I am very excited to announce that The Women’s Jewelry Association Foundation has named me the recipient of the 2020 Carelle Grant

In starting and running a business, I have learned a huge amount about myself. It's no wonder given all of the changes and developments that have come with Original Eve that I have been attracted to opal for so many projects as Opal, October's birthstone, is said to help you know yourself. There are several varieties of opal, each named according to the color of the gem's background, but the characteristic that truly sets opal apart from any other gemstone is its exotic play-

Every few weeks, I sent Don a message. Maybe he had just forgotten to tell me that he and Kelsie had gotten engaged? Maybe he was waiting for an event I didn't know about? Maybe they skipped the engagement and went straight to the altar? I sent Don the finished ring in April. Kelsie had been intimately involved in designing the ring with us... She must have been losing her mind still not having it on her hand! I was losing my mind waiting to be able to congratulate them on th

Almost everything is set for their wedding: They have a date, a venue, and excited family members who are eager for the knot to be tied. But after being long distance (intercontinental) for nearly two years, the groom only moved from Paris to New York a few weeks before we sat down to discuss making Hannah's engagement ring. That's right: They were engaged and planning a wedding without THE key ingredient: The Rock! Hannah and David met in Paris while Hannah was studying abro

A few weeks ago, I got a message through my website from someone I met about two years ago on Tinder. "I hope this isn't too awkward, but I'm in the market for an engagement ring..." Ok--So maybe I didn't really meet Bob through Tinder, though the app is how we became friends. Bob and I both attended the same small liberal arts college and our overlapping acquaintances and shared experiences in the idyllic Purple Valley make him an easy friend and an even easier client. Bob d

I am a pearl girl. The way pearls manipulate light is magical and ethereal. This is why so many of my recent pieces are pearl-heavy! (Coming soon!) Every pearl is created by an animal and its formation is affected by various environmental conditions, quality of human care in the farm, culturing time, and overall health of the mollusk. This means that every pearl needs to be considered individually. So how do we evaluate pearls? In honor of June's Birthstone, Pearl, I want to

I am very excited to have been selected as a finalist in the fourth edition of THENEXTNOW, a national design competition! THENEXTNOW is a partnership between designer jewelry retailer Ylang 23 and fashion incubator Trendseeder. Through their events, they seek to find and foster the next generation of independent jewelry designers, create a community, and formalize mentorship that has been happening for decades between Ylang 23's founders, jewelry buyers, sales team, and emerg

While I may be a gemstone gremlin who hoards rocks to smile at in my free time, most people prefer to express their appreciation for gorgeous gemstones by wearing them set in jewelry. When creating a piece of jewelry, I can get really creative by focusing on how the gemstones are set into the finished piece. With nuance and an understanding of the wide variety of methods for setting stones, the resulting piece of jewelry will include settings that complement the gemstones and

Diamond Family: Diamond Color: Colorless (D-Z Color Scale); Rainbow Shades (Fancy Colored Diamonds) Mohs Hardness: 10! (Diamonds are the hardest material on the planet!) "It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world” - Dolly Parton They are loved, collected, and greatly desired. Touted as a “girl’s best friend” and synonymous with the word “Forever”, diamonds have infiltrated society and become traditional symbols of power, wealth, and promise. Diamond value and lore exten

Aquamarine Family: Beryl Color: Greenish blue to blue Mohs Hardness: 7.5-8 Seawater has a mystical healing power. The gentle lap of the ocean, the soothing flush of the waves, the rocking of a boat up and down, side to side... I am starting to get a little seasick thinking about the sea. Good thing March's birthstone, Aquamarine, is believed to ward off seasickness! The beautiful light greenish blue of the gorgeous Aquamarine gem is reminiscent of sea water. No wonder that is

I am very excited to announce that I was selected to be the recipient of the Shining Star Award by the Women's Jewelry Association's Metro New York Chapter for 2017! The Shining Star awards are given to a volunteer in each chapter who is nominated and selected by peers for being passionate, engaged volunteers who contribute to their local chapters. WJA has been an incredible community for me over the past few years. When I started attending WJA events, I was incredibly intimi

