Endless talk of all things sparkly.

Obsessions

Buddha-rama

Slightly buddha-obsessed, my sister and I were on a mission to find a good piece of jewelry featuring, none other than, the buddha himself. We wanted either a necklace or bracelet, something you couldn't find in Forever 21 or Claire's that would tarnish in three days. Fake jewelry is a waste of money for that reason. photography by ALisha We found a necklace, a pendant and a bracelet, although the bracelet is not real gold, we couldn't resist its similarity to the peace sign bracelets seen recently on The Hills' Stephanie Pratt. Check out our finds below! This pendant is our favorite. Priced at $150, it is a good buy for being 14k gold and carved jade. It would look great on a short or long chain, depending on what you like. This juicy treasure may even bring you good luck, and can be purchased at c.h.a.r.m. When we saw this necklace, we immediately wanted to take out our credit cards. Unfortunately, $420 is not in the budget. The buddha is made out of carved coral, with a mother-of-pearl leaf and turquoise bead dangling below. On a 14k gold chain with a lobster claw clasp, this little jigglypuff can be yours by going to Ylang|23 now! This is the bracelet we found...wish the buddha was made out of 14k gold. [sad face] But if you're into fake jewelry, he's good as golden! Max & Chloe is the neat online shop where you can purchase this bracelet for $63 in any color you want! Read More

Obsessions

Gem Gossip Charity Bracelet Gets a Makeover

In order to be more flexible for everyday wear; that is easy to slip on and give an even more "layered" look, I gave the Gem Gossip Charity Bracelet a makeover!  The new design lets you wrap it around your wrist a few times, and then adjust the knots by sliding them for a perfect fit.  At its full size you could even wear it as a necklace!  Pretty neat! I wore mine while in California, and it withstood a lot of activities like hiking, kayaking in the ocean and treking through the San Diego Zoo all day!  If you would like to own your very own, email me at charitybracelet@gmail.com Read More

Obsessions

Chain Gang; The Right Pendant for a Long Chain

Do you have a long, gold chain just laying in your jewelry box? Not too sure what to do with it? Well I've got the perfect pendant solutions to a long chain. First off, hopefully you've got a good, long chain to work with, preferably 20" or more. A box link chain will do fine, or you could change it up with a different type (maybe like the ones in the picture above). If you don't have one, and need to purchase a long chain, don't be afraid to pay anywhere from $300+ because a heavy gold chain will last a lifetime, is very versatile, and is actually an investment in terms of gold prices. Next, you need the perfect pendant. The size is important because it needs to be large either vertically or horizontally. I've noticed that this could get expensive, so certain gemstones like jade or mother-of-pearl are great choices because they are affordable and look great as a large pendant. Check out my choices below! Smokey Quartz is a great gemstone and very affordable. This pendant is almost 12 carats, however the price is still a very affordable $50. The elongated style is a great one to wear on a long chain. This pendant is from Jewelry Television--I'd recommend sticking to browsing the website and not watching it on tv. Hearts are always classic, and this pendant is not your typical diamond\plain\boring. The white part of it is called mother-of-pearl, and has a 14k gold filigree etched heart. It would be very pretty hanging from a long snake chain. It is from Ross-Simons and is $165. I love this pendant! I never usually like this many gemstones in one piece of jewelry, but I can make an exception! There are peridots, garnets, citrines, amethyst, and diopsides. The emerald cut gems mixed in with the round makes it so unique. It can be purchased for $265 at Ross-Simons. Did you know jade can be carved into beautiful designs like this? This is brown jade and the design is an intricate knot, called an endless knot. Jade has continuously been known for being a luck charm. Maybe this pendant will bring luck to its wearer. At only $100 from Ross-Simons, this would pull off the long chain look superbly! Read More

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Obsessions

September Sapphires: Layered Charm Necklaces

Sapphires are my favorite gemstone.  Most people do not like their birthstone, but I love mine.  If you are also a September baby, I hope you love your birthstone too!  Any piece of sapphire jewelry given as a gift represents trust, honesty and loyalty.  When worn, sapphires are said to provide mental clarity and preception.  I like that sapphire comes in all sorts of shades, not just the blue that one would normally picture.  Its strength and hardness is also a huge plus, being able to be worn daily and cleans up well in a sonic cleaner.  I've had a new found love for layering charm-like necklaces.  Here are a bunch that would be perfect for just that!  Just click on the picture, and it will take you to the website where you can learn more information about it, even purchase the necklace if you like it! Read More

Education & Advice

Gem Mining in Pala, California

The west coast was nothing but fun, especially getting a chance to head to the Oceanview Mine in Pala, California. Known for housing an abundance of tourmalines (pink, green, and the combination of both known as 'watermelon'), aquamarines, kunzite, morganite, quartz crystals and many others. The mine was even featured on Travel Channel's Cash & Treasures. Getting there was tricky--many curvy dirt roads and even going outside of the navigation system range. We paid a fee to sift through a gigantic pile of tailings from the active mine. Tailings are all the "leftovers" from blasting inside the mine. We got downright dirty and super sweaty, shoveling all we could into our buckets and then sifting through it all, using the screens. Our day pass got us 4 hours of digging and a tour deep into the mine--450 feet into the Earth! I actually got extremely lucky, and stumbled upon a large chunk of Kunzite--about the size of my palm. And it was only my second bucket full! One of the owners of the mine came around to help everyone out and help identify what had been found. He was amazed by the deep purple/pink color of what I had found and its size. He guessed it to be worth anywhere from $400-600! I couldn't believe it! Check it out below! Kunzite was actually first discovered in Pala, California in 1902. It is interesting to think that my chunk of kunzite had been in the Earth for millions of years until a few days ago when I found it! With that in mind, and having the feeling of how exciting it is to have found something so rare, I knew I wanted to keep it instead of trying to sell it. All that sweating and hard work definitely was worth it! If you want to try your hand at gem mining or just want to do something different for a change, I strongly recommend the Oceanview mine. You just have to call ahead of time to make a reservation and get the directions. Mining reservations can only be made on Sundays or Thursdays, so make sure to check the website. Pala, California is just 50 minutes outside of San Diego. It is exciting because you never know what you're going to find! I ended up walking away with a $600 Kunzite!! Read More

Designer Jewelry

Gem Gossip’s Pick of the Week!

I've decided to start a weekly post for my pick of the week.  There are no rules or stipulations--just whatever bracelet, necklace, ring, or earrings I feel should be mentioned, or is currently on my personal wish list.  Hopefully you will enjoy my choices, and you can even chime in with items you've spotted that you just "can't live without!"  Feel free to post links in the comments section below each weekly "pick of the week!"  So check back every Wednesday. This week's pick is this princess skull necklace. It is made of 9k gold, and rubies with white sapphires. Definitely a glammed up version of the rocker chic look. The shape almost resembles a cross--done purposely? Not sure, but you can purchase this at Kabiri which is a website that houses all sorts of eclectic pieces of jewelry from across the pond. Check it out at www.kabiri.co.uk Read More