Amazing. We are are almost about to start with the month of May and I am about to write about things that happened way back in February. Goes to show how tight a schedule I have.
But here I am again sharing my thought and comments, hoping some of these things will be of help and interest to you all. So, let me know start with the JEWELRY, a most pleasant subject.
This year we were pleasantly surprised by our many talented friends. Kathe of TriGem Designs, Alejandra of Alejandra and Sarah of Kojima Pearl have been busy producing some of the most beautiful Cortez Pearl jewelry designs we have been able to see these last years. Gold, silver, gemstones and Cortez Pearls are all combined to produce wearable beauty to please the beautiful women that grace our fair Earth. Let me show you some of the beautiful pieces we saw in Tucson this 2015 and some that even made it all the way to our Cortez Pearl Jewelry store in Guaymas (and that you may also see in our eStore
).Kathe Mai of TriGem Designs
Kathe’s jewelry designs may be easily explained with just one word: Timeless. These are classic pieces that could have been worn 100 years ago, but also worn today and will be worn 100 years from now. Simply put: these are jewelry designs that will not suffer from the ravages of “fashion statements”. You may agree or disagree with me…but I believe you will agree these are beautiful pieces, and all of their accompanying stones are Fair Trade Gems as usual.
Another great thing about her jewelry is that it feels equally at home being worn with a fancy night dress or with just normal day wear such as jeans. My personal favorites are the 14K Rosé Gold with Cortez Mabe and Nyala Rubi piece and the 18K Yellow gold Cortez Mabe piece that has little moveable gold waves…reminds me of a jellyfish.
This year Kathe came out with more Cortez Mabe Pearl jewelry designs and she is also busy preparing a new line of jewelry for this year…a special line that we will not disclose until it is ready. Expect something special later this year!
Alejandra Solomone of Alejandra Jewels
Alejandra has a hectic and contrasting life: she moves and feels equally at home in the great city of New York and her mother’s ranch in the Sierra Madre in Mexico. Quite a contrast! She is both a sophisticate cosmopolitan woman and a horse mounted Amazon and her jewelry also defies our imagination with its colorful designs.
This year she incorporated even more colors in her new designs –all of them available at our eStore and here in Guaymas- with the help of beautiful Mexican Fire Opals, Granates, Sapphires and Diamonds. This year she worked wonders on our Cortez Pearls, Mabe and Keshi.
Yesterday we were preparing our first ever TV commercial (to air on State television here in Sonora and in TV Azteca Arizona) and Rocío chose a pair of beautiful earrings by Alejandra for this special occasion. I believe you can agree they look stunning.
Sarah Cannizaro of Kojima Pearl Co
Our dear friend Sarah is increasing her Cortez Pearl inventories and she has been coming up with many special requests by pearl connoisseurs…her recent designs also incorporate the inspiration of her husband Mounir. You can see his vision on the pair of Mabe Pearl earrings, a great contrast with the violet stones and the Cortez mabe pearls.
I expect to see many more great designs from Sarah and Mounir in the years to come. You can find more of Sarah and Mounir’s jewelry at the Kojima website…and they also carry a great selection of Kamoka Pearls -from our friends Josh and Celeste- and have exclusive Kasumiga pearls as well, so you can’t really go wrong with Kojima if you intend to find that “special pearl” that we all are looking for.
And that is that in the case of Cortez Pearl Jewelry at this year’s edition of the Tucson Gem Show. For now I will shift gears into two very different subjects: Great Food & Great friends and Mexican Fire Opals.
Mexican Fire Opals by Opalos & Artesanias Mexicanas
I love pearls above all gemstones. In a close second place I have Opals, followed by Emeralds and Amber. I am not that fond of the shiny, glittering stones…but Fire Opals are special to me, they can also have such varied looks! I mean: some can look glacial white, others are a flaming orange, then bright Yellows and even a soft soapy pink! You would think you are talking about different stones but no, these are the Opals of Mexico and our friend Luciano Tamayo and his family are the owners of the best mine in Jalisco. They have taken the art of Opal processing to a new level and offer them in very conceivable shape, size and colors…from minimalistic rough-cut opals to perfect cut opals and everything in between like the baroque shaped opals that Alejandra used in her Cortez Keshi and Opal earrings.
Our friend Luciano and his family are always ready to take care of your special Opal needs at the Tucson Gem Show (same tent as we are, the GJX just across from the Tucson Convention Center) and you can contact them via e-mail too.
Great Dinners with Great Friends
I believe the Pearl Industry is special and different from all others. Over the years you end up making great friends, all sharing this common passion for pearls and jewelry. This year we had our nights filled with laughs, merry drinks and great food…but it is the friends we join the ones that actually make it a special moment. Thank you all for your friendship, for being gracious hosts and for sharing your love and knowledge of pearls (and Spirits!) with us.
And with these last words I bid you all a Great Spring!