I’ve always been a sucker for sparkling gemstones. Diamonds are lovely, but to me nothing compares to a beautifully cut and polished emerald or ruby. If you want to surprise your significant other this holiday season, consider a dazzling ring or pendant in the colors of the season.

Did you realize that the color in gemstones is caused by impurities? I find that fascinating. Maybe that’s why they’re so appealing to me. I’ve never been one to go for things that are considered “perfect.” To me, an ideal drinking glass is a slightly off-center hand blown one, full of bubbles, thicker on one side than the other. Not to compare the glory of a red ruby or deep green emerald to a drinking glass, but you get the idea.

I encourage you to look at many different rings or pendants, in various settings before making your final decision. Certain settings tend to bring out the “personality” of the stone more than others.

Are there new jewelry looks , really? I think so, if only because new jewelers are being born every day. When you get to be my age, you start looking out for something a little different, and start paying attention to the new kids on the block.

I’m not talking about big jewelry companies, but the individual artists. That’s where it all begins, even if you’re talking about a mega institution like Hello Kitty. Even that funny little cat was designed by an artist, probably working away at his or her studio somewhere in Japan.

But I’d like to focus for a minute on the artists who create their own work, and put their art and livelihood on the line when creating something new. I think being a working artist is one of the most important professions on the planet, whether jewelry artist or painter.

There are niches for some jewelry that you might never expect. Some of them are actually unprintable in a blog such as this one, but most of them cover a small slice of the population without being “r rated.”

I think this is rather interesting! Like all niches, specialty jewelry can be for a handful of people or a rather large bunch. You can see this easily when it comes to birthstone rings and gems. How many people were born in November? Yet there is a market for topaz that is rather large. I suppose it’s possible that 1/12 of the population may have an interest in this gemstone, after all.

And how about the high school ring? I don’t know if that’s still a popular item, but when I attended high school that’s what all the “cool kids” had. I gladly counted myself out of that illustrious niche.

What do you think about wearing gold and silver jewelry at the same time? For a long time that was considered taboo, but in recent years more and more women have not only been wearing them side by side, but individual creations often combine the attributes of these two precious metals.

Although untraditional, I personally see nothing wrong with this trend. Since ancient times gold jewelry was enhanced by enamels and various gemstones. Why not use its “sister metal,” sterling silver, to add drama and depth to the design? Plus there’s that old adage of rules being created to be broken. In the world of jewelry making, there’s certainly a lot of that.

If you’re not comfortable with this, then stick to the “either or” rule, but be open-minded and observe what others may be wearing. I think you’ll be surprised by the number of women wearing them both.