"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within."  Maya Angelou

I love May as spring comes into its fullness. Outside, beautiful hues of green are punctuated with a kalaidoscope of color from flowers. Spring offers up such a welcome and uplifting palette compared to winter. It's no wonder that emerald was chosen as the birthstone for this gorgeous month. But a word of warning....as beautiful as emeralds are, they can be expensive!  

May babies (and all lovers of green) have alternatives for green gemstone jewelry. One of these is Russian Chrome Diopside. Sometimes referred to as the "Russian emerald," it is a completely different gemstone that gets its alluring color from the presence of the mineral chromium. It possesses a vibrant deep green that, to me, is equally as stunning as the green of an emerald. Often, you can find chrome diopside with better clarity than emeralds. A recently discovered gemstone, it  is only mined as the season allows in Siberia. Like the emerald, Russian Chrome Diopside has a hardness of 5 to 6, which means it should be worn with some caution.  With that in mind, I particularly love to use this stone in necklaces and earrings as opposed to rings and bracelets.

This custom-designed, glittering strand of deep green chrome diopside perfectly echoes the fresh, vibrant greens of nature in May. Sunlight seems to dance from within the faceted crystal quartz point.  If there is such a thing as a "happy necklace," I think this is it.  

Jewelry is optional .... Your inner light is not. Let it shine brightly right now because the world needs it like never before. Have a healthy, happy spring and remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more designs that inspire and delight.