Tea & Gemstones

Aug 06 2024 40 ep. 29 mins
Tea & Gemstones Podcast artwork

All Things Jewelry! Your home for a happy shiny mix of social commentary and gemstone history. Dish on today's modern jewelry trends and discover designers both classic and new. We also get historical and science-y; let's talk epic diamonds, scandals, royal crown jewels and why certain gems are the way they are. Basically, come in and enjoy all things shimmer glimmer and shine.

  Education  Arts  Society & Culture
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039. Suffragette Jewelry

Aug 06 2024 24 mins  
"Jewelry is how you show the world what you're thinking without saying a word." This is a popular mantra at Tea & Gemstones. How did Suffragettes -a woman seeking the right to vote through organized protest- use jewelry for their cause? We'll learn how jewelry worked to establish their camaraderie, put forth their message (there's no social media in the early 1900s!), counter h

038. Ouroburos

Sep 25 2023 30 mins  
People like the concept of jewelry representing "forever." But what does a forever symbol look like to you? Well... for thousands of years there was one popular and revered icon of eternity: the ouroboros, or "tail-devourer" Let's break away from the stigma of snake fear, and walk through time and history to meet this ancient and complex jewelry motif. Please leave a rating/review

037. Cottagecore

Sep 11 2023 31 mins  
When life gets big and scary and we feel overwhelmed... how do we seek daily comfort? What restores us when we are stressed and tired? Science says: Nature! How does the rejuvenating power of plants connect to the rise of a trendy aesthetics-only movement birthed from the collective anxiety of 2020? Let me introduce you... to Cottagecore. It's the specific niche of nature jewelry y

036. The Imitators

Aug 28 2023 32 mins  
Welcome to Season Three! Let's dive into the world of sparkly masquerade; the stones we prize because they're "like" a diamond. But these imitators deserve to stand and shine on their own merit. Come in and meet them; you might just fall in love. Please leave a rating/review if you're enjoying the podcast! It makes a huge difference in the algorithm to help the show Patreon for exc

035. Labradorite

Feb 28 2023 19 mins  
Opals may reign supreme as the most popular iridescent gemstone... but labradorite is coming for their throne. Let me introduce you to this gorgeous feldspar. It is a stone with a galaxy of visual magic within it, believed by legend to be the birthplace of the Aurora Borealis. How is this stone created, where is it found and what are it's believed metaphysical properties? There's a

034. Carmen Lucia Ruby

Feb 13 2023 20 mins  
The rich red of the ruby is a well-established representative of love. But one astoundingly exquisite ruby in the Smithsonian National Gem Collection has a particularly interesting romantic history. Let's journey to uncover the origins and not-so-ancient psychology of rubies, how this gem is caught up in modern day political turmoil, and what it means to ensure a loved one's name i

033. History of Birthstones

Jan 31 2023 23 mins  
The notion of assigning a gemstone to represent a specific calendar month is a concept both ancient and modern, with shifting definitions through time. Let's pull birthstone's origins from the fog of history, talk about who exactly made the current month assignment lists (and why) and how birthstones as an entity play into the psychology of healthy self-definition. Please leave a r

032. JUSKA (Jewelry U Should Know About): Daniela Villegas

Jan 17 2023 16 mins  
It is my pleasure to introduce you to jewelry designer Daniela Villegas. She flawlessly and creatively mixes together the natural world, exquisite materials and a lot of imagination. The first thing you see on Daniela's Instagram bio is a list of 17 colorful emojis ranging from a hedgehog, to a caterpillar, a crab and a crystal ball. Come discover her unique inspirations and jewelr

031. Gemstones of the Zodiac

Jan 02 2023 44 mins  
Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. These are the 12 signs of the Zodiac. Whether or not you believe in the power of astrology, the unshakable fact is the stars were in a certain alignment when YOU were born. But did you know each of the zodiac signs has a corresponding representative gemstone? Do you know yours? A

030. Fanciful Feathers

Dec 20 2022 37 mins  
Take flight! There is no other creature so dually harmonizing pure aesthetic beauty and meaningful imagery than the bird. We discuss the origins of bird jewelry (about 130,000 years ago) and trace mankind's fascination with birds rendered into bling through ancient civilizations, Napoleon, World War II and into the modern high jewelry houses like Tiffany & Co's iconic "Bird on