Since 2000, MaJe Gallery finds ways to Beautify Your Life, with works by over 100 American Artisans. Jewelry, Wearable Art, Glass, Paintings and Gifts that are distinctive and unusual. Let us help you Beautify Your Self, Beautify Your Home, and Beautify Your Friendships.
Visit our website: www.MaJeGallery.com
Master faceter Bill Booze continues to send us more London Blue Topaz, since more and more of you are taking it home with you! The mesmerizing teal color of this stone is very appealing. Bill's masterful faceting skills, honed for over 25 years, can be seen in the extra facets beneath the stone, resulting in quite dazzling sparkle. Since he chooses only the most amazing stones to begin with, the results after he's done faceting can only be described as amazing. Bill's work can best be described as contemporary heirlooms, and will certainly be passed along to the next generation as a prized piece of beloved jewelry. The settings are simple, elegant and timeless. The craftsmanship is among the best there is. Here are the newest additions to us here at MaJe Gallery:
London Blue Topaz pendant, set in sterling silver, by master faceter Bill Booze
There's a loop on the back for a chain or, as is shown here, a neck ring. The metal is sterling silver. You can purchase it with or without the neck ring. If you prefer a chain, let us know and we can get you the length you want.
London Blue Topaz pendant in sterling silver, by master faceter Bill Booze
This ultra simple pendant features an oval London Blue Topaz, once again exquisitely faceted by the master, Bill Booze. A true classic, this pendant, as well as the other two, are contemporary heirlooms that will be passed down to the next generation as prized and beloved pieces of jewelry. This stone weighs in at 7 carats, and measures 13.75mm x 10mm in size. It stands alone in its beauty. As usual, Bill Booze's expert faceting brings out the intense blue color with spectacular dazzle and sparkle. This is a great time to purchase a unique and special piece of jewelry. There's time to enjoy it for yourself, and then choose whom to pass it along to later on. We look forward to working with you to make that happen! Questions? Just give us a call at 425-776-3778! Jeff and Manya Your Beauty Ambassadors
Artisan jewelry comes in such variety of style and price, that you are sure to find the perfect piece for the jewelry lovers on your list this holiday season.
Earrings are popular because, well, a girl can never have too many earrings. And secondly, you don't have to worry about the right size, like you do with a ring. Here are some great choices:
Small sterling circles, dichroic glass beauties, and black and gold teardrops
On the left, for $22, we have simple hammered sterling circles by Seattle jeweler Emily Hickman. In the middle are the magical dichroic glass earrings of Everett's Gale Franko. Many choices available, and only $29 each. On the right are the popular black and gold earrings by Manya Vee for $38.
Perhaps the taste of your gift recipient runs a bit on the flamboyant side. We'll we've got you covered as well, with some unusual pieces by Minnesota's Teresa Goodall. Goodall incorporates vintage resin beads on ribbon and cord for a delightful effect.
Here's Manya Vee modeling a multi-strand ribbon necklace by Teresa Goodall, with matching earrings
Of course, that's for the woman who likes to wear larger jewelry and have a little fun with it. A slightly more subdued version of that might be this next option.
Here's Manya Vee modeling the vintage tin charm necklace and ladybug pendant by Emily Hickman
This is two separate necklaces that look great together. Both are made by Seattle's Emily Hickman from her Tin Moon Jewelryworks line. The most beautiful part of vintage tins are cut out and turned into fabulous jewelry. Each charm on the necklace is reversible! This looks great on any solid color you can imagine.
Turning another page, perhaps your gift recipient is elegant and refined. What to do then? In that case, we choose from our extensive collection of hand-faceted gems by Bill Booze, or the timeless line of New York's Ed Levin.
Shadowbox Pendant and Morocco Earrings by New York's Ed Levin
The pendant and earrings shown above are by New York's Ed Levin Jewelry. This company has been making jewelry for over 60 years now, creating timeless heirloom jewelry for the 21st century.
