Happy birthday! This is so good. I love old mine diamonds and was lucky to have a visit to The Gem Palace in Jaipur a few years ago… Mecca for jewellery lovers! Curious your take on lab grown like Dorsey for those of us not spending 150k on a milestone birthday 😉
I am a jewelry historian - I’m currently writing my dissertation on the economics of jewelry for women in 18th century Britain — how women used jewelry as a means to acquire and distribute wealth — often along their female line. I only say that to give you some context for what I’m about to say about lab diamonds…. I just don’t think they have the magic that we can find in real jewelry and gemstones — I would take a garnet over a lab diamond for example. Lab diamonds aren’t cheap — and they are energy intensive to produce.
What is green and a fraction of the cost of lab diamonds — VINTAGE! Seriously, there are so many great sellers on IG (check out @talesfromthejunkpile ) or you can find a local consignment shop — that’s where I’ve gotten all my real jewelry.
You can use the higher end jewelers as inspiration. I bought a beautiful diamond and had it designed into a pendant for literally thousands less that I would have, if I walked into a retail store. I even found a vintage 18k gold chain that was $500 vs $1800 for a new one.
So I would encourage you to look vintage! If diamonds are out of your price range - there are so many other beautiful stones to learn about and love. I know Dorsey is so popular and it’s a look so if you want that 🤷♀️ just know what you’re getting. For me, I want to build a collection that I can leave to my daughter or my nieces… and I just want to reiterate that it doesn’t have to be diamonds.
1000% me right here. I will never buy lab grown diamonds because I am A old and old school and B my grandmother always said, dear, do not spend your money on fake jewelry. And lab grown feel "fake" to me. Old mine cuts for the win.
Happiest of Birthdays to you, Becky! I hope it was fabulous and you will continue to be feted for the next month!!
I love this piece as I am such a fan of old mine cut diamonds and vintage jewelry in general. William Welstead is to die for. LOVE his pieces! My fave earrings of all time are the diamond studs my hubs bought me and I changed to drops about 15 years ago.
FWIW I inheirited some earrings a few years ago that I will never wear and the stones were enhanced. I have been unable to sell them because of them being treated. It is VERY interesting that although lab grown diamonds are popular, and I certainly understand the attraction, I cannot sell these, YET! (If anyone here has any LA jewelry connections, please PM me. I am determined.) As my jeweler pal in SF says, when you can buy an 8 ct. lab grown for $2700 and a real old mine cut one would be many times that....but in his eyes, they are synthetic. And I think lots of us older gals may feel the same. Ultimately, it is still a free country and if someone wants to rock lab grown diamonds, more power to ya!
I work retail and a customer came in and asked about lab grown diamonds, I said we don't carry them in store but let me look some up brands for you and she pointed at the CZ studs and said "but those are lab grown" OH NO. There's going to be a lot of confusion I think between costume and lab and I don't envy any jeweler who is going to be doing appraisals in the near future.
Now you're speaking my language!!! And yes, you're 100 percent correct... your explanation of old mine (and old European cut diamonds) having a "softer" look due to the fact that the stone was cut by hand not machine is spot on! They're also just so much more charming I find! Happy birthday and more of this please!!
For the love of buttons, happy birthday! I hope you were spoiled rotten. I loooove vintage jewellery - my wedding ring is French deco and I adore it. It does break easily and I have had it repaired a few times, which is something I don't think happens with new rings. But I love that it feels one of a kind. And it cost much less than a comparable ring would have cost at Tiffany or Cartier - but you have to be willing to sift through a lot of jewellery to find the real gems. In Toronto Cynthia Findlay is a great resource.
My engagement ring is a hand me down and it broke as well! Right before the wedding. We luckily had it fixed quickly but it’s true you need to plan to reinforce the stuff you get that’s vintage.
Happy birthday Becky! Colored gemstone merchant and jeweller here. The lab vs earth mined diamond debate is so interesting. For my clients I break it down like this: for bridal and investment go earth mined, new or vintage. If you’re looking for fashion pieces then consider non branded lab grown. I’ve seen the price of lab grown halve in the last 3 months alone and there is little to no resale value. Finally, consider colored gems. There is a whole world of color in every imaginable shade to explore and prices are climbing rapidly. Becky, I’d love to see you write a piece on the rest of the jewellery world - not just diamonds.
