We've always been more partial to the earthier gemstones: smoky quartz, topaz, citrine. But lately our head's been turned by the color blue. Just as we've learned to embrace blue eye shadow again, we're loving these icy blue hues that remind us of the Caribbean. There's something cooling about blue as well, making these pieces the perfect accessory for summer or fall. OCEAN VIEW (main photo above) — Dallas jewelry designer Amanda Sterett offers an entire blue, ocean-inspired collection. The Gabriella earrings feature, hand-wrapped gold wire with oval faceted aquamarine nuggets ($190) at www.amandasterett.com. <<<< TRUE BLUE — From David Yurman's Renaissance collection come these dangling dazzlers. The 18-karat yellow gold quatrefoil design features pavé diamonds and faceted blue topaz drops ($3,950) at Neiman Marcus or www.davidyurman.com.

features multi-colored semi-precious stones such as citrine, amethyst and blue topaz. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton accented her vibrant orange pantsuit at the Democratic National Convention with a Marco Bicego necklace from the Paradise collection. The three-strand, handcrafted 18 yellow gold necklace features multi-colored semi-precious stones such as citrine, amethyst and blue topaz. The Paradise necklace has a fun, light-hearted and whimsical aesthetic. “We are so proud to have Mrs. Clinton as a client,” states designer Marco Bicego. “She has true beauty and substance, and is an inspiration to women everywhere. Her choice is also right on-trend, as yellow gold with colored stones is a key look for the season.” Senator Hillary Clinton has worn Marco Bicego jewelry before particularly during the speech she gave on June 4th and for campaign appearances in Puerto Rico earlier this year. In addition, Bill and Chelsea have also given Marco Bicego jewelry to her. http://www.vialuxe.com/News/luxury-fine-jewelry-Senator-Hillary-Rodham-Clinton-Wears-Marco-Bicego-to-DNC/4235,29158

Need the right birthstone for that special birthday, check out our blue topaz collection to find the right gift. Tiffany Jewelry Store is your online source for jewelry gifts at excellent prices with quality service. We offer a large collection of ring jewelry , pendant jewelry , earring jewelry , bracelet jewelry and necklace jewelry to choose from. The collection includes diamond stud earrings and blue diamond jewelry. For the hottest deals check out the clearance center which has fabulous jewelry selections at discount jewelry prices. Search our wedding center for stunning and sparkling diamond engagement rings and anniversary bands. Enjoy shopping the birthstone jewelry shop where anyone can select the birthstone type they are seeking and then view an entire list of offerings for that type. Need the right birthstone for that special birthday, check out our blue topaz collection to find the right gift. The Crislu jewelry store offers platinum over sterling silver with sparkling cubic zirconias. Only your jeweler will know for sure. The Chocolate diamond jewelry collection is the hottest look this season and will brighten up any ensemble. We know Tiffany Office website is http://www.tiffany.com For Tiffany Jewerly Online Stores in ...

They are made out of 14-karat gold or white gold and ornamented with full-cut diamonds and semiprecious stones such as pink tourmaline and blue topaz. Karen Lee of Greenwich never anticipated that making her own jewelry would turn into a business, but it did. Frustrated with the price of jewelry, she decided to design something on her own. "What happened was I was flipping through a magazine, and I saw a pair earrings that I liked. I wasn't going to spend an exorbitant amount of money on them. I never intended to have a business, but it just happened," said Lee, who started Jewelry by Karen Lee in March of 2006. Lee did some research and consulted with her father, a 50-year veteran of the diamond industry. After making a few pieces for herself, people around town began taking notice of the jewelry she was wearing. Lee got a big break last month through a chance meeting while vacationing at Winnetu Oceanside Resort on Martha's Vineyard. That encounter spawned a retail partnership with the resort. "I was working out, wearing a necklace I made, and the director of fitness at the resort asked, 'Where did you get that - on the island somewhere? It's the ...

One pair of loopy gold earrings has been with me since high school. I wore them all the time in college and years afterward. Eventually, the back stem broke off one earring. Yet, I kept them. They were a high school graduation gift from a treasured journalism teacher. So, really, there was no way I was about to lose one earring at a Warren pawnshop. Drive down the road and billboards are proclaiming "We Buy Gold." Newspaper and television ads shout "Cash for Gold." Plenty of jewelry stores and pawnshops are offering to buy gold on the spot, too. Seems like a perfect time to sell: Gold is bouncing around record levels, as is economic anxiety. [See chart, below] So I wondered: How much is my stuff really worth when the price of gold was soaring at record levels? I dug out those loopy gold earrings and my school ring from St. Florian High School in Hamtramck. I found an old ring that I think belonged to Uncle Joe; my father's thin, heart-trimmed wedding band, a locket and other earrings. I asked my husband one day at dinner to hand over his gold wedding band. I don't own much gold, but my friend JD had set aside ...

