NEW JEWELLERY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 120, 18 February 1928, Page 16

NEW JEWELLERY

WHAT PARIS DICTATES. Turquoises have come into prominence within the past few weeks. It was first the colour, and then the stone, for as early as last autumn one or two of the prominent dressmakers were making fair headway with a revival of the bluish green colour we call turquoise. There are turquoise set with pearls among the new ornaments —an effect that is really charming. All the precious coloured stones arc displayed more now than was the case a few months ago, when for a time women seemed to feel that pearls or diamonds, or more or less good imitations of the two colourless gems, were valued to the exclusion ol rubies, sapphires and emeralds, topazes, garnets, amethysts, and the long list ol stones that were worn by our mothers and grandmothers. Multi-coloured jewellery is becoming popular again, and women who have fine rubies, sapphires, and emeralds in their collection are having them reset to suit present-day taste —or, if the settings are old enough really to be antique, wearing them as they are. Snakeskin and even ponyskin jewellery lias made its appearance—a patch of 'the skin barely larger than your thumb-nail, set in rhinestones and silver, ' that you may pretend are diamonds and platinum or white gold. A passing fad, no doubt, but nevertheless smart, and, as the French woman would think, most amusing! There is really nothing very new about this notion of uniting products of the animal kingdom with those of the mineral kingdom in the making of jewellery. You may 'recall watchchains of tigers’ teeth set in goldeven bears’ claws—once worn with pride by men who had hunted big game. Braided elephants’ hair jewellery is even now worn for good luck —and rabbits’ paws to ward off the evil

eye. Marcasite and rhinestone jewellery in the form of various birds and beasts, not to mention snakes and fishes—so popular now—might lead to the suspicion that we still, subconsciously, but none the less truly, cling to the age-old belief in animal charms. Narrow leather straps finished _ in gold or silver, and studded with rhinestones or coloured stones, are among the pieces of jewellery that appeal to some women. And since ornamental slipper buckles are not much worn nowadays, the jewellers, no doubt, rejoice in this new fashion. From Paris comes word that among smart women the colourless pearl and the pearl that is small or of moderate size are worn, to the exclusion of the larger sort and those of pink, orchid, and other tints. On the other hand, jewellers there, as well as here, continue to sell quantities of pearls of all sizes, and the demand for light pink pearls has, according to one jeweller, never been so great. A number of the so-called semiprecious stones —such as cornelian, jade, onyx, lapis lazuli, chalcedony, rose quartz—are chosen for jewellery of the less formal storts.—(An exchange.)