This started as an insane list of jewelry on my dream wish list. But it got too chaotic so I decided to give this week a theme. I tried on a vintage Van Cleef Ruby baguette dome ring in pursuit of this story and almost dropped dead. :) More jewelry to come! xo
Happy birthday, Becky Malinsky! My sister, Madeline, turned me on to your substack and I am so enjoying reading it each week! 40 is the best. Enjoy the year ahead!
My great grandmother left us a pair of drops so similar to the flower drops and I absolutely adore them. I share them with my mom and they’re in her care right now. So cool seeing these older styles come back.
My neighbor growing up was a diamond dealer (or something like that) but gifted me the tiniest pair of screw-on diamond studs that I only started wearing now, several decades later. Diamonds are forever!!!
Happiest of birthdays, Becky! I imagine the Sterle wings were pretty tough to take off - so striking! Love to hear your thoughts on jewelry. It’s another category where I find myself attracted to the variations on the same theme over and over (gold tubogas, what’s not to love?) and could use a push to diversify!
Have a Blessed and Happy Birthday! I usually try to buy myself jewelry on every birthday. I’ve found that it’s best to get what you really want. You will wear it often and get your money’s worth. I used to buy at Barney’s. Now I buy vintage and new on the real real!
Happy birthday, Becky! I'm drooling over those Stephen Russel wings, but there's no link and I don't see them on his website. WOE! I an celebrating a birthday this year and a promotion and I just got a pixie cut after years of hair halfway down my back. If you do have a line on that pair, is appreciate it!
Happy birthday! This is so good. I love old mine diamonds and was lucky to have a visit to The Gem Palace in Jaipur a few years ago… Mecca for jewellery lovers! Curious your take on lab grown like Dorsey for those of us not spending 150k on a milestone birthday 😉
I am a jewelry historian - I’m currently writing my dissertation on the economics of jewelry for women in 18th century Britain — how women used jewelry as a means to acquire and distribute wealth — often along their female line. I only say that to give you some context for what I’m about to say about lab diamonds…. I just don’t think they have the magic that we can find in real jewelry and gemstones — I would take a garnet over a lab diamond for example. Lab diamonds aren’t cheap — and they are energy intensive to produce.
What is green and a fraction of the cost of lab diamonds — VINTAGE! Seriously, there are so many great sellers on IG (check out @talesfromthejunkpile ) or you can find a local consignment shop — that’s where I’ve gotten all my real jewelry.
You can use the higher end jewelers as inspiration. I bought a beautiful diamond and had it designed into a pendant for literally thousands less that I would have, if I walked into a retail store. I even found a vintage 18k gold chain that was $500 vs $1800 for a new one.
So I would encourage you to look vintage! If diamonds are out of your price range - there are so many other beautiful stones to learn about and love. I know Dorsey is so popular and it’s a look so if you want that 🤷♀️ just know what you’re getting. For me, I want to build a collection that I can leave to my daughter or my nieces… and I just want to reiterate that it doesn’t have to be diamonds.
Hi! Thanks for weighing in. I have a jeweller I love who reimagines old and inherited pieces. Never thought of having them reset vintage stones. Thx!
1000% me right here. I will never buy lab grown diamonds because I am A old and old school and B my grandmother always said, dear, do not spend your money on fake jewelry. And lab grown feel "fake" to me. Old mine cuts for the win.
OMG, I'm dying to go there. Lucky Duck!!!!
I have some Dorseys! I love them.
Travel goal for sure!
Happiest of Birthdays to you, Becky! I hope it was fabulous and you will continue to be feted for the next month!!
I love this piece as I am such a fan of old mine cut diamonds and vintage jewelry in general. William Welstead is to die for. LOVE his pieces! My fave earrings of all time are the diamond studs my hubs bought me and I changed to drops about 15 years ago.
