For years now my grandmother and I have met every week for a visit: dinner and scrabble. It’s our tradition. I always stop for fried chicken along the way. It’s wonderful.

This week, after a very close game of scrabble, grandmother suggested we look at her “old” jewelry (she knows I love jewelry). She left the kitchen, returning with a small, marvelously embroidered jewelry box. Delicate, the small jewelry box looked like it held little jewelry.

What a surprise! Grandma’s jewelry box overflowed with gems: amethyst jewelry, CZ, peridot and ruby jewelry, sapphire and turquoise jewelry, pearl, garnet and quartz jewelry. I could go on and on.

It was a jewelry treasure trove! A magic pit of jewelry! Blackbeard’s jewelry booty! Every time I thought the jewelry box empty, grandmother lifted another gemstone, another dazzling specimen.

Grandmother had a story for every brooch and necklace, every bracelet, every set of earrings. We retraced her life through that jewelry. It was beautiful.

We spent hours over that jewelry box, talking and laughing. As I was leaving, I kissed my grandmother’s a cheek as I always do. Before I turned around, she grabbed my hand. From behind her back emerged the jewelry box. ‘I want you to have the jewelry box dear, and don’t say no,’ she pushed the jewelry box into my hands, ‘just remember.’

I was weepy all the way home. I’ve put grandma’s story, her jewelry box, on my mantle where I see it everyday…..remembering.

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This richly colored gemstone is known as a symbol of faith, consistency and truth. Mostly appearing in deep shades of red, the garnet actually displays the widest range of colors of all gemstones. Garnets can be found in every color of the spectrum except blue. The January birthstone takes its name from the Latin word for grain and is actually a family of gems rather than one specific gemstone.

Garnet in History

Jewelry featuring the garnet has been found dating back to 3000 BC, through the ruins of Ancient Greece and Egypt where garnets were used as talismans. Also, this gemstone was included in tombs of Ancient Egypt - meant to light the passage to the afterlife.

In Biblical history, Noah is depicted using a garnet to illuminate the way of the ark. The garnet is also one of twelve stones to adorn the Breastplate of Aaron, made by Moses for his brother. In the middle ages, the garnet was believed to hold medicinal value. The gemstone was said to offer protection from poisons and cures for other illness, especially those dealing with blood and infection.

Origins

Garnets today originate from African countries but are also mined in India, Russia, Central and South America. Usually cut into classic shapes, fancy cuts are becoming more common. Some members of the garnet family are exclusive to one part of the world. Many types, old and new, come from Africa.

The green Tsavorite garnet, named by Tiffany’s in New York, is found in Kenya and East Africa and imported by the United States.

Celebrate each season with its associated gemstones. This is another great way to select a gift or your own gemstone jewelry!

Spring Gems

Known as the gem of eternal spring and youth, the vibrant green emerald is the perfect springtime gemstone. This gem has long been known as a symbol of love and rebirth. Other gorgeous representations of spring include amethyst, pink topaz and peridot.

Summer Gems

Symbolizing passion and heat, the fiery red ruby is an ideal summer gemstone choice. The ruby is the birthstone for the month of July and is known as the “king of precious stones”. Summer’s bounty and heat is also well represented in the garnet, zircon and alexandrite.

Autumn Gems

Autumn is a time of harvest. The blue fall sky and the hope that new harvest brings is embodied in the bright sapphire gemstone. Hyacinth, topaz and tourmaline are also excellent choices for fall gemstone selection.

Winter Gems

Wintertime sparkles with the classic diamond gemstone. Bright and full of light, the diamond symbolizes ice and snow. Other fine choices are the winter gemstones turquoise and pearl.

Now you all know I’m a great lover of jewelry and gemstones. In fact, it could be argued that I am one of the greatest lovers….of gemstones.

That said, despite my great love of gemstones, I’ve never actually dreamt about them. Of course, there’s always a first. Last night was my first time dreaming about gemstones.

Dreaming about gemstones is sexy!

As I dreamed I found myself at a fabulous gala engagement with a beautiful unnamed Italian. I was wearing a full-length strapless glimmering with gemstones. There were gemstones adorning my hair, my arms, my neck (it was magnificent!), gemstones embedded in the floor, the walls, the soaring ceiling. The orchestra was playing; their instruments made entirely of gemstones. All the other women looked amazing also, bejeweled head to foot with gemstones.