London Blue Topaz pendant and earring set by Bill Booze
Bill Booze has been honing his faceting skills for over 30 years. It is evident in the amazing sparkle he gets out of colored gemstones. The London Blue Topaz has been among his best selling stones for us. An excellent metalsmith as well, Bill typically sets his stones in simple sterling settings to best show off the gemstone.
So there you have it! Simple, colorful, elegant, funky - there's something for everyone in our extensive collection of artisan jewelry. Stop by to see even more great examples!
Manya has been fond of amethysts since her youth. In fact, her very first purchase of an artisan-made craft was a cast sterling ring with an amethyst in it! She says some babysitting money made it possible. Believe it or not, she still has that ring today!
MaJe Gallery master faceter, Bill Booze, recently purchased a collection of amethysts mined from the Four Peaks mine in Arizona. This mine produces some of the highest quality amethysts in the world! They are famed for their deep purple color with vibrant flashes of red and magenta. The paler, more lavender hued amethysts have bright flashes of pink.
What's so unusual about this? Since 1997, all amethysts from this mine have gone to a single location which cuts, sets and sells them exclusively. Our lucky Bill Booze purchased them from a man who had mined them before 1997, and we are the fortuitous recipients of Bill's talented faceting, which makes these gems just gleam.
7.5 carat Four Peaks mine amethyst, by master faceter Bill Booze.
The above ring above features a 7 carat Four Peaks amethyst. The hand-faceting by Bill Booze brings out the maximum depth of color and takes great advantage of the flashes of magenta and red in this stone. It's set in sterling silver with a square shape, which is quite comfortable. This ring is currently a size 7. It can be expanded about a half size, but due to the particular nature of this ring, it cannot be re-sized more than that.
7 carat Four Peaks amethyst, top quality stone.
This ring, shown above, is the absolute highest quality and displays a deep rich purple hue. The flashes of magenta and red in this stone are superb. It is set in a charming prong setting with a decorative bottom, and is on a wide, fairly thick, sterling band. It is currently a size 7, but could be made in any size. Just let us know.
This is a large, 8-carat cushion cut amethyst set in sterling silver.
The amethyst in the ring above features a cushion cut, which is a classic shape for a gemstone that is somewhere between a rectangle and an oval. It's very pleasing to the eye. Due to the size of this stone, the sterling band is quite wide, giving it the appropriate proportions. It's a big ring, and you definitely know it's on. It's a real show-stopper! The amethyst itself is of a lighter hue than the other two rings above, and has flashes of vivid pink.
15-carat Four Peaks amethyst on handmade sterling neck ring
The simplicity of the setting of this neck ring is very striking and bold. The Four Peaks amethyst is a wopping 15 carats, and features the wonderful deep purple hue along with the flashes of red and magenta the Four Peaks mine is so famous for. Bill Booze did the sparkly faceting, with lots of little facets down below that simply dance in the light. Also a silversmith, Booze created this interesting setting himself.
Even if you are not a fan of amethyst, we hope you'll enjoy the delightful beauty created by nature itself, and enhanced by a master gem faceter with over 30 years experience and expertise. Should you find yourself in Edmonds, Washington, stop by to see these amazing pieces of art in person!
Diamonds are a girls best friend, so it is said. But they are as ubiquitous as blades of grass. Choosing a colored gemstone offers a huge range of options, making it a rather daunting task! Recently, more and more colored gemstones are mined and faceted, offering a larger array of choices than ever before in history.
Let's help narrow the focus a bit with these helpful tips.
22-carat Four Peaks Amethyst, by master faceter Bill Booze
Alone or with neck ring
The same Four Cs apply to gemstones as they do for diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat.
Color is almost always the first consideration when choosing a gem for yourself. We each have favorite colors. These colors show up in our wardrobe, in our decorating, in our car color, and of course, in our jewelry.
