We’re so excited!  Vanessa’s jewelry was recently seen on Grey’s Anatomy.

Grey’s Anatomy is amongst our favorite shows in our studio, so it is especially exciting to see Vanessa’s Long Crystal Quartz Black Silver Lariat Necklace on Callie Torres last week!

I think it’s very fitting that Callie wore this statement necklace.  She’s beautiful, strong, independent, and she always speaks her mind.

This wardrobe choice also sparked more inspiration– renowned costume designer, Mimi Melgaard had Callie wearing the necklace on a special dinner date.  After seeing Callie looking both sexy and cool, I thought, “This is the perfect necklace to wear with my holiday cocktail dress!”

In this scene, Callie wears the necklace with a lovely Diane Von Furstenberg dress.  Below, I rounded up great cocktail dresses that would look stunning with this necklace at holiday parties:

Clockwise:  Qi Dress @ bluefly.com; Callie’s DVF dress @ dvf.com; DKNY dress @ dkny.com; Wishgiving necklace @ wishgiving.com

It has been a very exciting past few weeks. Our jewelry was chosen to be worn on NBC’s hottest TV show, Heroes. Costume designer Debra McGuire was very fond of Vanessa’s designs, and chose several of our pieces for her characters.

Our first piece shows up In the episode, “One of us, One of them.” Actress Jessalyn Gilsig, who plays Meredith Gordon, wore our Pyrite Cube Drop Leather Necklace. One interesting tidbit: Pyrite’s name is derived from the Greek word ‘Pyr,’ which means fire, which is especially fitting for Gilsig’s character, as she possesses pyrokinetic powers. (The ability to create fire) The gemstone also fosters intelligence, mental stability, logic and analytical ability.

This stylish necklace is the first of our many pieces to appear on Heroes.  Other pieces in the collection will be revealed as the season continues, so stay tuned!

The Pyrite Cube Drop Leather Necklace was designed with a pyrite gemstone in unique cubic form, embraced by contemporary accents, on high-quality leather. Leu says, “I designed this necklace for an independent, intelligent, stylish and spiritual woman.”  The necklace retails at $195 and can be purchased online at http://wishgiving.com and shipped internationally.

View our Heroes Collection >>

We’re always looking for thoughtful things we can add to make your jewelry experience more meaningful.  We’ve been searching for the perfect quote for our packaging that represents the beauty in relationships, whether it is husband-wife, mother-daughter, friend-to-friend, etc.  There’s something very beautiful and intimate about giving and receiving gifts–a sense of nurturing a relationship through thoughtful gestures.  Hoping for something both endearing and beautiful that represents this feeling, we found this:

“It was but yesterday we met in a dream.
You have sung to me in my aloneness,
and I of your longings have built a tower
in the sky”
- Kahlil Gibran

Coming upon this quote, the reaction in the studio was an all-around sense of wonderment.  Gibran’s quote gives a truly intimate feeling that’s communicated to a loved one.  We hope that this quote inspires the same warm feelings to you as it did to us.

Sapphire is September’s birthstone, and it is a very special one.  The stone comes in virtually every color, featuring a beautiful, grainy texture.   It is mined from deposits in various locations throughout the world, such as Madagascar, Australia, and China.

The name “sapphire” was derived the Greek word “sapheiros” and the Latin word “saphirus,” both meaning the color blue.   This gemstone’s history dates back to as early as 800 B.C., when Persians believed that the sky was painted blue by sapphire stones.   For Buddhists, the stone was a symbol of friendship and loyalty.  Today, Sapphire is most closely associated with piety and chastity, and is said to bring wisdom and truth to one’s mind.

Blue Sapphire “Om” Necklace

August’s birthstone is Peridot, a lovely vibrant green gemstone valued for both its beauty and metaphysical features.

Peridot & Crystals Necklace

Peridot has been highly valued since ancient times. It is said that Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was a fan of this beautiful gemstone. Further, the stone was regarded as a protection against evil.

Modern believers say that peridot slows aging processes, increase confidence, and patience.

Lotus Pendant with Peridot

It’s not hard to live green. In fact, it can be a lot cheaper than an urban lifestyle. Here are five easy, economical ways to help the planet.

[Read more →]

July brings rich color with Ruby, Carnelian and Onyx!

Ruby

Ruby, a gemstone considered in ancient times as the “king of gems”, has a similar reputation metaphysically. It is believed to be one of the most powerful gemstones that are also believed to lend protection, and ward off bad dreams. It is also considered to be a very strong love stone that encourages self-love and sexual passions.

