diamondsinthelibrary.com

It’s full cherry blossom season in the DC area, my very favorite time of the year, so I’ve been making an effort to drag myself outside periodically to enjoy the warm breeze on my skin and stare at the storms of blossom petals blizzarding through the air. All I do right now is read books, but they’re mostly rereads, since I’m often reading when I’m too tired/sick/etc to really take in new information. Ever After is a superfavorite), and I’m about to dive into a reread of Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals and then maybe Leigh Bardugo’s On audiobook, I’ve been revisiting Harry Potter (I’m on book 3) and A Wrinkle in Time.

These particular earrings are from the Loriann Jewelry’s Moderne collection, a modern take on Art Deco style. Lapis and diamonds in gold was the original colorway of Loriann Jewelry’s Moderne Collection, but the Moderne has since been expanded to offer opal and rainbow sapphire designs as well, which I love. Here’s a pendant from the Loriann Jewelry Unity Collection, which is characterized by circle motifs centering opals and featuring rainbow sapphires and delicate white enamel. Let’s look at the Galaxy pendant, too: The ethereal Galaxy pendant – like the Galaxy earrings – feature labradorite rather than opal, so they’re not identical to the ring, but they’ve got that same mesmerizing geometry, irresistible iridescence and peaceful space princess vibe.

I have returned from the desert where I wandered for only four days but had my mind utterly blown by the glorious colored gemstone bonanza that is the AGTA GemFair™. AGTA stands for American Gemstone Trade Association. This was the third year I had the honor of serving as one of AGTA’s designated GemFair™ Gembassadors, charged with the sacred duty of sharing all the colored gemstone magic with those of you who couldn’t be there in person. It’s beyond inspiring to walk around AGTA GemFair™ Tucson and see the difference between finished designer jewelry and the abstract beauty loose colored gemstones and pearls. If you want more colored gemstone goodness, visit my AGTA archive here or learn all about AGTA’s next trade show – the newly relocated Las Vegas AGTA GemFair™ – on AGTA’s website.

If you look at the eBay seller’s other listings, you’ll see that her photos are all stolen from more than a dozen different sources: her photos are in different styles, picturing different people, even celebrities (I’ve seen her use photos of the Queen of England). I’m sure there are other qualified people out there who offer similar services, but Nicholle is who I personally go to when I’m trying to decide if I want to buy something, and I can’t give a higher recommendation than that. Several of the horrors stories I’ve heard recently about online antique jewelry fraud involve sellers who won’t accept returns, even if the buyer has a written appraisal testifying that the piece of jewelry they’re trying to return is a fake. I recently had a portion of my collection authenticated (by Nicholle of Jewelry Nerd, who I mentioned above) and I discovered that a sapphire ring I’d bought was actually set with a doublet: that’s a thin slice of sapphire set over something less valuable to create the illusion of a larger gem.