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I Agree With Pantone: Let’s Do Lapis!

September 23, 2016 by WendyB

This week, the color experts at Pantone released its picks for the 10 top colors for spring 2017. I’m most excited about Lapis Blue, because lapis lazuli is one of my favorite gems.

I’ve loved lapis ever since I went to see the blockbuster King Tut museum exhibition in the 1970s and saw Tut’s solid-gold death mask in person. (That’s lapis lazuli on the eyes and eyebrows; the stripes in the headdress are glass colored to look like lapis.)

Embed from Getty Images

I still have the souvenir book I got at the exhibit. I used to flip through this all the time when I was a kid.

book

I credit the exhibit and book with nurturing my passion for gold too. Look at how gold endures for millennia! In fact, it gets more beautiful over time.

Decades later, when I designed a ring in honor of the famously beautiful Egyptian queen Nefertiti, I naturally created it in 18K yellow gold and lapis lazuli.

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Click to shop.

I had the lapis custom cut in the oval shape of a cartouche, which I then set horizontally instead of vertically. I’m a rebel like that. Because a queen needs protection — sometimes in the form of a little poison — I gave the Nefertiti ring a secret compartment.

nefertiti_poison_ring_a1__12712_std

Nefertiti shown open.

I only created one Nefertiti ring in gold. Right now, it is specially priced to celebrate the Pantone news. Get it while you can.

I prefer lapis combined with yellow gold, like the Egyptians did it, but I’ve done a few one-off pieces in  silver and lapis. A friend persuaded me to make a Nefertiti ring in silver, just for her.

silvernefertiti_poison_ring_m__87631_std

One of a kind. Made for Elizabeth.

I even did it as a poison ring, though I normally don’t make my poison rings in silver.

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Silver Nefertiti ring shown open.

Several years ago, gorgeous blogger Sheila of Ephemera snagged another silver-and-lapis ring.

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Click for original post.

Right now, the only other lapis piece I have in stock is my famous Empress Wu dragon ring, with the revolving lapis globe clamped in her jaws.

empress-wu-dragon_m__96883_std

Price upon request. Email info at wendybrandes dot com to inquire.

Watch it go!

We're #reposting this video of the #WendyBrandes Empress Wu ring for the #ChineseNewYear! The dragon is 18K yellow gold with diamond eyes. In her mouth, she is holding a spinning lapis lazuli globe. The ring was inspired by Empress Wu, who is the only female ruler of China to refer to herself as "emperor" during her reign (625-705 AD). #HappyChineseNewYear #LoveGold #repost #regram

A video posted by Wendy Brandes Jewelry PR (@wendybrandesjewelry) on Feb 19, 2015 at 12:59pm PST

I do have some lapis lazuli stud earrings in the works, so if you’re interested, holla at me at info at wendybrandes dot com so I can reserve a pair for you.

 

 

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Filed Under: gold, History, In the News, Jewelry, poison rings, queens, rings Tagged With: jewelry sale, lapis lazuli, one of a kind jewelry, pantone, poison ring

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Comments

  1. Kait says

    September 23, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    Ah the poor death mask. You heard what happened to it, right? This is a good story about it. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/39968

    Ha! My anit-spam word is buyaring. I wish I could. 🙂 I only come here to dream and learn things.

    • WendyB says

      September 24, 2016 at 1:12 am

      Yes, I try to block what happened to the mask out of my mind. I pretend it didn’t happen!

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Award-winning designer of fine jewelry inspired by women's history and pop culture. A former journalist who writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, news, feminism, dogs, cats and whatever else is on her mind. Blogging since 2007.
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