Whether the best things in life are or are not free is open to debate. One thing is for certain though, the best things in life often have some form of connection with nature. It may be the silk, wool, or cotton used to manufacture an exclusive garment or rug, or the dye extracted from a precious flower or spice used to color the thread. Even things that we may not, pardon the pun, naturally associate as having emanated from Mother Nature such as the silicon in silicon ships and the new wonder material – graphene, destined to be the next big thing in transistors, do actually come from nature.
The Ultimate Accessories
Jewelry is the ultimate accessory. It is so varied in shape, color, and design that there is absolutely no reason for great jewelry to be derivative as all that limits its design is human imagination – and we all know that that is infinite. However, at first glance, few of us realize that jewelry is not just the ultimate accessory but also the ultimate in luxury, and all of it comes from nature.
Think of all the precious metals – gold, platinum, palladium; they all come from the bounty of Mother Nature and require the most advanced of technologies to find, extract, and process what is sometimes less than one gram per ton of the precious metal from the otherwise worthless ore. However, precious is all relative, as how can a troy ounce of gold that costs approximately $1,300 USD compare to a carat of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, or pearls? A troy ounce of gold converts to 155.50 carats. Just imagine the cost of any of the aforementioned stones in such size or quantity.
However, a magnificent stone needs a precious metal to really show it off. Whether it be the setting of a ring, the metal holding the stones of a brooch in place, or the chain of a necklace from which the precious stone hangs, precious metals and gemstones were made for each other. It comes as no surprise then that Mother Nature thinks of everything when it comes to providing us with the best and most luxurious that money can buy.
A Gumption Question
And now for something just a little bit different…
Do you know what is the only precious stone to come from a living organism?
If you answered, “Pearls,” than you would be correct.
This adds yet another twist to the luxury that nature bestows on us. All the other precious and semi-precious stones are treasures of nature but none of them come from a living part of nature. Isn’t it incredible how nature works? From a parasite aggravating a mussel or oyster, a magnificent and rare pearl is created. The event may occur in salt water or fresh water, in nature or via people trying to replicate nature. Either way though, each pearl is unique – a one-off treasure that, when combined with other treasures of nature becomes something that is greater than the sum of its parts and just a tiny sample of what Mother Nature has to offer.
Images from Yvel, who desgin rainbow sapphire necklaces and many more.
Blue Sapphire Gold Ring
Sapphire Gold Nugget Bracelet
Multi Color Sapphire Necklace
