The advantage of having big hands is that you can wear big gems set into knock-out cocktail rings. No delicate stacking rings for you just big bold beautiful designs. Go for flamboyant settings such as larger stones in bezel settingsor substantial claw settings. Leave the delicate 2mm wide bands for those with petite digits; choose wider bands.
Our Viva ringwith a carre rutilated quartz is a perfect example of a bold statement ring with a nice heavy setting that will look magnificent on a larger hand. Rutilated quartz is right on trend and will make a fascinating talking point at any gathering.
Selecting the Right Ring Style - Wide Fingers
Wide fingers may not seem ideal however they offer scope to wear some interesting and unusual styles. The secret is to avoid wearing long, vertically set narrow stones such as baguettes and marquise shapes you want to avoid having too much skin visible on either side of each stone. Larger round stones or rounded ovals look amazing. You can also experiment with cluster styles and asymmetric and angular shapes.
Our spectacular bespoke sapphire, emerald and diamond ring set in deluxe 22 carat yellow gold, would look majestic on a larger hand with wider fingers. The stones are slightly asymmetrical and are flanked by pave diamond clusters producing a very regal, rich look.
Selecting the Right Ring Style - Slim Fingers
If you have delicate slim fingers you'll want to showcase them by selecting the right ring style. Avoid overpowering them with gemstones that are proportionally too big for your hand. Choose smaller stones on fine, elegant bands of 2-3mm width. The trend for now is to stack multiple fine diamond or gemstone set bands which look fabulous on slim fingers.
Our beautiful Empire State ring from our New York New York Collection is a symphony of colour and sparkle and would look amazing on slim fingers. It features our favourite colour combination of electric green emerald and cornflower blue sapphire set together on a delicate diamond set band. The ring can be stacked with fine diamond set bands and makes a sensational alternative engagement ring.
Selecting the Right Ring Style for Long Fingers
If you are blessed with long fingers you are able to wear dramatic ring designs. Bigger stones will look amazing and can be worn set horizontally for a modern look. Wider bands will also flatter long fingers.
We have many styles featuring luscious big gems. Here we feature our statement ring called Illuminaireset with a 20 carat oval cut London Topaz handcrafted in 9ct rose gold. This knock out ring will be noticed wherever you go.
Selecting the Right Ring Style for Short Fingers
When selecting a ring that you will love and wear everyday it's very important to consider the shape of your fingers and the size of your hand. Those who are blessed with long slim fingers can mostly wear any style. However, with careful selection it's possible to find ring styles to suit everyone.
If you have short fingers, you need to look for longer shaped stones that are vertically set to give the illusion of length. Shapes such as ovals, pears, marquises and baguettes are elongating. Setting the gems on a narrow band will also make your fingers appear longer. If it's appropriate wear your nails long with a neutral shade of polish to create added length.
Our stunning Manhattan ring in 18ct white gold features a vertically set baguette cut aquamarine and a round brilliant cut diamond. This timeless yet contemporary ring is delicate and flattering and can be stacked with a fine diamond band.It makes a beautiful alternative engagement ring.
Paraiba Perfection
The holy grail of the multi-coloured tourmaline family is undoubtedly the electric coloured gemstone known as Paraiba.
Tourmalines are complex boro-silicates that have incredibly long chemical formulas that resemble a mediaeval apothecary's script. They are coloured by various transition elements such as magnesium or traces of chromium and vanadium (the two metal ions responsible for the brilliant hues of emerald and ruby) and even bismuth! The intensely coloured, almost neon blue through to green coloured tourmalines from the Paraiba state in Brazil are unique in the tourmaline family as they are coloured by copper (which is responsible for the beautiful vibrant blue colour of turquoise). Paraiba tourmaline is often included with copper platelets which can be dendritic in form and have a yellow, metallic lustre.
Tourmaline is so appealing to jewellers as this family of gems offers the greatest variety of colour choices. Since the discovery of Paraiba tourmaline in the 1980s by Heitor Dimas Barbosa, extra neon colours have been added to the already extensive rainbow palette of tourmaline. Mr Barbosa toiled for years digging in and around the hills of the state of Paraiba in Brazil, hoping to discover something unique. Imagine his delight when he uncovered the first neon blue beauty!
The colours of Paraiba tourmaline are: electric neon turquoise, neon sea green, electric cobalt blue and a sizzling purple. The most sought-after colour is the electric neon turquoise which looks so spectacular coupled with diamonds imagine how fresh and appealing a neon Paraiba centre stone and diamond and Paraiba melee pave set looks in brilliant white gold!
