright: gioiellis.com

Everything about tourmaline

Everything you need to know about tourmaline, increasingly fashionable in jewelry ♦

You may have noticed it: for some years now tourmaline, and in particular the Paraiba variety has become the star of jewelry. Few, however, really know this stone, which can take on different colors and which is often confused with other gems. Tourmaline began its rise in the late 1980s, when the brightly colored variety was discovered in the mines of Paraíba, Brazil. These tourmalines, in blue and green shades, were immediately successful. Prices for this stone have risen rapidly to over $ 10,000 per carat. But, be careful: the red stones that are presented with the name of rubellite are also tourmalines.

Anello in oro bianco con tormalina
White gold ring with tourmaline, Vianna Lux collection

Composition. According to the chemistry, tourmalines are a crystalline composition of boron mineral silicate, with elements of aluminum, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. It is a semi-precious stone. Before the name tourmaline became common, this gem was also called the Sri Lankan Ceylonese magnet. This stone, in fact, has pyroelectric properties: it forms a temporary accumulation of electric charges of different sign on opposite ends in response to a change in temperature. But don’t worry: the wearer doesn’t get shocked. In the past, however, thanks to this property, tourmalines have been used by chemists to polarize light.

Anello con tormalina Paraiba di 24,75 carati
Ring with 24.75 carat Paraiba tourmaline and diamonds

The name. Tourmaline is a word that derives from the Tamil and Sinhalese language Turmali, used for various precious stones found in Sri Lanka. In recent centuries, large quantities of tourmalines have been exported to Europe from the Dutch East India Company from this country to southern India.

Anello con tormalina rosa di 58,18 carati
Ring with pink tourmaline of 58.18 carats

Colors. Tourmaline takes on a great variety of colors. However, the stone discovered in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia is a unique variety with bright colors, blue and green. The largest in the world weighs 191.87 carats and has been included in the Guinness Book of Records. But there are also red, pink, blue tourmalines, and even a variety called watermelon, that is watermelon, with shades that fade from intense pink to olive green. There is also the bright green tourmaline from Tanzania, which contains chromium (the same mineral that colors the emerald). On the market there are also yellow tourmalines, sometimes known as canary tourmaline. Zambia is rich in red and yellow tourmalines, which are relatively inexpensive. By a strange coincidence, the rarest variety, the colorless achroite, is not appreciated and is inexpensive. Tourmalines are also found in Afghanistan and the United States. The deposits in Maine tend to produce mint-green or pink-raspberry red crystals. California deposits are known for a bright pink color, but also two-tone. The most common tourmaline, however, is called schorl, black colored sodium iron.

Anello Vuoi una mentina? Di Suzanne Syz, con tormalina Paraiba, oro, smalto, diamanti
Ring Do you want a mint? By Suzanne Syz, with Paraiba tourmaline, gold, enamel, diamonds

Beauty treatment. There are many tourmalines that are subjected to special treatments to improve their color. In particular, the pink and red colored buds are often heated at high temperatures to make the color more pleasant. For example, stones with a very dark red color can be made brighter with heat treatment. The pink color, on the other hand, can be significantly increased by irradiation with gamma rays or electron beams. But radioactivity does not remain in the stone, rest assured. Among other things, you will never know: the irradiation process is almost impossible to detect in tourmalines and currently does not affect its value. Tourmaline varieties such as rubellite and Paraiba are also sometimes improved to make them clearer and brighter. But a tourmaline that undergoes this treatment is worth less than a natural gem of the same type.

Anello Thalessa, in oro rosa 18 carati, tormalina, zaffiri, tormalina bicolore
Daniela Villegas, Thalessa ring, in 18k rose gold, tourmaline, sapphires, two-tone tourmaline

Where is it. There is not only Brazil. In the late 1990s tourmaline containing copper was found in Nigeria. Tourmaline has also recently been discovered in Mozambique, very similar to that of Paraiba. For this reason, tourmaline from the African country is often called paraiba, but it is a mistake (sometimes desired): in reality the colors of the Mozambican stone are often a little less bright than the Brazilian one. In addition, African tourmaline also costs much less.

Una tormalina watermelon africana
An African watermelon tourmaline
Orecchini con al centro due tormaline watermelon dell'Himalaya
Earrings with two Himalayan watermelon tourmalines in the center
Van Cleef & Arpels, anello Pierres de Caractère Lotus d'Orient in oro bianco, tormalina ovale del Mozambico tipo Paraiba di 24.44 carati, diamanti taglio brillante e a pera, zaffiri tondi e chrysoprase scanalati
Van Cleef & Arpels, Pierres de Caractère Lotus d’Orient ring in white gold, 24.44 carats oval Paraiba-type Mozambique tourmaline, brilliant-cut and pear-cut diamonds, round sapphires and grooved chrysoprase
Anello di Stephen Webster con tormalina rosa all'asta online di Christie's. Stima: 7 mila euro
Stephen Webster ring with pink tourmaline
Anello con tormalina Paraiba di 48.27 carati
Ring with Paraiba tourmaline of 48.27 carats
Anello Pom Pom in oro rosa, con tormaline rosa di varie dimensioni, gradazioni e tagli e diamanti
Pom Pom ring in rose gold, with pink tourmalines of various sizes, gradations and cuts and diamonds
Jar, spilla appartenuta a Lily Safra con tormaline verdi e rosa a forma di papavero collegate da uno stelo di tormaline verdi taglio baguette attorcigliate su un diamante bianco taglio pera di 37 carati. Prezzo realizzato: 1 milione di euro circa
Jar, brooch belonging to Lily Safra with green and pink poppy-shaped tourmalines connected by a stem of baguette-cut green tourmalines twisted onto a 37-carat pear-cut white diamond

