PRESENTED BY Seasonal Trends Transitioning Your Jewelry Wardrobe ewelry designs trending in the hottest season of the year are so intense, they will Jhave no problem quickly transforming into cool autumn accessories. This season, extend summer and make the most of your vacation-ready jewelry right through October. Popular designs today will easily shift from sandy beaches and poolside patios to dorms, workplaces and autumn excursions. Gems, beads, pearls and tassels will accentuate any wardrobe base from sandals and espadrilles, to loafers and hiking boots. Rich, bold, colorful gemstones reminiscent of bi-color, cool weather pansies will appear sum- mer through fall. Rich shades of pink, blue vio- let, and yellow will offer a chill to hot summer outfits, while golden orange, deep purples and reds provide warmth to any cool autumn attire. Large Tahitian and Baroque pearls continue to headline ornate earrings and chunky neck- laces, while chunky links have advanced over the streamlined effect of ultra-thin strands adorning necks and wrists. Layering is a popular trend, especially when utilizing mix- matched designs. Whether you prefer sterling silver or karat gold in white, yellow or rose, there is something for everyone when transition- ing your jewelry from summer to autumn. Peggy Bennett Master IJO Jeweler PK Bennett Jewelers n (847) 680-4450 742 South Butterfield Road, Mundelein, IL 60060 www.pkbennett.com Jewelry News & Views Jewelry Calendar Focus on Fashion Birthstone Jewelry... Always Fashionable, Get Hoop Happy Always A Favorite ne of this season’s most popular fashion accessories just never seems irthstone gems have a unique to fade out…the hoop earring. What appeal that is timeless and never O goes around comes around, again and again. goes out of style. Each colorful B Most likely because hoop earrings portray birthstone is the special gem intimately confidence, style, sex appeal and they are associated with the month of one’s birth. perfect for daytime or evening wear. And for centuries, birthstone gems were Hoops of all shapes and sizes, large, me- believed to bestow legendary powers dium and small, are swaying with every and reflect personal characteristics move of the head. Both sterling silver and shared by no one else. That’s why karat gold hoops have been spotted on run- beautiful birthstone jewelry is always in ways and in magazines, as well as, both sea- style and always the most popular gift side and while shopping. you can give. Some designs are embellished with dia- AUGUST - Peridot / Sardonyx monds, colored gemstones, charms, pearls According to tradition, courage is or beads. In addition, many aren’t even round the personal attribute offered by these two but created in multiple shapes, twisted, historic gems to men and women born in thick, thin, brightly polished, filigreed, ham- August. Transparent yellow-green peridot mered to a soft matte, or polished, but they is a sparkling gem long favored all will work with almost any outfit. by women. Richly hued, reddish brown sardonyx is an opaque gem highly prized by men since Biblical times for intricately carved signet rings. SEPTEMBER - Sapphire For thousands of years, wisdom and clear thinking have been the personal traits bestowed on those of September birth by the sparkling cornflower-blue sapphire. A form of the mineral corundum, sapphire comes in a rainbow of beautiful colors in addition to blue...everything except red. When corundum is red it’s called ruby. The Jewelry Doctor OCTOBER - Opal / Tourmaline Over the centuries, these two very different harlequin gems have Why Silver Tarnishes & How to Prevent It symbolized the power of nlike gold or platinum, sterling silver can react to particles in the air, sulphur in hope for those with birthdays particular, and develop black tarnish which is a micro thin coating known as ox- in October. Both gems display a dazzling Uidation. Even when tarnished, silver does not deteriorate like iron-based metals array of brilliant colors. Ancient opal or copper. Some silver jewelry is coated with a thin layer of rhodium, a shiny member blazes with flashes of of the platinum family, to prevent tarnishing. rainbow iridescence, while Wearing your silver jewelry constantly won’t tarnish it. When tarnish sets in it can eas- glittering, transparent ily be removed with silver polish or a cleaning cloth for silver. Since silver is a soft metal, tourmaline comes in a wider range of we do recommend