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You guys are AWESOME!!!
You guys are AWESOME! Thank you for the detailed response. I greatly appreciate it.
Wishing you a nice day in return,
Jen
Moonstone Beads.
Moonstone is considered the “National Stone of Sri Lanka.” Anuradhapura, the first capital of Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon), was known for its “moonstone temple,” whose altar steps were said to be decorated with shimmering mosaics made of moonstone. Although the ruins of this temple still exist, none of the moonstone remains. As for the stone’s origins, according to Ceylonese legend, every 37th year the sea, under the influence of the moon, hurls opalescent blue moonstones onto the shores of the island.
The Romans used moonstone in their jewelry as early as 100 A.D. A great deal of the lore about moonstone seem to be based on the writings of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. It was Pliny who recorded the belief that the moonstone contains the image of the moon, and as the actual moon waxes and wanes, the image in the stone mirrors it. This link between the moonstone and lunar cycles, made the stone a popular talisman for women, who wore it as an aid in fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth. Since it was connected with the lunar goddesses, Isis, Selene, and Diana—it was believed that Diana’s image could be glimpsed in the stone--moonstone amulets were hung in fruit trees to assure fertile crops. Interestingly, moonstones—often paired with opals-- became very popular during the 1890s and early 1900s in Art Nouveau jewelry, much of which harkened back to the classical world.
In the Far East, moonstone was once believed to be made of solidified moonlight. The glimmering light inside it was thought to be a good spirit who lived inside the stone.
In Venice, during the Renaissance, the moonstone was considered a stone of prophecy. It was believed that if you held the stone up to the waning or Crone’s moon, you would see a vision of the future in it. During the waxing moon, the stone was said to excite lovers’ passions, especially if held under the tongue. Known as “the traveler’s stone,” moonstone is said to be a protection for travelers, especially those swimming in the ocean.
One famous piece of jewelry that incorporates moonstones is a tiara that Ernst Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, gave as a Christmas present to his wife in 1906. The tiara, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, combines turquoise, representing true love, diamonds for eternity, and moonstone for innocence.
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The Jewels of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
by Ellen Steiber
Part 5
Kenneth Jay Lane has made a career of designing opulent fakes for the well-heeled set. Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Vreeland, and the Duchess of Windsor were among his famous clients in the sixties. Now he continues to sell his pieces to celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Mischa Barton, the Olsen twins, and Paris Hilton. Even Barbara Bush wore his triple-strand faux pearls when she was in the White House.
Lane successfully studied and adapted earlier styles and traditions in jewelry, and designed more-than-respectable knock-offs of Indian, Renaissance, Art Deco, Chinese jade, and pre-Columbian jewelry. Among the pieces he created for Jackie was a choker that looks for all the world like one of India’s extraordinary Mughal pieces. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear the gilt was gold and it was set with rubies, emeralds, topaz, and diamonds. Its estimated value was $300-$400. Even though several stones were missing, it sold for $9,775.
Though Lane was often considered a prince of excess, much of what he designed for Jackie was in her distinct style, simple yet classy. One pair of earrings, a variant of the classic gold hoop, seem to be made of curved pieces of gilt bamboo wound with tiny faux diamonds. The coordinating necklace featured what looked like golden (i.e. gilt) bamboo twigs linked with strands of simulated pearls. The set, which was estimated at $200-$300, sold for $10,350. Torsade is a term that describes a necklace or bracelet made of multiple strands of beads twisted together. Jackie had a truly gorgeous torsade of faux black seed pearls, with a gilt clasp covered with faux diamonds, signed by Mimi di Niscemi, another internationally known designer of costume jewelry.
Kenneth Jay Lane created earrings to match, black baroque “pearls,” topped with “diamond” pavé. This set was estimated at $400-$500 and sold for $20,700. The final jewelry offering in the catalog is a Kenneth Jay Lane set with a story behind it. The two pieces are reproductions of the Van Cleef & Arpels wedding necklace and ruby earrings that were given to Jackie by Aristotle Onassis. Interestingly, they’re not identical reproductions; Lane’s designs show slight differences. In the original necklace’s pendant, the big ruby cabochon has diamonds and emeralds beneath it. The colored stones beneath the copy’s “ruby” are not “emeralds” but “rubies.” The “gold and diamond” pattern around the gems is also somewhat different, but Lane faithfully captured the extravagant and colorful style. Sotheby’s write up quotes Lane who says that Jackie specifically commissioned these pieces from him. She was, apparently, taken a back when he told her what the design cost would be, and so they agreed that he’d absorb the cost of making the model if he could use the design in his own collection. Apparently, Jackie was quite amused when she later saw their necklace used on Dynasty. With the matching faux ruby earrings, the Lane reproduction was valued at $1,000-$1,500. It sold for $90,500.
Looking over the collection as a whole, you can draw certain conclusions. Jackie’s jewelry was an eclectic mix, encompassing almost every style—from African to Thai to Classical Revival to Renaissance to the jewels of Ancient India to the late twentieth century. She had gems from the world’s finest jewelers and an equally extensive collection of costume jewelry. And she had the boldness, or perhaps just the confidence in her own good taste, to wear it all. Simplicity seemed to be key to her singular style. Though she owned many parures, or suites of matching jewelry, she’d often only wear one piece, which somehow looked all the more dramatic for being her sole ornament.
Page 302 of the catalog shows a classic photo of Mrs. Onassis attending a gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 1979. She’s wearing a dark strapless gown with no necklace or bracelets, just the dazzling ruby and diamond earrings that Aristotle Onassis gave her for their wedding. And as she does in almost all the photographs, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis conveys beauty and elegance and inimitable grace. One final thought: The extraordinary jewels that fill the Sotheby catalog are the gems her family didn’t want. Just imagine what they kept.  |
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