Tag: Nan Irwin

Lit from Within

Posted in Akoya Pearls, Collecting, Empress Dowager Cixi, Jewelry, Memoir, Pearls, Tahitian Pearls, Uncategorized1 Comment

It was our wedding anniversary. We were dining at a restaurant on the Brooklyn waterfront, the kind of place where everyone dresses well. A river view at sunset, beautiful flowers everywhere, a pianist playing inoffensively somewhere in back. The food was disappointing, but the evening was redeemed by a woman at a nearby table. She… Continue reading Lit from Within

That Sapphire

Posted in Cornflower blue sapphires, Heat-treated sapphires, Jewelry, Memoir, Padparadscha, Sapphires, Uncategorized1 Comment

When I was about to turn 50, I told my husband, ‘I think I’m going to let you buy me a sapphire.’ It was one of the ridiculous pronouncements I tend to make about sapphires, as I have written here. But I did have a birthday coming up, and we were at a gem show, visiting our… Continue reading That Sapphire

The Normandie

Posted in Casting, Computer-Aided Design, Diamonds, Fancy Yellow Diamonds, Jewelry, Memoir, Uncategorized1 Comment

Here’s how it happened. I once said it would be nice to have a yellow diamond, or as they’re now called, a fancy yellow diamond. I say a lot of things, but my husband heard this one. With no prompting from me, he decided I should have yellow diamond earrings, and asked a wholesale dealer to… Continue reading The Normandie

Trouble in Tahiti

Posted in Collecting, Jewelry, Memoir, Pearls, Tahitian Pearls, Uncategorized5 Comments

Your blogger has been to Hawaii, where (predictably, after such a long plane ride) she contracted a massive sinus infection that knocked her down for the count. But not before a rogue wave knocked her over and made off with her vintage Persol sunglasses. Your blogger is not complaining. She—I—spent eight days in a part of the world so beautiful… Continue reading Trouble in Tahiti

Dirty Diamonds

Posted in Brown diamonds, Collecting, Diamonds, Jewelry, Memoir, Old European Cut, Old Mine Cut, Uncategorized7 Comments

Yes, I know all about the 4Cs of diamonds—Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat weight—the things you’re supposed to care about when you’re shopping for a stone. The best diamonds are whiter than white and clearer than clear, with a cut that brings out their inner fire, yada yada yada. But I’m here to sing the praises of… Continue reading Dirty Diamonds

Jaded

Posted in Chinese jade, Imperial jade, Jade, Jade jewelry, Memoir, Uncategorized2 Comments

If you think I’m an expert on jade, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I covet it. I own it. But I will never claim to have anything more than an amateur’s eye for it. My husband once asked a gemologist to advise him on jade, and the gemologist said: “I’ve spent my entire life… Continue reading Jaded