The colors of the world in Denise Cassou’s jewels

A globetrotter with a passion for art, cinema and fashion. But also for her gems, which she has decided to make the absolute protagonists of her activity: Denise Cassou, a Brazilian from Sao Paulo, has decided that once she has reached maturity, she wanted a change. After traveling much of the world and graduating in photography and cinema, she launched herself into the world of high quality jewelery with the brand of the same name. For many years she designed and made her own jewelery and that of her daughters and her close friends before creating her own Maison, which she launched in 2022.

Orecchini con opale e tormalina paraiba
Earrings with opal and paraiba tourmaline

But without forgetting her traveler roots: her first collection of jewels created using stones extracted during her travels is inspired by the world of Magna Graecia. As often happens in Brazil, a country rich in stone mines for jewelry, Denise Cassou’s earrings and rings are focused on gems. In particular, the opals and tourmalines of different colors, starting with the mesmerizing Paraiba, become the protagonists. But there are also large emeralds, sunstones, tanzanites and diamonds.

Orecchini con agata nera e bianca, diamanti. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Earrings with black and white agate, diamonds. Copyright: Gioiellis.com
Anelli con tormaline di diverso colore, pietra sole, zaffirio. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Rings with tourmalines of different colors, sunstone, sapphire. Copyright: Gioiellis.com
Due anelli di Denise Cassou con due grandi smeraldi dalla tonalità completamente diversa
Two rings by Denise Cassou with two large emeralds with completely different shades
Orecchini Grotta Azzurra in oro e perle barocche
Grotta Azzurra earrings in gold and baroque pearls
Orecchini con tormalina bicolor e corallo
Earrings worn with bicolor tourmaline and coral
Denise Cassou. Copyright: gioiellis.com
Denise Cassou. Copyright: gioiellis.com

The colors of Texas with M.Spalten

Texas: wide-brimmed hats, boundless spaces, oil wells. And the colored gems of M. Spalten, a small Maison in San Antonio, a city in south-central Texas and the seventh most populous metropolis in the United States. Melissa Spalten lived in Texas, where she still makes her jewelry, although she often resides in California. She discovered her passion for the arts as a child: sculptures, paintings and then the beaded jewels created from clay with her hands accompanied her childhood. Before jumping headlong into jewelry, she attended the Fashion Institute or Design and, later, the Gemological Institute of America, which gave her the scientific basis for the choice of stones.

Turquoise and Tanzanite Gemfetti Ring
Turquoise and Tanzanite Gemfetti Ring

The designer loves very colorful stones: opals, sapphires, tourmalines, emeralds, peridot are the kind of material she uses as colors on the painter’s palette, supported by silver and 18 and 14 carat gold. Her jewels are also sold on some large online platforms, such as Moda Operandi.

Australian Heart Opal Gemfetti Necklace
Australian Heart Opal Gemfetti Necklace
Three Gemfetti Ring, Blue Topaz & Peridot
Three Gemfetti Ring, Blue Topaz & Peridot
The Mini Gemfetti 14K Yellow Gold Ruby, Amethyst and Diamond Earring
The Mini Gemfetti 14K Yellow Gold Ruby, Amethyst and Diamond Earring
The Large Double Heart 14K Yellow Gold Opal, Chrysoprase Earrings
The Large Double Heart 14K Yellow Gold Opal, Chrysoprase Earrings
Gem ID 14K Yellow Gold, Turquoise, And Tsavorite Bracelet
Gem ID 14K Yellow Gold, Turquoise, And Tsavorite Bracelet

Jared Lehr, jewels for the stars




The jewels of the stars was signed by Jared Lehr, a designer who is takeing off in Hollywood ♦ ︎

He looks like an actor, lives in Hollywood, attends the world of cinema. Yet it does not participate in films and television productions. Jared Lehr, in fact, is a jeweler. Although he offers his work a broader definition: “I do not make jewels, I make art to wear”, he says without false modesty.

His style? Strong, irreverent, with jewels with irregular shapes, with large stones in bold colors.

