It’s summertime in New Mexico, and that means lighter summer fashions, both in clothes and in jewelry.  I was looking through the cases today, and I found a number of pieces that perfectly fit the mood of the season!  Open and airy, with that light summertime attitude, these are my “go to” picks for this summer.   

               My first and favorite piece is a wonderful pendant in white gold set with hundreds of sparkling white diamonds.  It has a fun, floral motif that makes me smile.  Which brings me to my next pick.  It’s a pair of white gold earrings that sports dozens of glittery diamonds, all set in a joyous, dangly floral design.  Are you seeing the pattern here?    And for the days that flowers just aren’t quit the thing, there’s a great duo of chains in sterling silver and rose gold vermeil.  The chains have a groovy circular thing going on, and since one is 32” and the other 18”, they look amazing when I layer them together.  Once I add the matching earrings I have that fun, summery look that I’m going for.  And the earrings and chains are very light weight, so I keep that airy, floaty feeling that so identifies the warm, sunny days we’ve been enjoying lately.  Because they’re silver and vermeil, it’s also an incredible look at a very, very affordable price!

               Summertime is fun time, so make your jewelry fun, too!

 As the newest member of the Beauchamp family, I am pleased to say that I feel right at home.  Believe it or not, I wake up everyday excited to go to work.  To be quite honest, it is hardly work. Over the past two months, I have had  the privilege of meeting many of Beauchamp’s delightful customers.  Being able to help people celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, marriage and everyday life has come to be a moving and exciting experience for me. To top it all off, I get to “play” with stunning  jewelery, work with fabulous people,  and I have managed to learn a lot along the way.

Prior to working here, the only jewelery experience I had was that I knew I loved it, and I thought it was beautiful. Jewelry, however, now posses an entirely new form of beauty for me- it is no longer  just a pretty accessory, it is art.  The time, effort, creativity, and heart put into jewelry making is truly astounding.

Though it changes all the time with all these wonderful designer lines at Beauchamp, my current personal favorite is Konstantino. Konstantino pieces are an absolutely perfect example of jewelry being art.  Konstantino jewelry comes from Athens, Greece and it is handcrafted from sterling silver and 18 karat gold. It is clear that great thought and precision is put into every single piece. Even the parts of the jewelry that are not visible when worn have great detail and magnificence.

Konstantino uses early engraving and impression techniques that can be found in early Greek jewelry. With each and every piece, you can see  the echoes of history, experience their timeless craftsmanship and lasting splendor. The combination of the sterling silver and gold make for a faboulous ”old-world” look that is modern, classic, and timeless  all wrapped into one. 

Konstantino Jewelery is not one of my favorites because it is merely beautiful, it is one of my favorites because when I wear it, I can truly feel the majesty, passion, and artisanship of each piece.

We just returned from our annual jewelery buying trip and as usual we found lots of beautiful pieces for the store. When I attend trade shows I always look for the latest trends. I look for aesthetic trends as well as new materials that are being introduced in the production of jewelery. This year there is a definite movement toward bold, chunky pieces, or as Ron calls them, “Funky Chunky”. The shapes are geometric and bold. Whether this aesthetic is translated into rings, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces  they definitely make a statement. The look is fun and exudes confidence. The materials are unconventional.

I saw beautiful pieces of jewelery crafted in wood, leather, agate, and  rock crystal. (I had to pick up a few of these rock crystal pieces for my own collection and for the store.) The look is not so much about “precious” materials as it is about the love of decoration. This is not to say that we didn’t see fabulous pieces that had fabulous retail prices. One particular bracelet we saw, was made from chunky slabs of diamond rough… Ooh la la! I HAD to have it until I asked the price, only $500,000.00. Needless to say I very carefully handed it back to the vendor. (If this is in your budget this season let us know and we will be happy to get it in for you.)

There were also lots of long necklaces, 30″ or more. Roberto Coin translated the look in fine spun threads of 18kt gold.  David Yurman was showing long rope chains sprinkled with segments of gemstones. Vianna had a fabulous rope chain bezel set with segments of a new material they are calling “Indigo Quartz”. Talk about the perfect thing to throw on with a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt!  We, of course, purchased lots of goodies in this style. The new items will be slowly appearing in our showcases over the next few months. This Fall, please come in and feel free to bring an outfit or two and play with the new look and see what you think. You may find that accessorising with a new pair of dramatic earrings or a long necklace set with geometric gems may be the perfect thing this Fall to update your existing wardrobe.

