Aquamarine and platinum jewellery

A selection of pieces in platinum and rose gold, featuring Aquamarine, Diamond and Pink Sapphire (yes, Sapphire is not always blue).

One bangle has diamonds and floral scroll, the other features the hand engraved inscription-

Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt thou the sun doth shine, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.

Accessories are jewels and bags, not dogs..

I recently caught up with a lovely acquaintance of mine, Dr. Petra Nolan, (of journalism and media research centre UNSW , and glamorous author of Film Noir analysis " Hardboiled Heroes, Deadly Dames" ).



She sadly lost sweet old Tiger (above) recently, and was looking to adopt a new pet.
I imagined she would be getting some exotic breed from a breeder, something young and cute, but she told me she would be adopting an older dog from Monika's rescue, a private shelter that saves dogs (and some bunnies, cats and guinea pigs), from being put down.

Petra showed me a great little magazine from the shelter, and I was really shocked to learn that more than 63,000 perfectly healthy dogs and cats were killed in NSW council pounds last year alone.
That's a really shameful figure for a society that considers itself humane and compassionate.

There is a lot of good information to be found at the websites below. I also think part of the problem is the 'Paris Hilton effect' where beautiful irresponsible celebrities parade about with fashionable pets that change seasonally.

Some things you can do-

Visit saynotoanimalsinpetshops.com to learn why pet shops are a really bad way to find a new pet. Animals should not be for sale in pet shops where they are presented as an easily acquired commodity.

If you really feel the need for a pet companion, go to Monika's rescue for more information.
There are many other worthy not-for-profit shelters.

Make a donation to help keep independent rescue centres like Monika's functioning :)


Lobby Federal and State Government to ban the sale of animals in pet shops.

Become a doggie rescue lifesaver for $29 (pay for food and shelter for one dog) up to $79 a month(food, shelter, vet bills, and program expansion).

Monika's rescue have recently lost their shelter, and are desperately looking for short to medium term foster carers for many of their dogs, such as this sweet little fattie "Pixie"



You've already done something to help by reading this far and becoming aware of the issue . Now spread the word :)

Leona Edmiston lunch at The Strand

We were delighted to be adorning the parading beauties at the Leona Edmiston fashion lunch at Pendolino's restaurant yesterday.

The dresses looked stunning, food was great , and I enjoyed chatting to the absolutely charming Leona herself.

I took photos of several of the models, but they are too blurry to post unfortunately, so here's my chubby face too close to the camera instead :)

There are lots of talented designers in The Strand , but I've always admired Leonas' resilience and business acumen as well as her superbly flattering and wearable dresses .
I have no idea what really happened when the hugely successful partnership with Morrissey split, but it certainly looked as if Leona kept her feet on the ground even through the heady decadent '80's. With a number of boutiques around Australia, two in L.A. and now one in London she is taking her label from strength to strength.

Gold and diamond Keats engraved bangle

This is a bangle we just completed for a lady who was celebrating a significant anniversary. The bangle is solid 18ct gold and so feels luxurious and weighty, and we have set a 1 ct white brilliant diamond in white gold .
The inscription is by Keats-

Life is but a day:
A fragile dewdrop on its perilious way

The Diamond Story

I put much thought into selecting the gems that I use for my designs, so here, in more detail, is the story on diamonds..

Diamonds are still the gem of choice for most engagement rings. This is for many reasons- their beauty and enduring sparkle, their durability, and their symbolism of life and light. Diamonds are pure white, but the rainbows of intense colours that radiate from them are mesmerising.

Many years ago I was amazed by the brightness of a customer's antique ring. It was her grandmothers, and looked as bright as a brand new diamond does in the halogen lit shops.
It showed me the difference a high grade diamond makes.
Basically , any diamond will look good when it's on display in a jewellery store. The difference in the grades becomes apparent when the piece is worn in daily life. Diamonds are subjected to soap and handcreams etc, etc, and so-so diamonds look, well...just so-so. Really top notch diamonds still look good in real life situations.
(A friend of mine had a similar experience whilst working as a waitress in the US. She forgot to stop pouring coffee for a lady whose 2 ct diamond was so bright that she couldn't stop staring into it.)

So, obviously if you are interested in diamonds, you will know about the four C's- Colour, Clarity, Carat weight, and Cut. I only use ethically sourced diamonds in the highest colours(D-F) and clarities available ( see my diamond page for more specific information about what to look for in a good diamond). The cut of the diamonds I use is the most brilliant there is.

95% of diamonds are cut in India (cheap labour , they work on the floor and get a couple of weeks training).
The best diamonds are cut in Russia in modern cutting laboratories( where the cutters train for years to become master cutters)
The diamonds I use are also Russian mined- again, decent conditions, no exploitation where men work for a pittance in dangerous conditions. Since the Kimberly process, the issue of ' blood diamonds' is a changed one, but I have NEVER used diamonds from South Africa- because this WAS a real issue before about 2001.


To cut a long story short- because there is MUCH more to the background of diamonds than most people would realise, I have chosen to make my finest diamond designs with the best diamonds from two very reputable sources- Hermitage diamonds, and Passion8 Hearts and Arrows.

Some more information about the perfect hearts and arrows diamonds I use can be found at the Passion8 site.

The better the Cut, the brighter the diamond.

Passion8 Round Super Ideal Cut diamonds will always display 8 perfect Hearts and 8 perfect Arrows. This can be verified in-store, and checked as you wish with your take-home Viewer. Passion8 Square Princess Cut diamonds will always achieve a minimum of Triple Excellent for all three Cut criteria (i.e. Scintillation, Dispersion and Brilliance).
Less than a fraction of 1%of all diamonds qualify to become Passion8.
Learn more by clicking on the image below.