Archive for November 2012

Home Archive for November 2012

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Anais Nin

Fragrant and beautiful, gardenias are just as prevalent in the Florida landscape as beaches and palm trees. Like a woman, gardenias has earned the reputation for being strong willed an difficult, yet gardeners and flower enthusiasts alike are bewitched by their fabulous aroma. Since I moved here, the smell of the gardenia flower and their creamy white petals have always been an inspiration for me. It is a flower very difficult to ignore, and that is exactly the feeling that I wanted to conjure when I was designing this gorgeous statement ring.

Although gardenias are usually white, the gardenia of my imagination is mostly attached to its aroma, which translates to me as a hot pink flower, surrounded by azure blue leaves. My interpretation is more of an illusion of what this iconic smell represents, rather than the actual look of the flower. Powerful and unforgettable, my Gardenia ring will make you noticed as soon as you enter the room, and anyone that you meet will keep you in their memory forever.

The blue gems of the Gardenia ring are cabochon cut blue sapphires. The hot pink leaves are also sapphires but of the pink variety, while the white in the leaves comes to us courtesy of classic white diamonds. The ring is set in two tones of 18kt gold, rose and white, and its intricate details are all hand made by some of the world's most talented artisans.

Saphires have been prized as valuable and unique gems since 800 B.C.. I picked pink and blue sapphires for this ring because sapphires are a great gem to work with. Second only to diamonds in the Mohs harness scale, these precious gems have a long history, especially as being the gem chosen by royalty for their crowns and tiaras.

When sapphires are cut in a cabochon, as they blue ones are in this ring, they display what is know in the jewelry world as the "cat-eye effect." This wondrous effect displays a thin band of light down the center of the stone and is known as chatoyancy. The pink sapphires I used are faceted cut stones. They are also the most valuable and rare of all the fancy sapphires. When I got a hold of these beautiful stones, I immediately knew they had to be on a ring like this one. As you can see, the results are stunning.

Sapphires have become a very sought after gem after the engagement ring that Charles gave the late Princes Diana. They have recently had a renaissance with Prince William and Duchess Kate, re-using that very sentimental ring for their own engagement a few years ago. Since then my clients clamor for more and more sapphires, and I oblige.

I love sapphires myself, so I am happy working and designing with this precious gem in mind. The way the light hits the stones makes my heart skip a beat, and I fall in love with them all over again. It is gemstones like these that make me realize how privileged I am to be able to do what I do, and that is something that I don't take lightly.

Hope you find the story behind my Gardenia ring inspirational. I loved sharing it with you. Stay tuned for more.

Love Always
Dani K

What could be more perfect for Christmas than a green hued gem? Well only two green hued gems like my malachite Jazmin earrings below. I know I wrote about the Jazmin earrings last week, and showed you pictures of their different color combinations. One of them was the malachite and diamond pair. What I didn't do is go over in detail what malachite actually is and the history that surrounds the fabulous gemstone, so I'm back today with more on malachite, my newest gem obsession.

Perfect for the holidays,
Malachite Jazmin earrings in yellow gold with
diamond details.

The first culture to make extensive use of malachite was that of Egypt, a country whose history with malachite goes back at least as far as 4,000 BC when it was heavily mined in the Sinai -- near what is now the Suez Canal -- and in the famous King Solomon's copper mines on the Red Sea.

A copper carbonate, malachite was prized because it was the easiest copper mineral to reduce to copper metal. The scale of copper mining in the Sinai reached a size that made it the first real industry of the ancient world.

The Sinai area and its mines were considered under the spiritual dominion of Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of beauty, joy, love and women, who was also known as the "Lady of Greenstone," and "Lady of Malachite."

Reputed to have strong therapeutic properties, Egyptians believed that wearing malachite in bands around the head and arms protected the wearer from the frequent cholera epidemics that ravaged Egypt -- since slaves who mined malachite (a form of copper carbonate) were often unaffected by the plagues.

The Egyptians used malachite primarily for amulets, jewelry and cosmetics: powdered malachite was made into kohl, an Egyptian eye shadow. The application of the kohl was believed to place the women under the protection of Hathor. Applying the malachite mixture was to the Egyptians, partaking in the essence of Hathor herself.