Orecchini con spessartite e diamanti
Orecchini con spessartite e diamanti
The son of a jeweler-architect, Sam Lehr, after attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, in 2015 Jared gave life to his very exclusive brand. It produces a few pieces, but very precious and sold at a consequent price (sometime its jewels exceed 100,000 dollars). Also because he himself often goes to Africa, South America, Asia to select and buy the stones to use. In particular, he loves the family of tourmalines: green, blue, red and pink. In particular, those of the variety indicolite (blue-green): considers them more beautiful than emeralds. His ability to reveal himself sympathetic, his undoubted good looks, together with the ability to enhance the great stones of color that he uses for his jewels have made him rise in the ranking of the favorite jewelers of many stars.

Anello con tormalina verde
Anello con tormalina verde
Orecchini con opale e spinello
Orecchini con opale e spinello
Orecchini con peridoto
Orecchini con peridoto e zaffiri
Anello con rubino e zaffiri rosa
Anello con rubino e zaffiri rosa

Orecchini con zaffiro e diamanti
Orecchini con zaffiro e diamanti

Anello con zaffiro e diamanti
Anello con zaffiro e diamanti







Color news for Piti Malì




Let’s start with the unusual name: Piti Malì. Only Marcella Maugeri, the founder of the brand, and few others know exactly what the meaning is. It is, in fact, the nickname with which her closest family and friends usually call her. Piti is the diminutive of the adjective small and Malì the truncation of the word Malia. Name that in Italian also has the meaning of spell and, according to the story, the designer has always been fascinated by the jewels worn by her mother and grandmother since she was a child. A passion that, when she became an adult, Marcella Maugeri transformed from a game into a profession.

Collane di Piti Malì
Collane di Piti Malì

Marcella Maugeri, after experiences for the Spanish Tous and the American brand MySaintMyHero, followed courses in gemology and diamonds before founding Piti Malì Couture in 2016. Today the brand’s proposals are present in over 350 jewelers throughout Italy. The bijoux are made of 925 silver dipped in yellow gold, pink gold and rhodium. The designer has also devised to enrich each piece with a small stylized bag inserted in the closure of each jewel. «On which is then engraved the word that represents what that bag is full of: Love, Happiness, Luck, Dreams», explains the designer.
Anello regolabile con rodolite.  Argento 925 bagnato in oro giallo 18 carati
Anello regolabile con rodolite. Argento 925 bagnato in oro giallo 18 carati

For the FW 22-23 season Piti Malì Couture proposes jewels with tourmaline, which color earrings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets. Another novelty are the pendants of the Mosaico line, of different shapes, handcrafted by hand starting from Murano glass millefiori sticks set together.
Orecchini cona agata, argento 925 bagnato   oro giallo 18 carati
Orecchini cona agata, argento 925 bagnato
oro giallo 18 carati

Orecchini Piti Malì
Orecchini Piti Malì

Collane Piti Malì
Collane Piti Malì

Anelli e orecchini indossati
Anelli e orecchini indossati







What does Fa Gioielli do with Alliori




Fa Gioielli, from family Alliori to the goals of Valenza tradition combined with the pleasure of innovating ♦

The Alliori family, from Valenza, has two fortunes. The first is to own an excellent company, Fa Gioielli, founded in 1960 on the initiative of Mario Alliori. The second is to have the designer, Alessandra Alliori, who continues the tradition with the Alliori brand collections. Alliori brand jewels are sold in 27 countries around the world, in Europe and in the United States. The jewels are made of 18K red gold, with white or brown diamonds set.

Anelli in oro bianco con diamanti e zaffiri
Anelli in oro bianco con diamanti e zaffiri

A globetrotting life is to give life to the business of the company, but does not limit creativity, largely modulated around the use of colored precious and semi precious stones, emeralds from the tourmalines, to which are added the classics of the jewelry, that are gold and diamonds. But more Alessandra Alliori seeks to explore new areas of the design of the universe.

Anello in oro bianco con topazio e diamanti
Anello in oro bianco con topazio e diamanti
Anelli in oro rosa con diamanti e ametista
Anelli in oro rosa con diamanti e ametista
Anello in oro rosa con topazio
Anello in oro rosa con topazio
Anelli a banda in oro rosa, diamanti e smalto
Anelli a banda in oro rosa, diamanti e smalto

Bracciale in oro bianco con diamanti bianchi e neri
Bracciale in oro bianco con diamanti bianchi e neri

Anello in oro rosa con diamanti e smalti
Anello in oro rosa con diamanti e smalti







Jack Vartanian’s Gems




The glam jewels of the Brazilian designer Jack Vartanian

Brazil has long been one of the countries with the largest number of high-end jewelers, perhaps also thanks to the gem mines found in some areas. This is why a small group of designers has grown up capable of making the eyes of many women shine beyond the borders of Brazil. One of these is Jack Vartanian, who founded his brand in San Paolo in 1999. Born in Beirut into a family of Armenian origin (he has a brother, Ara Vartanian, also a jewelry designer, but with whom he has broken up relations for years), who traded in precious stones, he moved to Brazil when he was two years old. and has continued in the wake of tradition.

