CrystalsCrystals.com's hand-wrapped jewelry designs feature artisan crafted beads, crafted by independent artists throughout the world, I follow organizations like beadforlife.com, which has been brilliant in creating avenues for thousands of artisans employed by empowerment zone programs in severely economically challenged locations. I support their efforts by purchasing the beads and incorporating them into my designs. Art made by special hands in far away places such as Uganda, Rwanda, Masai Market, Kenya, GhanaCraft, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nicaragua, Thailand, Brazil, and more ... - is special to me. Combining varied design elements, shapes, textures, colors - that is my work. Since 2003, I have donated handcrafted jewelry to schools, private and charity status organizations. My charity arm is Random Acts of Kindness and Giving which takes me to local hospitals and events in California to meet, greet, and give. The act of giving can be awesomely therapeutic, once you get in the habit of giving, and see how good it feels, it's easy to become "hooked on giving." Giving is win-win ... think of how it feels to give someone something beautiful ... and how it feels to receive something beautiful from someone - as a gift. Random acts of kindness and random acts of giving, to me, are representative of true charity at its best.
The CrystalHugger Twistwrap™ was created in 2003 and since that time the design's popularity has taken on a life of its own. The design is simple, yet elegant. It's primitive, yet modern. It's basic, yet upscale. It's interesting. It's coversational. It's artsy. It allows the stones to dance and shimmer with a 360 degree view. My embellishments are unique to my design tastes and those of my client. Those who gravitate toward the unique beauty of precious gemstones do enjoy hand-wrapped gemstones because you really get to see your stones. Most of the time a stone's true beauty can't be seen or enjoyed because of the subsantial mounting covering it up. Set it free. The CrystalHugger Twistwrap™ was featured to showcase gemstones and diamonds in the Traveling Gems of the Pacific Rim Gemstone Exhibition, a traveling showcase of beautiful gemstones from Asia and Europe. When it comes to diamonds and beautiful colored gemstones, exquisite, ornate, fancy, intricate, cutting edge mountings are not to be denied, yet after seeing a pair of 2 carat diamonds dangling between the lock of twistwraps tightly woven to render themselves almost invisible, the stones appear to float beneath the ears, all you see is gemstone, and outrageous sparkle. 
Ready to start looking at gemstones? Do you have fabulous crystals or gemstones that you would like fashioned into a custom hand-wrapped design?? Please contact me! 
EASY SPARKLE: CASUAL TO DRESSY: Whether breakfasting at IHOP, lunching at an exclusive restaurant, attending a power dinner party, or just running around town in jeans and a tank top, hand-wrapped gemstones and crystals offer a fashionable look. The design easily swings from casual to dressy. Hand-wrapped gemstones and crystals give most other jewelry a run for the money in terms of originality, rarity, and sheer beauty. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but white diamonds alone can be a bit boring. You need some color ... semi-precious colored gemstones are popping up more and more in fine faux jewelry. This is reportedly because consumers are spending less, and are considering fine faux jewelry over fine jewelry. Whether you like a simple, dainty, super thin chain -- or a thick, bold, chunky chain -- a big, sparkly semi-precious gemstone or crystal dangling around your neck will make a unforgettable jewelry statement. Fine gemstones and pearls are seriously sexy, but so are hand-wrapped gemstones ... true sparkle fashionistas can est assured stares and compliments are coming when wearing gemstones and crystals wrapped in my CrystalHugger Twistwrap™ design.
At CrystalsCrystals.com, custom-made crystal and gemstone jewelry has never been more beautiful or affordable. CrystalsCrystals.com creates dream jewelry, that is versatile and timeless. I can incorporate your ideas and preferences for beads, stone, cuts, color combinations into beautiful one-only hand-wrapped gemstone jewelry. I source fine diamonds in small and large carat sizes, as well as fine pearls.
