March / April

I am writing this sitting with a Campari and tonic in the Dominican Republic.

After I was so ill Jack booked an all inclusive break to convalesce . It has been over four years since our last holiday.  A break both of us really needed.

The excitement over going somewhere new is always special.  I had to immediately look up what sort of stones may be indigenous to the Dom R and to my delight there are  two, with a couple of variations.

Larimar  is a rare blue stone only found in Dom R. Its coloration varies from white, light blue, green/blue to deep blue, with many different patterns running through the stone.  A blue stone was found on the island in 1916 but mining was not permitted then. In  1974 Miguel Mendez and Norman Rilling rediscovered the blue stone. The locals believed the stone came from the sea, in fact it was washed down the Bahoruco River into the sea. An upstream search revealed the range where the Los Chupaderos mine was formed. The stone is named after Miguels daughter Larissa and the Spanish word for sea mar hence Larimar.

The stone is very beautiful.

The link below is a very good way of seeing the different grades of the stone. However knowing that the stones vary so much in price I didn’t pay under $20 per stone and a few I paid over $120 for a couple. Keep an eye on my web for the jewellery!!

http://www.reliable-larimar.com/our_stones.html

The other stone, which no one would associate with Dom R is amber. The method they use to mine it is by bell pitting. This is a very dangerous and unsafe method. The amber differs from the Baltic amber by being nearly always transparent it also has a higher number of fossil inclusions. The amber comes in a few different colours besides the obvious yellow and honey colours which are fairly common. There is also red and green in smaller quantities but the rarest is blue amber. Blue amber appears different when put on a light or dark background it has a blue haze to it, however when it is put under ultra violet light it becomes fluorescent.

Please check out the following web sites to find out more:

http://www.blueamber.info/

http://www.ambarazul.com/

If you are coming out to the Dominican Republic, to the east side of the island to Punta Cana and you would like to purchase some Larimar or blue amber I found this shop called La Reina with exquisite stones:

http://www.cigarsjewlerypuntacana.com/larimarandamberjewlery.html

The holiday was fantastic and really rejuvenated my spirit, mind, body and soul.

I love the whole island and the people were so happy and friendly, everything was ‘excellente’! I will be returning.

January and February have just seemed to vanish and March is here.

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year.  It seems such a long time ago now, but due to a very busy Christmas and being laid up with pneumonia just after I am just getting my spring back into my step.

For all those with a birthday in January (me Included) our birthstone is a Garnet.

I have two very good friends who have had their birthday in February, and managed to make them both earrings with Amethysts which is their birthstones. I love the deep purple as a colour, although I do have some very unusual green ones.

March birthstone is the Aquamarine from the Latin it means water of the sea.  It is part of the Beryl family and is a beautiful blue or turquoise colour.

Living just outside London I go into the city at least once a week.

I have only just started to visit London again, I unfortunately missed the exhibition of Pearls at the V&A and I was told it was very good. If you go to my links page there is a link to my pinterest site, and on the jewellery pearls are some pictures of the pearls.

On at the British Museum is Beyond El Dorado which is all about Columbian gold . It is only on until 23^rd March but worth a visit, I really enjoyed it . https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/beyond_el_dorado.aspx

Also on in London at the Museum of London is the jewellery from the Cheapside Hoard. On until 27^th April I can’t wait to go! My friends have been a few times each.

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/whats-on/exhibitions-displays/cheapside-hoard-londons-lost-jewels/

From the jewellery bench I have a few ideas in mind and will post some more pictures soon.

Jack my husband gave me a photographic box for Christmas to take better pictures with so I intend to use it this weekend.

Have a good March.

Jill xx