Friday 5: Carved Gemstone Craving

More, please

What a wonderful world the jewelry one is. With so many gemstone variations to admire, they inspire to create, covet, and—ultimately—purchase and enjoy. To add to the wide availability of gemstones is the variety of ways they can be cut, designed, and set. One way that I don’t think we talk about very often—and this could be due to the lack of spotlight or availability—is the carved gemstone. Like a blank canvas primed for art, we most often see the carvings in materials such as jade, coral, shell (particularly cameos), onyx, and turquoise. I really get a kick out of the unexpected, so a stone such as an emerald or tanzanite displaying a floral pattern (or better yet, a face!) is something I find particularly thrilling. Is this something that’s “trending?” Probably not. I feel fortunate to have wrangled up this small number of stellar options for today. I guess it’s an expression of something I’d like to see more of. I understand the desire for sparkle and shine and totally get that if you’re working with a high-quality gemstone, you’re probably going to come out with something faceted over anything else. But I just think this is cool, especially for larger statement pieces, so it’s something I’ll be keeping an eye out for in Vegas, throughout conversations, and general Internet jewelry hunting. How about you? What are your thoughts on the carved gemstone?

Buddha cameo pendant in 18k yellow gold with peridot, amethyst, sapphire, glass-filled ruby, and Venetian glass, $1,950; Bahina Jewels

Tutti Frutti earrings in 18k white gold with 64.02 cts. t.w. emeralds, 23.58 cts. t.w. rubies, 11.82 cts. t.w. sapphires, and 3.54 cts. t.w. diamonds, price on request; Andreoli