THE HAND-WRAPPED DIAMOND CRYSTAL PENDANT ... rare and divine diamond crystals, hand wrapped in sterling silver or gold filled wire. One of my most popular and signature designs. AAA+ grade crystals come in sizes of 8mm, 9mm or 10mm. They are glorious, no other way to describe them. The cutting of the crystals is so fine the stones are blinding with sparkle and shimmer from every direction. My iCe360 design line features hand-wrapped crystal and gemstone designs. Gloriously sparkly and phenomenally cut diamond crystal material is wrapped in my wire-wrapping technique, the CrystalHugger TwistWrap™, allowing for a 360° view of the stone. The clean, minimalist style of my wire-wrap design offers the maximum amount of visibility and sparkle with a minimal amount of wire. This is a great try-me item, and together with matching earrings, complete a signature look. DELIVERY: Arrives eloquently gift boxed and ready to wear. 16 inch sterling silver chain included. All items are shipped with tracking, signature required. Sales tax and shipping are added during checkout.
Various types of lighting will reveal all of the colors in a gemstone. In the beautiful gemstone Tanzanite mother nature combines the hues of blue sapphires with rich hues of purple amethyst, and adds tinges of every other color in the rainbow in the prism sparkle. 
Tanzanite is actually a mineral called fosterite. It was discovered in 1967 in Tanzania, so it is a "new" gemstone. It is classified as a "semi-precious" stone because only diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds are classified as "precious" stones by the gemology profession. It is a very popular gemstone because of its trichroism. As the crystal is rotated its color shifts from blue to violet to red to green, even hues of gold are found in the fire of Tanzanite. Trichroism is a most a unique type of beauty in gemstones, and adds to their "captivating" power. 
Hand-Wrapped Gemstones and Crystals
are very special, and beautiful. They are delicate, simple, earthy and natural in appeal, and they can be stunning, bold and elegant at the same time. Some gemstones are impeccably cut, others are magnetically colorful, top gemstones possess both great color and cut. A beautiful stone delicately interweaved within threads of black, gold, silver, copper or rose colored wire, twisted, looped and knotted to form a sexy showcase for the stone to sparkle and be seen at all angles is sharp. My wire-wrap design provides a bare minimum of coverage while locking the stone securely in place, allowing all of its brilliant faceting and fire to be seen from every angle. The gemstone is free to sparkle. The wire-wrap design also cradles the stone securely. 
Hand-wrapped gemstones and crystals are classic, and depending upon the stone chosen, they can be very affordable. They have always been affordable because there is not a lot of mounting to pay for. Assorted embellishments can render them super elegant, super organic, or super fly. For several decades I've worked in the visual arts, music and entertainment business and I understand the power of imaging and it what's classic that stands the test of time. What celebrity clients not only want, but need when they must walk the red carpet is one-of-a-kind jewelry that captures their individual essence and style, and is memorable, and the sheer beauty of hand-wrapped gemstones alone creates a memorable jewelry presence.
My mother was a trailblazer of sorts in African-American dance troupe history, she was a featured showgirl as one of the original Moulin Rouge Dancers. Mom nurtured my love for jewelry. Her favored gemstones were emeralds, diamonds and pearls. I have many memories of people complimenting her and asking about her jewelry, and I was attracted to jewelry as a kid. Used to love looking at her jewelry. My Grandma Clara's favored gemstone was ruby, it was the gemstone in her very simple wedding band. Grandma wasn't bitten by the jewelry bug the way my Mom (and I) are, she was old school, jewelry was not something she focused on as important in her day. 
Will the real ... real jewelry collection PLEASE stand up. 33.19 carat custom cut flawless diamond cocktail ring valued at $3 million dollars from Elizabeth Taylor's private jewelry collection. What a ring! Upside, owning this gemstone. Downside, needing a bodyguard whenever wearing it. ; ) Do browse Elizabeth Taylor's unimaginable and unforgettable jewelry collection. I can attest having sold my share of beautiful diamonds that when a beautiful stone like this is gifted, it is about so much more than beauty ... one-only's like this are given by one who can give anything, but most importantly, by one who is saying "there is nothing I wouldn't give you." Liz loved and was loved in return in beautiful ways. My enjoyment of wrapping beautiful gemstones is taken to new heights with just the thought of how beautiful this gemstone would sparkle and mesmerize in my wire-wrap design ... hard to compete with this large natural diamond ... in the world of "show-stopping" hand-wrapped gemstone pendants ... this is it.
