Diamond, Mother of Pearl and Amethyst ‘Lady Stardust’ Earrings, Stephen Webster

Unique Elements
Edgy and pretty at the same time, these earrings have both movement and glow with the mother of pearl lighting the ombré diamonds and amethyst from within. Take them dancing!

Amethyst Amethyst means “not drunk” in ancient Greek and has long been associated with Bacchus, the God of Wine, it is thought due to its wine-like color. Amethyst is a variety of quartz, ranging in color from lilac to dark purple. Amethyst was at one point equal in value to ruby, emerald, and sapphire and features in royal jewelry throughout time. Amethyst is the February birthstone.

Mother of Pearl Mother of pearl, or nacre, is the iridescent lining of pearl producing mollusks. It is also the same material that makes up the outer layer of the pearl itself. Use of mother of pearl in adornments dates back to 2600 BC, and pieces have been found in King Tutankhamen’s Tomb as well as in artifacts from the Shang Dynasty in China.

Sapphire Blue sapphire is a variety of corundum, a mineral species that also includes ruby. Sapphires can be blue, violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, multicolored as well as color change, most often going from blue to purple, as well as gray, black, or brown. Blue sapphire can have both green and violet undertones, as well as the more desirable pure blue. Trace elements of iron or titanium cause sapphire’s blue color, with iron resulting in an inky, darker tone than the often vivid blue resulting from titanium. When jewelers refer to sapphire without specifying color, this refers to blue sapphire. Sapphire is the September birthstone and the stone of the 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries.

Round Brilliant-Cut The Round Brilliant Cut dates back to 1919, when Marcel Tolkowsky calculated a formula for proportional diamond design to maximize fire, brilliance and wearability, published as “Diamond Design: A Study of the Reflection and Refraction of Light in Diamond.” A round brilliant diamond can also be called a full cut diamond if it features the cutting standard of 57 or 58 facets.

Stephen Webster Founding his house in 1989, Stephen Webster is a bit of a rock star himself, creating whimsical pieces for celebrities including Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor and Kate Moss. His ‘Lady Stardust’ collection references David Bowie, his legendary alter ego Ziggy Stardust and the famous lightning bolt motif. Past collections have drawn from the Seven Deadly Sins and Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries. Webster often fuses clear quartz with other materials in doublets, creating depth and phenomenon.