Just as diamonds have their 4 C’s (carat, cut, color and clarity), turquoise also has properties that help determine its value:
Size. Large pieces are rarer and more valuable.
Color. Sky blue or robin’s egg blue is ideal.
Inclusions. These are the other minerals that produce the stone’s pattern and, in general, stones with no inclusions or inclusions in a regular or spider-web pattern tend to be best.
Finish. In general, look for…
The BBC reported in January that the most dire predictions from scientists now suggest that tropical coral reefs will be practically extinct within the next 50 years.
Just imagine — reefs existing today that began growing millions of years ago could cease to exist in a few decades!
Why should you care?
Because these reefs are one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet — think of…
Fake handbags will always be a big No-No in my world but the “Fabulous Fakes” of Kenneth Jay Lane are a big Yes-Yes-YES!
This shoe designer at Christian Dior launched his company in 1963 in New York City. Since then he has amassed a wide celebrity fan base that’s included Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Nancy Reagan along with current collector Gloria Vanderbilt. You may have seen…
“Any jewel that Verdura touches becomes a more interesting jewel.”
—Vogue magazine
Imagine my surprise to be flipping through the pages of my October issue of Elle Decor and be stopped in my tracks by their fantastic feature on Verdura.
Fulco di Verdura was a duke turned jewelry designer whose exquisite creations and fascinating career took him to Paris, LA, NYC, Venice and Hollywood.
And his client list? It was filled…
For centuries, poison rings have been used to conceal lethal substances. Famous deaths attributed to poison rings include the ancient Greek orator Demosthenes and the Carthaginian general Hannibal while tales abound of Cesare Borgia, a famous nobleman during the Renaissance, wearing a poison ring that he used to help bring down political rivals. It’s all very James Bond, don’t you think?
And it only took a…
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