Something Sweet

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner I've decided to share something sweet with you.

(Edwardian Diamond Heart Ring)

(Victorian Double Heart Pendant)

(Victorian Silver Heart Earrings)

(Vintage Lucite Bracelets)

And of course something tasty....

(Martha Stewart XO cupcakes)

enjoy.

Red Red Rubies, July's Birthstone.

'It has been said that the Ruby's warm glow comes from an internal flame that cannot be extinguished, making a gift of this stone symbolic of everlasting love.  With its hardness and durability, it is a perfect engagement gem.  And if worn on the left hand, ancient lore has it that the Ruby will bring good fortune to its wearer, too!'

(Natural ruby crystals from Winza, Tanzania)

The Beauty of Imperfection

My brother is an enormous J.M. Barrie fan and has read all his books, plays, short stories and other random writings.And I’m not sure which story it was but I remember him telling me once of a moment in one of Barrie’s writings that clarified things for him. Barrie said, and I am paraphrasing as this conversation happened long ago, Barrie said, ‘in each person a flaw resided and that is where the story came from.’

This conversation codified something for me. I have always found perfection boring. I understand the drive for perfection but actual perfection leaves me a little cold. It is the flaws that make stories interesting. It is the flaws that make people interesting. It is the flaws that make life interesting. And I feel that way about gemstones to.

Isadora’s sells ideals stones; stones that fulfill all the promise of the four c’s. And don’t get me wrong, a D Flawless diamond is a thing of beauty but it never seduces me the way a stone with its own quirks, flaws and ultimately beauty does. A stone with its own idiosyncrasies puts butterflies in my stomach and when one of those stones arrive in our store I find myself inexplicably drawn to it.

The stone, which I hold as, the standard for beautiful stones was in Isadora’s three years ago and my co-worker sold it to someone who wasn’t me (I forgave her but just barely).

I still dream about that emerald. It was a hazy green. Not the deep green considered most valuable but almost the color of spearmint and it had this magical inner glow. It was heavily included, each internal flaw seeming to tell the story of this stone’s birth.

And when it came time to pick my own engagement ring (with my fiancé’s assistance of course) I looked for a ring with, for a lack of a better word humanity.

There are two diamonds in my engagement ring. Both look hand cut. One is an Old European cut diamond and the other, sitting right next to it, is an Old Mine cut diamond. Two stones that are not the same but still make sense together. And I have to admit the Old Mine cut diamond is my favorite of the two.

An Old Mine cut is similar to a cushion cut. They are both rounded squares but mine is just a hair crooked. And that is why I fell in love with it. It wants to be a square but it just can’t quite achieve it.

I get my stones. I understand them. They speak to me. Everyday I look at them and they make me happy because I see a story in their imperfections. I see the man who cut the stone before a computer was invented. He was cutting blind, discovering within the stone its future. I imagine the women who wore it before me. My setting is 40’s but the stones looks older and I imagine this stone being passed down from woman to woman, each valuing and loving it. And I think about wearing it myself until I am ready to pass it on to a future daughter or niece in all its beautiful imperfection.

Valentine's Baubles...

As more and more couples try to make green choices about everything from organic soy latte they drink to the fuel efficient car they drive, Isadora’s offers what it has always has offered: A way of preserving the past and the future.

. European Collection: Victorian “Adore” 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 diamonds, gemstones and even precious metals that are mined in such a way that their procurement has a deleterious 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 that they have.

. Edwardian Diamond & Ruby Earrings .

And having made a choice to purchase a piece of antique or vintage jewelry, couples and individuals are often surprised to find how truly exquisite the selection is. Isadora’s has pieces of jewelry dating from 1820 through 1950: Each piece of jewelry a work of art. Unlike most jewelry today, the jewelry of yesterday was usually created, at least in part by hand, giving them a level of detail, craftsmanship and individuality that is unsurpassed today, whether it is a European cut diamond surrounded by platinum filigree or an architectural Art Deco ring. And there is sort of a wonder and awe that comes with wearing jewelry that has survived all of history’s pitfalls and highlights. Antique jewelry is unsurpassed on so many levels.

. Vintage Ruby & Diamond Ring .

So whether you are shopping for a engagement ring that makes her say “I do” or if you are seeking that perfect Valentine’s gift, Isadora’s has a piece that is beautiful, timeless and green.