Closed

Spiralz studio has closed. Therefore this blog will no longer post updates. The authors will continue to blog however... when the new blogs are set up, there'll be one last post to let you know where to find us. thanks for reading!

Michelle Obama and her awesome necklace!

love the sparkles! At the Obama's first black tie dinner, The First Lady wore a gorgeous dress by Peter Soronen and the neck sparkle is a crystal and pearl necklace by Tom Binns. Wanna see more of his work? click here. and here. I love the skulls and the mishmash of this layered crystal necklace.

"Jewelry is always a treasure, and though it may not be made of gold and diamonds, it should still have that sentiment," says jewelry designer Tom Binns of his non-conformist approach to the craft. - net-a-porter.com

Everyone says it, but I have to chime in too...love that Michelle supports up and coming designers, indie designers, and just has an edge to her classic tastes.
what do you think?

Designer Spotlight: Brian Liddy

14kt white gold, 14kt rose gold, 18kt yellow gold, 2 round diamonds set in yellow gold, 1 round ruby cabochon hidden under white gold 'bridge' piece.

Brian Liddy is a fantastic designer out in Salt Lake City. No he's not Mormon...not that it matters. We carry many of his pieces, some of them are showcased in the gallery. Brian sets his work apart not only by mixing yellow, white, and rose gold, but also by combining interesting shapes and sometimes even hiding gemstones!


14kt white gold, 18kt yellow gold, 14kt rose gold, 1 oval topaz stone

Isn't his work amazing? Brian has won several awards including first place in the Bead Arts Awards.

Be my Valentine?

Happy Valentines Day!
18kt yellow gold heart ring

Oh won't you be my valentine?

with Love,

Spiralz

colored gemstone lovers unite!

FYI- check out fellow blogger Cristina at The Jewelry Blog. She posted today on unique carved gemstones! Seriously, who doesn't love these gems?

New items in the Gallery!

Hey all, just a note to check the showroom gallery over at the Spiralz website. We've added more pics! Take a look and let us know what you think!

Gems gems gems!

One of the best aspects of working at Spiralz is the access to our colored gemstones. I get to play with some of the rarest rocks on earth. Even if a particular stone isn't 'rare' its always special because our stones are the highest quality natural color and custom cut by the best gem-cutter's and lapidary artists in the world.
Spiralz has one of the largest selections of fine quality natural color gemstones because we are also the lab for the top cutters and gem artists. They send us their work for lab reports and grading and we get to keep the pieces in store for a bit; the selection is always rotating. Because of this set-up we can get whatever stone you'd request to see andit'd be the best possible quality.

For our custom work, you really get a completely unique piece. The design is custom and the stone can be a custom carving or proprietary cut. You can't get more custom than that.


Anywho, back to the pretty pretty. I love colored gems. They are more rare and precious than diamonds (diamonds are actually a common stone you know), they come in so many gorgeous colors and intensities, there's history and lore behind every type of stone that adds to the 'specialness' or the mystique of the gem and you can wear them set into metals or other materials or just alone as a giant bead on a cord. How can anyone not adore these beauties?

Well, our studio director is leaving Tucson this weekend and hopefully we'll have some fun stories to share about his time at the big gem show. With the economy in the crapper, I wonder how the show was affected...

If you want to see more examples of some of the colored gems we have, check out our gemstone gallery and to see unique gems set in jewelry check out our custom gallery. In the next week or so, there will be even more pictures added so check back frequently! I recently had a custom ring made for a friend that is an organic shaped design around a pink tourmaline...didn't snap a picture before giving to her but I'll have her send a pic of it on her finger. Its so cool!

check it out! 30% off valentine special!

bonbon oiseau is a designer I literally just discovered thanks to jewelrywhore! AND she's having a special for valentines! 30%off til feb 10th!  see the details at bonbonoiseau

isn't her work so pretty pretty?! love!

Designer Spotlight: Atelier Zobel

18kt gold and platinum set with champagne diamonds lapis lazuli brooch (this is like a painting of a sea scape with the horizon line in the distance and the sky at dawn above.)

18kt gold and platinum set with champagne diamonds, rutilated quartz brooch
18kt red gold and platinum with light pink diamonds and champagne diamonds brooch (this reminds me of pictures of Mars or maybe red clay in a desert... do you see it too?)
925 silver, pure gold with raw diamonds and champagne diamonds brooch (i like this one alot...the composition is great, the color palette is beautiful, but the real reason i love it so much is that it reminds me of the regulating lines for projects from architecture school! lol!)


So in the last post about the conch pearl, I mentioned a designer named Michael Zobel. I didn't know alot about his work having seen only a couple of his pieces. So, I took a look around the 'net and holy moly he's aaaaamazing! Each piece is like a miniature painting or sculpture.
925 silver, 22 + 24 kt gold, chalcedony, black diamonds and raw diamonds bracelet (omg...i want to wear this so baaaaad!)

925 silver, gold, platinum, tourmaline, raw diamonds, black diamonds heart pendant/brooch
925 silver, 22 + 24 kt gold, rough diamonds cuff


Here's what I learned about Zobel: the atelier is in Germany (not surprised...Spiralz showcases many German designers. Their aesthetic usually works well with ours - cutting edge and premium craftsmanship), he has over 37 years of jewelry design and now he's left his successor in charge (Peter Schmid) of the business side while he focuses on design. Michael was born in Morocco, raised in Spain, studied in Germany, and worked as a jewelry designer in France! Wow! He's a true 'citizen of the world' don't you think? I think his cosmopolitan background really influences his work...whether its conscious or not.

925 silver, platinum, rose cut diamond, black diamonds cuff (so drool worthy, no?)
18 kt gold, platinum, round diamond and rough diamond pyramids earrings (right)
18 kt rose gold, platinum, rough diamonds strung in line, diamonds set in platinum earrings (left)

He does amazingly beautiful compositions with a mix of metals and stones. He uses raw and organic shaped stones as much as cut and polished ones. I think the better pieces are the brooches and cuffs but there are quite a few rings and earrings that are just as exquisite. Do you have a favorite? Each piece is uniquely beautiful...it makes it hard to choose!

18 kt gold, root wood, black diamonds (top center ring)
925 silver, platinum, gold, champagne diamond black diamonds, champagne diamonds ( right ring)
925silver, gold, quartz, 6 light yellow diamonds, 10 champagne diamonds (bottom center ring)
18 + 22 kt gold, pearl, cognac diamonds, champagne diamonds (left ring)

18 kt gold, platinum, diamond, rough diamond pyramids ring
925 silver, 22 + 24 kt gold, aquamarine, black diamonds, champagne diamonds ring


So, what do you think of his work? Isn't it fabulous?