Carnelian

We love finding high quality carnelian stones because high-grade carnelians have intense, rich rouge tones, that easily portray passion. Not only does this gemstone metaphysically aid in passion, it is also considered an ideal gemstone to keep in family areas of homes to maintain healthy relationships. Learn more about carnelian here >>

Onyx

Onyx is an especially interesting stone as you can find it in black (its most known color), blue, and even green. We’re always excited to find Onyx in blues and greens as they’re more rare than black onyx. One interesting fact about onyx is that it was immensely popular with the Romans, particularly amongst their soldiers, who would wear Onyx as talismans for courage on the battlefield. Today, we see that Onyx benefits its wearer by helping one eliminate negative thinking, sharpen concentration, and relieves stress. Learn more about Onyx here >>

I love June, because it means that summer is officially here! Here in our Southern Californian studio, the temperature is sweltering hot at up to 106 degrees! On the flip side, June’s birthstones can be likened to the pale beauty of the moon. I often think of Pearl and Moonstone as some of the most feminine gemstones.

Pearl:

The traditional symbol for qualities such as love, success, happiness, modesty, chastity and purity, Pearl is also believed to help improve feelings of self-worth and knowledge of self. From ancient times, Pearls have been associated with luxury.

For a modern twist on the traditional strand of Pearls, the Asymmetrical Pearl Necklace has beautifully lustrous pearls, offset with high-grade large pearls for a decidedly contemporary effect.

For an instant classic, these Coin & Oval Pearl Earrings are a perfect modern interpretation of pearl drop earrings.

Moonstone

Moonstone is a perfect stone for women, as it is known to protect women and children and balances emotions. Some believe it to awaken tender passions and true love.

In this set of Peach Moonstone Drop Earrings, moonstone in a faceted cut and delicate peach tone is joined by a lustrous freshwater pearl. Finished with hand-forged sterling silver ear hoops.

The birthstone for the month of May is the emerald. Regarded as extremely high-quality stones, some emeralds can be more expensive than diamonds of the same carat weight. Beneath its luminous, transparent green appearance, however, are some very valuable spiritual qualities. Traditionally, emeralds were thought to increase the clairvoyance of its bearers.

The stone was very popular throughout history. Emeralds were Cleopatra’s favorite stone, as she often donned lavish emerald jewelry during her reign. Romans associated the gemstone with fertility and rebirth, and often buried it with mummies of their rulers. The stone was viewed an ultimate symbol of healing and love, and still is today.

Emerald 14k Gold Earrings

Emerald Green Crystals Earrings

Wishgiving’s Jewelry creates new gift-giving opportunities for Mother’s Day with sophisticated jewelry pieces perfect for mom.

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 23, 2008—Mother’s Day, a holiday celebrating the world’s most loved women, is a difficult holiday to shop for. Wishgiving’s varied collection of timeless pieces (http://www.wishgiving.com) makes it easy to find thoughtful Mother’s Day jewelry gift ideas. As a mother who has seen variations upon variations of the same birthstone necklace, Wishgiving’s designer and founder, Vanessa Leu encourages buyers to select thoughtful Mother’s Day pieces that rival mom’s unique beauty.

Instead of the same birthstone pendants for Mother’s Day gifts, Leu suggests choosing jewelry with unique gemstones whose energies are most suitable for mom. Wishgiving’s site makes this easy, with detailed information about each gemstone. “In our fast-paced society, it is touching to see people excited about choosing a thoughtful gift,” Leu says. “Many customers spend hours on our site shopping for their loved ones. One customer spent two days on our website to find a perfect gemstone for a Mother’s Day gift. She finally chose to give her mother an aquamarine necklace because aquamarine inspires courage and creativity. Her mother was overjoyed, and came back to our site before her daughter’s birthday to choose suitable gemstone for her daughter.”

Not only is each piece meticulously handcrafted to be heirloom quality jewelry, customers feel reassured knowing that their thoughtfully selected jewelry are packaged in decadent gift-boxes, taking the gift-wrap burden off of the gift-bearer.

Now through May 5, Wishgiving is offering a Mother’s Day Promotion with 20% off non-sale purchases with code MOM08. More information regarding Wishgiving’s wide-selection of unique handcrafted jewelry for Mother’s Day (ranging from $30-$400) and promotional details can be found at

http://www.wishgiving.com/mothersday

About Wishgiving
Wishgiving is a company that hopes to encourage good intentions with designs inspired by Eastern artistry and spirituality. Aside from Mother’s Day Jewelry Gifts, the company’s wide range of collections includes jewelry and accessories handcrafted with high quality gemstones, precious metals and unique finds.

Founder and designer, Vanessa Leu is a life-long artist and former journalist, who shares her acute knowledge of Chinese art, philosophy, and over forty years of devotion to Zen Buddhism. Her pieces marry the subtle spiritual beauty of Eastern artistry with a Western vision to introduce her heritage that is often lost in translation.

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