Dec
Saturday Salon: Pretty Shiny Things
In my first six or seven books, I let my heroes give my heroines a wide assortment of jewelry. Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, opals, gold.
Not until I was writing my Spindle Cove books did any of this fictional jewelry result in any heavy-duty hinting to Mr. Dare around traditional gift giving times like Christmas, my birthday, or our anniversary. I mean, I’m sure it would be nice to have a big rope of rubies like the one I wrote Jeremy giving Lucy in Goddess of the Hunt, but I don’t know where I’d wear the thing. My wedding ring aside, I’m just not much of a precious gemstone girl.
But then I started writing a geologist heroine, Minerva Highwood (to appear in the forthcoming A Week to be Wicked). Minerva’s not much of a precious gemstone girl, either–but she’s an interesting gem, mineral, and fossil girl. And of all my heroines, Minerva’s the one who has added to my personal jewelry collection.
It started with this pendant, which I happened across at last year’s RT Convention. When I saw it, I knew I just had to have it.
A fossilized ammonite, set in silver
Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the halved shell of a fossilized sea creature called an ammonite. Minerva studies ammonites. She’s so fascinated by their symmetry, she’s embroidered her bed linens with this pattern. (And yes, said bed linens see some action in the book, if you know what I mean. If the primeval sea snail’s a rockin’…)
Slice of blue john
And this year, as I’ve been working on A Lady by Midnight, the third Spindle Cove book, I’ve grown fascinated with blue john, a unique kind of fluorite found only in a few particular caverns in Derbyshire. They started mining it in the 18th century, so it’s found in quite a bit of Georgian jewelry.
Blue john pendant
For this, I broke out the heavy duty hinting. Mr. Dare might have ordered a one-of-a-kind pendant for me from a jeweler in England and had it airmailed… And I might have already signed for the package. 
But of course I can’t open it yet, and they’ve taken it off the website, so I can’t even find a picture! Here’s a similar one.
So there you go. Diamonds and rubies not so much. Fossilized sea snails and rare fluorite – yes, please! I’m weird like that.
If you could ask Santa (or the Romance Hero of Your Choice) for any piece of fictional jewelry to have in real life, what would you like to have? Do you have any pieces in your personal collection that have special literary or historical or personal significance?
Dec 17, 2011
1:20 am
Wow!! I don’t think I can remember any jewelry from fiction in particular right now, might have to come back after a night’s sleep but Tessa, I love that fossilized ammonite!! I’m a huge fan of amber so anything fossilized is fascinating to me. I have two very old (antique) pieces – my engagement ring which I think I told you about once, platinum filigree setting with eleven European cut diamonds, one large in the center surrounded by ten smaller ones. It was handmade by my hubby’s grandfather for his second wife in Italy. The other piece is a gold necklace with a cameo drop which has diamond above it and filigree lace dotted with seed pearls. I wore it on our wedding day with my Empire/Regency inspired satin and lace overlay dress – this piece belonged to my grandmother but where she got it, I don’t know. I love antique jewelry. I hope Mr. Dare got you that one-of -kind necklace … there’s nothing like having something so special given to you by someone soooo special. xoxo
Dec 17, 2011
11:57 am
Amy, I think some amber is going to have to be next on my list!
I love the sound of your antique pieces. They sound beautiful, and even more special because of the meaning they have to you and your family. I bet you were gorgeous in your Regency-inspired dress and that cameo! You’ll have to put it in one of your books.
Dec 17, 2011
1:41 pm
I love antique jewelry too, Amy. That cameo sounds gorgeous.
Dec 17, 2011
2:52 am
This article reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry being auctioned off.
I’d love a tiara from a prince (especially if said prince was as handsome as Prince Harry), but when I stumbled upon a pic of a pink diamond ring, my girly-girl side just went to overdrive and I knew I found my dream ring!
Of course, tiara or no tiara, the prince is still the best option…
Dec 17, 2011
11:54 am
Oh, wow — I’ve been under a rock (no pun intended) and didn’t notice the ET auction. I just went googling, and now I’m dazzled!
http://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylor/the_sales.aspx
Like I just commented to Jamie, I think pink diamond rings are SO romantic too – I’m totally looking for a way to put one in a book.
A tiara from Prince Harry! I love it.
Dec 17, 2011
12:47 pm
And here you are, B –
Pink diamond tiara, valued at $2 million. Compliments of HRH You-Know -Who
Dec 17, 2011
5:42 pm
OOH that is pretty!
Dec 17, 2011
8:00 pm
That is a lovely tiara.