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Tanzanite (Zoisite) started showing up in America in the mid 1960’s, so it has been around for some time. It is mined in Tanzania, Africa. The lighter silver blue shades are less expensive, and if clean and well cut most beautiful. However, it is the deeper hues with more saturation of color which are the most sought after and the most highly priced. There are many beautiful hues of blue in the Tanzanite color spectrum, with the most popular being the predominantly deep royal blue hue, followed by the purple blue hue. Take a look at the color variations in rough Tanzanite specimens to get an idea of how you can purchase this gemstone in so many hues. The price per carat varies, for fine deep royal blue D-block or C-block quality Tanzanite in the 5+ carat range, expect to pay up to $750+ per carat. Other factors determining value and price are cut, clarity, carat weight, and rarity of stone (lack of availability of the stone in the jewelry market). Tanzanite is in a color class of its own, when you look at a fine Tanzanite you see the primary blue and purple layer yet within the stone are layers of color that produce flashes of gold, red, green, yellow, brown, and even orange. The deep blue to violet blue hue will always command a higher price.
In Los Angeles ... Browse original CrystalsCrystals designs and original custom jewelry designs by Alex Karibyan at Alex Fine Jewelry, 2103 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. 
The only way one can truly learn gemstone quality is to study and view a lot of gemstones. You must observe natural gems regularly to develop and maintain an eye for top clarity, color and cut in diamonds and colored gemstones. This holds true for simulants as well, as all simulants are not created equal. Today's gemstone and diamond simulants often look better than their natural counterparts, thus the enormous growth in simulated gemstones and diamonds. I feel privileged to have seen some of the most beautiful diamond and gemstone material mother earth produces. I can appreciate the masterful cutting work of world class gem cutters. Because my art so heavily depends on beautiful stones, I am grateful for the cutting machines the jewelry technology industry employs today, which exquisitely cut crystals and simulated gemstones. No doubt, there are gemstones you have to see to believe - words could never describe their divine construct and brilliance. Because I know of the stunning beauty of rare gems, I completely appreciate and honor that excellence in my work with both gemstones and crystals. I am a stickler for sparkle. The clarity and play of light in the stones I use must be flawless. A small stone (.25 carat in size) with top clarity and top color will out sparkle a larger stone of poor clarity and color. Quality matters. When it comes to the transparent gemstones and crystals I choose for my clients, they must be top quality and possess great clarity and sparkle.
ANGELINA IN THE MOGUL EMERALDS Marvelous work by jeweler Lorraine Schwartz. Who can ever forget world-class beauty and power maven Angelina Jolie in these spectacular 115 carat emerald earrings on the red carpet at the 2009 Oscars. Stunning. 
And how much would these royal baubles cost ... try a cool million, or more. These stone have history. Rarely are emeralds this large, fine and inclusion-free seen outside of a museum setting. 
The settings are nearly invisible, all you see is emerald. The hue of green is captivating, and there aren't visible inclusions as would normally be the case in emeralds. The emerald has been a gem of fascination in many cultures for over six thousand years. It is so prized, that carat for carat, a fine emerald may be two to three times as valuable as a diamond. It was known that Emerald was a favorite gem of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and the Emerald mine in Upper Egypt, rediscovered a hundred years ago near the Red Sea, was one of the earliest Emerald occurrences in the human history. Emeralds also adorned Russian crown jewels. The Irani State Treasure contains an exquisite collection of Emeralds, as well as the Emerald tiara of ex-Empress Farah. Shah Jahan, one of the moguls of India that built the Taj Mahal, loved Emeralds so much that he had sacred texts inscribed into them and used these gemstones as talismans. The ancient writings of Veda, the sacred text of Hinduism, testifies to Emerald as being the “gem of good luck” and the “gem that improves one’s well-being”. Large, prized quality emeralds such as these are called “Mogul Emeralds." There was much lavish bling about on Oscar night ... much ... but Angelina in the Mogul Emeralds ... unforgettable. 
