A live dragonfly is constantly on the move, never staying in one place for long. The producer of this brooch has created a dragonfly out of gemstones, one that can be made to stay in one place for as long as one desires. Some animals can have an unpleasant effect if they are represented too accurately. No doubt the conception of this piece was though out under the premise of creating something that emphasizes beauty over realism, while still being instantly recognizable as a dragonfly.

By using a combination of cabochon-cut emeralds and loop setting to represent the body, this brooch succeeds in capturing the essence of a dragonfly, evidence of the magnificent conception behind this effective use of small gemstones. The emeralds used here are very transparent, high-quality cabochons that were recut from faceted emeralds. This fact communicates the producer’s intent, which is not to make jewelry as cheaply as possible, but no make jewelry that is beautiful and comfortable to wear.

The dome-style ring shown below has eleven emerald cabochons set among pavé-set diamonds. When simply displayed, the emeralds in this ring appear somewhat light with a tone of 3; when worn on a finger, their color deepens and they exhibit a beautiful green with a pleasing tone of 4 1/2. As light enters from the back of the ring, the wide-open metalwork on the inside passes light through the stones and makes them appear lighter. Whether gemstones are faceted or cabochon cut, the brightness and the source of light-such as sunlight, incandescent light, or fluorescent light-will change their appearance. When choosing jewelry, it is important to make your decision under lighting conditions that are similar to those in which you will be wearing the jewelry. Pieces that look beautiful under the bright lights of a jewelry stone, but become dark and lose their beauty under weak lighting, are best avoided.