Gemology Geek’s new fine jewelry collection, “Ignite,” features statement rings like this 18-karat yellow gold ring featuring 4.29 carats of unheated, hex-cut, matched pink and yellow bi-color tourmalines accented with diamonds. All pieces are price upon request.
New York—Gemology Geek, the educational gemology platform and online colored gemstone shop founded by Erica Silverglide, has launched its first finished fine jewelry collection.
The “Ignite” collection debuted at the Out of the Jewel Box Experience show in Tucson earlier this year.
The offering comprises 35 one-of-a-kind pieces, including statement rings, pendants, and ear climbers, each set with natural colored gemstones.
Intentionality and comfort are at the core of the designs, which are inspired by architectural forms.
The “Shooting Star” earrings, made in 14-karat white gold with rhodium plating, feature 3.34 total carats of no heat, kite-cut aquamarines from Madagascar with 0.55 carats of baguette French-cut diamonds.
The ear climbers, which Silverglide calls “shooting stars,” are set with kite-shaped gemstones and antique-inspired French-cut diamonds.
The pair is interchangeable, meaning each can be worn on the left or right ear. The pieces are also engineered to fit together if worn together on the same ear.
The charms are on a hinged link that reverse opens, allowing for easy connection.
The baskets on each piece, with the exception of the earrings, are handmade to match the faceting details of the stone it holds, so, besides matched pairs, almost no two baskets are alike.
Many pieces within the Ignite collection feature gemstones with strong fluorescence, which is the visible light or “glow” a stone emits when exposed to ultraviolet rays.
Silverglide has had an affinity for stones with this unique effect since learning about it in gemology school.
“When I first learned about fluorescence, and I realized that it didn't just come in blue, that certain stones showed up red and orange and green and purple and pink, I was fascinated by it,” she said in an interview with National Jeweler.
In the collection, it symbolizes inner confidence and acts as a secret feature the wearer can show off as they please.
The “Eloise” ring (seen at left, on Silverglide’s pointer finger) set in 18-karat rose gold, features two matched pink sapphires, a rainbow moonstone from Madagascar, and diamond accents, all of which fluoresce under UV light, as pictured on the right.
“It’s what the collection is about, lighting that power in you and showing pride and confidence and success. It's for those small victories, and it’s for those massive accomplishments,” Silverglide said.
“Ignite is about showing yourself that you deserve it, and the light that’s inside of you. It’s always been there, but now it can shine brighter, if you want. You can show the world with a simple UV blacklight— short wave or long wave—or you can let it just sparkle and be something beautiful.”
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Silverglide, a graduate of Savannah College of Art & Design’s jewelry design program and GIA’s graduate gemology program, launched Gemology Geek as an educational Instagram account around 2016.
Previously, she spent several years gaining varied industry experience, with roles spanning design to stone buying to production management at brands like Alexis Bittar, Judith Ripka, and David Yurman, exposing her to the many different aspects of the jewelry world.
Her platform evolved, her network grew, and she began sourcing gemstones to sell, both to her followers online and within the trade. She also offered custom design.
Then came the Ignite collection.
“Last year, I decided that it was time, that I was ready to take everything I knew and everything I learned, and launch an official collection within the same brand, something that put to use the stones that I have access to that are rare color, high color, eye clean—most of them are loupe clean, actually—minimal treatment, if any, and 100 percent natural,” she said.
A 14-karat yellow necklace featuring a 3.56-carat, no heat, baguette-cut purple garnet pendant with 0.16 carats of diamond accents
Most of the gems in the collection had been sourced for Gemology Geek’s inventory, meaning they’d already passed her strict quality assessment, particularly for clarity.
Some of her specific non-negotiables include spinels with no inclusions, tourmalines without major visible fractures, and sapphires that are unheated.
“I want people to look at my stones and see their beauty, see their brilliance,” she said.
For Silverglide, using the top-tier stones is also about durability and quality.
“I want you to wear it. I want you to beat this thing up, and I want, at the end of each year, for you to send it back to me, so I can make sure the prongs are okay. I want to see it being loved. I don't want to see my jewelry in a safe deposit box, and I don't want to see it sitting in a ring box. I want to see it being worn. I want to see it being passed down,” she said.
The pieces in the collection retail from $3,500 to $25,000.
Ignite is designed to evolve, and new pieces will be added as they are created.
The brand is developing a package option for retailer partners, which Silverglide plans to launch at the CBG show in Las Vegas from May 26-27.