Dec 18, 2011
1:43 am
Ooooooh, that is pretty! Wearing that, any gal would definitely feel like a princess. : )
Dec 18, 2011
4:51 am
I really need this
Dec 18, 2011
12:29 pm
I think every girl needs this
Dec 17, 2011
8:40 am
Gotta say I am a gemstone gal. When I was in my late 20s , I wanted to have one of each gemstone, then realized that I couldn’t really afford most of them. I do have a penndant which is a heart shaped sapphire surrounded by diamonds that I got for Christmas. I call it my Heart of the Ocean (from Titanic) and I wear that most of the time.
My dream jewelry piece would be a Phillies P done with rubies and diamonds. Talk about bling and love for your baseball team. A pink diamond would be very nice, too!
I think those fossils and stones are really pretty – that I could probably afford.
Dec 17, 2011
11:52 am
Wow, Jamie! Your “heart of the ocean” sounds beautiful. And I love the sound of your dream Phillies piece, too. Bling with personal meaning is the best!
I am considering putting a fictional pink diamond in a book soon.
I have to admit, the affordability does make collecting the fossils and stones fun. They’re not always cheap, but they’re not prohibitively expensive–and I’m not afraid to wear them, like I would be with more precious stones!
Dec 17, 2011
12:48 pm
How about a ring?
Dec 17, 2011
5:41 pm
I got a paperweight version of this ring. The thing is about 2″ x 2″ and is heavy. I am pretty sure it is crystals and not diamonds in mine. I saw it at the Phillies store at the ball park and told the sales lady – here is my credit card, don’t tell me how much it is, I just want it. So, to be honest I can’t tell you how much I paid for my bling paperweight, but I can tell you it is OVER $100.00. TOO MUCH money, but it is just too pretty and my paperweight is shaped just like a ring.
Dec 18, 2011
4:48 am
It was worth it!
Dec 18, 2011
12:29 pm
“here is my credit card, don’t tell me how much it is, I just want it”
–Words I need to speak at least once in my life
Dec 17, 2011
10:07 am
I love the sound is the necklace you *might* get for Christmas from your DH.
For me I would have to be greedy and ask for a fictional collection of jewellery! In Barbara Taylor bradford’s Woman of Substance she is given a collection of emerald jewellery to match her eyes. The first time I read the book I was quite young and green has always been my favourite colour. I remember thinking, when someone really loves me they will buy me emeralds! Lol I’m still waiting for them.
Dec 17, 2011
11:47 am
Ooh, emeralds! Green is my favorite color and my (sometime) eye color. (they tend to look either green or blue, depending) Now that you mention it, I think I’d like to receive a set of emeralds too!
But you know what – maybe we shouldn’t wait on someone else to buy them. Maybe we should just give them to ourselves.
Dec 17, 2011
12:50 pm
Here, to start your collection:
Dec 17, 2011
1:50 pm
I love emeralds too. I love the necklace in this 1810 portrait (not the prettiest lady but she’d rock the red carpet for gown and accessories). The gems seems to be a pale, more subtle color.
Dec 17, 2011
3:04 pm
Wow, that necklace looks remarkably like one I just saw at the Boston MFA — and I blogged something snarky about how I wouldn’t have paired it with that simple muslin dress!
Ha. Shows how fine an understanding of muslin I’ve got.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duneshack/6487822935/
Dec 17, 2011
4:00 pm
I think you are absolutely right about the muslin, Beth. The heavy satin in the portrait is perfect with the rich necklace but the gown shown in your photo needs something much simpler. A string of pearls or a small gold cross on a chain (a very common Regency accessory).
Dec 18, 2011
12:34 am
there is the choker necklace that ‘miss dolittle’ wears in ‘my fair lady’ also the choker that jennifer lopez wears in ‘maid in manhattan’ stunning!
Dec 17, 2011
11:21 am
Hey Tessa-I’m not a big jewelry wearer. I have a ton of costume jewelry that goes with different outfits. The ony 2 pieces of “good” jewelry I have are a diamond tennis bracelet and a diamond heart pendant. Jack gave them to me, and I love them. I don’t need anything else.
Dec 17, 2011
11:44 am
I love that, Susan. If you have few really good pieces that go with everything, that you love–you’re right, you don’t need anything else!
Dec 17, 2011
12:26 pm
Here’s a wonderful site to go window-shopping for actual Georgian/Regency-era jewelry:
http://www.georgianjewelry.com/jewelry/category/georgian
Check out this gorgeous amethyst necklace – a steal at $3500 US!
Dec 17, 2011
12:34 pm
Stunning!
