What do you mean, it is the WRONG color?

by Kimberley Thompson, Tastemaker in Residence

JB Hudson - Vintage

“The heart is, ummm, BLUE. Isn’t that the wrong color?”

(Honestly, there are days when I need to keep reminding myself that I TRULY LOVE what I do!)

I have a stunning late Victorian circa 1890’s heart brooch in my estate case. It is classically simple, beautifully wrought by a talented craftsman using rare American gemstones and  natural seed pearls. It is changeable from a pin to pendant for more versatility. The proportions are generous; but not unwieldly.

But these attributes are not what people notice! Nope. One and all have commented on the brooch’s color; which happens to be a juicy violet-ish blue! Lovely, stunning, dreamy blue! BLUE.

Sigh.

Cannot a heart BE blue? Must they always be red? Hot pink? Carmine? Are they not recognizable as a heart if they are any color other than red (or some reddish derivatives?)

Consider the sapphire: found in all colors, but red. (In its red form, it is ruby!) A precious blue gemstone of which fine bright blue color is rare. Their hardness is just below that of a diamond, making the sapphire very desirable for jewelry.

Blue sapphire is believed to be the gemstone of marriage and relationships: it is purported to fade if your partner is unfaithful.

Blue sapphires are also thought to protect travellers and explorers.

Consider the phrase “True blue.”

“First recorded in the 1630s; the story used to be told that the city of Coventry in the English midlands was famous for dyeing a blue that would neither change color nor fade in washing, and that true blue was coined to indicate a person who would likewise never alter their principles nor their allegiances." Quote by, World Wide Words: Investigating the English Language Across the Globe.

Merriam Webster states that the words “True Blue,” mean unswerving loyalty, genuine, completely faithful and loyal to a person or an idea.

Over 4 carats of amazing American sapphires from Yogo Gulch, Montana are set side by side forming the bombe’ heart. The sapphires are outlined by a ribbon of small natural seed pearls. Perfectly pure innocence with a pin stem! Does it matter that the pin is BLUE?

American sapphires have a long and varied history in the world of jewelry. The late George Kunz (Tiffany & Co.) declared Yogo Gulch sapphires to be the “finest precious gemstones ever found in the United States.”  Most production of the Montana sapphires was used by Tiffany & Co. or Johnson, Walker & Tolhurst of London, England. The Montana mines are either closed or mined sporadically today.

Why cannot a heart be BLUE?