In a gem, the intensity, tone, and evenness all affect the price. Take the 22-carat amethyst shown above. Nature doesn't make very many amethysts in that size, that are of such an even hue. Amethyst grows with rock crystal, and often has clear or white elements, making it difficult to find large specimens where all the right elements come together.
Different parts of the world produce different hues of the same gemstones as well. Let's take that 22-carat Four Peaks amethyst again. It is the only mind in the world that produces amethyst of this particular hue. It is an especially bright purple, with flashes of magenta, red and fuschia as the light bounces off the facets. Brazil is known for very deep, dark purples. Other mines produce pale-hued amethyst.
Left: darker, more blue Brazilian amethyst. Right: pale amethyst
This is true of nearly all gemstones. Check out this array of color choices!
Just about any color you can imagine can be found. Isn't it glorious? So think of your favorite color, and go on a hunt to find a beautiful gemstone in that color.
Clarity is important here, but with some caveats. In some cases, inclusions are a valued part of a stone, such as rutilated quartz in which golden hairs are captured inside a clear crystal. In other cases, a rougher version of a stone can have its own raw beauty because of the inclusions. It becomes a matter of personal taste in this case. In fact, in the case of a star ruby, for example, it casts a ray of light because of tiny inclusions that bounce light back to the eye.
Example of a star ruby
However, when searching for a colored gemstone without inclusions, take a look at the stone in various kinds of light to make imperfections more visible. A crack near the surface can affect the durability or brilliance of a stone, while inconspicuous inclusions may have no affect. In some cases, like emerald or red tourmaline, the lack of inclusions is very rare, and of course, it will be reflected in a higher price.
Cut, when it's good, gives a gem some real charisma! A bad cut makes a gem appear dull or washed out. Look at the overall balance of a gem's shape, surface condition, and brilliance. A well-faceted gemstone reflects light back evenly across its surface when held face up. If the stone is too deep and narrow, areas of the gem will appear dark. If it is too shallow and wide, it will seem washed out and lifeless. Do some investigating on your own, and you'll begin to notice the variations easily.
We are so lucky to showcase a large selection of colored gemstones by master faceter Bill Booze. Faceting of gemstones is almost a lost art in this country. Most is now done in China and India. Bill's 30-plus years of mastering this skill are evident in his collection. You must stop by to enjoy them sometime! Plus, it will help you learn how to recognize all the things we're talking about here.
Chrome Tourmaline by master faceter Bill Booze. 14k gold prongs, sterling band.
The stone is .84 carats in weight. The ring is a size 7.
Carat weight doesn't necessarily have to be a top priority, unless size really matters. In addition, some stones are heavier than others, which can be confusing when you see two 3-carat stones who appear different in actual physical dimensions. Again, it comes down to a matter of personal taste and what you feel comfortable wearing. Do you want to wear it every day? You might choose something a bit smaller. Want a real show-stopper for fun? Then a large gem is definitely called for.
As mentioned above, in certain stones, finding a large one with enough clarity to cut is rare. Others are more common in larger sizes. Naturally, this will be reflected in the price. In the chrome tourmaline stone set in a ring above, such stones are not often found very large, and the particular shade of green (called "chrome" tourmaline because it is the mineral chrome in the earth that gives it that particular hue) is also much more rare than other shades of tourmaline.
Trio of red garnets by master faceter Bill Booze, in unusual cuts with superb clarity.
Even though set with bezels instead of prongs, there is a lot of life and play in the stones.
Set in 14-karat gold bezels with a sterling band that is size 7.
Of course, Compromise is the 5th "c", and will help you select the best gem for yourself. Budget dictates the range of qualities you can afford. Try to get the best gem you can get. And remember, there's often more than one option within a color family. If ruby is too expensive, then spinel or garnet are excellent, and much less expensive, choices in the red family.
We hope these tips are helpful. It's a fun adventure to embark upon, and you'll learn so much in the process! Of course, we invite you to stop by and start your learning adventure at MaJe Gallery, and enjoy our large selection that covers just about every price point, too, with earrings starting at $28!
