If you are born in the month of May, your birthstone is the emerald. Lucky you! It is a stunning gem.
“Few people can resist the glamour and intensity of the emerald. It is the gemstone that made Cleopatra’s mines famous throughout the world”
Judith Crowe, The jeweller’s directory of gemstones
The emerald is a type of beryl with a deep green colour thanks to chromium and vanadium in its composition. I am always impressed with the vibrancy of this gemstone and I choose to combine it with rich yellow golds, as in this recent bespoke ring project.
Trapiche emerald: a rare specimen
I have recently completed a bespoke ring design using a fascinating trapiche emerald from Brazil. This rare type of emerald grows naturally in a hexagonal form, here is an example showing its shape and intriguing black and green pattern. The name ‘trapiche’ comes from the Spanish, meaning sugar mill, as the pattern resembles the spokes of a grinding wheel.
Hexagonal beauty
The client, a jewellery collector and lover of all things green and gold, intitiated the ring commission with the idea of using this rare stone. I was lucky to be able to source this beautiful Brazillian specimen.
For the design I embraced the natural outline of the stone with a hand-made hexagonal setting in 18ct gold.
The solid sterling silver shank features an 18ct gold line detail, based on the Jaipur ring design.
See the Jaipur ring and other ring designs in my gallery of work >
I often create bespoke jewellery based on one of my designs, here the client provided sentimental family gold, which I reworked into a brand new design. In this instance the oval emerald hoop earrings have been crafted from an heirloom 22ct gold wedding band.
The Emerald Hoop earrings have become a signature piece in my collection and have been described as ‘my forever earrings’ by clients. They are also a first choice for me: I have been wearing a pair since my wedding day 11 years ago. These have been designed for classic simplicity, leaving the innate quality of the natural materials to take centre stage .
The construction of this particular design uses time honoured techniques such as forging and rub-over gem setting. This low fi approach also adds to the ancient aesthetic I endeavour to create in my work.