The unnamed Italian and I floated about the ballroom as servers passed by carrying trays of champagne glasses filled, not with bubbly, but with gemstones: garnet, diamond, emerald, rubies, you name it. Gemstones everywhere!

As the music played, as talk and laughter echoed off gemstone walls, the beautiful Italian took my hand and led me to a hidden atrium where we sat on a dazzling gemstone bench. Suddenly it began to rain gemstones, rain and rain and rain, beautiful, perfect gemstones. There were gemstones in my lap, my hands, everywhere, everywhere gemstones!

The beautiful Italian leaned into me, gemstones raining around us when….

Damn!

I woke up!

You know what though girls, gemstones are sexy!

At some point a couple months ago, I looked around my apartment and felt the world closing in on me.

I hadn’t noticed before, I’d been blind. Everywhere I looked there were pieces of jewelry strewn about: CZ bracelet on TV, pearl earring on nightstand, refrigerator top bedazzled with aquamarine, opal, and amethyst. Garnet glinting off pots and pans, necklaces dangling on nails, hammered into green living room walls. And everywhere I looked there were bowls and vases and small boxes overflowing with gems and jewelry. I was mortified.

‘How long had my place been like this?’ I wondered.
‘Why didn’t anyone say anything?’

Something had to be done!

I remember my first jewelry purchase: a delicate little silver, rose quartz ring. I was 8 years old at the time. I saw it in the mall while shopping with my mother. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I had to have it!

I remember slaving away at my lemonade stand for weeks to buy that damn ring, sweating in the heat of the summer, hands sticky with lemon-sugar, the casualties: lemon juice in eyes, lost sale, bad batch. I counted the booty every night, just waiting until I could afford the ring and turn in my badge; get out of the rat race.

When I finally bought my ring, after hours and hours of hard labor, I kept it in a little bowl (my homemade jewelry box). That was then. That was when I was 8. I was a kid, I was stupid then. At my age now though, well, there’s just no excuse for uncomely jewelry-keeping habits.

It came to my mind that I should get a jewelry box of some sort. It didn’t take long for me to realize that a jewelry box just wasn’t going to cut it. I was going to need a jewelry armoire and I wasn’t going to find the one I was looking for at the mall. I was going to have to go online.

Trudging back home with my mall purchases-of-whimsy, I thought hard about the style of armoire I would like, how many ring slots I would need, hooks to hand things on, drawers. Of course I had to allow for new jewelry as well because, well, there is always new jewelry isn’t there. By the time I got home and online, I knew exactly what to look for and I found it.

So if you find yourself looking about your place one day and realize you got gems and jewelry as far as the eye can see, you can’t find the jewelry you’re looking for when you need it, or you’re just losing those precious gems in the vacuum, sink, or unknown depths of your domicile, do what I did. Accessorizing has become so much easier!

We girls do love our gemstone jewelry! 

Gemstone jewelry looks great on!  With all the different colors, types and cuts of gemstone jewelry available, it’s hard to decide what to wear.  Whatever you prefer, your gemstone jewelry is certain to be beautiful.  Gemstone jewelry makes a girl feel good!

These days there’s a lot of gemstone jewelry to choose from.  The good news is gemstone jewelry is inexpensive and easy to find.  Building a collection of gemstone jewelry is fun.  I love my gemstone jewelry (and there’s a lot of it)!  I like to buy gemstone jewelry sets for accessorizing. Before long you too can have lots of gemstone jewelry to enjoy!

Gemstone jewelry has been linked to birthdates for centuries!  Even today we usually count our birthday gemstones as our favorites.  I know I do!  I love to give people gemstone jewelry for their birthdays.  Here’s a list of birthstones in case you like that idea too:

• January: Garnet
• February: Amethyst
• March: Aquamarine
• April: Diamond
• May: Emerald
• June: Pearl and Moonstone
• July: Ruby
• August: Peridot
• September: Sapphire
• October: Opal and Tourmaline
• November: Yellow Topaz and Citrine
• December: Blue Topaz and Turquoise

Whether for yourself or for others, you just can’t go wrong with gemstone jewelry!

-Summer