Monday’s Metal & Smith show was solidly stocked with emerging talent and was just the place to discover and fall in love with a new line. Much like at the event’s inaugural run last fall, there was plenty of jewelry that caught my attention, from a magnificent rubellite and deep-purple amethyst ring by Yoki to a stack of baguette-flecked cuffs by Julez Bryant. There were tons of blackened metal streaked with gold. There were luminous boulder opals and moonstones. There were skulls andhearts and a tiny squirrel hiding in an acorn.

Still, it’s this pair of earrings I can’t stop thinking about.

Earrings in 14k white gold with 10.25 cts. t.w. elmerite, 3.89 cts. t.w. boulder opal, 3.89 cts. t.w. blue zircon, and 2.27 cts. t.w. diamonds, $5,656; Eden Presley

Done in a palette plucked straight from a Slim Aarons poolscape, they’re basically a tropical contact high. To wit: “I’m a native Floridian, and although I’ve lived in New York for 25 years, I always miss the colors of home, so you’ll see them a lot in my work,” says Gwen Myers, the designer behind Eden Presley (the line is named for her two daughters).

The other thing that drew me in? The design’s use of elmerite, or green obsidian, a stone I’d never heard of before that hails from Ethiopia. To the naked eye, it hovers somewhere between the color of apatite and mint tourmaline and just generally looks more expensive than its price tag would suggest. More good news: The gem is said to have protective properties and promote serenity, encouraging the wearer to forgive the past and move forward with grace.

Myers came by this elmerite at a New Jersey gem and mineral show last year, but this definitely might be one to add to your JCK Tucson shopping list!

Amy Elliott

JCK Contributing Editor