Sapphire, emerald and tourmaline stacking rings from jeweler Kimberly Collins. Her work celebrates the three Cs: cut, clarity and color, opting for gem-first settings that ensure the stones are the star of the show.

Kimberly Collins’ story starts in 1995, with a life-changing trip to Nairobi, Africa, to learn the tanzanite trade. An entrepreneur at heart, her horizons were further broadened with trips to Sri Lanka and Bangkok, both places known for high-quality sapphires, rubies and storied gold traditions. After returning to the states, Kimberly moved to San Francisco and began the business that would eventually grow into her namesake collection. Now based in Nevada, her work celebrates the three Cs: cut, clarity and color, opting for gem-first settings that ensure the stones are the stars of the show.

Our selections from Kimberly are primarily rings from her Yumdrop collection – pieces that feature single high-color stones set against 18K gold. These are designed to stack and nest nicely together on the hand. Among the offerings are several eternity bands in white and black diamond – elegant pieces that add glitter to a larger stack.

Today, Kimberly continues to travel the world in search of her gemstones – choosing only those with high clarity, color and character. The specificity of this practice shines in her work – despite the simplicity of her settings, each ring has its own distinct presence and personality.

How to ring stack:

The number of rings you stack comes down to personal preference – the arrangement should have pizazz, but not be uncomfortable to wear. Too many rings on a single finger can look cluttered, while too few can look lackluster. We have found the best balance is between 3 and 5 per finger, and ideally to have multiple stacks scattered across the hand to create space and harmony. When stacking, start by creating a center stack and build your ultimate design around it – perhaps three pieces on a ring finger, two on the pointer and then one on the pinky for balance.

The trick to cohesion is to create a central theme, such as a matching shape, metal type or gem color. Because Kimberly’s rings share a bezel style and gold hue, we have found them incredibly easy to pair together, despite their disparate stones. The practice should be fun, easy and unleash a bit of creativity – we hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Every year at the end of January, we repack our bags after Paris and head west for the Tucson Gem Shows. In addition to the main AGTA Show, there are also stones to be purchased at the Gem and Jewelry Exchange (GJX), the Gem Mall and the Holidome.

At the same time there are several other shows happening concurrently in New York City, during which new jewelry collections are released. As hunters, the week is a magical frenzy. Everyone brings out their best and brightest stones to share with the world and each is nothing short of dazzling… but you have to keep on your toes in order to snag the best stuff! We look forward to it not only because we love a challenge, but because we get to see some of our favorite friends and designers while out on the road.

We hit as many of the shows as we could while in Tucson, with a main focus on the Gem and Jewelry Exchange – which offers a concentration of stones from skilled lapidaries, who often directly own their mines. In between sleeping and shopping, we enjoyed a cappuccino at Cartel Roasting Co and walked down Stone Ave to 5 Points Market & Restaurant for dinner. We also made sure to stop by the historic Stillwell House on 5th to enjoy the garden, which is beautiful even in winter.

We came back to Santa Fe with an abundance – the Tucson Gem Shows are some of the best in the country for a reason. Included in our spoils are blue diamonds, raspberry sapphires, polished opal beads, Santa Maria Aquamarines from Brazil, and blood red Mozambique Rubies. One of our favorites finds was a selection of grandidierite – an incredibly rare, translucent mineral the color of ocean fog. We also sourced a nice bit of Castle Dome Turquoise, a scarce species once mined about 30 miles south of the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona. Like SB, Castle Dome has a particularly vibrant color and can be identified by its distinct honey brown matrix. Find these stones and more at Santa Fe Dry Goods through our collaboration with Greig Porter later this year.

In some ways, the gem shows feel like a reunion – we often run into longtime friends and colleagues while browsing the floors, such as Denise Betesh, Margery Hirschey and Lika Behar. This time of year also presents the perfect opportunity to make connections with new designers, such as Kimberly Collins, whose delicate gold stacking rings can be found in our cases later this week. While in Tucson, we also made sure to hop on a call with our East Coast friends showing in New York City, such as Yasuko Azuma, to secure our collections for the year. New additions to our family of jewelry designers will be announced later this year – and we are so excited to share them with you!

Ciao for now,
Shobhan & the Team

Pearls are incredibly unusual. They are one of the few gems that can’t be faceted and require no polishing to reveal their natural shine. The only stone created by a living organism, a single pearl can take between two to seven years to form within the mouth of an oyster.

During this genesis, iridescent layers of calcium-rich nacre are stratified around a “seed” of sand, building to a final, silken shape. Unlike other precious stones, pearls emanate a living essence, attracting the eye and imagination closer with every shift of the light.

Freshwater pearls may be the most familiar. The nacre is characterized by a signature warmth – a mix of cream, pink and yellow highlighted by a very pale blue. Though freshwater pearls can be found in a range of colors and shapes, the most prized are the lustrous, pure white stones with a marble-like profile.

The opposite of their perfectly round kin, Baroque pearls are an oft-freshwater variety defined by atypical, captivating forms. Due to their irregular surface, these gems are particularly prismatic. Bold designers, such as Monies, love this type of pearl for its unique character and sculptural presence.

South Sea pearls are among the most exquisite in the world. Found only in the tropical white-lipped oyster, these pearls are much larger and rounder than their Akoya and Freshwater counterparts. When nestled against 22 or 24K gold, a subtle glow winks from beneath their unique satin finish.

South Sea pearls are among the most exquisite in the world. Found only in the tropical white-lipped oyster, these pearls are much larger and rounder than their Akoya and Freshwater counterparts. When nestled against 22 or 24K gold, a subtle glow winks from beneath their unique satin finish.