Orecchini con diamanti e rubini
Orecchini con diamanti e rubini

Gold and black rhodium are thus combined with black and white diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. If you look at the ears, necks and hands of celebrities like Kate Moss, Emma Stone and Miley Cyrus to Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Lopez, you might find a piece of jewelry created by Jack Vartanian. The long journeys alongside his father in search of the best stones were his university. Now he re-evaluates that period, the seventies and eighties, which are still a source of inspiration for his collections. In which pieces that reflect the spirit of those years often stand out, such as the ring and bracelet in gold and black leopard spots, to be exhibited perhaps in pairs. Or the tourmalines composed to form a “z”. Which is a letter from the word Brazil.
Anello Blossom in oro giallo
Anello Blossom in oro giallo

Anello Celebrate in oro bianco e smeraldi
Anello Celebrate in oro bianco e smeraldi
Orecchini a frange in oro bianco e diamanti
Orecchini a frange in oro bianco e diamanti
Orecchini in oro giallo e bianco con smeraldi e diamanti brown
Orecchini in oro giallo e bianco con smeraldi e diamanti brown
Orecchini in oro bianco e zaffiri di 4,56 carati
Orecchini in oro bianco e zaffiri di 4,56 carati

Orecchini con tormaline verdi
Orecchini con tormaline verdi







Annamaria Cammilli’s shades with Dune Color




The soft undulations, which are Annamaria Cammilli‘s trademark, are colored. The Dune collection, launched by the Florentine brand in 2010, is renewed year after year with small or large innovations which, in any case, leave the aesthetic imprinting of the jewels unchanged, composed of parallel gold bands, which have inside small gems set. A longevity that has been facilitated not only by the supple irregularity of the curves of the rings, earrings or pendants, but also by the possibility of replicating the design with the eight abundant colors of gold that are another of the brand’s prerogatives.

Orecchino in oro indossato della collezione Dune Color con tormalina rosa e diamante
Orecchino in oro indossato della collezione Dune Color con tormalina rosa e diamante

For 2022 Annamaria Cammilli adds a new line: Dune Color, which combines the design of the collection with the colors of semiprecious stones, especially tourmalines, but also tanzanites and peridot. The gems are present in shades of green, red or blue. Together with the semi-precious stones, moreover, the jewels are also enriched with brilliant-cut diamonds, which increase the brightness of the jewel and, of course, also its value.
Anello in oro e diamanti della collezione Dune
Anello in oro e diamanti della collezione Dune

Orecchini della collezione Dune Color con diamanti champagne e tormaline azzurre
Orecchini della collezione Dune Color con diamanti champagne e tormaline azzurre
Pendente in oro 18 carati con tormaline e peridoto
Pendente in oro 18 carati con tormaline e peridoto
Orecchini in oro con tanzaniti
Orecchini in oro con tanzaniti
Anelli della collezione Dune Color
Anelli della collezione Dune Color

Pendente in oro con tormalina rosa e diamanti
Pendente in oro con tormalina rosa e diamanti







Celine Daoust, sensitive heart of stone

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Tourmalines, suns and gray diamonds: the simple but captivating design of Celine Daoust ♦ ︎

Belgian Pride, Indian sensibility, New Age spirituality: you can find the synthesis in a  designer, Celine Daoust. She is part of the women born with the objective to make jewelry, of those who from childhood loved to play with the jewelry house. After she was become adult, Celine decided to go in the Indian capital of jewelry, Jaipur, to refine the experience with precious stones. The gems, according to the designer from Brussels, also contain beneficial properties that go beyond their pleasant aesthetics.

Collana in oro 14 carati con smalto e diamanti taglio pera e trillion
Collana in oro 14 carati con smalto e diamanti taglio pera e trillion

Believe it or not, the jewelry that offers Celine Daoust, with her predilection for tourmalines and processes entrusted to experts Indian craftsmen, they are interesting. The fact of having a link with India, however, does not prevent his imagination to introduce an absolutely modern, Western, Northern style. Even if you are not aware of the symbolic values ​​of the stones, you can admire the provisions that in some cases seem almost random, but are in fact dictated by a subtle sense of balance. It is more difficult, in fact, achieve symmetry and balanced volumes when using irregular forms: an art in which Celine Daous excels.

