The Amazing Wendy Yue

Rhodium-plated 18K yellow gold scorpion ring

Wendy Yue jewelry pieces are works of art. With their intricate design and hand craftsmanship, each piece is exclusive. Exquisite, wearable objets d'art, they are meticulously crafted.

Oceanic Opal Ring

Martin Katz - Jewels, Like No Other

Australian black red opal ring set in 18K white gold; micro-set with 234 white diamonds and 377 red and orange sapphires, 36 tsavorite garnets and 5 green tourmalines.

For over 25 years, Martin Katz has married exquisite gemstones with meticulously designed settings to create extraordinary jewelry. Katz, 58, has long had a passion for gems. In college, he built a small business selling puka shell and silver jewelry to sorority girls. After graduation, he moved to California and began working in the trade. Eventually, he launched himself as a private jeweler.

37.18 carat Tanzanite

Becoming a designer wasn’t part of the plan. “Designing came out of filling a void,” he says, for clients seeking a specific piece to round out a vintage collection. “I’d say, ‘If we could make one, we’d take the top of this one and the shape of that one.’ That’s how it all started.” His reputation grew, and before long, his contemporary designs were selling better than the vintage.

White gold ring with a 4.25ct oval pinkish orange padparadscha sapphire.

Katz’s pieces start at $2,500, but the core artistic collection ranges from $25,000 to $125,000. He’s renown for his expertise in colored stones; paraiba tourmaline, red spinel, and alexandrite.

Cushion-cut Mandarin garnet of 10.25 carats encircled by a micro-set border of orange sapphires and band with white diamonds with 2 half-moon diamond sidestones.

Cushion-cut orange sapphire, 15.5 carats; set in 18K white gold, micro-set with 118 amethysts and 98 diamonds.

Cushion-cut sapphire, 10.95 carats; microset with 128 diamonds and 64 blue sapphires. Set in platinum.

Cabochon fire opal, 13 carats; 354 diamonds, 14 green tsavorite garnets and 179 orange-red sapphires.

High Jewel Brooches

Alessio Boschi

de GRISOGONO

Ancient Bug in Opal a mystery

The Gemological Institute of America has studied the Indonesian specimen in detail, and issued a report and certificate authenticating it. According to the report, it's a real (not synthetic), unaltered, untampered precious opal, with a genuine insect inclusion. It's not a hoax. So how did it come about? Current theories about opal formation require water with a high silica content, and cracks and cavities.

It may have formed from opalized wood, which is plentiful in Indonesia. Since wood is the source of amber, perhaps the insect-in-amber had been nestled inside a crevice in a piece of wood before opalization took place. Amber takes millions of years to turn to stone. (much amber is actually copal, the mid-point between resin and amber) Opal also takes a long time to form and solidify, so the unidentified insect could be very old.