New Zultanite Stones

Zultanite, 7mm (1.79 carats)

Zultanite, 7mm (1.75 carats)

Zultanite, 7mm (1.56 carats)

Zultanite, 7mm (1.60 carats)

Zultanite, 7.4mm (1.88 carats)

Zultanite, 7.5mm (1.90 carats)

Zultanite, 7.3mm (1.67 carats)

New Work

Lab-created Chatham padparadscha sapphire and recycled 14k rose gold band
{ custom order; sold }

Afghan tourmaline, moissanite, and recycled 14k yellow gold ring, size 7.5

Fair trade sapphire and recycled 14k white gold ring
{ custom order; sold }

Moissanite and recycled 14k white gold three stone engagement ring

Greener Boxes

Here are the new boxes I got to replace the old velvet ones -

The outer box is made from recycled paper so I feel like they are a much eco-friendlier option. Now if only there was some way to get rid of that foam insert...

New Work

Afghan tourmaline, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled sterling silver ring, size 7

Fair trade peridot, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled palladium sterling silver engagement ring with matching mens band
{ custom order; sold }

Mothers' ring - Chatham lab-created sapphire and Chatham lab-created alexandrite with recycled palladium sterling silver
{ custom order; sold }

New Work

Fair trade aquamarine, recycled 14k white gold, and recycled 14k yellow gold engagement ring with 14k recycled white gold wedding band
{ custom order; sold }

A view from the back showing how the wedding band fits into a notch in the back side of the bezel on the engagement ring - a technique I've been utilizing more often lately.

Afghan tourmaline and recycled 14k palladium white gold engagement ring
{ custom order; sold }

Afghan tourmaline, recycled 14k white gold, and oxidized sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

New Work

Afghan tourmaline, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled 14k white gold ring
{ custom order; sold }

Recycled 14k rose gold and recycled 14k white gold earrings
{ to be listed soon in my Etsy shop }

Moissanite, Afghan tourmaline, and recycled 14k yellow gold engagement ring with recycled 14k yellow gold wedding band
{ custom order; sold }

Moissanite and recycled 14k white gold engagement and wedding rings

November Jewelry for Charity Recap & December Kick-Off

Once again I am blown away by the support I've received from my amazing customers. November was a busy month and thanks to all of you who placed orders, today I'm able to cut a check to Farm Sanctuary for $1,040.00. This donation is especially meaningful to me because it is in honor of the passing of my sweet turkey, Blossom, and in celebration of the two turkeys we adopted from Farm Sanctuary this month, Constance and Marianne - which reminds me, I haven't shared photos of our new girls here on the blog yet, so without further ado -




Aren't they pretty?

This month's donation brings my total to date to $23,110.00. I hope you all aren't totally sick of me saying this, but I am just so completely overwhelmed with gratitude to be able to have a job that I enjoy so much, and that also allows me to direct a significant portion of my profits to charity.

For December, I'm featuring Doctors Without Borders, so as usual, 5% of anything you spend with me this month goes straight to them. Doctors Without Borders is an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.

More Tourmaline

New stones available for custom orders...

Afghan blue tourmaline, 5.5mm (.63ct)

Afghan blue tourmaline, 5mm (.47ct)

Afghan blue tourmaline, 5mm (.44ct)

Afghan blue tourmaline, 4.5mm (.31ct)

Afghan tourmaline, 2.5mm

New Work

Afghan tourmaline, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled palladium sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

Moissanite, recycled 14k white gold, and recycled palladium sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

Afghan tourmaline, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

Moissanite, fair trade garnet, and recycled 14k white gold band
{ custom order; sold }

And I was finally able to get some better shots of these two rings, which I finished a couple of weeks ago -

Fair trade fancy sapphire and recycled 18k palladium white gold ring, size 6.5

Moissanite and recycled 18k palladium white gold ring, size 7 or made to order in your size

Boxes!

I'm hoping you guys will chime in with some advice for me here... for a while now, I've been sending out all of my wedding- and engagement- style rings (which these days is about 90% of my work) in these very traditional (and to be honest, slightly boring) velvet flip-top boxes -


I chose them because I wanted something pretty traditional, and I thought that my customers would appreciate the flip-top action that is so ingrained in our culture when it comes to wedding proposals. (Mine are a little more unique because they do have my logo embossed in silver on the inside of the lid.)

However, in my ongoing quest to make my business as ethical and eco-friendly as possible, I've been giving these boxes some serious thought lately, and I think they have to go. Nothing about them is environmentally friendly - plastic innards, foam and velvet, and they are likely a one-use item, destined to either sit forever in someone's jewelry box, or more likely, in the landfill. Plus, they're made in China, which I'm guessing means horrid labor conditions.

The problem is that I have not been able to source a box that meets all of my goals: (1) a fairly traditional/recognizably 'engagement' design (i.e. flip-top), (2) less plastic/foam; more recycled materials, and (3) manufactured as ethically as possible. But I think I can at least do better than what I'm doing now.

Here are the options. I'm hoping you guys will comment and let me know your thoughts on this issue. I want to be sensitive to my customers' needs while still honoring the environment as much as possible...

These are the only paper (non-plastic) boxes I can find that incorporate a flip-top design. However, they are not made from recycled paper, and they are also made in China. Blerg.

These are a little better - made from recycled paper (both the inner box and the black paper outer), and made in the USA. But they lack the traditional flip-top design. And they do still contain a foam pad for holding the ring (I think anything I find is going to have that, unfortunately).

This is the same design in silver foil. The inner box is made from recycled materials but I don't think the outer silver paper is.

And finally, the same design in white.

So what do you think???
Anyone know of a source with better options?

New Work

Fair trade sapphire and recycled 18k palladium white gold ring, size 6.5

{ to be listed soon in my Etsy shop }

Moissanite and recycled 18k palladium white gold ring, size 6.5

{ to be listed soon in my Etsy shop }

Moissanite and recycled 14k yellow gold rings

{ custom order; sold }

Fair trade green tourmaline and recycled sterling silver ring

{ custom order; sold }

Recycled palladium sterling silver and recycled 14k yellow gold ring

{ custom order; sold }

They're Here!!!

I have several customers who have patiently been waiting for these little beauties to arrive! All I can say is WOW!!!

Afghan tourmaline, 5mm (.48 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5mm (.49 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5mm (.51 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5mm (.52 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5mm (.53 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5.5mm (.58 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5.5mm (.63 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5.5mm (.67 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5.5mm (.68 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 5.5mm (.68 carat)

Afghan tourmaline, 6.5mm (.91 carat)