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!

If you have never been to Gem Fair at Beauchamp Jewelers then you are missing out. At Gem Fair we bring together gemstone dealers from all over the world who bring exquisite gemstones in every price range for your choosing. The selection is always amazing. We will have all of the usual favorites as well as many gemstones of which you have never heard. You can purchase loose stones and have a custom mounting personally designed for them, or you can purchase gems beautifully set in rings, pendants, bracelets, or earrings.

Gem Fair 2010

Wednesday May 5th from 6PM to 9PM
and

Thursday May 6th from 9:30AM to 5:30PM.
Refreshments will be served Wednesday night including our famous “Carat” Cake, a delicious carrot cake with beautiful gemstones baked inside.

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.

I can’t let March 15th pass without thinking about the famous line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caeser in which the Soothsayer warns Julius Caesar “Beware the Ides of March.” The ides are nothing more than the 15th of March, May, July, and October and the 13th of every other month. It just happens to be the day Julius Caesar was killed and therefore has become somewhat of an ominous day.

What does this have to do with jewelry? you might ask. Well, nothing; but whenever I look at the beautiful styling of Greek designer Konstantino’s jewelry I think of the golden ages of Greece and Rome. Here are some classic Mediterranean designs to enjoy today, the ides of March.

Citrine & Peridot Enhancer

Filigree Sterling Cufflinks by Konstantion

Fleur de Lis Ring by Konstantino

14K Gold & Aquamarine Necklace circa 1910

Aquamarine is the birthstone for March and the traditional gift for 19th wedding anniversaries.

Aquamarine’s name is derived from the Latin for sea water. Ancient seafarers believed that the beautiful blue stone came from the treasure chests of the mermaids. Ancient peoples believed that the water in which an aquamarine was soaked would cure eye troubles and stop hiccups (never been proven by modern medicine). In medieval times, it was believed to reawaken love between married couples. Soldiers through the ages have called Aquamarine the “Stone of Courage” and believe that it guards against injury and makes them invincible.

Aquamarine belongs to the Beryl family of gemstones. Emeralds and Morganite are also included in the Beryl family. Beryl is comprised of beryllium-aluminum-silicate. Iron is the trace element that creates the lovely blue color in Aquamarine while chromium creates the green in emeralds and manganese gives Morganite its pink color. The beryl family generally originates in granitic pegmatites and found in alluvial deposits. The largest gem quality specimen on record is a 243 pound crystal found in 1910 in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil.

Aquamarine & Sterling Silver Neckalce by Konstantino

Properties

• Hardness: 7.5 – 8.0
• Color – Greenish blue through blue-green
• Stability
• Very good
• Rarities include cat’s-eye
• Clarity – majority is eye-clean
• Enhancements –
• Majority is heat treated to remove yellow and green overtones and is undetectable

Aquamarines are found in Brazil, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Burma, China, Australia, the Ural Mountains of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the USA.

Care

• Cleaning methods
• Ultrasonic – usually safe
• Steamer – usually safe
• Warm soapy water – safe

79 Ct Aquamarine in custom mounting by Beauchamp Jewelers

79 Ct Aquamarine in Custom Mounting by Beauchamp Jewelers

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

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Cut – The forth “C”
In the 1200’s and prior diamonds were worn in their rough or natural octahedral shape because of the difficulty in cutting something so very hard. It wasn’t until 1375 in Germany where a guild of diamond cutters formed and developed the Point Cut. The point cut was an octahedron. Next came the Table cut in the mid 14th century. The table cut was a point cut diamond with some of the top cut off. By the end of the 14th century the single cut or 8/8 cut was introduced. The single cut was a table cut with the addition of four corner facets top and bottom. About the mid 16th century the Rose cut diamond was introduced. It had triangle facets arranged in a symmetrical radiating pattern with a flat bottom. The first brilliant cuts were known as Mazarins and were welcomed in the mid 17th century. They were cushion shape and had 17 facets on the crown as well as 17 facets below. Also in the 17th century came the Peruzzi cut. It has 58 facets like most modern round brilliant cut diamonds today. It had 33 facets on top and 25 below the girdle. Because bruting had not been developed yet all of these cutting styles had square or rectangular outlines. These were given a general name of cushions also known as Mine cuts. Bruting is the rounding of the diamonds girdle with a lathe. Sometime in the mid to late 18th century came the Old European Cut which also had 58 facets but a shallower pavilion, rounded outline and a different facet arrangement. The old European cut was the forerunner to our modern cut round brilliant cut diamond and was used throughout most of the 19th century. In 1919 Marcel Tolkowsky developed the model of today’s ideal cut diamond.