martes, 19 de febrero de 2013

NOMAD TRIBES FROM CENTRAL ASIA

UZBEK is one of several nomad tribes These are Kuchi (meaning nomad) tribes which are nomadic pastoralists.  These nomads are Sunni Muslims and travel the alpine routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The Kuchi are migratory herdsmen and they depend on their livestock for survival.  Some of the tribes have recently settled due to the effects of war and drought.  The Kuchi groups are composed of different ethnic groups.

The earliest adornments found in Uzbekistan date back to the 12th century BC .  The jewelry of the Uzbecks is characterized by its richness of form, gracefulness of decoration and elaborated details.  Silver has always been the favorite material and perhaps it has to due with their belief that this metal neutralizes poisons, keeps off evil spirits and preserves purity.  Nevertheless, craftsmen in Bukhara preferred gold as it was abundant in the river running through its valley.  Their favorite technique has always been filigree, although, enamelling, engraving, metal carving and incrustations are also common.

Uzbek women love jewelry and this is very elaborate and received mostly at their weddings.  They continue using these jewels until the birth of their first child.

Uzbek tribes use big hanging imaginative adornments at the entrance of their tents to avoid evil spirits entering their dwelling.  These are composed of textiles, different metals, crystal beads, many of them with the eye, cymbals and a long etc.









Passion for jewelry, passion for beauty anywhere in the world across time boundaries..eternal. 

NEW ARRIVALS

Beautiful Luz Minerva s jewelry new pieces for you to browse on our online boutique

www.luzminerva.com



The Luz Minerva team

viernes, 15 de febrero de 2013

WHY THE ANAIS COLLECTION?

Anais is the sister of our designer.  She loves bold strong colors, like yellows, oranges and reds in all its shades.  The Anais Collection was created thinking of Anais and her tastes...simple jewelry with bright colors
and surprising twists.
This is our basic collection with its novel Luz Minerva links and lock system.  It uses 925 silver, 18k recycled gold, enamels, leathers and semiprecious gemstones

jueves, 14 de febrero de 2013

JEWELRY TRENDS SPRING-SUMMER 2013

BIG and LONG continue to be the magic words in jewelry trends with hoops being on top of the list.
Ethnic influences also continue to play an important role in fashion accesories with bright colors and different exotic textures, like wood and metals like brass and copper...long strings of beads like turquoises and silver also join the spring-summer parade.
Be it as it may, the emphasis is on pretty details...pretty is on.

http://www.facebook.com/LuzMinervaJewels


miércoles, 13 de febrero de 2013

SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY

This is a special day for lovers since ancient times, with origins in the Christian martyrs, one of them was Saint Valentine.  Nevertheless, other cultures and religions also celebrate love; sometimes in a different date, such as Saint Jordi's, patron of Catalunya, which celebrates it with a rose and a book on the 23rd of April.

Enjoy your day and be lovable  :)

With love

The LM team

lunes, 11 de febrero de 2013

LUZ MINERVA S VISIT TO ITS ISTANBUL ATELIER

 Planning the visit to the workshops is always exciting, requiring organization, energy and enthusiasm, but always worthwhile.
Alin received us with wonderful surprises...Laura s designs were a reality...a reality full of color and new shapes.



We wish to share this experience with you.

sábado, 9 de febrero de 2013

NATURAL ZIRCON AND CUBIC ZIRCONIA

These two gemstones can be easily confused and many people don't know their differences.

NATURAL ZIRCONS

A natural zircon is composed of zirconium silicate found naturally in colors such as yellow, orange, blue, red, violet, brown, green and colorless.  This latter one can be similar to a diamond, although its hardness is only 7-7.5, while diamond is 10.  Natural zircons have a stunning optical luster and.are perfect for jewelry, except for rings as they are soft and not too durable, being easily chipped or scratched.  They are a good inexpensive substitute for diamonds in most jewelry items except for rings.

CUBIC ZIRCONIA

Cubic zirconia is a synthetic gemstone created by German and Russian scientists.  It is a mixture of zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide, melted together at extremely high temperatures (2750 C).  It is crystalline, colorless and flawless and sparkles brighter than crystal and is harder than the majority of gemstones (8.5).  Due to its beauty and low price, it has become very popular in jewelry.  It is perfect for epoxy pavés.

LUZ MINERVA only uses natural zircons.

sábado, 2 de febrero de 2013

LUZ MINERVA'S ATHENS WORKSHOP

LUZ MINERVA'S ATHENS WORKSHOPThe experience of visiting our workshops is always full of excitement as it is the crucial moment when we see our designs converted to three dimensional pieces.  The moment when all the specifications and other types of communication converge to create a beautiful piece of jewelry.

Maria is in charge and we want to share with you these wonderful moments at the workshop.


Maria on her bench hand engraving a gemstone

 The ghyptographic technique requires patience and expertise
 The engraving is done with diamond points.
 Some of the many tools used in this process

The results of this process you have seen in our previous blog, INTAGLIOS, and can also be seen on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/LuzMinervaJewels) and website (www.luzminerva.com)

Many more wonderful items are coming soon and we will be delighted to show them to you.

The LM team