Few manufactured designs showcase the luster, color, fire and clarity of a gemstone or crystal as does the open, naked, and artsy design of the CrystalHugger TwistWrap™.
Hand-wrapped gemstone and crystal jewelry can adapt to design elements of any and every jewelry period because you start with the stone that has been wrapped and add your design elements comprising what YOU like. What colors, textures, shapes so you like? What do you want the piece to express? Original design constructs blend influences from your imagination into an original piece of jewelry, and that is how couture is born.
The classic jewelry design periods are so important, such as the Georgian Jewelry Period, known for its highly dimensional repose, floral and scroll motifs and use of garnets, precious topaz, coral and faceted diamonds set in distressed silver. I tend to like the use of ornate metals in my design work, popularized in the Victorian Jewelry Period. This Period also incorporated the most varied and eclectic motifs in fashion and textile design, with a merger of influences like Egyptian, Renaissance and the richly classic Etruscan design elements. This era featured almost exclusively the use of yellow gold often designed with contrasting black and colored enamel. 
The Edwardian Jewelry Period offered designs which were delicate, romantic, feminine and lacy. Edwardian styled fashions blend wonderfully with CrystalsCrystals' Platinum Lace hand-wrapped gemstone designs. Take a look at Platinum Lace to see that it has the classic antique look - right at home with Edwardian styled jewelry. The Edwardian Jewelry Period was an exceptional decade in detailed workmanship. Lacy, dainty, delicate, openwork, micro filigree and gemstone encrusted designs from this Period are collector favorites. 
Everyone wanted sapphires, diamonds, platinum and pearls. During the end of the 1950s jewelry design started to get more modern and trends got younger and bolder. Abstract jewelry design took hold, pavé set diamonds became the rage, and the success of mass-manufactured "affordable," and "popular" jewelry styles was realized. This success paved the way for the "expansive" jewelry departments we enjoy today. It is common to find twenty or more lines of jewelry on display in an average department store jewelry center.
DESIGN INSPIRATION:The CrystalHugger TwistWrap™ was inspired during a brief study of architecture which brought me to photographs of early architecture - i.e., tribal huts, where I came upon photos of "tools" used by hunter-gatherer tribes. 
I developed an interest in the ways in which they twisted, tied, knotted, weaved and looped various types of soft bark twigs, tree vines, and flexible leaves around river boulder to create flatbeds for dragging wood stacks across the terrain, and to sling the vine-knotted rocks high into the trees to knock down the fruit. Other hand-crafted tools were used to hunt animals. These vine and twig knotting, twisting and wrapping techniques were used to construct huts and other parts of housing such as flooring and walls for protection from the elements. Wood stacks were tied with heavy vines and used to lift heavy materials from the trees down to the ground. 
The various tying, looping and weaving techniques helped them greatly.
Zircon has no relation to Cubic Zirconia (a simulated diamond crystal). It's a birthstone alternative for December birthdays, and top quality ZIRCON is used as an alternative to the sparkle of diamond. It has been mined since the Middle Ages. The oldest known zircons are from Western Australia some 4.4 billion years ago. The name zircon is thought to come from the Persian word "zargun" which means "gold-colored." Although zircon comes in a wide range of different colors, including colorless white, the most popular zircon color is the electric blue variety. My favorite is the light yellowish gold zircon. Zircon comes in many exceptional colors, including colorless, green, red, violet, yellow, honey gold and orange. I have seen truly remarkable zircons from Cambodia, as beautiful as any other gemstone on the planet. This gemstone is highly underrated, but when one tries to purchase a large, top quality zircon they quickly discover how rare and pricey they are. Large quality zircon in exceptional colors such as pink, electric gold, electric blue, electric blue-green, violet and red are of my very favorite gemstones. They are rarely sold once obtained. It is a highly dense gemstone and though a Zircon will look much smaller in size than another gemstone, both stones could have the same weight. Due to its high refractive index and very strong dispersion, zircon has a great brilliance and intense fire. The luster is vitreous and quality zircons are absolutely brilliant. Although zircon is relatively hard, (rating 6.5-7.5 on the MOHS gemstone hardness scale), it must be worn with care.
