Make Your Gemstone Dreams Come True!
Happy New Year, friends! For me, each new year kicks off with preparing for the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show where the world of gemstones is at my fingertips in one place for a week. It’s thrilling to seek out the best quality pearls and colored gemstones from vendors across the globe and bring them back to my Atlanta and Ithaca studios. If you’ve been daydreaming about a unique gemstone or a particular type of pearl with which you’d like to decorate yourself, let me know! I’ll be in Tucson January 31 – February 6.
Winter is also a great time to come to me for repairs, restringing needs or custom design consultation. Call or email me at (678) 662-6156 and lp@elainadesigns.com
These recent jobs incorporate gemstones and pearls sourced at Tucson, one-on-one custom design, and my eco-friendly design approach — repurposing old jewelry.
25th Wedding Anniversary Ring
“capturing the ethereal beauty of the sea”
Many years ago I purchased this incredible natural color, 14.53CT cushion-cut, Aquamarine during the Tucson Show. It sat patiently in my gemstone drawer waiting for the right person. Last year, Karen called to ask if I still had it. She had seen it years before and couldn’t get it out of her head! She purchased the stone and we worked on this sleek platinum ring design. It was a challenge to find matching color aquas for the flanking stones, but we did it! Karen wrote this lovely note over the holidays:
“I really can’t thank you enough for all of your efforts to bring this ring into existence. It is perfect in ways that I couldn’t imagine or predict. I love it! ”
“Gem alchemy: contemporary and antique elements unite”
Ruth Ann knew Elaina Designs was the place to come to upcycle her outdated, unworn jewelry. She brought in two Art Deco antique rings containing cameos carved from the rare black lipped oyster. She inherited the cameo rings but had never wore them. I suggested cutting and adjusting the rings to become bracelet segments and incorporated small gemstones and pearls extracted from other old rings. The center orbit features the diamond in its original setting from her mother’s engagement ring. The large, lustrous, white baroque pearls, found in Tucson, perfectly terminate the bracelet, pulling together her cameos and smaller center pearls. Antique and contemporary unite harmoniously in this piece which she wears regularly. Ruth Ann recently told me:
“The bracelet its a great conversation piece and I get compliments on it all the time! I love telling it’s story.”
Many thanks to those who supported and purchased from Elaina Designs in 2018. I feel blessed to have worked with each of you to create beauty that is more than the sum of its elements.
Lainey Papageorge
