The first rhinestone jewelry was created from actual rock crystals found on the Rhine river. These were quickly depleted, (used as diamond substitutes), and artificial rhinestones were then created from faceted glass.

In the 18th century, a French jeweler named George Frederic Stras had a brilliant entrepreneurial idea. He coated the backs of clear crystals with a metal, forcing the reflection out through the stone itself, creating the sparkly bit we know now as rhinestones. Later, Daniel Swarovski utilized a technique used in cutting gemstones, and the best crystals of today are often thought of as Swarovski crystal.

I personally have nothing against rhinestone jewelry; I think it is fun, and useful for everything from children’s ballet performances to the dancers in Las Vegas. No one today mistakes it for diamonds, and everyone has a right to sparkle!

Gemstones are normally thought of as being in an unpolished state, but not always. The word Jewel, on the other hand most often refers to a piece of jewelry that has been set. In other words, a ring, pendant, earring and so forth. But sometimes these words are used interchangeably. I don’t worry a lot about the nomenclature of things. Plain old easily understood English is the thing for me.

But in some circles, you might have to be very careful about calling something a gemstone or a jewel.

My favorite place to view gemstones in their natural state? The Smithsonian in Washington D.C., of course. Have you ever been there? It is truly a jewelry/gemstone lover’s dream!

One of the “new” gemstones is called Kunzite, a pale pink stone with a bit of a lilac cast. Of course the gem itself is  terribly ancient, but it was only discovered in 1902. It was named after George Kunz, who was the lead jeweler at Tiffany & Co., and a mineralogist himself.  I have heard it described as a very feminine stone, and of course it must be cut correctly to show its delicate beauty to full advantage.

I think this is cheating, but the stone is often heated or  irradiated to increase the richness of the color. I am old fashioned, and prefer gemstones au naturel.

Speaking of au naturel, this gemstone should not be worn on the beach or in direct sunlight, because this could cause the color to fade. The pink undertones are due to the manganese content of the gemstone. Pretty, but somewhat delicate in this regard!

It would’ve been quite an adventure to be in on the first California gold rush. And yet…people still search for gold recreationally. I’d try it myself, except I’m positive the romance of the idea would be quickly annihilated by a stiff back and mosquito bites. Do they have mosquitoes in the gold country? I won’t bother to find out.

The real question is; how much gold could you possibly recover in the 21st century? I haven’t got the slightest idea. Surely not even enough for a jeweler to craft an attractive handcrafted pair of gold earrings. But stranger things have happened.

I think I’ll let those serendipitous events fall into the laps of much younger men. But still, fantasies abound. I prefer to watch them do just that from the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment.

I’m interested in expanding my awareness of jewelry crafted by Third World artisans . To me, this work speaks of the joy of life, the dangers of life, the sorrows and the changes. It is jewelry that is exuberant and alive.

I would love to see more American artists creating wearable art that is so close to their everyday lives, reflecting what they dream about and how they go about their business. Maybe they do, but the color and the drama isn’t as apparent. There are some marvelous artists in our country; it isn’t my intention to demean anyone. But I’m a guy who likes my art to be “noisy.” And this doesn’t just apply to jewelry. Some of my favorite movies are richly layered and they can be a part of almost any genre. The original “Rocky” movie is one of my favorites!

Nowadays it’s a bit more difficult to find reasonably priced antique jewelry , but there are some wonderful shops around that offer beautiful work if you have the ready cash for it. I have spent many pleasant afternoons perusing the glass cases of antique stores in my neighborhood as well as in most cities across the country.

My favorite era has to be the 1920s through the 1940s- the art deco years. There were some fabulous cuff links crafted during this period, several examples of which I am a very proud owner. I actually wear my finds. Otherwise, what’s the point? Of course if you do wear your elderly jewelry you need to make sure all the parts are secure, fastenings and so forth. There’s nothing quite so upsetting as losing a pearl from an antique setting or worse yet, having an entire earring slip from your ear, lost to you forever.

The art of this period is tasteful and elegant, and I recommend you check out the work from these early 20th century jewelry artists.

Rings are so common now. I suspect not a lot of thought goes into their origin. It’s hard to say when the first rings were created, but in the 15th century they became a very important form of jewelry. Engraved gems, rings that could be used as seals and rings that contained religious relics were all popular.

Many of these rings were extremely ornate. Enamel, gemstones, and gold embellishments were the order of the day. Some of them had bezels that opened for carrying very small objects, or possibly a lock of hair. One of my reference books has a photograph of a matched pair of wedding rings from the 1500s- delicate bands with ornate gold wire worked into each piece.

Venice produced some of the most exquisite jewelry of that time, with filigree and extremely detailed workmanship common. It is a joy to see what our ancestors created for their customers, and how painstakingly they must have worked.

I think jewelry can be fun. When we were kids, the little girls in the neighborhood had colorful plastic beads with a little nub on one end and a hole on the other so they could connect them together and make necklaces and bracelets.

When they were separated they made a satisfying “pop” sound, thus the name.

I doubt if pop beads are as popular as they once were, but I think they were a great introduction to fun art, and a great way to introduce little girls to the fun of creating their own jewelry!

Men wear jewelry, have for a long time. But Henry VIII was the epitome of male adornment. He wore more jewelry than any of his 6 wives did, possibly more than all of them put together. He had whole suits of clothing that encompassed peals and jewels, sewn right into the fabric.

King Henry is thought of as a manly man (if possibly a tad off his rocker) but nonetheless he was a man that enjoyed the beauty of the gemstone. Even his feathered hat is adorned with jewels. In the famous portrait by Hans Holbein, the good king is depicted broad-shouldered and proud, displaying his fantastic parure, which means “suite of matching jewelry.”

That must have been a heavy outfit, but Henry was a fellow who could carry it off.

In the 20th century, some very famous artists decided to try their hand at jewelry making.
Most of these pieces were rather avant garde, such as the brooches crafted by Max Ernst and Salvador Dali.

The Dali brooch I’m familiar with is called “The Gold Cube Cross”, a remarkable piece rather hard to describe. It does involve a cross and some other sculptured jewels in a sort of spiked starburst. It is really quite lovely.

Perhaps it is these creative artists that began the modern interest in jewelry as wearable art. Some of our more modern artists are creating pieces that seem to shine with glorious personality and meaning, many of which can be seen in galleries both here and abroad.