Mother's Day, But Make It Extra

Did you know that Mother’s Day is coming up? Like, really, really soon? It’s May 12th, and in case the holiday has slipped your mind, I’ve got some upgraded gift ideas for you: 

JEWELRY, BUT WITH MORE OOH’S AND AAH’S

If she’s a little conservative when buying jewelry for herself, Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion to give her something she might not think to ask you for. Try an unexpected color combo, like the Ridgeline Pendant Necklace in Dalmatian jasper and blue chalcedony, or Collage Studs in crystal quartz packed with sparkle. Check out the full list of Mother’s Day picks featuring my most-gifted pieces. 

---

PERFUME, BUT AN EXPERIENCE

Schedule a trip for the two of you to visit a scent-maker where your mom can have a custom perfume blended for her. She’ll get to work with an expert to craft her own signature scent, and it’ll be an experience you can share together. Try Kelly + Jones’ scent studio in upstate NY (Kingston, to be exact), or Nova in NYC. Extra points if you plan brunch before your appointment.

---

FLOWERS, BUT WITH A TWIST

Get her a gift she can open on May 12th, but also order her flowers with a delivery date that’s 2 or 3 months away. She won’t be expecting it at all, and it’ll show her that you’re always thinking of her (not just on Mother’s Day). Some of my favorite florists include Hops Petunia in Kingston, and Putnam & Putnam in NYC

---

Try any of these and let me know how it goes — if you have any other great, unexpected ideas, add them to the comments!

The Romantic Rose Cut

Left: Untitled Andy Warhol illustration; Right: Rose quartz and black spinel rose cut stones.

---

Gemstones have been enchanting people for thousands of years, and starting in the 16th century people figured out that by cutting and faceting them, you could bring out even more of their beauty. (Have you seen rough diamonds before they’ve been cut? God bless whoever first thought, “Hey, we might have something here.”)

One of the earliest cuts developed was the rose cut, named for the tight, spiraling petals of a rose bud before it blooms. (Once I heard that I was done for.) Triangular facets all over the top of the stone mimic petals, and each one catches the light and sparkles, even on dark or opaque stones.

Rose cut illustration, via Erstwhile Jewelry’s “History of Diamond Cutting”

The rose cut is also more of an old school, antique cut; when cutting technology advanced, you could get more facets and therefore more sparkle out of stones. While newer stone cuts are beautiful, I have a soft spot for the earlier cut, especially when it’s set in a more modern design. I love using them in my own jewelry, and have big plans to use them even more in the not-too-distant future. 

Now that you know its romantic inspiration, have you fallen under the spell of the rose cut, too? 

My Dalmatian Jasper Obsession

There’s magic in semi-precious stones, and something extra special about Dalmatian jasper in particular. It’s the stone I get asked about the most, and stops people in their tracks, eliciting an, “Oooooh, what’s that one called?” I mean, just look at it! Can you blame anyone?

Every time I get a freshly cut batch of Dalmatian jasper it feels like Christmas, with each stone a unique play of black and cream speckles on ivory white. Picking which ones to use in specific designs gets hard — how do I choose when they’re all so wonderful? I especially love seeing lots of them set all together, like in the Willoughby Necklace, so that the natural pattern really starts to show itself.

I’m also a big proponent of natural Dalmatian jasper stones (and most semi-precious stones, really), using them exclusively in my jewelry. They are reflections of a specific moment and place — the chemicals, elements, and debris that got caught up in the stone when it originally formed determine its unique design fingerprint.

Today’s jewelry scene uses reconstituted stones a lot — ground-up stone mixed with resin and put back together. Because it’s man-made you can control the final product so precisely, but I think that takes all the fun out of it. Mother Nature is the best designer, and with semi-precious stones I’m happy to let her work her magic so I can be surprised and delighted with what she comes up with.

I plan on using even more jasper in the future — that whole family of stones (of which Dalmatian jasper is just one member) comes in an incredible variety of colors and patterns. See how I’m using it now, and let me know if you have a favorite stone you’d love to see me use in the future!

A Thank You Note

The end of the year caught me by surprise — I had my head down for lots of it, shipping out gifts and meeting lots of new people at holiday markets. And now that Christmas is over, I’ve had some time to reflect on this past year and how grateful I am for everyone, including you, being a part of it.

I can’t thank you enough for supporting this one-woman show, from buying jewelry, to saying hi at events, to sharing your stories with me. Thank you for choosing to spend your dollars on my pieces, because I know there are a lot of options out there. Thank you for making new memories while wearing my jewelry, and for marking special occasions with it. Thank you, too, for letting me talk your ear off about the magic of semi-precious stones, or how, precisely, I turned that block of wax into a necklace. I appreciate it all, and wanted to make sure I told you before I get lost in all my new to-do lists. 

Hope you have a happy New Year, and that it’s full of happiness and wonderful adventures!