It's the most magical time of the year when the jewelry industry's A-list suppliers and designers ascend upon the desert with their bounty and beautiful creations. The highest quality goods are found at the AGTA Convention center show where row after row, America's finest dealers display booths filled with their finest gemstones. From one-of-a-kind fantasy such zircon to 15-carat unheated Ceylon Sapphires, every blink shocks the senses with extraordinary beauty. The Tucson Ge

Amethyst Family: Quartz Color: Bluish purple to purple to reddish purple Mohs Hardness: 7-7.5 This month we celebrate purple people with the February birthstone Amethyst! I have always been a purple person. For 13 years, I went to a school where the colors were purple and gold. Next, I went to a New England liberal arts college where the colors were also purple and gold. Shortly thereafter, I did a brief graduate school stint at NYU, where the color is purple. And then I head

Garnet Family: Garnet Color: Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Pink, Purple, Gray, Black Mohs Hardness: 7-7.5 Garnet GLORIOUS Garnet! What a way to start the year? January babies, you are blessed with an incredible gemstone GROUP as your birthstone. I often overlooked Garnet for its murky brownish-red appearance, but I was quite wrong to do so! Though it is largely thought of as being a deep red hue, Garnet comes in a variety of autumnal colors due to differing chemical comp

When I presented Sam with the finished ring, he leaned back in his chair and said a single word: Rad. Working with Sam was an absolute pleasure. He was trusting, relaxing, and genuine from the beginning--A sincere Southern California gentleman with a bushy beard and smiling eyes who just happened to fall in love with his boss. In many office environments today, boundaries can be blurred over community kitchen kegs and wall-less spaces. Regardless, there is a quiet understandi

I always love when my clients have a classic Meet-Cute--the moment when two people who are destined to fall in love meet in a zaney, unlikely, and unusual way. I am a bit of a hopeless romantic. I always cry when my clients text or call after they propose and receive a "Yes!". I'm not crying because I doubt the response or don't know the proposal is coming--I am always one of the few people who KNOWS what is going to happen. I cry because I meet amazing people and hear storie

Tanzanite Family: Zoisite Color: Blue to violet to bluish purple Mohs Hardness: 6-6.5 While working in education at Tiffany & Co., one of my primary job functions was to write the history of gemstones and diamonds from a Tiffany perspective. I painted Tiffany as the source of all gemstone enlightenment, knowledge, and culture. In the copy I wrote, I positioned the company as the ultimate leader in all things gems. While Tiffany's current assortment doesn't boast much in terms

Citrine Family: Quartz Color: Yellow to orange to brownish orange Mohs Hardness: 7 November Babies, I know that many of your were profoundly disappointed to learn that Topaz is your birthstone—I know I would be devastated if that were my truth—but fear not! You have a second birthstone that is not only better than Topaz (like every other gem), but it is also very cool on its own. With a name derived from the Latin word for citrus, ‘citri’, it is no surprise Citrine takes on t

A Guest Blog by Rohan Agrawal G.G., F.G.A., Biased Topaz Lover and Topaz Dealer who has Financial Stake In You Liking Topaz Despite Original Eve's Truth Re: Topaz (Read Here). Rohan is a Friend of Eve (At least he was before expressing his absurd fondness for Topaz...) In Defense of Topaz by Rohan Agrawal Despite biased arguments presented by Eve, Topaz is a lovely gem and November Babies should be proud of their birthstone. I can see where she’s coming from*, but I don’t thi

Topaz Family: Topaz Color: Multiple: Yellowish orange to orangy red to Red, Yellow, Pink, Blue Mohs Hardness: 8 November Babies: I have a confession to make. A gemologist, just like a mother, has to pretend to like all of the gemstones with equal enthusiasm and adoration, but this isn’t the case. I do not love all the rocks equally. Not even close. There is one gemstone that has always made me sneer. Maybe it’s because she has perfect cleavage? Or maybe it’s because the color