High Jewel crossover rings

Gold, Amethyst and Turquoise Crossover Ring, Cartier

Graff 10.62 Carat Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow & Fancy Brown Orange Pink Pear Shaped Diamond Crossover

Cellini Jewelers

Graff Oval Yellow & White Diamond Crossover

Bvlgari

Anna Hu

Harry Winston

Gems from space

A tiny fraction of meteorites on Earth contain strikingly beautiful, translucent, olive-green crystals embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. Called pallasites, these "space gems" have fascinated scientists since they were first identified as originating from outer space more than 200 years ago.

Impactites are often colorful glasses that can be faceted, cut into cabochons, or carved.

The highest quality 'as found' specimens are of greatest interest to scientists, meteorite collectors, and mineral collectors. The best gem-quality materials go to a small number of designer jewelers who use them to create unique pieces. Smaller and lower quality items fall into the novelty gem and collectibles markets. The largest demand for space gem materials comes from people interested in alternative and complementary medicine. They believe that these materials have special properties in promoting wellness.

Pallasite Peridot. A faceted piece of gem-quality olivine, known as peridot in the gem trade, that was removed from a pallasite meteorite. Extraterrestrial peridot is one of the rarest gem materials on Earth.

Libyan Desert Glass is a material that is thought to have formed during a meteorite impact in the Libyan desert about 26 million years ago near what is now the border between Egypt and Libya. One theory has the meteorite exploding in an air burst that flash-melted sand and other material on Earth's surface below. Many pieces of glass have shallow surface indentations, similar to the regmaglypts of meteorites, that suggest ablation as the glass moved rapidly through Earth's atmosphere. Like moldavite, desert glass is considered to be an impactite.

Over 3300 years ago, the ancient Egyptians knew about Libyan Desert Glass and held it in high regard. The pendant shown was one of several buried with King Tutankhamun (King Tut) who ruled between 1332 and 1323 BC. Tektites are fragments of ejecta produced when a large extraterrestrial object strikes the Earth. The heat of the impact flash melts rock in the impact area and ejects it in the molten state. These molten masses solidify in flight and fall to Earth in the area around the imact. The impact that produced the tektites of the Indochina strewn field occurred about 800,000 years ago.

Modern jewels shine

Chopard. 85.57 carats of rhodolites set in titanium with 2.65 carats of pink sapphires.

The Cartier Parhelia ring features a 21.51-carat cabochon-cut sapphire.

Centerpiece necklace in Boucheron’s Holographique collection

Boucheron white gold ring with diamonds, a 4.61-carat oval blue-green tourmaline and a holographic rock crystal.

A platinum Cartier ring with a 4.01-carat rose-cut diamond inserted directly below an 8.20-carat ruby.

A Cindy Chao dragonfly brooch with diamonds and emeralds.

High Insect Jewels