Amethysts always makes me think of Marilla’s amethyst brooch in Anne of Green Gables, one of my favorite books as a girl.
Dec 17, 2011
1:51 pm
Gorgeous color!
Dec 17, 2011
4:55 pm
I adore that Blue John. And I will never forget the scene where Jeremy gave Lucy that necklace, nor all the excitement in the woods later
. I know Mr. Dare won’t disappoint! But I should caution you…I once concluded a certain someone had bought a diamond off Blue Nile after it disappeared from the website.
He hadn’t!
He bought a more beautiful one from a local jeweler. The Blue Nile package I signed for was earrings for his daughter. Ya never know.
Dec 18, 2011
12:28 pm
Carey, I’m pretty sure Mr. Dare followed his (quite explicit) instructions.
But if I open up a Joni Mitchell CD on Christmas morning…
Dec 18, 2011
1:46 am
Wow!! I do like amethysts and those are spectacularly gorgeous and big! Oh, to be so wealthy to be able to shop and wear these gorgeous pieces. I’m green with envy.
Dec 17, 2011
12:29 pm
Wow! That ammonite pendant is beautiful Tessa! I do love shiny pretty things too. I hope you enjoy whatever is in that package you signed for.
I think I would love to actually own that ruby necklace Jeremy gave Lucy because ruby is my gemstone, as I’m a July birthday girl. And the way he tells her the shine and beauty of the necklace doesn’t come close to matching her makes me sigh and melt with happiness every time!
To be honest, I don’t own a lot of pieces, because the whole matching the accessories to the outfit can be a bit beyond me, unfortunately, especially when I’m running out the door in the morning. The only jewelry/accessory I really wear with any regularity is my watch. Other than that, I try to find things that will go with everything so I don’t have to worry about not matching/clashing.
But one of my most treasured pieces is a gold chain necklace my grandfather gave me when I was a little girl. My mother let me wear it exactly once to school, then took it back for safekeeping, lol. It’s a simple necklace, but it means the world to me because it always reminds me of my grandfather, who passed away a few years ago.
Dec 17, 2011
12:44 pm
Aww, Lisa! You deserve a great big rope of rubies and a bunch of sweet words to go with them.
Here you go, from Christies:
Compliments of J. They’re jealous.
I’m the same way with the matching! Matching my clothes is a big enough challenge. Forget accessories.
I wear the same silver hoop earrings almost every day, for that reason. But it is fun to have a few things that go with special outfits.
Dec 17, 2011
4:07 pm
Aww thanks Tessa-it’s gorgeous!
You’re the best. *hugs* This necklace definitely deserves a special outfit! And I think I may have the perfect pair of red shoes that may match.
I just hope I don’t get in trouble with Lucy.
Dec 18, 2011
12:42 am
if i was going to wear this i would wear it with NOTHING at all. and parade in it all day long. smiling.
Dec 18, 2011
12:27 pm
Bwahaha! Excellent plan.
Dec 17, 2011
1:53 pm
I hear you on the matching issue, Lisa! That’s why pearls are so handy. You can get a nice set for not too much money and they go with everything.
Dec 17, 2011
4:08 pm
Good point Miranda. Pearls always seem to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to an outfit-pefect for all sorts of occassions!
Dec 18, 2011
1:54 am
Ahhh, pearls! They are exceptable jewelry for any occasion, casual, dressy or for the ball! That’s why my favorite piece of ET’s collection is her diamond, pearl and ruby necklace … I honestly don’t remember ever seeing her wear it either. I would have worn it everywhere including to bed. : )
I don’t know how to get a picture to embed in this comment so I won’t try but I hope y’all know to which gorgeous necklace I’m referring.
Dec 17, 2011
1:07 pm
Hi ladies,
I’m not really one for jewellery but some of the pics on here are great.
I love it in books when the hero gives the heroine jewels to match her eyes but I think most of the time it’s more the sentimental value than the monetary value of things.
I have a necklace that my youngest son gave me one Christmas, it’s not very pretty and it wasn’t expensive but I wouldn’t part with it for anything. I bet all mothers have things like that.
Dec 17, 2011
2:07 pm
Beebs, I agree completely – it’s the meaning of the gift that has the value, not the materials. But it is lovely to look at the sparklies…
I love in the Duke and I where Simon gives Daphne an emerald “to match her eyes”, and she insists her eyes are brown until he points out there’s green in them.
LOL – now I want to read a hero who gives a heroine a brown gemstone to match her eyes.
Dec 17, 2011
3:44 pm
It would certainly be interesting to see what gemstone the hero would match to brown eyes.