Anello in oro 14 carati con diamanti grigi
Anello in oro 14 carati con diamanti grigi
Collana Guardian Spirit in oro 14 carati e tormaline verdi
Collana Guardian Spirit in oro 14 carati, diamanti e tormaline verdi
Collana con pendente Guardian Spirit in oro, diamanti e pietra luna
Collana con pendente Guardian Spirit in oro, diamanti e pietra luna
Orecchini pezzo unico in oro con tormaline rosa
Orecchini pezzo unico in oro con tormaline rosa
Anello in oro con tormalina watermelon
Anello in oro con tormalina watermelon
Anello Protection in oro con diamanti taglio marquise
Anello Protection in oro con diamanti taglio marquise

Orecchini in oro con tormaline verdi e diamanti
Orecchini in oro con tormaline verdi e diamanti






Audrius Kruliš, alien-jewels

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From Lithuania to New York: the irresistible rise of Audrius Kruliš, among opals and tourmalines ♦

Down the fences, barriers, borders, at least to design jewelry, the world does not tend to shrink. Indeed, it widens to new players, who may have been born in surprising places. This is the case of Audrius Kruliš, born in Lithuania and graduated at the Vilnius Fine Arts Academy in 1963. To put him out a bit and had to move to New York.

Anello in oro 18 carati con zaffiro rosa e diamanti
Anello in oro 18 carati con zaffiro rosa e diamanti

He worked as a foreman for 20 years, before creating their own jewelery brand. But in the end (it’s the American dream) was able to emerge and at Jck Las Vegas has been noted as one of the most innovative. It must be said that her jewelry is right outside of the classic tracks. Some seem alien forms landed secretly on Earth and made into rings, earrings and necklaces. It’s nothing to disturbing, mind you: just that the perimeter of the jewelry does not have that geometric regularity that characterizes the classic jewelery. Alternatively, some pieces resemble microcellular beings which instead of tentacles have protuberances with diamonds and rubies, also around a large opal. But you must not be of biological scientist to appreciate it.

Orecchini in oro con diamanti
Orecchini in oro con diamanti
Anello in oro con 4 diamanti
Anello in oro con 4 diamanti
Orecchini in oro 18 carati e diamanti
Orecchini in oro 18 carati e diamanti
Anello in oro 18 carati con opale nero e diamanti
Anello in oro 18 carati con opale nero e diamanti
Bracciale in oro con 7 tormaline e diamanti
Bracciale in oro con 7 tormaline e diamanti

Anello in oro con rubellite e diamanti
Anello in oro con rubellite e diamanti







The gems of Kika Alvarenga

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News is scarce, but there is a lot to observe and, perhaps, wear in Kika Alvarenga’s work. She is one of the few designers who handcraft the prototype of the jewels, ready for the subsequent finishing. You started your business in 2017 and work in Belo Horizonte, the Brazilian capital of the state of Minas Gerais, the second most populous area in Brazil and, above all, the one where there are numerous gem mines. Moreover, Kika Alvarenga is known to have graduated from Central Saint Martins University of Arts in London and, as she immediately appears from her jewels, she has a particular attention to semi-precious stones, such as tourmalines.

Anello Tucum in oro 18 carati e quarzo
Anello Tucum in oro 18 carati e quarzo

For her collections, the designer also uses both silver and gold, sometimes rhodium-plated, but her work is concentrated on the stones. She loves to highlight the color of the gems, but also the imperfections. A passion that she was born after a trip to Diamantina, in Minas Gerais, where she saw a gold mine up close and was fascinated by the stories and tools used in the extraction of the stones.
Orecchini Envolto in oro 18 carati e quarzo
Orecchini Envolto in oro 18 carati e quarzo

Orecchini Duo Quadrado in oro 18 carati e tormalina verde
Orecchini Duo Quadrado in oro 18 carati e tormalina verde
Anello Duo Trama in oro 18 carati e tormaline
Anello Duo Trama in oro 18 carati e tormaline
Orecchini Fire in oro 18 carati e tormaline
Orecchini Fire in oro 18 carati e tormaline
Anello con tormalina e quarzo a sostegno dell'Ucraina
Anello con tormalina e quarzo a sostegno dell’Ucraina
Anello Moita in oro 18 carati, diamanti e tormaline
Anello Moita in oro 18 carati, diamanti e tormaline

Catena in oro con quarzo
Catena in oro con quarzo







Katherine Jetter, from kangaroos to the Big Apple

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The jewels of the Australian designer, based in New York, Katherine Jetter ♦ ︎

In which part of the world can a designer be born who describes a ring just made with blue tourmaline and kangaroo-colored spinels? You guessed it: Katherine Jetter was born in Melbourne, Australia. But you do not have to imagine her as Mr. Crocodile Dundee’s sister. She explains, in fact, that she spent most of her youth in England, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and so she speaks fluently German, French and Italian, obviously besides English. In short, she is an Australian with a broad vision of the world, which in 2018 also took her to the Couture Show, where she met her myth, Stephen Webster. And this also offers a further indication of its predilection: jewelery, luxury, but also lively and modern. And since, let’s remember, she is Australian, what is one of her favorite stones? You have guessed again: the opal. That was the stone with which she began her career as a designer: a small blue opal with which Katherine has created a simple and elegant ring.