Paraiba tourmalines seem to have a unique incandescent glow that sets them apart from all other gems. Since the discovery in Paraiba, Brazil, other similar gems have been excavated in Mozambique and Nigeria since 2003. These gems are so close in their chemical composition to the original deposit in Brazil that they are known as Paraiba type. Gems weighing over five carats are being unearthed in these newer deposits which is a true gift from Mother Nature! There's an ongoing debate on whether only tourmalines uncovered from the Paraiba state in Brazil have the right to be called Paraiba. Gem dealers are getting around this by calling stones from the other countries Paraiba type. Surely the main point is the stunning colour and the copper content to qualify as a true Paraiba!
Two Tone Terrific Earrings
Many of us may have jewellery tucked away and unworn because the gold colour isn't suiting our current style. White gold has been the most popular choice for over a decade and many us feel that our yellow gold pieces aren't so in vogue or that the two metal colours can't be worn simultaneously.
The good news is that the trend is to wear multiple gold colours together and the best way to achieve this is to bring the look together with a two-tone statement piece. Our gorgeous new Manhattan earrings, inspired by the Art Deco skyscrapers in New York city, feature unique parti coloured sapphires set in 18ct yellow gold and long elegant green tourmalines in 18ct white. The golds come together in total harmony and you could easily wear other pieces in yellow and white gold to create a contemporary look that avoids the old fashioned matched look.
If your yellow gold jewellery is looking out dated next to your white gold pieces, visit us for a consultation and we can remodel it into a two-tone statement piece so it no longer sits unworn in your jewellery box.
October Birthstone: Opal and Tourmaline
If your birthday falls in October then you are certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting your birthstone. The two choices are opal and tourmaline both of these gems are truly kaleidoscopic!
OPULENT OPAL
Opal is one of the rarest and most fascinating gems of all. Australia is blessed with 90% of the finest precious opal including the famous black opal from Lightning Ridge in NSW. Precious black opal has a black body colour and can sometimes display all the spectral colours when viewed from different positions. This kaleidoscopic effect is known as play of colour and is due to the diffraction of light through spheres of silica in the atomic lattice of the gem. Vivid greens and blues are the most common colours while flashes of red are the rarest. Some precious opals can display distinct patterns such as Harlequin and Chinese Writing.
RAINBOW TOURMALINE
Tourmaline is the rainbow gem that appears in a myriad of colours. Reds are known as Rubellite, teal blues as Indicolite and a stunning bi-coloured gem with distinct colour zones of pink and green as Watermelon tourmaline. Other colours are golds, browns, Blacks, greens, oranges and pinks. The most prized tourmalines of all are known as Paraiba tourmaline. These stunning gems are coloured with traces of copper which give them a neon blue through to blue green colour which is highly prized among collectors. Named after the Paraiba district in Brazil from where they are mined, they will knock you out with their beauty.
Lizunova Fine Jewels can source any natural gemstone that you desire. Contact us for a consultation and we can present you with a selection of gems to inspire your bespoke jewellery piece.
Image courtesy of American Gem Society.
Garnets
Garnet colours
Most people have the misconception that garnets are rather unattractive dark reddish-brown stones and are basically a "poor man's ruby". This couldn't be further from the truth - garnets are a remarkable family of gemstones that come in every colour except for a true blue (some rare teal blues do exist). They also can display amazing phenomena such as asterism (e.g. the famous almandine star garnets from Idaho, USA); chatoyancy, producing a cat's eye effect, and colour-change from teal blue/greens in natural and fluorescent light and rich reddish purple in incandescent light striking gems which make a wonderful alternative to Alexandrite. They normally have a bright, vitreous lustre and take a good polish and have a bright, fiery appearance. Mali and Demantoid garnets have a sub-adamantine lustre and sparkle like diamonds.
Garnets in jewellery
Garnets have good hardness and range from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. They are hard enough to set into ring settings, however, should be worn with care.
Garnet varieties
There are six major varieties of gem garnets that are used in jewellery: Pyrope, Almandine, Spessartine, Grossular, Andradite and Uvarovite. Pyrope garnets are famous for their fiery red colour that flashes in the sun; Almandine garnets are the classic rich dark red stones that have been used in jewellery since antiquity; Spessartine garnets can be vivid orange and are known in the trade as Mandarin garnets; Grossular garnets range from nearly colourless to gold through to green the most prized Grossulars are the vivid grass green Tsavorites; Andradites can be attractive browns, however, the king of garnets, Demantoid, belongs to this variety. Finally, the stunning Uvarovite garnet comes in a chromium-rich emerald green colour. As the crystals are so small, pieces of Uvarovite drusy are used to create unique and contemporary jewellery pieces.
As mentioned, the king of garnets would have to be Demantoid from the Andradite variety. This dazzling green gem was first uncovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1868 and was referred to as demantoid from the old French demant meaning diamond. The gemstone truly deserves this moniker as it has an adamantine lustre and greater dispersion or fire than diamond. This means when white light travels through the stone it is split into its spectral colours producing rainbow-like sparkles through its soft green hues.