Oh Mayan! By Amy Saltzman/stoneham@cnc.com Stoneham - Last Friday afternoon I found myself under the influence of ancient Mayan gems. The stones, which are best known for their healing powers, were being used to relax my facial muscles, while simultaneously diminishing the bags under my eyes and my furrowed brow. What I was experiencing was the new Acugems Facial Rejuve treatment, offered at reVive Skin Therapies, 468 Main St. Beth Ann Fischberg, owner of reVive, who was trained in California to administer this unique, anti-aging facial, is currently the only esthetician offering the service in Massachusetts. Her faithful clients come from all around the area — Melrose, Reading, Brookline, Cambridge, etc. For her clients, the treatment is a comforting alternative to plastic surgery and Botox. There’s no recovery time or risk of permanent mistakes; plus it’s a financial break for those wanting immediate beauty enhancements. For Fischberg, it’s a spiritual procedure, using ancient healing techniques adopted by Mayan culture to rejuvenate and firm the skin. She refers to it as an “all-natural facelift,” using gemstones, micro-currents and therapeutic light, instead of surgery or needles, to “re-educate” facial muscles. Acutrone, the machine used to circulate the micro-currents with gemstones, was designed by Aracely Plateroti, practitioner of oriental medicine ...

By BlueTopaz.com In recent times, there has been lot of debate regarding use of radiation to enhance the color of gemstones, specially Topaz . In U.S.A, all irradiation facilities and the import & export of radioactive material is regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) ( www.nrc.gov). The USNRC has control over reactor-irradiated radioactive gems imported into USA and import of any such gemstone requires a license from USNRC. In the last few months, the NRC has stepped up enforcement of regulations regarding irradiated gemstones. This is because there were no jewelry industry laboratories with equipment or a license to test to NRC requirements, nor were there licensed importers of blue topaz. This had caused a lot of confusion in the US market & the import of Swiss and London blue Topaz into USA had virtually stopped. Various representations were sent to NRC by trade bodies including AGTA for clarification. The NRC is now working with the gemstone industry to re-establish the necessary regulatory framework and at the same time allow the business to take place. NRC requires that the initial import/distribution of reactor treated gemstones be by a distributor licensed by the NRC. After initial distribution, the gemstones will no longer be ...

By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA -- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone The gem and jewelry industry has little to worry about from irradiated blue topaz, says Dr. Andrew Karam, adjunct professor of radiation safety at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He says a blue topaz bracelet with 6.00 cts. of reactor-irradiated gemstones would produce a radiation dose between 700 and 800 mrem (millirems) if worn continuously for a year after being irradiated but notes that's less than regulatory limits. “This level of radiation exposure poses no risk to the wearer,” Karam says. “They will not get radiation burns, they will not get cancer, and they don't have to worry about radiation affecting a pregnancy.” Karam says the risk to workers in the jewelry industry is even lower. To reach a radiation dose limit, a worker would have to spend 1,000 hours annually in an area with huge quantities of blue topaz and would still be far from a level of exposure that's likely to cause cancer or any other ill effects. Karam works with local, state, national, and international organizations to help them prepare for a terrorist radioactive attack and provides consulting services to the International Atomic Energy Agency on radioactive materials security and national ...

Published September/Octoer 2007 By Stuart M. Robertson, GG Acting on a complaint earlier this summer, the NRC informed retail jewelers that they may be selling blue topaz in noncompliance with NRC regulations. The NRC letter also purportedly requested the names of the retailers’ blue topaz suppliers and producers. At issue is the ability of jewelers to provide the required documentation that the stones have been produced or tested by a NRC licensed facility. Since it is now being widely reported that no such licensed facility is currently servicing the U.S. gem industry, it would appear that the NRC concerns are well founded. Background Topaz commonly occurs in yellow, brown and colorless varieties. The popular blue varieties that sell with the trade names of Swiss and London blue, among others, all result from irradiation treatment. These stones can be treated using neutrons in a nuclear reactor, or using electron excitation in a linear accelerator. Using the nuclear reactor creates a potential that the resulting material may possess dangerous levels of radiation, hence the NRC regulations regarding treatment and distribution of such material. (For further details on the treatment of blue topaz refer to the article, Red Hot and Blue Irradiated Blue Topaz posted on GemGuide ...

Old rules, which regulated only Swiss blue and London blue topaz, have been expanded to also regulate sky blue topaz beginning November 30. The NRC stressed, however, that there is no reason to believe blue topaz or any other irradiated gemstone pose any health risk. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a statement recently clarifying the issue about irradiated gemstones, most notably blue topaz, after members of the jewellery industry and consumers made "numerous inquiries" that reflected "confusion and misinformation" about the issue. Sometime middle of this year, the NRC tightened its licensing requirements, announcing that only distributors licensed by the NRC can distribute such irradiated gemstones in the US market. This basically dried up orders from the US market for blue topaz - the gemstone most affected by the tightened rules -- gem dealers in Asia told JNA. In its statement dated November 8, NRC emphasized that licensing is required only for the initial distribution, meaning that subsequent distributors: individual jewellers or retailers need not be licensed provided the stones they sell were initially distributed by an NRC licensee. The reason it is requiring licences for initial distributors is "to provide a safeguard against the possibility that stones might reach the market ...