Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — Brooch

Tanzanite is a beautiful blue-violet crystal and is one of the birthstones for the month of December.  The blue color appears stronger under fluorescent light and the violet hues are more apparent when under incandescent lighting.  The mineral was first discovered in the Mererani Hills of northern Tanzania near Mount Kilimanjaro in 1967 and is extremely rare to find outside this region.  The mineral was named by Tiffany & Co in a campaign advertising that tanzanite could now be found in two places: "Tanzania and at Tiffany's". The tanzanite is predominantly blue gemstone, and is an affordable alternative to sapphire for...

   It's been quite a busy year being a new mom and making so much custom work. I just wanted to write this quick post to highlight some of my most recent designs for my production line. Despite balancing it all, I am so excited that I've been able to create several new styles and new takes on classic ones. You will be seeing more and more as 2015 progresses. I hope you'll like them! The druzy and geode collections are limited edition. Because each stone is totally one of a kind in color and shape, the way each stone is set is different completely different. They're...

The alternative birthstone for the month of September is the beautiful Lapis Lazuli, often referred to as the cousin of the turquoise. Because of its beautiful blue color it has often been ground to powder form and then used to create paint and make up. Lapis Lazuli has been used in jewelry for thousands of years and got its name from the Latin word "lapis" which means stone and the Arabian word "azul" which means blue. Lapis is composed mainly out of lazurite and several other minerals, making it a rock rather than a mineral. It measures a 5 -...

  In September, the Illinois Artisan Gallery contacted me to submit a design to create a brooch that would serve as an award to honor a woman in Illinois that exemplifies Dawn Clark Netsch. I was extremely honored and excited to win the commission. Not only is Mrs. Netsch a role model for many, it was extra special because my mother worked with her and I had always heard so many wonderful things about Mrs. Netsch growing up.  Mrs. Netsch is a pioneer in education, law, and politics. In addition to being a professor at Northwestern University, she was a...