Diamonds And Natural Stone: October 2010

Mourning Jewelry – Cool or Creepy?

(This is a popular older post that seemed appropriate to share again before the Halloween weekend. Be safe and bedazzle, jewelry hounds!)

Most of us associate jewelry with happy occasions like weddings, birthdays and Valentine’s Day. But many folks are wearing jewels these days that symbolize quite the opposite.

Mourning jewelry is apparently all the rage right now, according to TrendHunter, and with vampire chic taking over our pop culture – from Twilight to True Blood - it’s no wonder.

So what is mourning jewelry exactly?

The earliest examples of mourning jewelry were found in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Black and white enameled heads or skulls were often set into both rings and brooches and worn to signify a period of mourning after the death of a loved one.

The jewelry category reached its height of popularity in England with Queen Victoria after the premature death of Prince Albert in December 1861. Black jewelry soon became a must-have accessory, as thousands of Brits sympathized with their grieving Queen.

In the United States the use of mourning jewelry increased with the outbreak of the Civil War, which included the emergence of hair jewelry – lopped off locks given to loved ones by soldiers who went off to war, often worn as pendants or in closed lockets.

Today, mourning jewelry is making a comeback, with young designers like Anna Schwamborn from London designing a range of styles made with the hair and cremated ashes of loved ones mixed with black bone china. Her “Mourning Objects” collection includes a rosary, necklace and a watch chain tear catcher, among other styles.

So what do you think about this ‘trendy’ jewelry category? Would you wear the remains of your loved one around your neck, for example, or in the form of a ring? Or is the thought of it too morbid to even consider?

I'm curious. Has anyone out there worn mourning jewelry before? Share your story!

Twisted Baseball Necklace Ropes In Players

With the 2010 World Series underway (GO GIANTS!), I had to get an answer to a question many of my guy-friends have asked me this year:

"What's with those weird rope necklaces?"

I have to admit, while I am thrilled to see the menfolk embrace a jewelry tradition, these things look about as appealing as a twisted chain of sea slugs. And neck ropes? They don't really conjure up the warm/fuzzies, if you get my drift...

But apparently there is method to the rope-filled madness (and I mean 'madness' literally).

Phiten, maker of the official "Phiten rope necklace"explains it this way on MLB.com:

"We have a really unique product. It has the effect to stabilize your electric current inside the body. Every single product has been permeated with what we call the aqua titanium. We have technology to dissolve the metal into the water. That specially treated titanium allows the flow of energy."

"So many players believe in our technology, and at the same time, some players wear [them] as a fashion statement, some as a lucky charm. It all depends. There is a reason why they're wearing it -- that special water we permeate into the fabric."

Special water? Electric currents? Aqua titanium? And I thought we women were the only suckers for jewelry marketing. It's never dull in Mudville.

Baseball players may use twisted logic to rock the Phiten rope, but the Los Angeles Lakers don't need ANY excuse to sparkle in one of these little beauties... See Jewelry.com today for more on what folks are calling the most extravagant championship ring in the history of sports!

Merveille du Jour

The second Merveille du Jour for the garden. The last was in 2005. Also Feathered Thorn, Red-green Carpet, Brick, Yellow-line Quaker, Red-line Quaker, Beaded Chestnut, Green-brindled Crescent and Garden Rose Tortrix.

Merveille du Jour Dichonia aprilina

Canon Powershot A640

"Unstoppable" Jewelry: Glam, Gauche & Gawdawful

Red carpet jewelry hunting season is in full swing, and last night's Unstoppable premiere in Los Angeles brought out some A-list lovelinesss and some D-list dregs.

The Glam:

Rosario Dawson's dusty blue Stella McCartney gown was a hands-down winner, and her Vhernier jewelry added just the right amount of sparkle. Loving the shoulder-duster earrings -a trend I think we'll see a lot more of in the months to come. (See why here).

The Gauche:

Why was Real Housewife of Orange County, Gretchen Rossi, at the Unstoppable premiere? Perhaps the better question is: What was she thinking when she put on that outfit? Nevermind. I don't want to know.

Look, the statement necklace could have rocked - but the lace bustier and piled on gems pushed the look to the wrong side of 'street walker chic' in my humble opinion. Sorry.

