Amethyst: February's Birthstone

Bacchus had grown angry with mortals and had therefore

determined that tigers would devour the next mortal who

crossed his path. The young maiden Amethyst was on

her way to worship at the goddess Diana’s temple. Diana

knowing Bacchus’s plan turned the young maiden into a

white statue of colorless quartz to save her. When Bacchus

realized what he had precipitated he was filled with remorse

and cried tears of wine, staining the statue a beautiful purple.

The origin myth of the amethyst is beautiful and tragic

like so many Greek legends. It is easy to paint a picture in

your mind of the beautiful white quartz dappled with purple

tears until it becomes the exquisite stone we know today as

amethyst and my jewelry obsessed mind begins to wonder—

what shade of purple did those tears create. Were there

only a few tears, creating a pale lilac statue, the stone

sometimes termed ‘the Rose of France’ or were his tears

plentiful producing a deep purple amethyst with red flashes?

It is February, and February is the month of amethysts

in the jewelry world so I decided to explore the myths and

legends surrounding this stunning stone.

A quartz, it rates a 7 on the Mohs scale and has color

ranging from the palest lilac to the deepest purple. A royal

color it has often been worn by the clergy and royalty and it

can be seen in the crown jewels of both Britain and Russia.

And today most amethysts can be found in Brazil.

This incredibly beautiful stone has wooed warriors,

intellectuals and great monarchs. It is said the ancient

Egyptians brought an amethyst stone into battle for

protection, that Leonardo da Vinci considered the amethyst

the seat of intelligence and a means of warding of evil and

that Catherine the Great prized the amethyst above all other

stones.

Everyone has his or her own personal relationship to a

stone, whether it is a fascination founded on a stone being

assigned ones birthstone or the moment when one espies

the perfect ring. My fascination began with a perfect 1950’s

cocktail ring with an amethyst stone that can be called

nothing short of charismatic. I look at it today and wonder

what began Catherine the Great’s fascination or Leonardo

da Vinci’s and it gives me pleasure to know that while the

world moves forward there are some things that maintain

their beauty and fascination from ancient Greece through my

own personal history.

Garnets: January's Birthstone

As we enter the New Year, I am excited to discuss January's birthstone, the fantastic garnet.

I think I first fell in love with Garnets upon a viewing of Scorsese’s film version of “The Age of Innocence”. One of the characters, the Countess Olenska sits inscrutable and lovely and European and exotic in an opera box dressed all in red. Beautiful garnets sparkle from her neck, ears and wrists. It is such a beautiful image and the garnets are so stunning, this image has lingered with me, long past the moment of first viewing.

I’ve since learned more about garnets although I always think of that screen picture when I think of this lovely stone.

Garnets come in all different colors of the rainbow although the red is most typical. However it can also be found in pink, purple, orange, yellow, violet, green, colorless and occasionally black. Isadora’s is very fortunate to have a stunning collection of red garnets as well as one early 18^th century ring with black garnets currently.

The name garnet has been attributed to the Middle English word “gernet” meaning “dark red” as well as the Latin word “granatus” meaning grain. It is also said that the word garnet is possibly a reference to the word “punica granatum” meaning pomegranate. I have to admit I love this last interpretation best. The pomegranate has always seemed a very lush and picturesque fruit to me. And in the image of the ripe bursting seeds of a pomegranate I can see the beauty of the cluster garnet necklaces of the late Victorian era.

I have also learned a little more about both the lore and fact of early garnet usage. It was said that Noah steered the ark through the night during the flood using a garnet lantern. And garnet was considered a talisman for travelers. Part of this probably comes from the fact that, like diamonds, garnets have a very high refraction, which causes the stone, when faceted to have an exquisite sparkle.

Garnets were used in the Bronze Age as gemstones. There is evidence that ancient Egyptians used garnets as beads and bracelets as early as 3100 BC. And in Greece between the reign of Alexander the Great and the conquest of Rome, garnets were used to make cameos.

I am still most familiar with the Victorian era of garnets when, like the Countess Olenska in The Age of Innocence, the aristocracy wore necklaces, bracelets, earrings and necklaces composed of large number of small faceted garnet stones set close together to create exquisite, sparkling red jewelry. It is still easier to see one of these pieces in person although with each passing year they become rarer.

And one of the fun facts I learned, is that a garnet is quite hard, a 7 – 7.5 on the Moh’s scale. Rumor has it that Asiatic tribes many years ago used garnets instead of bullets

That is all I have to say about garnets for now, but I am excited about all the new facts I will learn about garnets in the future and the old pieces I will see although I will always carry the image from “The Age of Innocence” with me.

Come see us at the Wedding Show!

Some exciting things for Isadora's this up coming wedding season. We are featured in both the Seattle Bride and Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom magazines. Also, we will be featuring our finest engagement rings at the Seattle Wedding show this up coming weekend January 8th and the 9th.

So if your on hunt for the perfect engagement ring come by and check us out.

Layaway: an old fashion concept revisited

It is our pleasure to offer an extended layaway plan. 1/3 down and up to 4 months to pay! We are all aware of our struggling economy, but that does not stop us from wanting to purchase the perfect engagement ring, a lovely Holiday gift, or a thoughtful Birthday present. We have adjusted our layaway program to make all of these options possible. While not being set in stone, we allow for approximately 1/3 down and up to 4 months to pay in full. No finance charges or fees for this, as well as some flexibility if it would better match your needs. Please feel free to call and find out if there is a way to make your investment desires possible!

-Elizabeth

Listed in a National Magazine

The January 2011 copy of Lucky Magazine on page 32, Isadora's Antique Jewelry is listed for our stunning Art Deco earrings.

CHRISTMAS COMES TO ISADORA’S. . .

For the last few months we have been making a list and checking it twice and filling our store with beautiful baubles and gems fit for the Holidays.

This holiday season, owner Laura Dalesandro and her daughter, manager Elizabeth Schoebleber have been meeting with dealers the world over to make sure the store is filled and bursting with exquisite antique pieces from the 1840’s through the 1950’s.

A couple of my personal favorites include a long Victorian watch chain made out of gunmetal, a fantastic Art Deco star sapphire ring and a pair of the prettiest circa 1840’s gold dangle earrings I’ve seen.

And they did not forget about the men this Holiday season. Just a couple of accessories for men include-- circa 1940's watches, a cigar clipper and a pair of enamel Georg Jensen cufflinks.

Bakelite

Butterscotch Yellow Bakelite Necklace

I'm currently obsessing over these very exciting moldable plastic's called Bakelite. Invented by Leo Bakeland in circa 1909. Not to be confused with contemporary plastic pieces. (Chemically, it would be described as a thermosetting phenyl formaldehyde resin.) Bakelite arrived its pinnacle of popularity in the 1930's during the Great Depression. Vintage bakelite is extremely collectible and fun.

Vintage Bakelite Brooches