NEW ARRIVALS: COLORED STONE ENGAGEMENT RINGS

A colored stone for an engagement ring 

is SO romantic and unique. 

Here are some of our NEWEST ARRIVALS! 

(Please drop by, call or email us for more details.) 

Zircon and diamond ring c. 1930

Antique sapphire ring in platinum c. 1920

Peridot ring. Vintage: 1920.

This is the best 1920s emerald!

Retro 1940s vintage Aquamarine

Isn't this 1920s ROSE GOLD TOURMALINE just the best?!

Antique YELLOW SAPPHIRE! Gorgeous, romantic. 

xoxo -Gemma

Mother's Day Ideas

It is four weeks until Mother's Day.  And while I usually put things off until the last minute, I thought this year I would start collecting gift ideas early.  Below are some of my Mother's Day jewelry thoughts . . . 

Beautiful Victorian French Slip Locket

1.  I always think lockets are a great gift for Mothers as they are a perfect way to cherish pictures of their children.  

Vintage Enamel Butterfly Brooch

2.  Brooches are beautiful because they are each a mini work of wearable art.  

Arts & Crafts Amethyst & Enamel Ring

3.  A fun ring can be just the tickets.

1920's Pearl & Diamond Earrings

4.  A pair of earrings can be a sweet heirloom gift.

Why Don't You......THINK ABOUT: Diana Vreeland

Where to begin?

 WHAT AN INSPIRATION! 

Diana Vreeland was a unique visionary full of fierceness of character. She knew and worked with some of the most influential creators of the 20th century, fostering visual delight and unparalleled IMAGINATION along the way.

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT D.V. 

WATCH DIANA VREELAND THE EVE HAS TO TRAVEL. It is DIVINE.

Don't you just love her bracelets?!

Here are some of OUR NEWEST VICTORIAN BANGLES.

 Come visit Isadoras to meet them. 

xo -G

P.S. FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST TO SEE OUR WOMEN WHO INSPIRE US BOARD

PIECE OF THE WEEK: Of the EARTH

In our age of knowledge and speedy interface, it is easy to forget how much we are 
OF THE EARTH!

So it is with jewels; I remind myself that indeed these precious pieces of stone were once implanted in rock in soil. 

This vintage 1930s platinum engagement ring is inspiring in SO many ways. 

Not only does it have a amazing BROWN DIAMOND (my favorite!) it also has a really beautiful artistic composition due to the contrast of the prong set center stone with the linear platinum whiteness of the straight diamonds on either side.

To me, this piece serves as a metaphor and a reminder that in this age of speedy and airy information there is still room to appreciate and honor the beauty of the earth. 

In doing so, let us make a conscious effort to use what is already available ON this earth as to not mine our precious resources IN it. So let's love what we have, and celebrate post-comsumer industries! Happy EARTH MONTH! 

xo -gemma

April & The Allure of Antique Diamonds

Every time my friend’s son, Camden, walks into our store, he asks me if I know what his birthstone is, and I tease him and say no, and then he happily declares his birthstone is the DIAMOND.

Old European Cut, Early Modern Brilliant Cut & Marquise Cut Diamond Rings

And no wonder he is ecstatic with his birthstone.  Diamonds are amazing.  They are one of the hardest materials in the world, but more than that, they are fantastically beautiful-each filled with its own unique character.

This character is one of the things I talk about frequently with my clients, because often people become so overwhelmed with the facts and “shoulds” about a stone--They should get a diamond worth three months salary for an engagement ring.  They should get a stone graded highly according to the GIA—They forget each diamond is its own, individual, unique, organic thing.

A diamond’s unique qualities come both from the stone’s own individual characteristics as well as the diamond cutter’s art.

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. --Micheangelo

And with antique stones you truly see the character of the stone and the stone cutter as cutting the stone in years past, was less about a prescribed formula for brightness, but about one individual looking at a stone and seeing his way to bringing out the stones individual beauty.  Old stone cutters were such artists, which is why I think I find myself drawn to stones from the late 19^th century/ early 20^th century.  Stone cutters had mastered faceting but still really had a hand in determining how they wanted to interpret those concepts.

Because for me, a stones beauty comes from its individual sparkle, its color and its character. --MIKO

PIECE OF THE WEEK: Arts & Crafts Chrysoprase Ring

Arts & Crafts Chrysoprase Silver Ring

In honor of Earth Day we wanted to spend much of this month talking about why buying antique makes "green" sense.  But  we thought we would also make it a green stone month, highlighting some of our favorite green gems.  One of my favorites is chrysoprase, a quartz stone, popular during the Art Deco and Arts & Crafts eras.  I particularly love this carved scarab chrysoprase ring. --Miko

GREEN: Antique Jewelry, The Ultimate in High End Recycling

Earth Day is April 22nd but we would like to make it Earth Month here at Isadoras, as we believe buying antique jewelry is an excellent way to protect the environment.  Because as more and more couples try to make green choices about everything from free trade coffee they drink to the fuel efficient car they drive, Isadoras offers what it has always has offered--A way of preserving the past and the future.

 

Mid 20th Century Emerald Yellow Gold Ring

Isadora’s sells antique and vintage jewelry. Antique jewelry is a consumer conscious alternative for couples trying to avoid not only conflict diamonds but also gold that is mined in such a way that its procurement has a damaging effect on the environment.

By purchasing an antique ring a couple makes an investment in the future, both theirs and the worlds. They also preserve the past by curating and loving jewelry that has been around, in many cases, longer than they have.

Why is Gold Mining Bad For the Environment?

Mining for gold has never been a clean business, but the grime used to come primarily from dirt, as people used pickaxe, shovel and sifter to cull precious metal from the earth.  Today it is a far more toxic endeavor.

Gold, today, is primarily produced by blasting the ground and digging up enormous tons of ore, creating large open-pit mines. The gold is culled in a process called “cyanide heap leaching”, leaving behind is not only beautiful gold but also tons of contaminated rock as well as toxic mine waste or “tailings”.  These tailings contain dozens of hazardous materials including arsenic, lead, mercury and cyanide.  If not properly taken care of, they work their way into the air, earth and water.

The EPA stated hard rock mining generates more toxic waste than any other industry in the United States.  Which is why the “No Dirty Gold” campaign says the only way to buy “clean” gold is to opt for vintage or recycled jewelry.

FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE ENVIRONEMENTAL IMPACT OF THE GOLD MINING INDUSTRY PLEASE CHECK OUT THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE: Behind Gold’s Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/international/24GOLD.html?pagewanted=all