Archive for July, 2009
The look of your jewelry all depends on the size of the beads. A necklace with large, chunky stones is a statement piece that demands all the attention and should be worn with a simple outfit. Smaller, more subtle beads can work with everyday wear and a more elaborate outfit. And very small beads make up intricate pieces of jewelry and can either be dressy or casual, depending on the style.
I love the look of small beans, like seed beads, because they can be strung or woven together to create really interesting patterns for a necklace or bracelet. The problem with jewelry made of small beads is that if it breaks, the beads fall off and scatter everywhere! They’re much more difficult to repair than pieces of jewelry made of large beads. My favorite seed bead bracelet broke several years ago, and I never got around to having it repaired. Sometimes a jewelry maker will repair a piece of jewelry if it breaks, so be sure to ask before buying if you’re worried.
Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color: basically an olive green. The intensity and tint of the green however depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure, so the color of individual peridot gems can vary from yellow-green through olive green to brownish green. The most valuable is considered a dark-olive green color.
Peridot crystals have been collected from some Pallasite meteorites. A famous Pallasite was offered for auction in April 2008 with a requested price of close to $ 3 million at Bonhams, but remained unsold. Peridot is the only gemstone found in meteorites.
Peridot olivine is the birthstone for August. It is sometimes mistaken for emeralds and other green gems. Peridot necklaces are usually presented as gifts.