I love designing birthstone jewelry for holidays, birthdays, graduations, and more. But some birthstones (I’m looking at you, ruby) are particularly challenging to work into silver jewelry. Not everyone wants to shop for gold all the time, so I’ve been striving for artistic and nontraditional ways to feature these stones. Meet… colorful cabochon birthstone jewelry!
Because the shapes and sizes of these cabochon cuts are so unique, I’ve been pushing myself to create equally creative new designs that showcase them in elevated ways. This was the impetus behind the Nova Necklace and my latest suite of brand-new bezel-set Ripple Rings.
Precious Pinks
Historically, I’ve struggled to include pinks and reds in my silver jewelry line, because traditional rubies (July) and garnets (January) are simply more expensive than many other stones. (Lab-grown is a great option for rubies, but they still generally fall within the gold-jewelry price point.)
A couple of years ago, I found a stash of milky emeralds, milky sapphires, and milky rubies at a gem show. I fell in love with them and used them in pieces… then couldn’t find any more for years. Not so anymore! I’ve found a fabulous supplier for beautiful milky rubies and huge rose-cut garnets, so I can finally offer both stones regularly. These pieces make incredible gifts for July and January birthdays!
Earth Tones
Confession: having gaps in my color offerings drives me nuts. So it’s been a source of pretty significant annoyance that earth tones have been conspicuously missing from my silver color lines. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case.
Rainbow Moonstone is a captivating stone with incredible internal colors and patterns. I’ve rarely been able to work with it in the past, but when I have, it’s been a pleasure. Moonstone lends itself perfectly to bezel-set rings because each stone is cut specifically to show off its unique color qualities. Similarly, people love March’s birthstone, aquamarine, for its funky cuts and wide range of shades, from ocean blue to mossy green. I can never get enough aquamarine!
Perfect Purples
I am over the moon to offer December’s birthstone, tanzanite, in cabochon jewelry. I’ve never had so much of this violet-blue/periwinkle color in stock before, and I’m simply obsessed. It’s also been challenging to offer the deepest African Amethyst tones in big cuts, but now I’ve got several options for this February birthstone. (Look at that stunning rose-cut version!) If you love purple, I’ve got you covered!
Blues and Yellows
Did you know that topaz and citrine are both birthstones for November? Plus, they look great together! Swiss Blue Topaz (the medium shade of topaz) and London Blue Topaz (an inky blue) are especially hard to find BIG cuts in super saturated, vibrant shades, so I’m leaning into alternatives, like the pear-shaped cuts on this Splash Gem Cuff. I also love that I can find citrine in large formats, like the massive stone on this one-of-a-kind Ripple Ring.
As a side note, incorporating yellow gemstones is a great way to seamlessly blend silver and gold jewelry in a single look. A topaz and citrine ring stack with both silver and gold bands? Yes, please!
Terrific Tourmaline
Tourmaline (October) is renowned for its wide array of colors and stunning ombre effect. (Just look at those watermelon tourmaline rings!) As with all coveted stones, however, these styles are becoming increasingly difficult to access. Fortunately, I’ve been able to achieve a classic ombre look with my Tidal Trio rings using smaller tourmaline stones. These petite cabs showcase tourmaline’s wide range of shades in a smaller format.
And trust me, I’ll still be using those big juicy stones whenever I get the chance!
As you can see, there’s a lot of creativity happening in the studio every day. I love finding original stones and coming up with outside-the-box ways to incorporate them into jewelry. The best part is knowing that as an independent designer, I’m free to create one-of-a-kind, original designs to my heart’s content.
So reach out to schedule a personal shopping appointment today.