Those of you who prefer the classic style should come in and check out Roberto Coin’s work. Although Roberto is an amazing designer and trend setter his work always has that timeless quality that is so enduring.

The new look is upbeat and exuberant and with the crowds attending and buying at the show we were left with a sense of optimism about the upcoming year. Happy collecting!

April’s birthstone is the most famous of all the gems: Diamond. For more technical information about diamonds you can check out the following posts from our Gemologist:

Diamond Color
Diamond Cut
Carat Weight
Diamond Clarity

The most famous diamond in the world is probably the Hope Diamond which you can read about here:

The Biggest Diaimond You Own

If you are looking for the perfect birthday gift for an April Birthday you might try some of what you see below. Diamonds can of course be found in earrings, pendants, rings, bracelets, watches, and every imaginable form of jewelry. You will also find beautiful diamonds in all of our designer lines including David Yurman, Konstantino, Alex Sepkus, Cherie Dori, and of course Roberto Coin, whose Cento Diamond cut is head and shoulders above the rest with 100 facets which add to it’s brilliance and fire.

Click on any picture to find out more about the item or visit our web page at bcjewelers.com for more beautiful diamond pieces.

Our annual Alex Sepkus trunk show is coming up and we hope to see you there. Our trunk show is a special showing of the entire collection of 18kt Gold and Platinum jewelry by internationally known Designer Alex Sepkus. This is a wonderful opportunity to view a unique array of designs in pendants, rings, earrings, bracelets, bridal rings, bands and men’s jewelry. Alex Sepkus is a unique talent whose work is characterized by such fine detail and craftsmanship. One can only fully appreciate each piece with magnification to reveal the depth and intricacy of each design.

Wednesday Evening March 10th 5:30pm till 9pm
Light Hors D’oeuvres and Refreshments
Door Prizes

All day Thursday March 11th 9:30am till 5:30pm

You can preview Alex Sepkus’ stunning collections at www.bcjewelers.com

RSVP via Facebook
RSVP via E-mail

We recently celebrated our second year in our new Albuquerque location and 58 years since our founding by Mac and Ione Beauchamp in 1951. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our valued customers. Thank you for your loyal patronage. Our annual anniversary party is one way we say Thank you. The party was a huge success, with our second show room decorated in an under the sea theme, there was good food, good fun, great friends, and of course, beautiful jewelry.

Many of you enjoyed trying on our newest collection, Vianna. Please let us know what you think about Vianna, our Event, or any of our other designer lines. You can comment on this post, or send us an e-mail.

Beauchamp Jewelers cordially invites you to an evening preview of original designer handbags by artist Debbie Brooks. Debbie will be in our store to autograph her works of art and to unveil a new limited edition handbag inspired by Albuquerque’s annual Balloon Fiesta. We will also be featuring our new fall collections from designers Cherie Dori and Roberto Coin, including Roberto’s spectacular, CapriPlus designs. Come join the fun!

Friday, October 9 6 to 9 PM
Saturday, October 10 9:30am to 4pm

Victorian Earrings, that is earrings made during the time period that Queen Victoria of England ruled are rare. During  the early period of  her reign  (1840-60) earrings were  considered very unfashionable. The Fashion of the times  dictated that a lady cover her ears so as not to appear to unduly forward.

By the mid 19th Century earrings were once again fashionable. Earrings were appropriate  for day, as well as evening. They were bold and made from a variety of materials. The  earrings below are crafted of tortoise shell and 14kt gold.

Victorian earring in original condition are pierced. It is not until the turn of the 19th Century that we find non pierced earrings.

 The creation of non pierced earring backs must have created quite a sensation. I imagine that the new invention was embraced by the fashion forward woman of the day.The piercing  of ones ears in the early 20th Century gradually fell from fashion.In the United States  it was not an uncommon perception that only gypsies and women of questionable virtue pierced their ears. 

One rarely finds similar pairs of Victorian Earrings. They are a fun item of antique jewelry to hunt for and what collector doesn’t enjoy the hunt!  Happy collecting! If you are looking for something specific, we can help you at Beauchamp Jewelers.