Stories

Inspiration

Inspiration

Lapis Lazuli
The Inspiration & Story behind the Double Harmony Necklace
Lapis is a stone of antiquity with a deep and rich history. It can be found in different parts of the world including California. But its history is rooted in northeastern Afghanistan where mines have been worked for over 6000 years.

I grew up in a small town in the Lake Ontario region of New York State. When I was still just in middle school, an antique store opened up across the street from our house. We were a town of just over 3000, so it was pretty novel to have a store set up shop right across the street. Of course I had to go check it out.

The man there was very nice to me and didn’t seem the least bit put off to have a pre-teen browsing through his fine antiques. In a tiny room all the way in the back of the store, I found a jewelry case.

Inside was a beautiful necklace set with the most brilliant deep blue stones. He offered to take it out so I could have a closer look.

Then he told me the story.

A developer had bought some land (I don’t remember where) and during excavation for construction, they discovered the remains of the previous building. It appeared that a jewelry-making factory had once stood on that site years ago but had burned down. Instead of demolishing their discovery, they salvaged what they could, including bits and pieces of jewelry remanents.

The necklace I held in my hand with the deep blue stones had been reconstructed from those remanents. The necklace went home with me that day.

Lapis beads

The stones in my vintage necklace are of course, Lapis Lazuli. And I’ve been drawn to this deep blue stone since that faithful day.

When designing and creating pieces for a new collection, I often work backwards. Meaning, instead of drawing out a design or imagining one in my mind, I start with the stones.

I found these beautiful cuts of Lapis Lazuli on my last gemstone buying trip a few months ago. I see Lapis stones frequently when attending gem shows but they are often of low quality or simply just too costly.

But the moment I saw these, I felt inspired.

I went home and started designing immediately. The result is the Double Harmony Necklace.

The work in progress

One of the really enjoyable aspects of designing this necklace was finally finding the perfect use for the delicate chains I had secured over six months ago. (I buy components that strike me often without a clear design for their immediate use.) 

Double harmony necklace Lapis

As a designer, versatility is important to me…I always want and expect more from each piece. So the Double Harmony Necklace is designed to have no end (or beginning) so it can be worn in any direction and tripled into a layered necklace.

This necklace was the most popular necklace at a recent wholesale show. In fact, every order included the Double Harmony Necklace.

Lapis Double Harmony Necklace

As I’m sure you can imagine, this version in Lapis Lazuli will have a special place in my jewelry box…right next to the vintage necklace from my youth :)

You can find yours at www.rebeccascottjewelry.com.

In the next journal entry, I’ll show you how I style this necklace for Date Night :).

 

Fun & Interesting Information about Lapis Lazuli

  • Lapis Lazuli is a semi-pecious gemstone that is actually formed from multiple minerals, comprised mainly of Lazurite. It can also contain Pyrite, which is why you sometimes see those beautiful gold flecks.
  • Lapis Lazuli was used in the eyebrows of the funeral mask of Tutankamun.

 

What are your thoughts on Lapis Lazuli? Which gemstones inspire you? Let me know in the comment section below. 

Until next time….follow me on Instagram :)

Warmly,

Rebecca

 

 

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