Another divinely colourful garnet is the Malaya garnet, which is a soft rose pink that will colour-shift to a warm cognac under different lighting conditions. Originally these unique gems were cast aside as miners were looking for purple-red Rhodolite garnets. Hence the stone was unfairly named Malaya, which translates to Outcast in Swahili. Fortunately, late last century, gem dealers finally appreciated their exquisite beauty and Malaya garnets are now highly sought after and are becoming increasingly rare as sources are dwindling.
Argentina, Brazil, Germany, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Namibia, Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and Tanzania.
Hardness: 6.5-7.5 Mohs
Specific Gravity: 4.79-4.16
Refractive Index: 1.69-1.89
Crystal System: Cubic, Dodecahedra habit
Lustre: Vitreous to sub-adamantine
Cleavage: None
Sources: lizunova.com, The Jeweller's Directory of Gemstones, Judith Crowe
Main image: gia.edu
Amazing Amazonite
With Spring upon us it's time to starting considering fresh looks for the warmer months. It's time to stash away the heavy dark layers and explore light gossamer fabrics that suit long sunny days. The ultimate accessory for warm weather gear would have to be our Amazon designer gemstone earrings with rhodolite garnet and amazonite drops. Amazonite is a fabulous ornamental gem that comes in bright turquoise blues and gentle soft greens. We think it's just magical set in rose gold with the pink-purple garnets.
Amazonite is claimed to facilitate calm, rational thinking and aid with communication and expression of ideas, bolstering self-awareness and confidence.
We use Australian ring size measurements, which are in an alphabetical range from A-Z.
As your fingers contract and expand due to the temperature, humidity, exercise, etc, your ring will fit on your finger tighter or looser. Your ring should fit comfortably and you need to find a balance between too big and too small. It is recommended that you should have to push your ring on tightly over your knuckle and it should spin slightly around the base of your finger. There should be some resistance when the ring is taken off – this will help to keep the ring on when your fingers are cold or wet. The correct size is the one that you feel the most confident and comfortable with.
We suggest that you size the finger you intend to wear your ring on at room temperature – this should provide you with a size that should be close to perfect most of the time.
Top-heavy rings can tend to spin on your finger, as the base of your finger is usually thinner than your knuckle. We suggest when sizing your finger for a top-heavy ring, that you err on the tighter side, rather than a loose fit. This will mean that the ring will stay on the top of your finger and it will ultimately be more comfortable to wear.
If you’re choosing a wide ring, you will tend to go up a size. There is more surface area on a wider ring and therefore more metal to grip to your finger.
If you are interested in a ring that is 5mm or wider, we suggest going up a size (one size larger than the sizing gauge). We suggest going up another size if the ring you are interested in is 9mm or larger (two sizes larger than the sizing gauge).
If you are buying a ring as a gift for someone, we recommend that you measure the inside diameter of a ring the person you’re buying the gift for, regularly wears on the finger your gift will be worn on.
MEASURING YOUR FINGER
If you do not know your ring size you can use this guide to obtain an approximate measurement.
Before measuring the finger on which the ring you’re purchasing will be worn, please ensure the following:
Do not measure a finger when it is cold or too hot as this can have a significant effect on a ring size.
Ensure that the size you choose has some resistance going on, and especially coming off, the finger.
If you have a bigger knuckle and a thin part of the finger the ring will be worn on, the ring should be a very tight fit over the knuckle, to ensure that when it's worn it doesn't spin on the finger.
If you have a smaller knuckle and the part of the finger where the ring will be worn is almost the same size as the knuckle, the fit where the ring will be worn should be tighter, as the knuckle will not stop it from sliding off.
There are significant size differences between the right and left hand, so we recommend you measure the finger of the hand you intend to wear your ring on.
To measure your finger you can use a tape measure or download our Ring Size Chart.
The number that lines up with edges of the opening is the ‘interior circumference’. Please note this number and then refer to our Ring Size Chart to choose the correct ring size.
If you do not know your ring size you can use this guide to obtain an approximate measurement.
If you have a ring that is worn on the finger you need sizing, print out the ring size guide (take care to print it at 100%), and place the existing ring over the circles. Measure the inside of the ring against the outside of the circle. If you can hardly see the black line which goes around each circle, you have chosen the right size. Compare the ring to the adjacent circles to check that you definitely have the right size.
You can then double check this measurement by measuring the inside diameter of the ring, and matching that against the ring diameter measurements shown.
Alternatively, if you don’t have a ring available, you can measure the finger itself to obtain an approximate ring size. You can do so by wrapping a piece of string or thin strip of paper around the finger on which you wish to wear the ring, marking it with a pen where it overlaps. Measure the piece of string with a ruler to obtain the circumference of the finger, and compare that to the European Size measurement shown on the chart. We would recommend that in order to obtain the most accurate measurement when taking your ring size in this way, you do so at the end of the day when the finger is at its largest, and not when your hands are unusually cold as this would lead to a smaller ring size.
If you require any further assistance in obtaining your ring size, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
