Happy Hew Year!

Cross Roads pendant featuring a fiery Rubellite, blue-green Tourmalines and crystalized gold.

2010 was an exciting and busy year at Bijoux Extraordinaire. 2011 promises to be even more exciting and creative.

To begin the New Year we have added a gallery of custom designed necklaces and pendants that we have created for clients. Here you find imaginative pieces custom crafted in platinum and gold and set with a spectrum of exotic gemstones. Several of the attractions are featured below.

Star Gazer pendant with Amethyst Torus, Demantoid Garnet and diamonds.

Art Deco Sapphire and Asscher-cut Diamond pendant.

Beautifully cut Benitoite set in platinum.

Mystery of the Sphinx pendant with Drusy, Amethyst and Tourmaline.

Striking Riviere Necklace set with 34 carat-plus diamonds and separated by smaller diamonds.

These and other beautiful pendants and can be found in the Custom Necklace Gallery.

We hope everyone enjoys the best of the New Year!

Benitoite

1.83 carat Benitoite - Fancy Trillium Shape

This is a gorgeous Benitoite I purchased a few years ago. The color was breathtaking, the fire intoxicating and the shape mesmerizing. Benitoite is one of my favorite gems, not only because it is so rare, but also because it can be seen in deep blue hues with subtle flashes of fire caused by an optical property known as dispersion.

Benitoite (pronounced "beh-NEE-toe-ite") is a rare gem that was first discovered in 1906 along the headwaters of the San Benito River in San Benito County, California. This small region is the only source in the world for gem quality Benitoite. Because of its rarity and beauty, Benitotite was adopted as California's state gemstone in 1985.

Benitoites have often been mistaken for fine blue sapphires and spinels due to their rich blue-violet colors. Benitoites tend to be found in smaller sizes with gems larger than one carat being the exception. Larger gems with rich color and exceptional quality are greatly prized by collectors.

My designs are often inspired by the gem itself and this lovely Benitoite is a great example of that. I designed a simple pendant with an antique flair, hand crafted in platinum then hand engraved with an Art Deco style pattern I call "Engraved Elegance". I added a few small diamond sprinkles to contrast with the rich deep hue of this Benitoite.

I hope you like the result of my love for this rare gem and the design it inspired.

This pendant has already been sold, however, I often work with clients seeking rare gems like Benitoite and help them purchase something truly special for their collections. I have to admit that being a "gemologist geek", one of the best aspects about my job is working with rare and unique gemstones.

Here is another fabulous Benitoite I sold a while back to a collector. This truly was a specialy stone.....musuem quality in terms of size and color.

If you would like to purchase a fine quality Benitoite, please send me an email to discuss options and pricing.