From my Charmed collection,
here are the stunning Papillon earrings in
malachite, diamonds and yellow gold

Malachite has always been a women's mineral. Following in the Egyptians' footsteps, Greeks also made jewelry and talismans from malachite to ward off evil spells and thoughts. The Greeks also used malachite architecturally: according to Pliny, built in 560 BC, the famous Temple of Diana (Artemis) in Ephesus -- one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (four times as large as Athen's Parthenon) -- was decorated with malachite.

With its swirling concentric eye-like rings patterned after a "peacock eye," malachite was popular as protection against the "evil eye," fighting sorcery and black magic in the Middle Ages. Thought in many cultures to alleviate menstrual cramps and aid labor, malachite has also been called "the midwife's stone" since medieval times.

Also from my Charmed collection,
Cuore earrings in malachite and diamonds

Since the Egyptians malachite has been an important gem, but it was Russia's Romanov dynasty who made malachite synonymous with grandiose opulence. Discovered in the foothills of the Urals near Ekaterinburg in 1635, by 1820, high quality malachite -- still considered relatively scarce -- had become very fashionable for jewelry, frequently mounted in gold and adorned with diamonds.

The nineteenth century proved to be the golden age of Russian malachite. The sumptuous stone became a sign of prestige and a token of wealth -- so much so that Russian papers of the time wrote: "To afford having a big piece wrought in malachite is synonymous to owning diamonds."

Due to malachite's relatively close proximity, Russian tsars could easily obtain the malachite they needed to decorate their lavish palaces, paneling walls and commissioning beautiful inlaid works of art. Year after year the Russian (Romanov) treasury paid increasingly unreasonable prices to hoard the best malachite, much of which went into Romanov palaces and extravagant objects d'art Here is a picture of some malachite work in the Malachite Room in the Hermitage Museum, which possesses a collection of over two hundred examples of 'palatial' malachite.

Malachite Room, Hermitage Museum
St. Petersburg Russia

It was during my visit to St. Petersburg that I really understood the history and tradition of this beautiful gemstone, and its link to the Russian royals. As you know, I love the royals and their history, but I was not familiar with their love for fabulous gem. As they say knowledge is power, and I am so glad I can appreciate and work with malachite, and in turn bring it to you guys in the form of jewelry you can cherish and wear forever.

Love Always
Dani K

Happy Monday my gems! Hope you spent your weekend having fun and enjoying some relaxing times. I had a great weekend, but of course it's Monday, so I'm back to work. Thanks to my new collection, the last couple of weeks have been very productive, and I have new pieces to share with you. Today I have a fabulous and fresh version of my super popular Papillon ring.

For this season's Papillon ring I tried something a little different. In this version the delicate butterfly wings are designed in sliced pink tourmaline, a gem credited with the power to enhance one's understanding, increase self confidence, and aid in concentration and communication. Tourmaline is also known to amplify one's psychic energies because it emits an actual electrical charge. If that is not enough, tourmaline also aids in relaxing the body and the mind, as well as helping with anxiety.

Although the pink tourmaline wings are beautiful on their own, nothing could complement them better than the champagne and canary diamonds that I chose to surround them. If you look closely you can see my intricate design, which matches that of a true papillon. Diamonds are always beautiful, and add value to a piece of jewelry. They also add powerful mythology and history.

Throughout history diamonds have been known for their extraordinary strength. Most importantly they are associated with true love and eternal commitment. They are also said to bring courage and strength to the wearer, while bringing clarity and balance to the relationship.

This beautiful ring is finished in 18 kt rose gold, which is the hottest thing in jewelry since diamonds actually. The rise in popularity of rose gold is due to the beautiful hue that jewelers have achieved the last couple of years. This flattering shade of pinkish yellow is great for every skin tone and mixes beautifully with yellow and white gold, which most women already have in their jewelry box.

There is something uniquely charming about a ring made in rose gold, and I have been fascinated by it for years. Rose gold makes a fiery showcase for the vibrant gems in this ring. Without it, the colors of the pink tourmaline and fancy diamonds would not be as bright and sophisticated as they are.

