Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — This and That

A few weeks ago, I visited Paris for the first time. People always talk about how amazing Paris is, and honestly I didn't believe them until I went. What an incredible city! I had no idea there was a place where craftsmanship and beauty are important to everything from the bread to the subway stations. Ernest Hemingway once said, "I've looked far and wide but never have I found a cure for Paris." After visiting, I understand what he means. It's hard to go back to reality after visiting such a magical place. Carrying on the tradition of adornment and...

Just as I catch my breath from the excitement of winter to enjoy this incredible spring weather, I wanted to let you know that I will be the featured jewelry artist at Lillstreet Gallery in April. Lillstreet Art Center, located in Chicago's historic Ravenswood Industrial Corridor at 4401 N. Ravenswood, is a large art facility that offers art classes ranging from Ceramics to Digital Photography. They also have about 30 studios of working artists on the 2nd and 3rd floors of which I am one, so I'm quite enthused to be the featured jewelry in their newly renovated gallery on...

The birthstone blog series is so much fun that I decided to do another one about the locations where you can find my work. I don't like to over-saturate any one market and really value my relationship with the stores and galleries that feature my work. CitySoles, a shoe and accessories store in Wicker Park,  is one of the stores in Chicago currently carrying my jewelry. City Soles was the first to start carrying my jewelry in the Fall of 2008, just after I started making jewelry. If you know CitySoles, then you know that they are big on local...

So we are continuing our Stone of the Month series with the aquamarine, the birthstone of March. The name of this stone comes from the Latin words 'aqua' meaning water and the word 'mare' meaning sea, which immediately describes its light blue color. Greek and Roman sailors also wore the aquamarine to prevent sea sickness and to get them home safe. The aquamarine is a favorite of many, due to its beautiful color, which it gets from the iron in it and which can range from a very light blue, to a blue with a green tint, to even a...

Hey Everyone, February is ALMOST over, but since it is a leap year I get one more day to post this new monthly blog series - The Stone of the Month. The birthstone for February is the amethyst, which is a crystalline quartz that comes in the colors of purple, lilac and mauve. The name of the stone comes from the Greek word 'amethystos' which means 'not intoxicated', and was given to the stone because the Greeks believed it helped against drunkenness and installed a sober and serious mind. The ancient Egyptians believed that the amethyst helped against guilty and fearful...