Some of the gems you’ve displayed today are gorgeous, I think I’d like something with Blue John, it’s very pretty. I love blues and purples so it really appeals to me.
Dec 17, 2011
8:05 pm
Have you seen some of those chocolate diamonds? I love how they look.
Dec 18, 2011
12:27 am
have purchased several different stones in a varity of cuts, one i’ll set them for earrings
Dec 18, 2011
7:49 am
Thanks Sabrina!
Question answered, chocolate brown diamonds to go with brown eyes, perfect!
I’ve never seen anything like these before, very unusual.
Dec 18, 2011
12:30 pm
Wow! Beautiful
Dec 18, 2011
12:43 am
romantic! simply.
Dec 17, 2011
3:26 pm
One of my favorite necklaces, Beebs, is a choker on a green ribbon of plastic multi-colored beads that my son made at age 6. He said he thought about the clothes I like best to wear and used beads of those colors. I wear this with everything.
Dec 17, 2011
3:38 pm
Awww, Katharine, that’s so sweet.
I love the things the kids make when they’re little, I have scrapbooks full of pictures and hand made cards, it’s so lovely to look back on. Especially now that they don’t do it anymore.
Dec 18, 2011
12:30 pm
Oh! How precious.
Dec 17, 2011
1:52 pm
I am not a big jewelry wearer. For a long time, I wore just my wedding band and engagement ring; a round diamond surrounded by smaller ones w/two sapphires on either side. I love sapphires. The bands (yes two!) were originally thing gold. One was replaced at the 10 year mark with a band of solid diamonds. My ex hubby was good at getting me diamonds and sapphires on significant mile stones. My favorite piece that I wear every day is a simple gold cross that I bought when I was 18..decades ago. I have requested it be buried with me when I die. I have excema so now I can’t wear rings.
My dream piece of jewelry is a set of simple sapphire earrings with diamonds. Accompanied by a rope of sapphires for my neck, and a band of sapphires for my finger. Yes, I love sapphires.
Dec 17, 2011
2:08 pm
How’s this for a starter set, Lady Susan?
Dec 17, 2011
2:33 pm
Tessa,
Perfect. I’ll have my jeweler create a matching tiara! It will go stunning with my white dress with square neckline that has a blue lace overlay.
Dec 17, 2011
3:24 pm
WOW. Necklace, tiara, and white dress with blue overlay all sound perfect!
Dec 17, 2011
1:57 pm
Beautiful pieces, Tessa. I love the ammonite pendant – so intricate and original. If Mr. Dare’s gift is what you assume, you’ll have to show us a picture, preferably on you!
It’s so much fun finding jewels for one’s heroines – almost as good as houses! Coincidently my Minerva (coming the same day as yours) gets a lot of jewelry but she’s not very interested in it, being a simple, modest girl with a single-minded ambition to rule the world.
Dec 17, 2011
2:09 pm
I know! We have to do a post where our Minerva’s meet each other and tell the Ballroom regulars how to tell them apart. My Minerva is not driven to rule the world, just to understand its natural history.
Dec 17, 2011
2:44 pm
I love amethysts, so of course the hero of my first regency gives the heroine a ring with amethysts and pink diamonds, but now I think my heart is set on a Blue John.
Dec 18, 2011
12:18 pm
amethyst paired with pink diamonds sounds absolutely lovely!
if you like blue john, there’s a decent amount of it out there, and it’s not too, too expensive.
Dec 17, 2011
3:12 pm
Definitely with you on this one. I majored in paleontology in college, so I feel you on the deep and abiding love of fossils, too. I’ve got quite the collection of ammonites and belemnites, I can tell you. Never really got the whole bug-in-amber thing, though. It’s… a dead bug. But when Jurassic Park was big, hoo boy, people could NOT stop giving me those. Man am I glad that fad’s over.
And studying minerals (as a geologist) will tend to give you a disdain for the jewelry world, too. All those silly, poncy names for what is essentially a variant of quartz, or beryl, or whatever. Unromantic of me, I suppose. But there we are.
I inherited a beautiful old diamond from my great grandmother, but gave it up when my brother needed a ring to offer his bride (and was on hard enough times that buying a decent ring was out of the question). So now my Sister In Law wears it, and more power to her. I’d probably lose the damn thing.
But I’m not all hard and jaded (ha!) — I have a guilty pleasure. I adore funky old irregular (natural) pearls, and my knees go absolutely weak at a nice, pale, watery opal. Serious swoon material, that.
Dec 17, 2011
3:23 pm
A paleontology major! How utterly cool is that?