FWIW I inheirited some earrings a few years ago that I will never wear and the stones were enhanced. I have been unable to sell them because of them being treated. It is VERY interesting that although lab grown diamonds are popular, and I certainly understand the attraction, I cannot sell these, YET! (If anyone here has any LA jewelry connections, please PM me. I am determined.) As my jeweler pal in SF says, when you can buy an 8 ct. lab grown for $2700 and a real old mine cut one would be many times that....but in his eyes, they are synthetic. And I think lots of us older gals may feel the same. Ultimately, it is still a free country and if someone wants to rock lab grown diamonds, more power to ya!
I work retail and a customer came in and asked about lab grown diamonds, I said we don't carry them in store but let me look some up brands for you and she pointed at the CZ studs and said "but those are lab grown" OH NO. There's going to be a lot of confusion I think between costume and lab and I don't envy any jeweler who is going to be doing appraisals in the near future.
Now you're speaking my language!!! And yes, you're 100 percent correct... your explanation of old mine (and old European cut diamonds) having a "softer" look due to the fact that the stone was cut by hand not machine is spot on! They're also just so much more charming I find! Happy birthday and more of this please!!
For the love of buttons, happy birthday! I hope you were spoiled rotten. I loooove vintage jewellery - my wedding ring is French deco and I adore it. It does break easily and I have had it repaired a few times, which is something I don't think happens with new rings. But I love that it feels one of a kind. And it cost much less than a comparable ring would have cost at Tiffany or Cartier - but you have to be willing to sift through a lot of jewellery to find the real gems. In Toronto Cynthia Findlay is a great resource.
My engagement ring is a hand me down and it broke as well! Right before the wedding. We luckily had it fixed quickly but it’s true you need to plan to reinforce the stuff you get that’s vintage.
Happy birthday Becky! Colored gemstone merchant and jeweller here. The lab vs earth mined diamond debate is so interesting. For my clients I break it down like this: for bridal and investment go earth mined, new or vintage. If you’re looking for fashion pieces then consider non branded lab grown. I’ve seen the price of lab grown halve in the last 3 months alone and there is little to no resale value. Finally, consider colored gems. There is a whole world of color in every imaginable shade to explore and prices are climbing rapidly. Becky, I’d love to see you write a piece on the rest of the jewellery world - not just diamonds.
This started as an insane list of jewelry on my dream wish list. But it got too chaotic so I decided to give this week a theme. I tried on a vintage Van Cleef Ruby baguette dome ring in pursuit of this story and almost dropped dead. :) More jewelry to come! xo
Happy birthday, Becky Malinsky! My sister, Madeline, turned me on to your substack and I am so enjoying reading it each week! 40 is the best. Enjoy the year ahead!
My great grandmother left us a pair of drops so similar to the flower drops and I absolutely adore them. I share them with my mom and they’re in her care right now. So cool seeing these older styles come back.
My neighbor growing up was a diamond dealer (or something like that) but gifted me the tiniest pair of screw-on diamond studs that I only started wearing now, several decades later. Diamonds are forever!!!
Also, HBD!!! 💎
Happy Birthday! I am making a donation right now.
Thank you mommy. :)
Happy Birthday!❤️
Love reading your newsletter and this post was just on time for me☺️ Thank you so much!
Happiest of birthdays, Becky! I imagine the Sterle wings were pretty tough to take off - so striking! Love to hear your thoughts on jewelry. It’s another category where I find myself attracted to the variations on the same theme over and over (gold tubogas, what’s not to love?) and could use a push to diversify!
Almost impossible actually. :)
Have a Blessed and Happy Birthday! I usually try to buy myself jewelry on every birthday. I’ve found that it’s best to get what you really want. You will wear it often and get your money’s worth. I used to buy at Barney’s. Now I buy vintage and new on the real real!
Love it! I love how you manage the beauty of a piece and your picks when investing… something to thing about 🌹
Happy birthday Becky! ✨💛✨
Happy birthday, Becky! I'm drooling over those Stephen Russel wings, but there's no link and I don't see them on his website. WOE! I an celebrating a birthday this year and a promotion and I just got a pixie cut after years of hair halfway down my back. If you do have a line on that pair, is appreciate it!
You have to call the store! :) They have a a HUGE inventory. Almost nothing online. I hope you get them!!! They deserve a good home.
HBD!! Love all these. Such a special milestone and love the ear candy to celebrate.