Time To Add A Hand-Wrapped Gemstone to Your Jewlery Collection!
A LOVELY HAND-WRAPPED CRYSTAL PENDANT & CHAIN MAKES A CLASSIC PLACE SETTING GIFT FOR THE LADIES ... GOT A TEA, LUNCHEON, PARTY OR OTHER EVENT COMING UP?: Custom gift-wrapped wire-wrapped gemstones or crystals as place setting gifts will not be forgotten.
Present an original, custom artisan crafted and beautifully designed gift of jewelry to your special guests.
The CrystalHugger TwistWrap™:The CrystalHugger TwistWrap™ stone-wrapping technique offers a revolutionary way of wearing faceted gemstones. Perfect for showcasing beautiful stones. Based upon the measurements of a gemstone or crystal, and the stone size and shapre, the twistwrap is constructed using a varying gauge of wire and precise "pressure points" on the stone are located (or sometimes created). These pressure points are crucial in order to securely lock the stone in place within the wires.
A gemstones goes through a rigorous process to become the lovely, sparkling stone you see in a retail jewelry setting. Optical properties are most important spect of a gemstone or crystal, and the main characteristic for which they are highly - their cut, color and brilliance combine to create the total optical presence. A fascinating play of light occurs as the gem diffracts, absorbs, or reflects light waves. These optical qualities could never be seen if not for the talents of a skilled lapidary who can cut and polish a gemstone to reveal its hidden beauty. Our fascination with gemstones began with rocks in prehistoric times. Through the centuries, gemstones and crystals have been enjoyed, appreciated, and used as symbolic gifts to express love, happiness, and devotion. Some gemstones are strictly for collection, but whether they are viewed as beautiful products of nature for collection, or a special items to be worn everyday, the fascination with gemstones and crystals continues to increase - generationally.
This huge 72.22-carat, "D" flawless white diamond went up for auction with a pre-sale reserve of $10-12 million through Sothebys. As is always the case with stones of this caliber, the phenomenal diamond was sold to a private buyer from Hong Kong for an undisclosed sum. The blazing pear custom cut gemstone is the third largest pear-shaped, IIA type diamond ever auctioned by Sothebys. The IIA rating is given only to the most brilliant of colorless or white "D" color diamonds. Recent years have seen rare polished diamonds achieve all-time highs in per carat prices.
RARE 6.04 carat blue diamond sold by Sothebys for $7.98 million, (that's $1.3 million per carat) making the sale of the blue diamond the highest price ever paid for a rare gemstone at auction in the world. The sale also made the blue diamond the 
AMETHYST 101:
Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and is a popular gemstone. If it were not for its widespread availability, amethyst would be very expensive. The name "amethyst" comes from the Greek and means "not drunken." This was maybe due to a belief that amethyst would ward off the effects of alcohol, but most likely the Greeks were referring to the almost wine-like color of some stones that they may have encountered. Its color is unparalleled, and even other, more expensive purple gemstones are often compared to its color and beauty. Amethyst usually grows as crystals that are six sided on either end, and it also can form as drusy which are crystalline crusts covering the host rock surface. It is found inside geodes and in alluvial deposits all around the world and occurs in both crystalline or massive forms. It is the manganese present in clear quartz that produces amethyst, and it is the amount of iron contained in the specimen which determines the depth of purple. Although it must always be purple to be amethyst, it can and does have a wide range of purple shades. Amethyst also is produced in shades of green, known as Prasiolite. Amethyst can occur as long prismatic crystals that have a six sided pyramid at either end or can form as druzes that are crystalline crusts that only show the pointed terminations. As a mineral specimen, amethyst is popular for its color and nice crystal shapes that produce a handsome, purple, sparkling cluster. Often cut gems of amethyst are graded using the terms: African, Brazilian, Siberian, Uruguayan or Bahain; to represent high, medium and low grades respectively, regardless of the actual source. Because of the patchyness of the color distribution in the crystals, Amethyst is often cut as brilliant round cuts to maximize the color. Other custom and exotic cuts can be used when the color is better distributed. 
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