Rock of love
In her recent review of accessories for the fall/winter ’08 season, style.com’s executive fashion editor Candy Pratts Price cited French brand Eternamé for its distinctive jewelry collection, mainly composed of huge cuts of semi-precious gems amongst daintier diamonds. Similarly, Cartier’s recent Inde Mystérieuse collection also combines 18-karat gold and little diamonds with smoky and pink quartz on earrings, rings and pendants. Last year, John Loring released Tiffany Colored Gems, a tribute to the famed jewelry house’s relationship with non-diamond sparklies.
The allure of colored gemstones is growing completely apart from the attraction of the diamond. Women who hanker for topazes, citrines, peridots and the like shouldn’t be deemed as commitment-phobes and therefore in no rush to plant a clear white rock on their digits. Some brides-to-be may be seeing the attraction of wangling for a thumb-size topaz or peridot, although this desire is a case as rare as a pink diamond; colored stones, fun and trendy as they are, are really everyday wear charms rather than symbols of a lifetime commitment.
Just like diamonds that go by the 4C standard (cut, clarity, carat, color), there are certain standards when buying colored gemstones. And getting familiar with these standards usually require a lot of questions. Many a gemstone buyer end up buying synthetic stones, gems that share a natural stone’s physical, chemical and optical qualities but are created in a laboratory. With modern technology, it has become difficult to distinguish the lab-produced ones from their natural counterparts. You can always brazenly ask for a lab certificate before dishing out the moolah or you can just go to a store known for their top-rate standards.
F&C Jewelry, which stands for Florete and Caperonce, is a definite go-to when scoping out must-have gems. Marissa Florete, second-generation jeweler, studied Diamond Grading and Jewelry Design at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), N.Y. I on top of marketing and merchandising. Her sister Marjorie, also a graduate of the GIA, is the resident gemologist. Both their combined expertise assures the highest quality of materials and the most precious and brilliant gems in each jewelry piece crafted and sold.
Rocks by Ana Rocha, which recently opened its first free-standing store at posh Greenbelt 5 (after taking up shelf space at Firma for the longest time) is also known for housing exquisite pieces that capture the beauty and exuberance of colored gemstones. Stones are sourced from Bangkok, one of Asia’s gemstone capitals, fused in fused with 14k yellow and white gold, and are usually left raw and unsmoothened, giving Rocks pieces an edgy, organic feel.
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Rocks is located at the 2/L,
