Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — recycled metals

Since recycling is such an important aspect our lives, we wanted to introduce a series in which we highlight the ways that jewelry can be recycled!  Many people have boxes of inherited jewelry that they realize will just never be worn: earrings with missing partners, broken necklaces, or seriously out-dated styles.  But there can be a lot of great material in that box, and with a little love and creativity, can begin a whole new life as something you'll cherish and love to wear!  Rebecca met with a couple at the One Of A Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart this past December...

We have been doing a lot of custom wedding bands and engagement rings lately, so we decided to do a little blog post about the different stone settings we use for those of you who are interested in a custom design that includes stones. In the end, which setting you choose to use in your design mostly depends on which one you like the most. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to each setting, that should also be taken into account.   Flush setting A flush setting is when we cut a hole into the band, just big enough to...

   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...

One of the birthstones of December is zircon, a stone that comes in many colors but is most well known for its beautiful light blue color. Zircon has been known since the Middle Ages, with the oldest stones being over 4 billion years old. The origin of the name is not a hundred percent certain, however it is speculated to come from the Persian word "zargun", meaning golden-colored.   Zircon is a mineral that belongs to the group of nesosilicates. In its purest form zircon is colorless, however it takes on different colors due to impurities or certain gemstone treatments...

The alternative birthstone for the month of November, and one of our favorites, is labradorite, also known as the colorful cousin of moonstone. With its beautiful play of color, specifically known as labradoresenece or schiller effect, this stone has mesmerized people many centuries before us. While Labradorite is an obvious stone to be used for jewelry, it has also been used in the production of glass, as a road building material and to increase the strength and durability of ceramics. Labradorite has a predominant blue shimmer, however it comes in color variations of gray-green, dark gray, black and grayish-white. The...