you always store it separately to avoid scratches and dents. colors than virtually any other gem. Jewelry Profile Fascinating Facts About Silver- Versatile, Affordable, Fashionable ilver is known as the Queen of Metals and has had many uses since ancient times. It was once regarded as even more Sprecious than gold because above ground pure silver, in its native form of nuggets or crystals, is much harder to find. Shiny silver is a most reflective element, making it useful in mirror coatings, telescopes, microscopes, solar energy cells and for photography. Additional uses of this fascinating metal include currency, silverware, dentistry and of course, our favorite… jewelry. Silver jewelry can be casual or elegant, contemporary or classic. Available in many styles, even decorated with gem- stones or yellow gold enhancements, silver has a crisp, cool, white glow that makes a powerful fashion statement. Its flat- tering color contrasts beautifully with this season’s sheer fab- rics and is so versatile, it will complement the richness of a formal black outfit. Whatever your tastes, sterling silver jewelry offers something for everyone this season and, with its moderate cost, you can experiment with styles that would otherwise be very expensive. Trends to Watch Something Old, Something New either borrowed, nor always blue, popular jewelry designs today are a throwback to yesteryear. To be called antique, a jewelry Ndesign must be older than 100 years. To be considered vintage, the piece should be at least 20 years old but less than 100 years in age. In the Victorian era, antique, nature-inspired designs were wide- spread. Today, a return to naturalism is evident with three-dimensional brooches, pendants and earrings crafted with animals, flowers, bows, and ribbons. Diamonds were rare, and due to the war platinum was scarce; therefore, engagement rings were made of gold and featured centered stones of opals, sapphires, and rubies, often with a “halo” of gems encircling the center stone, a style currently very popular. Art deco and retro pieces are being reincarnated and adorning women from high society to neighborhood cookouts. Jewelry express- ing individuality, such as the beloved charm bracelet are back in pop- ularity. Bolder, chunky statement pieces emphasizing large, colorful gemstones are all the rage. Karat gold is more popular than ever, only this time not because platinum is scarce, but we just simply love gold! Gemstone Buyers Guide Golden Amber – Wearable Sunshine he ancient Greeks thought must be at least a million years old. amber was solidified sun- Amber is found in hundreds of Tshine. This beautiful yellow sites around the world, but the ma- fossil material has been loved and jor sources are the eastern Baltic admired as far back as 5,000 B.C. region of Poland, the Dominican While not very romantic, amber is Republic, and Mexico. Smooth and actually the petrified sap of pre- elegant, amber is mostly shaped historic pine trees and sometimes into beads and pendants or carved contains ancient insects or parts into cabochon forms for setting in of extinct plants. To be called am- karat gold or sterling silver jewelry ber, this stunning organic material designs. 742 South Butterfield Road Mundelein, IL 60060 Stop In With Your Questions The Independent Jew- What Is Cat’s Eye name of that gem is used accurate setting of gems. elers Organization (IJO) only accepts members Chrysoberyl? after the words “cat’s-eye.” What Is A Baguette? with the highest ethi- When the beautiful, trans- cal standards and pro- What Are Calibrated Gems? Baguette is a French term lucent gem chrysoberyl is fessional integrity. As These are diamond and col- (pronounced beg-ET) that cut to a cabochon (domed) our area’s exclusive ored gemstones that are describes a long, rectangu- shape it displays a band of Master IJO Jeweler we precision cut to conform lar, step cut diamond in the have a responsibility to reflected light known as a to standard or fixed sizes… shape of a narrow bar or our customers and our “cat’s-eye.” This phenom- community to maintain sometimes to a fraction of a rod. It is named for the long enon is called chatoyancy. these standards and millimeter. This results in eas- French loaf of bread that When referring to any oth- offer the finest quality, ier matching and faster, more may also be called a Baton. workmanship and value. er gem with a cat’s-eye, the © 2019 IJO, Inc., Southport, CT Jewelry News & Views.