The Gaudy:

Bless her, Cloris Leachman is having as huge a heydey as Betty White. And she's just as saucy - so leopard and layers are working for her in a Mrs. Roper kindof way (look her up, youngsters).

Can I just say, though, that I'm kinda tired of the over-the-top octogenarian fashion statement? These women look great for their age. Being funny doesn't mean you have to 'dress funny'. You know?

Here are some other shots from the carpet. Anything strike you?

Joseph Mbangu Updates Congo Situation

Congolese attorney Joseph Mbangu by interviewed recently by the UN's IRIN news service about the most recent developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The situation continues to deteriorate, and Joseph's comments are quite timely. Listen to the 10-minute interview here.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

New Disco Hyphy Remix: Do The On One

Here's one I've been holding for a minute, as usual I added a few chords with the Juno 106 for added effect.

Kinsmoke feat federation & rick rock - do the on one (b.cause synth edit) by djbcause

Cushion-Cut Craze Goes Courtside

Maria Sharapova's diamond engagement ring photos are making the rounds this week, and it looks like we've got another cushion-cut cutie on our hands.

US Weekly reports the tennis phenom is wearing a 7 or 8-carat cushion-cut stone in a platinum setting with a price tag of approximately $250,000. Her Los Angeles Laker fiance, Sasha Vujacic popped the question in his Manhattan Beach home a while ago, but the ring is making its first appearance in shots like these taken during an afternoon stroll in Los Angeles last Sunday.

So why are celebs like Ivanka Trump, Anna Paquin, Alyssa Milano and Ashlee Simpson opting for the cushion-cut over, say, the more popular round-cut diamond engagement ring?

The cushion cut dates back to the 1800s and derived its shape from the fact that back then cutters were not capable of making a perfectly round stone, according to Jewelry.com.

Today, the square shape is marked by a more affordable price point than the traditional and more frequently seen round stones - unless you're going for a whopper like those seen on Hollywood ring fingers. Once we're in the 7-8-carat range, folks, saving money is clearly not on the agenda.

I think it's because the cushion offers more of a vintage-y feel over the sleek lines of the traditional (read: boring) round stone?

Here are a few of my favorite cushion-cuts here for your browsing pleasure. The good news is: You don't have to walk down the aisle to wear one - and they come in a variety of stone variations outside of the diamond category.

You like?

Stay With Me :: Max Kane Remix

Very nice new joint from the friend Max Kane.

Stay With Me (max kane slump remix)

Blend: Hello Good Morning

Why not....

Dirty money feat diddy and t.i. - hello good morning (b.cause avenues blend) by djbcause

Diamonds Get Saucy at the Millionaire Fair

So you're a Russian billionaire on a lazy Sunday afternoon. You've already polished the Ferrari, fluffed up the fur coat collection, and toured the indoor football stadium. Sigh. Now what?

How about a trip to the local 'flea market' to pick up a trinket or two for the kitchen?

Enter: The Millionaire Fair - an annual celebration of conspicuous consumption that's targeted right at the Russian billionaire demographic (all 62 of you!). And wouldn't you know it? They've got that must-have kitchen item you can't live without - a diamond-encrusted saucepan!

The saucepan has a handle and lid studded with a whopping 270 diamonds over 18-carat gold. Made by German cookware brand Fissler, the utensil is not really suitable for cooking (whatever that is).

"It is for serving food beautifully," the Fissler brand manager, Natalya Oreshikina, explained to The Daily Telegraph.

And at a measly $210,000, the pan costs roughly the same as, oh, a Porsche Cayenne SUV. BUT! It's a better value, Oreshkina pitched.

"A Porsche Cayenne turns into a pile of metal once it leaves the showroom. This is an investment."

Throw in a set of steak knives, and I'm in!

Gregory

West Penwith, August

Only just got around to sorting out the photos from a superb 10 day visit to West Cornwall at the end of August. We normally go to Sennen in late October but for various reasons ended up going around the summer bank holiday. An excellent week with lots of walking, some surfing and a fair bit of rock climbing plus of course plenty of wildlife.

A good series of Basking Shark records, a couple of Sunfish and good seabird passage, with quite a few Storm Petrels, Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters.

Orthoptera

Roesel's Bush-cricket Metrioptera roeseli