Anello con opale nero e spinelli rossi
Anello con opale nero e spinelli rossi
The most surprising aspect, however, is that Katherine, before founding her jewelry house in London, earned a degree in clinical psychology and worked in one of the largest investment banks, JP Morgan. Experiences that, perhaps (very perhaps) have been useful for her second life, started with the courses at the classic Gemological Institute of America (Gia) where she graduated. After the jump from the psyche to the gems, in fact, she worked for various international high-end jewelers, including De Beers. Her Maison was therefore born in New York City, as in the films with the “American dream”. Travel, experience and a good imagination did the rest. Ah, a detail is missing: she has climbed the peaks of Machu Picchu and Kilimanjaro. We can not certainly say that she is lazy.

Collana con pendente in opale e diamanti
Collana con pendente in opale e diamanti
Orecchini in rodio verde e diamanti
Orecchini in rodio verde e diamanti
Orecchini con smeraldi Muzo e perle di Tahiti
Orecchini con smeraldi Muzo e perle di Tahiti
Collana con smeraldi Muzo e perle di Tahiti
Collana con smeraldi Muzo e perle di Tahiti

Anello con opale nero e diamanti
Anello con opale nero e diamanti

Orecchini con tormalina rosa e smalto viola
Orecchini con tormalina rosa e smalto viola







Yael Sonia’s movements

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The geometrical and kinetic jewels by Brazilian Yael Sonia, who has known success in New York ♦

There are children who never are stop. But there are also jewels that are always on the move. Gold and precious stones that are always active are the elements that distinguish the work of a successful designer, quite original: Yael Sonia. Brasilian of Sao Paulo, in 2003 she opened a boutique in downtown New York, successfully. His strange, but very intuitive insight stems from his studies: the Parsons School of Design in New York, but also mathematics. The union of art and scientific calculus has allowed her to create jewels that play on volumes, but also on movement within them, with stones that can swing back and forth as they would be on rails. This kind of jewelery, called Spinning, has become a model also sought after by many Hollywood stars.

Yael Sonia has a style that has evolved over time, is changed from pieces which were small sculptures or, rather, miniature architectures, to a genre that combines artistic creation with portability. The fact of working in Brazil, then, has added the possibility of having a large variety of gems, often tailored to their jewelery. And commensurate with the difficult and refined workmanship of his pieces, especially bracelets and rings, are the prices: it ranges from a minimum of about $ 2,000 to tens of thousands.

Anello Solar Duo in oro 18 carati e tormalina verde
Anello Solar Duo in oro 18 carati e tormalina verde
Anello Lunar in oro giallo con ametista
Anello Lunar in oro giallo con ametista
Orecchini Eclipse in oro giallo, diamanti, perle Akoya
Orecchini Eclipse in oro giallo, diamanti, perle Akoya
Bracciale Eclipse in oro giallo con diamanti e perle Akoya
Bracciale Eclipse in oro giallo con diamanti e perla Akoya
Orecchini in oro rosa e perle Akoya
Orecchini in oro rosa e perle Akoya
Bracciale in oro 18 carati, diamanti e acquamarina
Bracciale in oro 18 carati, diamanti e acquamarina

Anello in oro con amazonite
Anello in oro con amazonite







Takat, the design which comes from India

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Takat, brand which won the prestigious Best Design Jck Award, has a history that comes from afar: Haji Nisar Ahmed Takat, was descended from an ancient family of Indian craftsmen stonemasons. In 1955, he opened his first workshop of carving and polishing in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. In 1976, with the help of the children Siraj Ahmed Takat and Rafeeq Ahmed Takat, opened a small office in the city and began buying and selling of precious stones.

Anello in oro giallo e bianco, diamanti, smeraldo
Anello in oro giallo e bianco, diamanti, smeraldo

In 1994, Siraj and Rafeeq began to exhibit in gems and jewelry trade shows around the world, from Hong Kong to Tokyo, Tucson, from Chicago to Vicenza, Milan and Dubai. Up to open an office in New York City. Despite this, Takat remains a family company. The winner of the prize jewel is a necklace with a reversible tanzanite cut shield from 18.73 carat round diamonds and marquise cut diamonds. For those interested, it costs 25 thousand dollars.

Anello con rubino naturale e diamanti
Anello con rubino naturale e diamanti
Anello con diamanti champagne e morganite
Anello con diamanti champagne e morganite
Orecchini con diamanti bianchi per 7 carati e diamanti fancy yellow
Orecchini con diamanti bianchi per 7 carati e diamanti fancy yellow
Orecchini com smeraldi taglio a goccia
Orecchini com smeraldi taglio a goccia
Collana con diamanti e tanzanite di oltre 186 carati
Collana con diamanti e tanzanite di oltre 186 carati
Anello eternity con zaffiri blu
Anello eternity con zaffiri blu







Why precious stones are heated?




