Month: May 2016

A Certain Spider

Posted in Collecting, Garden Spiders, Intaglio, Jewelry, Lapis Lazuli, Memoir6 Comments

I can tell you exactly when I took it into my head that I wanted a lapis lazuli intaglio ring. Intaglio, as I’m sure you all know, is a carving incised into stone (as opposed to a cameo, which is a carving in relief). And lapis is the stone of my dreams, a blue so intense… Continue reading A Certain Spider

The Morals of Coral

Posted in Collecting, coral, gem coral, Jewelry, Memoir, Red coral1 Comment

“Don’t write about coral!” said my jeweler friend Nan, “You don’t know enough.” She’s right. What I don’t know about coral could fill a very large book. And what I do know can be boiled down to a few short sentences: I love the look and feel of it. I have acquired rather a lot of it… Continue reading The Morals of Coral

The Wearing of the Purple

Posted in Amethysts, Collecting, Jewelry, Margot de Taxco, Memoir, Mexican Silver Jewelry (30s through 60s), Vintage Silver Jewelry3 Comments

I grew up thinking of amethysts as semiprecious stones—which, to my mind, meant starter stones, the kind you bought before you could afford really precious ones. Amethysts, after all, were mere quartz. True—but there are many respectable gems in the quartz family, including citrine, chalcedony and chrysoprase. Amethysts are the top of the line, one of the few… Continue reading The Wearing of the Purple

Matilde, Matilde, She Take Me Money

Posted in Collecting, Jewelry, Matilde Poulat (MATL), Memoir, Mexican silver (30s through 60s), Mexican Silver Jewelry (30s through 60s), Penny Morrill15 Comments

If the title of this post puts you in mind of Harry Belafonte, you may be old enough to have learned one of the tougher truths of jewelry buying: By the time you can afford an expensive necklace, you may no longer have the neck for it. This has happened to me, but it hasn’t stopped me. Dreamer… Continue reading Matilde, Matilde, She Take Me Money