by Ann Covode

With the coming of autumn, our color palette turns to the colors of turning leaves. We reflect on the change of season with the sunsets and change of light. Over the years Eve has created many pieces with these fall colors using garnets, sapphires, carnelians, Tahitian pearls and Fire opals.

When I first came to work for Eve she was launching her “Sacred Geometries” series. I was drawn to a fire opal necklace from Ethiopia that was part of this series. Each bead dazzled with fire to create an aura of luminescence.

Fire opal is a translucent opal with warm body colors ranging from yellow to orange to gold. Even though it usually doesn’t show any color play, sometimes a stone will show bright green flashes. Querétaro in Mexico is the most popular supplier of fire opals; these opals are commonly referred to as Mexican fire opals.

In the 1990s, Ethiopia became an important source of opal. Much of the Ethiopian opal is fire opal and precious fire opal. Much of the Ethiopian fire opal is yellow.
Smaller amounts of fire opal are produced in Australia, Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala. In the United States, Nevada and Oregon produce some beautiful fire opal.

Fire opals are cut in a variety of ways. Some are cut as faceted stones, others are cut as cabochons. The cutter decides how he/she thinks the stone will be most attractive. There is no rule for cutting fire opal.

Eve continues to explore this fall pallete in her more recent series. For her “Aux Portes du Passé” series last year Eve created these lovely “Sacre Coeur” earrings with Grossular Garnet in 14 karat rose gold. The jackets in18 karat gold contain stones of carnelian, rhodolite garnet, garnet, lepidolite, covalite and amethyst.

Grossular is a calcium-aluminium species of the garnet group of minerals. The name grossular is derived from the botanical name for the gooseberry, grossularia, in reference to the green garnet of this composition that is found in Siberia. Other shades include cinnamon brown (cinnamon stone variety), red, and yellow.

Hessonite or “cinnamon stone” is a common variety of grossular. The name comes from the Ancient Greek: ἣσσων (hēssōn), meaning inferior; an allusion to its lower hardness and lower density than most other garnet species varieties.

Tsavorite or tsavolite is a variety of the garnet group species grossular, a calcium-aluminium garnet trace amounts of vanadium or chromium provide the green color.
Tanzania in a place called Lemshuko is where this garnet was first found. The specimens found were of very intense color and of high transparency. The find interested the gem trade, and attempts were made to export the stones, but the Tanzanian government did not provide permits.

Believing that the deposit was a part of a larger geological structure extending possibly into Kenya. They began prospecting in that nation and were granted a permit to mine the deposit. The gemstone was known only to mineral specialists until 1974, when Tiffany and Co launched a marketing campaign which brought broader recognition of the stone.

Eve loves to create with these stones and is inspired by the lustrous colors they reflect.

Another favorite from her “Sacred Geometries” series are these “Kurgan” earrings with two carved Carnelian drops in 18 karat gold. Carnelian is a brownish-red mineral commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. The color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost-black coloration. It is most commonly found in Indonesia, Brazil, India, Russia (Siberia), and Germany.

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This “Dappled Sunlight” necklace from her “Helios” Series 18 karat and 18 karat Green gold with, Quartz, Citrine and fresh water pearls exudes warmth at the end of summer. Citrine is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from a pale yellow to brown due to ferric impurities.

Natural citrines are rare; most commercial citrines are heat-treated amethysts or smoky quartzes. Brazil is the leading producer of citrine, with much of its production coming from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The name is derived from the Latin word citrina which means “yellow” and is also the origin of the word “citron”.

Eve’s mimics the fall colors perfectly with this Fine Tahitian South Sea Pearl necklace with 5 Diamonds .24 TW. EF/VS in 18 karat white gold from her “Acanthus “ Series.

There is general consensus that the quality of pearls from Pinctada margaritifera is the highest quality out of all the pearl oysters. Pearls form when a small particle enters into the oyster and nacre is released by the oyster to coat the particle or object, eventually creating a small pearl. The particle might be a grain of sand, organic material, or even a parasite. The oyster’s release of the nacre serves as an adaptation of the immune system to isolate the invasive particle and irritation. P. margaritifera in particular produces gray or black pearls.

Finally, Eve has some fun with these Opals, Jade, Fresh Water pearl and Magnesite, in this “Random Encounters” bracelet. She loves the play of color and texture in this piece.

Eve helps us to embrace fall and all its beautiful tones in her designs. We hope you consider making an appointment to see the complexities of her offerings and the stones from which she can create something specifically for you.