spring 2011 - Village Silversmith

Newsletter Spring 2011
VILLAGE SILVERSMITH
Celtic Jewelry p. 2
Faceted Quartz Gems p. 3
Getting Married?:
For the Bride p. 4
For Bridesmaids p. 5
Aquamarine p. 6
General Info p. 7
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VILLAGE SILVERSMITH NEWSLETTER SPRING 2011
“St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted
time - a day to begin transforming
winter's dreams into summer's
magic.”
~Adrienne Cook
All year long, Village Silversmith
carries a large selection of celtic
jewelry.
This includes different celtic
knots,
the irish Claddagh, & celtic
crosses. With St. Patty’s Day right
around the corner, it’s great to know
the significance of these symbols so
you can wear them with pride!
Celtic Jewelry
Gear up for Saint Patrick’s Day & Show Your Irish Pride
The Legend of the Irish Claddagh
Celtic Knots
Legend has it that shortly before he was due to be married, a
fisherman Richard Joyce was captured at sea by pirates and
sold into slavery in Algeria. He became the property of a rich
Moorish goldsmith, who sensing his potential began to train
him in his craft. In time Richard Joyce became a fully proficient
master craftsman and with thoughts of the girl he had left
behind close to his heart, he fashioned the first Claddagh Ring.
The heart symbolizing love, the pair of hands representing
friendship and the crown for loyalty and fidelity. In 1698 after
an agreement with King George III to release all his subjects
held in slavery, Richard Joyce found himself once more a free
man.His master, who had by now grown very fond of him
offered his only daughter in marriage and half his wealth, if he
would remain in Algiers, but Joyce declined and returned home
to Galway.There he found that his sweetheart had waited for
his return, and presenting her with the Claddagh Ring they
were married. Today the Claddagh Ring is used as a symbol of
unity, whether it be for an irish wedding band, friendship ring,
or promise ring.
The Trinity Knot
Some three-pronged Celtic meanings for the triquetra (trinity)
symbol include: Spirit, Mind, Body; Father, Son, Holy Ghost;
Mother, Father, Child; Past, Present, Future; Power, Intellect,
Love; Creator, Destroyer, Sustainer. The circle often seen
around the triquetra signifies infinity. It also represents
protection. Circles are often seen around Celtic knots to
represent spiritual unity. This wide variety of interpretations of
the knots meanings shows us that the documentation on their
exact focus is extremely slim. Partial remnants of records on
the subject causes us to use our own intuition to pick a
representation that speaks to us. This is not necessarily a bad
thing. The very fact that the Celtic knot meaning is so elusive
allows for personal expression.
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The Everlasting Knot
The connecting lines of the knot stand for "no beginning, no
ending, the continuity of everlasting love and binding together
or intertwining of two soul or spirits." It also can represent
eternity or the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Find these celtic symbols in rings and pendants for men and
women, earrings, and bracelets at all of our store locations.
VILLAGE SILVERSMITH NEWSLETTER SPRING 2011
Faceted Quartz
Gems
All About the Extensive
Faceted Quartz Family
By Katy Lovasco
These stones are the sparkle of our
stores. The case you can’t help but stop by
and take a moment to “ooo and ahh” at.
These are the faceted, or diamond cut,
quartz pieces.
Quartz is an abundant mineral with a
chemical makeup of silicon dioxide (SiO2).
It is a component of many other stones,
and is known to allow that stone to develop
a great strength, polish, and sheen on the
surface. Agate, chalcedony, & onyx are just
a few other examples of stones that we
carry in our stores that have components of
quartz, all with a great shine but are not
quite completely translucent and are rarely
faceted.
However, many faceted stones are truly
quartz with only one other mineral present
to allow it to turn a specific color and tone.
Amethyst, pictured below, is a purple
or lilac color that many know as the
February birthstone. What many do not
know is that Amethyst is quartz with trace
iron minerals to turn it the special
Faceted Gallery Rings
Front to back: Citrine, Prasiolite, Amethyst, &
Smoky Quartz. All members of the quartz family
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“Quartz is
significant
component of
many igneous,
metamorphic and
sedimentary rocks,
this natural form of
silicon dioxide is
found in an
impressive range
of varieties and
colors.”
~
Jolyon Ralph
On Arielle
Prasiolite earrings & pendant with
balinese style chain.
color we recognize it for. Depending on
how much iron is in piece will decide
the depth of the purple color. The
deepest and most valuable amethyst is
found in Brazil.
Citrine, pictured below, is also a
form of quartz with a higher amount of
the mineral iron (Fe3+). Citrine in its
natural form has a very similar
chemical make up as amethyst but it is
found in climates with high
temperatures to turn the stone the
yellow tone that it possess. This process
can also be done to amethyst if it is
manually heated to 550 degrees
centigrade. This variation has a darker
crystal that is more orange or brown in
color.
Prasiolite or “Green
Amethyst”, is a form of green quartz.
The only reason it has gathered the
nickname of green amethyst is because
it is in the same quartz family as
amethyst. The green color is established
in this stone because of trace amounts
of chlorite and iron (Fe2+). Prasiolite
can be found in its natural form in
Poland. Some also heat a special type of
Brazillian amethyst to turn it a similar
green Prasiolite color.