Precious and semi-precious stones in the great majority are heated at high temperatures. Or subjected to radiation. That’s why

If the precious stones warm your heart is perhaps because in turn have been heated. Not from your eyes, but from an electric furnace which can reach 1,600 degrees. The thermal treatment of precious and semiprecious stones is known to jewelers and gemologists, but little known to the general public, that is, those who buy jewelry that flaunt jewels of deep red, deep blue sapphires, aquamarines transparent. In fact, the colored stones that are sold as natural are a small minority, most end up in the oven, without the intervention of a chef. We see, then, what is the heat treatment of gemstones.

Un sacchetto di rubini estratti in una miniera birmana
Un sacchetto di rubini estratti in una miniera birmana

Warm color
The stones are heated above all to bring out the colors. During treatment the stone is heated to very high temperatures (up to about 1600 degrees Celsius). At this temperature the inclusions (small amounts of other minerals) present in the stone melt and add their own color to the stone. Usually, therefore, the heated stone becomes darker, of a more intense hue. This is the case, for example, of rutile in the blue sapphires. There are also sapphires, known as Gouda, which are extracted from the ground milk and white sapphires turn blue when heated. Even the rubies are almost always heated (except exceptions): with the heat the aluminum oxide in the stone creates a new crystalline structure and the chromium is combined in a different way, allowing a better shade of red. Another effect of the heat is that it can improve the transparency of the stone, thanks to the destruction of any gas or fluid inclusions.

I rubini sono stati messi in un recipiente al centro del fuoco, dove vengono riscaldati
I rubini sono stati messi in un recipiente al centro del fuoco, dove vengono riscaldati

How to find them
Do you have a ring with a natural stone or heated? The question should be: what does it matter? But if you are curious to know, you must contact a gemologist with a microscope. And even so will not be easy to find out. The gemologists, however, can examine the internal state of the stone, inclusions, and look for signs of heat treatment. In general, if the stone is perfect or has exceptional value, or has been treated.
What stones are heated
Here the stones more easily end up in the oven: amethyst, citrine, ametrine, aquamarine, tourmaline, topaz, sapphire, ruby, tanzanite, blue zircon.

A sinistra, una tanzanite prima di essere riscaldata. A destra, la tanzanite dopo il trattamento con il calore
A sinistra, una tanzanite prima di essere riscaldata. A destra, la tanzanite dopo il trattamento con il calore

Irradiation

In addition to being heated, precious and semi-precious stones can be subjected to radiation. The question is: are they dangerous then? No, no problem: they are under strict control, just like when you go to the hospital for a chest screen. And, in any case, before leaving the laboratory the stones are checked to ensure that they do not emit dangerous radiation. After all, many gems are naturally subjected to radiation when underground. The irradiation that takes place in the laboratory serves to strengthen or change the color. A stone often subjected to radiation is blue topaz, which in nature is found with a very light shade. Often the two treatments, the thermal and the radioactive one, are combined: each one manages to improve a different aspect of the stone.

A sinistra, un rubino naturale. A destra il rubino dopo essere stato riscaldato
A sinistra, un rubino naturale. A destra il rubino dopo essere stato riscaldato
Rubino grezzo riscaldato
Rubino grezzo riscaldato
rubino non trattato e1544889019119
Un rubino non trattato: notare le inclusioni e la luce irregolare






 

Derek Katzenbach, King of tourmalines




Derek Katzenbach, gem-cutting virtuoso and tourmaline jewelry specialist, has twice won the Spectrum and Cutting Edge Award ♦

You maybe don’t know it, but there is also the Spectrum and Cutting Edge Award. It is an award that is held in New York and is assigned to the virtuous designers. In 2016 the winner for the category Color was awarded to a young craftsman in the processing of stones and jewels. And in 2017 he won first place in the Objects of Art category of the Spectrum Awards for his Kaleidoscope of precious stones Colors of Maine.

Orecchini con tormaline verdi e diamanti
Orecchini con tormaline verdi e diamanti

He does not live in Los Angeles or in one of those big American cities where luxury jewelers are frequent almost like Starbucks coffee. Derek Katzenbach, however, lives and works in a small Maine town, near the border with Canada. But does not intend to change: he started the journey in the jewelry industry in 20 years, he says of himself. A local blacksmith taught him the rudiments of jewelery. He then worked for a jeweler in his city, Farmington, before specializing himself in gemology. Derek, however, has an advantage: Maine is famous for its mines, including also extracts the tourmaline, especially the two-tone. During the long winters of Maine, the designer has also learned to introduce particularly elaborate cuts, with shapes that often follow the irregularities of the stone. In the ring awarded in the contest, a two-color tourmaline are flanked tsavorite, garnet, and diamond.

