The 3 Other Precious Gemstones In The Raw

Recently I wrote a blog about raw rubies before they are cut, polished and turned into jewelry. Today I’m posting images of the 3 other precious gemstones in the raw. When we visualize gemstones, mostly we see them as the sparklers they become after craftsmen and jewelers get their hands on them like the above Harry Winston diamond ring. Not how them start or grow in nature, but how they are finished, right? So let's look at a few images of gemstones as they are found in nature.

I. Diamonds are a single element. Formula: C. A diamond is an allotrope of the element carbon. Its structure is a rigid three-dimensional lattice where each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms in a tetrahedral arrangement. A diamond’s atoms are arranged in a crystal structure called a diamond cubic. The gemstone rates a 10 on Mohs Hardness Scale. BTW: Graphite, charcoal, and diamond are all allotropes of the element carbon.

⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧

The Aga Khan Emerald brooch and the Chalk Emerald ring

II. Emeralds - are beryls, a mineral. Its formula, Be3Al2(SiO3)6, is colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium. On Mohs Hardness Scale emeralds rate an 8. They were formed under the most violent of geologic conditions, which is why less than 1% of the world’s emeralds are eye clean. Unlike diamonds, inclusions and surface breaking fissures called  jardins are common and accepted in emerads. 

⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧ ๋࣭ ⭑✧⋆ ๋࣭ ⭑✧

The Swedish royal family's Leuchtenberg Sapphire tiara and an unheated Kashmir 9.38 sapphire ring sold by Christie’s

III. Sapphires - are a variety of the mineral corundum. Its formula, α-Al2O3 consists of the elements aluminum oxide with trace amounts of iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. Sapphires register a 9 on Mohs Hardness scale. Blue is the most in demand color. When sapphires are yellow, orange, purple, pink, or green they are called fancy sapphires. When corundrms are red, they are rubies, not sapphires.

Gemstones take millions of years for the Earth to produce, or nowadays they can be grown in a lab, but it takes the artistry of human hands to turn these majestic crystals, beryls, and corundums into gorgeous pieces of jewelry. The next time you see a gemstone think of its journey and how many hands went into crafting it into a thing of beauty.

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5 Of The Most Gorgeous Sapphires In The World

T.J. Maxx Is the Best Retailer For Beauty Products

Korean beauty, Azure, is a top-notch retinol cream. 

T.J. Maxx’s beauty department rocks! It’s buyers find top-notch makeup, skincare and hair care from all over the world. In its aisles, the Korean, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Australian, organic, niche and luxury markets are well represented with beauty products for less than their full retail prices.

Because of the redutions T.J. Maxx must be discreet about the brand names that end up on its shelves. You cannot find brand names online via T.J Maxx’s search box. But I think it’s a great opportunity for brands to pick up new customers who are  first enticed to try them for less.

The quality, quantity and cost of a variety of personal care products are unbeatable. I haven’t bought cosmetics, skincare, or hair products at major department stores in years because I haven’t had to with such a wide array of awesome international beauty and luxury brands at T.J. Maxx. It's fun browsing the myriad of offerings and discovering new beauty products you wouldn’t otherwise try or even know about.   

At bargain prices customers can afford to up their beauty routines, as well as, take a few risks trying new products along with tried-and-true essentials. Think of it as an education without breaking the bank! You never know what stellar beauty surprises you’ll see on a trip to the retailer.  I’ll add links below of some of the T. J. Maxx beauty finds I highly recommend!

As a kit, $16 bucks for both, full-sizes

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T. J. Maxx Beauty Haul

Damask Rose Body Wash

Difeel Shampoos and Conditions

Laura Geller Is Made For Mature Skin

Streets of Skulls In Gotham City

For Halloween 2025 I’m taking you on a haunted ride. Inside the  lobbies of highrises and the front of a brownstone to see, evil spirits descending on Manhattan in glee!👻

Such chilling decor of skulls and the undead on 3 city blocks. There’s even more throughout the rest of the city.