Dec 18, 2011
1:59 am
Beth, you must know all the great stones and such used in jewelry … hematite is one of my favorites but I don’t know anything about it. I’m going to have to research it sometime, right? I love amber but have never been big on actually seeing a bug in it. I love the colors and the bubbles in it. The more bubbles, the more I like it. Plus it’s usually set in silver and I’m a silver and platinum gal.
Opals are gorgeous and I don’t blame you for swooning over them. : )
Dec 18, 2011
12:24 pm
A paleontology major! Seriously, Beth. Could you be cooler in any more ways? Probably, in which case, I think you are sort of cruel/coy to force us to drag them out of you, one or two at a time . I would like a full list.
(Minerva would have more properly been called a paleontologist, but they didn’t have that word yet in 1813!)
That was very kind of you to give up your great-grandmother’s diamond. I hope you see your SIL often and get to enjoy looking at it more than you might, if it were in your jewelry or safe-deposit box.
The bugs in amber thing is too funny. I know what not to get the paleontologists on my Christmas list. They include…um, let’s see. Ross Geller and…
Dec 17, 2011
3:21 pm
Tessa, that fossilized ammonite pendant is fabulous! What fun that you happened across it. I really can’t wait for A Week To Be Wicked (Colin and Minerva are going to be perfect together, simply perfect, I just know it). And now I have those ammonite linens to look forward to too.
I don’t think I ever put particularly meaningful jewelry in my stories until it came to play a rather bittersweet part in When a Scot Loves a Lady. Despite wanting to weep while I wrote those bits of the book, it was loads of fun cruising the web for pictures of antique jewelry. I guess a girl’s gotta do…
No jewelry wishes of my own spring to mind at present. But I would love love love a delicate pair of jewel studded spectacles for dressy occasions. Does that count?
Dec 18, 2011
12:26 pm
It is a harsh sort of labor to go trawling the Internet for antique jewelry pictures. No one knows how we suffer for our art.
You would TOTALLY rock a pair of bejeweled spectacles. You really should get some.
Dec 17, 2011
8:10 pm
I love to look at jewelry but I don’t wear much aside from my engagement and wedding ring (tiny sapphire and titanium respectively). However one of my favorite pieces that I own is a long strand of irregularly shaped amber that belonged to my great-grandmother. I believe it actually only dates from the 70s, which is even part of why I love it. Those 70s colors are my faves.
Dec 18, 2011
12:32 pm
I can so see you wearing that amber necklace. You are very suited to those earthy 70s colors. And how special, that it came from someone dear to you.
Dec 17, 2011
10:41 pm
I’ll be back with more responses later! I’m at a 25tu anniversary party. Giving a speech! And wearing rhinestones.
Dec 17, 2011
11:59 pm
The pendant is gorgeous! Unfortunately, my DOH isn’t into jewelry. He bought me the same necklace twice!
Dec 18, 2011
12:35 pm
Oh NO he didn’t!
I feel kind of sorry for men this time of year. The jewelry commercials are all aimed toward those poor clueless guys, and they all promise that their women will melt into a puddle of happy goo if they just buy them whatever modestly-priced sparkly whatnot they stocked in bulk this year.
When it comes to choosing presents, Mr. Dare needs a lot of help. I know this from experience.
Dec 18, 2011
12:25 am
cobalt blue lapis and pearls with white gold or silver although i do like rubies. have alot of pins, they remind me of miss simpson and what edward would give her as gifts.
Dec 18, 2011
4:55 am
Ladies you have outdone yourselves today!
Just Lovely!
Dec 18, 2011
12:37 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Flora! This became a very sparkly post, didn’t it?
Dec 18, 2011
12:36 pm
Oh, I love lapis lazuli, Jane. Such a beautiful, rich blue color.
Rubies are no slouch, either!
Dec 18, 2011
12:17 pm
Hey, I’m back! We’ll make the second half of this “Sunday Salon”.
The 25th anniversary went very, very late and was a lot of fun.
Dec 19, 2011
9:07 pm
Hi all! If I could get any accessories , I would like to ask of the blue diamond necklace like the one we saw in titanic the movie. That blue diamond necklace is sooo gorgeous. Love the blue colour so much . Cheers n happy holiday
May 1, 2013
10:04 pm
Always look for diamond necklaces with features that add to your facial appearance not take anything away from them. You should see to it that the gemstone, the necklace and the setting should be able to grab your attention in just a single glance. In case, it does not appeal to your own eyes, chances are it will not look good to other people too. So it is important that the necklace should appeal to your eyes almost immediately.;`
Catch you later
<http://www.caramoan.ph/