Natural Wonders
Photo credit: @shopesqueleto & @ninosstudio
Uncut gems. Fabulous fossils. Earthly delights.
While the essence of jewelry design is the creation of beautiful things, so much of the process is focused on refining—measuring clarity, purifying ore, fastidiously faceting, polishing to perfection. It’s easy to forget that the raw materials hold an intrinsic allure all their own, an allure that can be even more breathtaking when celebrated in its natural state.
Perhaps writer Laura Ingalls Wilder said it best, “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” Pieces like these prove you don’t have to look far.
Diamond
Cut diamonds are praised for their cut, clarity, and color (or lack thereof), the ideal being a thing of preternatural perfection. A sliced diamond is just the opposite. Praised for their “imperfections,” the more inclusions present, the higher the price. And while the slice itself may be cut from a larger stone with literal laser precision, you’ll find no facets here.
Emerald & Ruby
Dilamani is known for drawing inspiration from both the high arts of fashion and architecture, and the down-to-earth beauty of nature. With their unexpected slices of rubies and emeralds precision-set in cut brown diamonds, these earrings combine the best of both worlds.
Dilamani emerald, ruby, and brown diamond earrings, $4,200 at McCoy Goldsmith & Jeweler
*This item is sold out.
Dendritic Agate
You’d be forgiven for thinking this pendant was a delicate wildflower pressed into a glass locket, or perhaps an intricate pen-and-ink design. With their branch-like inclusions of iron oxide and manganese (called dendrites), dendritic agate can have an almost landscape-like quality that’s easy to mistake for intentional design rather than organic form. Framed in a delicate gold bezel, award-winning designer Alexis Kletjian lets this unique stone speak for itself.
Alexis Kletjian oval dendritic agate double pendant, $1,500 at Quadrum Gallery
*This item is sold out.
Strawberry Quartz & Jasper
Lizzie and Kathryn, the twin sisters behind Lizzie Fortunato, design pieces to tell a story and transport the wearer to their source of inspiration. This pendant, made from bisected strawberry quartz, jasper, and green amethyst (stones most often found in Russia, India, and Brazil, respectively) offers a veritable trip around the globe.
Lizzie Fortunato “Porto” medallion necklace with gemstones, $415 at Lizzie Fortunato
*This item is sold out.
Garnet
You’re probably familiar with January’s birthstone in its faceted and polished form, but raw garnet has a breathtaking depth and dimension that doesn’t require much meddling. In the capable hands of Johnny Ninos, one half of the husband-and-wife design studio Ninos Studio, a balance of rough and glossy facets bring out the gem’s inner glow.
Ammonite
With a focus on antique and estate jewelry, it's not a surprise to discover pieces at Rhode Island’s Reliable Gold Jewelers that belong in a museum—even a museum of natural history. In lieu of a gem, this one-of-a-kind ring features an ammonite, the fossil from an extinct (as in, 66 million years ago) marine mollusk.
Emerald & Jasper
If sliced diamonds put the gem’s inclusions on display, slicing jasper is like offering an insight into the formation of the earth itself. The patterns of this quartz are formed as the mineral contents of silica or volcanic ash consolidate and natural fissures are filled by metal oxides, forming the classic marbling, streaking, and orbital patterns the stone is known for (like the ones in these earrings).
Editor: Samantha Durbin
Wordsmith: Rebecca Daly
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