Yet be forwarned, it isn’t all pretty.🩸

Halloween smiles and scowls across 13.4 miles! In lobbies and doorways and windows and ailses. 

🧟‍♀️Have fun and fright throughout the night!🧟‍♂️

While you walk about, until every jack-o-lanturn burns itself out.

 

“There’s something haunting in the twilight of the moon.” - John Conrad 

Careful, you better not swoon!☠️

As there’s “double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and caldron bubble.” - Shakespeare

Come celebrate with the natives: Eat, drink and be gritty!

Happy Halloween from New York City!

𖥔 ݁ ˖🐈‍⬛ ݁ ˖🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃.𖥔 ݁ ˖🐈‍⬛ ݁ ˖🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃.𖥔 ݁ ˖🐈‍⬛ ݁ ˖

Update, October 31th: At 5:00 PM I went to see the decor of 2 more brownstones on the Upper East Side below:

East 78th Street

From different angles of the same house on East 72nd

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Make Your Own Limoncello

All photo: iStock

When homemade is better and cheaper, there’s no need to buy it, whatever it is. What is better than making Limoncello using real lemons? It’s also simple to make. Here’s how ...

Homemade Limoncello

Ingredients:

10 unwaxed lemons, washed

1 bottle [750 ml] of 80 proof vodka

1 cup of sugar

1 cup water

Directions:

1) Peel the lemon zest into pieces avoiding the bitter white pit as much as possible.

2) Toss the peels into a canning jar with a lid and pour the vodka into the jar. Infuse in a cool dark place at room temperature for 7 - 10 days.

3) Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a pot on a stovetop on medium heat. Let cool.

4) Remove the lemon rinds, squeeze to get as much of the lemon oils out. Combine the infused mixture with the cooled simple syrup.

5) Pour into a bottle with a stopper or lid and store in the freezer or refrigerator. Vodka will not freeze.

Cheers!🍋

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Macy’s Perfume Samples

Regular readers of THE SAVVY SHOPPER know Macy’s is my favorite New York department store bar none. Once in a while Macy’s loves me back by sending me a small box of free perfume samples. The offer is open to anyone and everyone who sees it on Macy’s website and at times on Facebook. A small box of 6 samples arrived today! Below, I listed those 6 fragrances in the order of my most to least favorite scents:

1) John Varatos XX Elixir - Formulated for men, but both men and women can wear it, as it's not a musk, but just a fresh clean smell of bergamot, red ginger, davana and violet leaf essence mixed with rum, Damascus rose. black iris and geranim. There are notes of tonka bean, cistus labdanum, cedarwood, and latigo leather. It is my absolute favorite scent in the box!

2) Prada Paradidme - Ambery woods entwine with Bourbon, geranium, and Calabrian bergamot. I smell a hint of lemon, yet don’t see it listed as an ingredient. Lovely and clean smelling.

3) Dolce & Gabbana My Devotion - A pear blossom, blackcurrant, peony and vanilla blend.

4) Dolce & Gabbana Dovotion Pour Homme Parfum - A lavender, coffee, and woody-amber blend.

5) Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia - Mandarin with gardenia, hedione, and sandalwood essence.

6) Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette spray - Notes of osmanthus, African orange flower, Bergamot, amber, musk, vanilla and vetiver. There is one note in this scent that I dislike but don’t know which ingredient it is. It reminds me of unpleasent much cheaper drugstore perfumes and it stands out.

My senior mom tested the perfume samples with me. She said she liked them. None of the 6 fragrances overwhelmed us, yet lingered for hours, and except for #6, lean towards clean scents over strong perfumes. #6 has that one unidentified note not to my liking. 

Perfumes can smell differently on different people. Before buying a fragrance, spray it on, walk around the store and wait to see how it will interact with your body’s chemistry.

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Eau de Cologne 4711

b. fresh Deodorant Smells Great

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Don’t Throw Away Your Silica Gel Packets

You know those little silica gel packets that come with leather goods like shoes or handbags? Don’t throw them away. Reuse them!