Smoky Quartz is a brown
version of quartz and tends to vary
from a light chocolate brown to a deep
rich brown tone. When the quartz is in
the light brown family is is classified as
Cairngorm, named after the mountain
range in Scotland that it is found in.
When the variety of Smoky Quartz is a
darker more opaque color the stone is
classified as Morion, the German or
Danish synonym for Smoky Quartz.
This type is found in many places in
Europe. This stone receives is color
from free silicon, formed from the
silicon dioxide by natural irradiation.
Rose Quartz or “Pink Quartz”
is another for of quartz. This stones
gets it distinct pick color from trace
amounts of titanium or manganese.
This form of quartz tends to a bit
cloudier which makes the clear forms of
this variety the more valuable type. The
more opaque variety of this stone is
usually used for small carved statues.
The first piece of Rose Quartz was
found in Maine but it now mostly
mined in Brazil.
Any of these varieties of quartz are
perfect for the spring season ahead and
will add a bit of pastel shine to any
outfit. At all locations of Village
Silversmith you will find variations of
faceted quartz in pendants, earrings,
rings, and bracelets.
VILLAGE SILVERSMITH NEWSLETTER SPRING 2011
Getting Married? For the Bride...
Beautiful Necklace Options for the Big Day
By Katy Lovasco
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Keep reading for a wedding jewelry coupon!
VILLAGE SILVERSMITH NEWSLETTER SPRING 2011
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Getting Married? For Bridesmaids...
Beautiful Necklace Options for the Bridesmaids on the Big Day
By Katy Lovasco
Keep reading for a wedding jewelry coupon!
VILLAGE SILVERSMITH NEWSLETTER SPRING 2011
Aquamarine
March’s Beautiful Blue Birthstone
By Katy Lovasco
The name alone sounds beautiful. Aquamarine is one of
the most sought after blue gems.
What is Aquamarine?
This light blue crystalline stone is the March birthstone and a
member of the beryl crystal family. This means that the shape
of the crystal is hexagonal. Also in the beryl family is emerald,
morganite, and heliodor. The name aquamarine directly
translate in to latin as “water of the sea.” This hard gemstone
gets its beautiful tone from corundum and iron, which bring out
the pale blue color. Sometimes this stone is found with definite
parallel striations which, make the color of the stone deeper.
When the stone is completely transparent with a very pale tone,
it hardly has any striations. The finest crystals of aquamarine
are found in Russia but it is mined in many different locations
including Brazil, Sri Lanka, even in New England.
Metaphysical Uses for Aquamarine
Aquamarine is a strong crystal for healing and is considered a
vital tool for cleansing preexisting emotions. It is a cooling and
soothing stone and is said to aid in clear communication.
Physically, aquamarine is said to boost immunity, cool infection,
and reduce inflammation.
How Village Silversmith Does Aquamarine
At Village Silversmith, we love the unconventional. Normally,
aquamarine in retail is sold as the perfectly clear very pale
Photos
Top: Aquamarine gallery
rings.
On Emma
Bottom left: Five stone
Aquamarine bracelet.
Bottom right:
Aquamarine pendant in
sterling with 14kt gold
accent.
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variety of the stone. Well this just seems boring to us. Don’t get
us wrong, we do respect the stone for it’s rarity in this form and
do offer some pieces in this variety, however, we like color and
pattern to add interest to stone. So, we decide to cut the deeper
toned included striated stones, some cabochon (smooth) cut and
some faceted (diamond cut). This adds a new twist to the
traditional stone and gives it new youth. For setting the pieces,
we have done a line of more traditional settings (rings pictured
above) and a line of interesting and unique settings (pendant
pictured below).
How to Wear Aquamarine
Because the stone has a similar all over color, this stone is
extremely easy to wear. This will allow you to wear the stone
with patterns that include like colors which Emma has done
pictured below. The color of aquamarine is a great tone for
spring, still soft but has a depth of light blues. At all of our
locations we carry aquamarine in earrings, rings, bracelets, and
pendants.
VILLAGE SILVERSMITH NEWSLETTER SPRING 2011
Contest Winner
We Announce the Winner of the “Design Your Own
Pendant” Contest!
Congratulations to our winner! Mae A. from Gloucester, MA. Mae created a beautiful design with
the tear drop shaped faceted Red Tigers Eye stone. She used one of our chains as inspiration for the
side detail of the setting. So creative! Look for the finished piece in a newsletter coming soon. Also,
keep an eye out for more contests announced in our newsletter, you could be the next winner!
Once this design is
produced there will be
four pendants available
for purchasing. Please
contact us with
inquiries
978-283-8811.
For All Inquiries:
Call Us:
978-283-8811
Email Us:
contactus@villagesilversmith.net
Visit Us:
In Rockport, MA
20 Bearskin Neck
6 Tuna Warf
27 Dock Square
In Gloucester, MA:
138 Main Street
In Peabody, MA:
Northshore Mall
210 Andover Street
www.villagesilversmith.net
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