Turquoise is a wonderfully versatile stone, but it’s one that I often associate with heat. The heat of the summer cooled by turquoise blue waters, the heat of the desert kept at bay by a cool turquoise amulet. It’s just not the kind of stone I dream of when I’m wrapped in ten blankets and wearing two pairs of fuzzy socks (we’re strangely stingy with heat in our house). It’s the stone for white linen dresses and LBDs, for dreamy vacations and island sunsets.

Or so I thought.

Obviously the birthstone chart knows better than me, given that turquoise belongs to December and all, so there must be plenty of evidence to suggest the gemstone is suited to this chilly time of year.

But of course there is.

There’s evidence for miles to prove the power of turquoise as a year-round looker, but we’ll start with a pair of earrings that made my jaw drop, from a designer that’s quite familiar with creating jaw-droppers.

Lydia Courteille has designed this festive pair, as part of her Nuevo Mundo collection. It looks all dressed up for a memorable celebration, one I very much hope to attend.

A flowy gathering of white gold ribbon—glittering with rubies, sapphires, tsavorites, and diamonds—is fastened by a carved turquoise flower, one for each ear. The brightly colored pair—and the other pieces alongside it in the Nuevo Mundo collection—is inspired by the history of the Mayans in Guatemala, incorporating their legends, multicolor patterns and fashions, and jewelry.

Clearly, the collection has made an impression on me. I didn’t even realize I had written about another pair of earrings from this line back in May, styled like a rainbow road and featuring gorgeous trapiche emeralds.

While that pair felt perfectly suited to the summer months, this one seems a nice fit for the upcoming holidays, complete with its own festive, sparkling bows.

Top: Nuevo Mundo earrings in 18k gold with turquoise, tsavorite, sapphire, ruby, and diamonds, price on request; Lydia Courteille

Brittany Siminitz

JCK Contributing Editor