I keep them with shoes that stay in plastic shoe boxes if I only wear the shoes occasionally. When I have extra silica gel packets from the shoe boxes I toss out, I repurpose them by placing the packets in the corners of my closets, kitchen cupboards, and inside drawers throughout my apartment including my nightstand and entertainment center.

Moisture if not controlled can destroy many types of dry goods. The silica gel packets absorb up to 40% of their weight in moisture, saving many types of dry goods from damage. They help maintain a dry environment, preventing mold and mildew from damaging leather goods and other articles that may surprise you!

Moreover, silica gel packets can also release moisture back into the air if the atmosphere gets too dry, helping to stabilize humidity to maintain product quality. 

Papers, photographs, jewelry, and electronics are several categories of items that can be preserved by tossing silica gel packets into the containers that store them. Razor blades will not rust or dull in a medicine cabinet, and car windshields will not fog up with silica packets placed on your dashboard. You can also toss silica gel packets into your gym bag, luggage, or clothes hamper to prevent mildew. A few packets stored in the corner of a food pantry keeps herbs, breadcrumbs and crackers fresh.

Silica gel packets are non-toxic unless cobalt is listed as an ingredient which is toxic. Most silica gel packets do not contain cobalt. If you place a few packets into a file cabinet or food pantry, you can always insert them into a paper envelope. The silica gel packets are fairly sturdy, so I don’t worry about them lying inside closets, pantries, or drawers.

Nevertheless, you should keep them away from children and pets since they aren’t editable.

Have you been throwing your silica gel packets away? Stop! They're very useful and you get them for free!

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The French Crown Jewels Stolen From the Louvre

This image is all over the internet without a credit. I don’t claim ownership and will remove it if the owner requested it. The next 5 photos are from Getty Images.

Well I didn’t plan to write another jewelry blog so soon, but the theft of the French Crown Jewels in the Apollo Gallery from the Louvre Museum on Sunday morning around 9:30 am is horrific to history and jewelry buffs, too horrific to ignore! The 8 pieces taken are priceless and irreplaceable. If not found before the supreme greed of criminals melt the treasured historical pieces down to remove their precious gemstones to sell on the black market, it would be a forever loss to the public. To humanity. To history. Am I overstating their loss? I think not! Oh please providence, a divine miracle, save them!!!

Here is a closer look at the individual pieces missing: 

The Emerald necklace and earrings made for Marie Louise, the 2nd wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (1804 -1814)

The Pearl Tiara of Empress Eugénie, consort of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French (1852 - 1870)

Known as the Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily Sapphire set, the tiara, necklace and an earring were stolen. They were also worn by Hortense of Beauharnais, who was the daughter of Josephine, the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the wife of Louis Bonaparte, making her the Queen of Holland.

Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch. Originally, it was the centerpiece of a belt composed of over 4,000 diamonds.

According to the PBS News Hour, the hoist occurred in 4 minutes while tourists were also in the Apollo Gallery. Since the robbers knew where to place their ladder to climp up to and break a window before entering the Apollo Gallery, it would surprise no one if the theft turns out to be planned by an insider. I have no doubt the criminals will be caught. Sadly the fate of the French Crown Jewels is less certain. French Senator Nathalie Goulet stated that recovering the stolen crown jewels is unlikely. Speaking to the BBC, Goulet cited organized crime's involvement and predicted the pieces will be dismantled and sold to launder money. Other scenarios are being considered. If a collector paid professional thives to steal the crown jewels there’s hope they’ll remain in tact.

👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑

Photo: Wiki-Media Commons

A positive note: The criminals took but dropped the Crown of  Empress Eugénie outside the Louvre where it was found damaged and will be repaired.

Empress Eugénie’s Reliquary Brooch, made by Alfred Bapst in 1855, was also later recovered.

❤️‍🩹Dear France, we feel your pain.❤️‍🩹

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India’s Famed Koh-i-Noor Diamond

The Regent Diamond Sits In The Louvre

Marie Thèrese of France’s Emerald Tiara

The Kingdom Of Wurttemberg’s Royal Jewels