Collana e pendente con diamante al centro
Collana e pendente con diamante al centro
L'anello in oro bianco 14K con tormalina bicolore, tsavorite, granati e-diamanti
L’anello in oro bianco 14K con tormalina bicolore, tsavorite, granati e-diamanti
Orecchini con due tormaline del Maine di 9,74 carati e tsavoriti
Orecchini con due tormaline del Maine di 9,74 carati e tsavoriti
Citrino intagliato
Citrino intagliato

Ametrina intagliata di 39,67 carati
Ametrina intagliata di 39,67 carati

Pendente con topazio al centro
Pendente con topazio al centro







Dale Hernsdorf, 22-karat creativity

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There are many jewelers who, like Dale Hernsdorf, studied painting (and in this case, also photography) before turning to earrings, rings and necklaces. A sign that sensitivity to the visual arts is a spice that gives something extra when it comes to designing a jewel. And, indeed, Dale Hernsdorf also has a job as an illustrator and graphic designer in her curriculum. Of course, before moving on to the side of the jewelry makers. The jewels of the brand that bears her name, in Santa Barbara, near Los Angeles, are all handmade.

Collana in oro 22 carati e tormalina verde-blu
Collana in oro 22 carati e tormalina verde-blu

The designer has chosen to work almost always with 22 carat yellow gold, therefore very yellow, as was used in the past. In addition, she prefers large colored stones, such as tourmaline and rubellite, to create large rings, ruff necklaces or dangle earrings, but also pendants. But in Dale Hernsdorf’s activity it is also right to remember her commitment as a teacher, after UCLA, she now dedicates time as a volunteer at the non-profit organization A Place Called Home.
Ciondolo in oro 22 carati, rubellite e rubini
Ciondolo in oro 22 carati, rubellite e rubini

Anello in oro 22 carati, rubellite e diamanti
Anello in oro 22 carati, rubellite e diamanti
Orecchini Snug Hoops in oro 22 carati, tsavoriti e zaffiri
Orecchini Snug Hoops in oro 22 carati, tsavoriti e zaffiri
Ciondolo in oro con perla di Tahiti
Ciondolo in oro con perla di Tahiti
Anello in oro 22 carati, tormalina paraiba e diamanti
Anello in oro 22 carati, tormalina paraiba e diamanti

Orecchini in oro 22 carati e tormaline
Orecchini in oro 22 carati e tormaline







Doris Hangartner, jewelry and chocolate

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The five senses, but above all the palate, which celebrates the combination of chocolate and jewels. It is the original and creative idea of ​​Doris Hangartner ♦ ︎

There are two things that make a woman happy: jewels and chocolate. Instead, there is only one woman who has decided to combine the two elements: Doris Hangartner. She has a very varied curriculum behind her: after graduating in Gemology at the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica (California), she worked for jewelry companies, in particular as a gemologist, but also dealt with antiques and vintage jewelry.

I cioccolatini abbinati alle gemme
I cioccolatini abbinati alle gemme

How she came up with the idea of ​​combining chocolate and jewelry is not known. But the marriage is part of a broader philosophy of the brand, which is based in Zurich, Switzerland (not surprisingly the homeland of chocolate). Doris Hangartner’s goal, in fact, is to identify a person’s personality in order to find affinity with a gem. In short, a jewelry that involves the five senses. For example, peridot inspires smooth flavor of matcha (finely ground powder of green tea leaves, with the same color as the bud) combined with notes of jasmine and cedar surround the toasted almond in a special praline. Or a shocking but delicious splash of vodka, absinthe, peppermint and lime are the components of another praline, filled with liquid alcohol and dedicated to Paraiba tourmaline, the house specialty. Gem chocolates are handmade by a traditional Maison in Zurich (they are excellent, we can assure you). In short, each chocolate represents a gem: the imperial topaz (chocolate, honey, incense, orange and elderflower), red spinel (nougat, hot pepper and szechuan pepper, star anise, sesame and fleur de sel).

Anello con tormalina Paraiba a goccia
Anello con tormalina Paraiba a goccia

But, perhaps to prevent someone from eating a peridot or sniffing a garnet, you decided to evolve the idea. For example, combining essences and scented candles with jewels, to satisfy the olfactory buds. Without forgetting hearing, with Gem Dance, Let’s Tango, a ballet inspired by red spinel and tango music, created with internationally renowned dancers and choreographers such as Oleksandr and Sergiy Kirichenko and the Stradivari Quartett. Ah, yes, there are also jewels: after this premise, it is easy to understand that stones have a prominent role. They are lively, strong stones with personality. Used in jewelry thanks to the good and nice creative director of the Maison, Karen McGlashan.

Anello con due pietre luna
Anello con due pietre luna
Orecchini con morganite e perle rosa
Orecchini con morganite e perle rosa
Dorsi Hangartner, orecchini con giada e tormalina
Doris Hangartner, orecchini con giada e tormalina
Anello con con tormalina e smeraldi
Anello con con tormalina e smeraldi
Anello zon zircone malese e ceramica
Anello zon zircone malese e ceramica
Anello con morganite
Anello con morganite
Anello con grande tormalina paraiba e zirconi naturali
Anello con grande tormalina paraiba e zirconi naturali
Orecchini con tormalina paraiba
Orecchini con tormalina paraiba
Orecchini con perle rosa e morganite
Orecchini con perle rosa e morganite

Collana con perle e morganite
Collana con perle e morganite







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