Hope you enjoyed my new version of the ever popular Papillon ring. With their wonderful mythology of renewal and inner strength, Butterflies have always been a great inspiration for me. This year was no different, so I gave it a twist with new materials. I will keep you updated with more beautiful pieces so keep reading.

Love Always

Dani K

A few weeks ago actress Salma Hayek made headlines for wearing one very expensive pair of earrings. The million dollar earrings made of sapphires and diamond were designed by non other than famed jewelry house Harry Winston, one of my all time favorites. Take a look at the much talked about jewels below...

Set in platinum with diamond micropavee details around a perfect pair of gorgeous matching sapphires, these earrings are just one of the pieces that have set Salma Hayek apart as one of the most stylish women in the world. Here are some of her most memorable moments on the red carpet, plus some jewels in my collection to help you achieve her elegant looks.

Here is a great shot of Salma heating up the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. As you can see Hayek looks amazing in green. The emerald color brings our her beautiful features and complements her tan skin tone.

This is not the only time the Mexican beauty has chosen emeralds on the red carpet. At the premiere of her film Savages, Salma turned to the precious green hued gem in order to achieve a fabulous look. Again she looked gorgeous and impossibly chic. Here she wore matching dangling emerald and diamond earrings and an elegant and platinum emerald ring.

To make everyone green with envy, just as Salma does, I love these two very beautiful sets of earrings and rings. This first one is a very classic look, where I paired the emeralds fabulous canary diamonds. The beautiful pear shape cut of these singular gems lent itself quite nicely to the drop shape of the pieces. Since classic was the look I was going for, I opted for traditional 18kt yellow gold for the setting.

If you like something a bit different, here are these stunning cabochon cut earrings and ring, handmade in daring black gold. For this set I paired the emeralds with sliced diamonds to offset the roundness of the cabochon-cut emeralds. I finished the earrings with diamond curlycues for a little flair. The results are breathtaking and very modern-vintage, which is super popular right now.

Salma usually favors classic styles, and knows how to make an statement with her jewelry. Another one of my favorite looks on her is this glamourous rosette necklace and earrings by Bucheron. These gorgeous pieces added texture and and shine to her overall look, without making it over top. Bravo!

I have a few pieces that remind me of these fantastic diamond rosettes. The first one is this tri-color gold set of earrings and ring, inspired by Marie Antoinette. With all over micro-pavee diamond details, these shimmering jewels are the work of some the world's most talented craftspeople, and it shows in their elegant design.

If you want to try this look but would prefer something that can go from day to night, why not go for my Jazmin earrings in any of their fabulous color and gemstone combinations. Here they are from left to right in malachite and diamonds, black onyx and pink sapphires and lat but not least, in lapis lazuli and diamonds.

Opting for something a bit more modern and fun, here is Salma a fabulous oversized chain link necklace at a recent Yves Saint Laurent show in Paris. Chains are huge this year because thy ad a playful touch to clothes that could otherwise be a bit subdued and muted.

My version of this comes in the form of a super chic bracelet. My pink sapphire Miami bracelet is a great alternative to bangles, especially when you are looking for something fun and funky like Salma's necklace above. Worn alone or with other bracelets, this fab piece will sure be the talk of the town. Not only is does it come in this pink rose and sapphire version, but it's also available in ruby, blue and yellow sapphire.

The last look of Salma's that I love is her in these turquoise and onyx earrings reminiscent of the earrings in my Wanderlust collection. I love blue and black together, and even thought it is an unexpected combo, it works amazingly well together. Her simple hair and makeup are the perfect complement to such a bold statement in jewelry.

I have a few earrings that are similar to those worn by Hayek above. Turqoise has been a favorite of mine for years, both for its calming abilities and for its fresh pop of color. Onyx is another one of the gems I've been using, and I have seen in become more and more popular as the years go by. Below are my my onyx and diamond hearts from my Charmed collection.

And here are my favorite turquoise earrings from last year's Wanderlust. These are combined with coral and diamonds, and are hand made in 18kt white gold. Perfect for jeans or the red carpet.

Hope you enjoyed the many looks of the talented and lovely Salma Hayek. Her style has evolved throughout he years, and it shows, especially in her choice of jewels. Salma is always exquisite, so I hope I was able to show you gals some ways to emulate her changing looks.

Love Always
Dani K