JEWELLERY JOURNAL
HALO AND HURT
Hanna Dawson-Smith hails from the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne and has been a large proponent of coloured gemstone jewellery. If I were to describe the jewellery that Hanna makes, it would be “an exceptional mixture”. With homage to the art-deco style of jewellery design, her pieces almost always incorporate a fancy and modern gemstone. Whether it may be in colour or in shape, Hanna uses her expertise to create stunning pieces. On a personal level though Hanna herself could be described as a person with a heart of gold!
Each piece of jewellery has a journey from the time a client purchases it. It also has a story that many are unaware of, and that is the story of making. So without further ado let’s explore each of the beautiful pieces in her gallery using gemstones that we’ve sold her. And trust us, there is a lot to get through!
Oh and before we forget, if you like any of her pieces and would like to get a piece made here is her contact card. Do not hesitate, get your perfect piece made today!
Hanna Dawson-Smith
Halo and Hurt
haloandhurt@gmail.com
OCTAGON-SHAPED, AUSTRALIAN PARTI SAPPHIRE
This piece is probably one of our favourite pieces in 2023. Hannah has a specific design which she calls “My Heart You Have”, which is what you will find most of the rings being made conceptually. However, this one stands out because of the double-rayed metal halo surrounding the centre stone.
Not only that the gemstone which it contains is from our first batch of Australian Parti Sapphires which we had cut in our lapidary. The stone itself is 0.78 Carats, which in the grand spectrum of things is nowhere as large as a 1 or 2-carat… but the mixture of green and yellow within the stone sure packs a punch.
When Hanna chose the stone it was in a display box of 35 stones. If you trawl through our Instagram, you’ll find our well-known among the jewellery industry “35-stone display boxes”. And no doubt this one was an absolute eye-catcher. The stone is unheated and uncommon for Australian Sapphires, quite bright. Hanna has undoubtedly done this stone justice in its make and photography!
I’ve also included a video of the final piece for your viewing pleasure!
SUPERMAN PENTAGON-SHAPED, PYROPE GARNET
When we visit the different cities of Australia, we carry different amounts and variety of stock on each trip. On one of our trips we visited Hanna, as per her request and she was interested in the Superman cut garnet in the box on the right-hand side.
Every gemstone dealer/merchant has garnets, so other than the quality and precision cutting on our gemstones we needed another way to be unique. Cutting garnets in multiple fancy cuts was the way to do so. So this box was like red candy popping in the sunlight.
Just like the other rings that Hanna has in this gallery, this ring was designed as a “My Heart You Have” design. This time the inclusion of multiple metals and alloys into the piece creates its eye-catching charm! The intricate attention to detail in this piece is what got it catching the dreams of the admirer. Look at the intricate indentations and patterning in the band itself. It is truly what constitutes the difference between a good piece of jewellery and an excellent piece of jewellery.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a video of the final piece of this one… wish I did… it would have been spectacular in the sunlight.
TRILLIANT SHAPED, AFRICAN ZIRCON
Zircon is one of those gemstones which is heavily underrated. And it only takes a jeweller who recognises the gemstone’s potential to utilise it and create a stunning piece! The trilliant-shaped zircon in this piece weighed a total of 2.20 carats, which is a pretty regular size for Zircon. The stone hails from our mines in the continent of Africa.
The ring in this piece is a mixture of the classical “toi et moi” structure and Hanna’s characteristic mixture of metal textures! She said that for this piece an “organic vibe” is what she was looking. Hence was what she leaned towards in her creative inspiration. The colour mixture of the trilliant zircon with the other zircon from Hanna’s existing gemstone collection creates a unique dichotomy of colours. The bold and pronounced claws in this piece create a strong atmosphere for the wearer.
To be truly content with a piece of jewellery, the wearer has to appreciate the intricacies of the piece, from the use of the sparkle of a zircon(which, by the way, is almost the same as a diamond) to the textured metal in the piece.
The different perspectives of the piece that she had posted on Instagram provide a further appreciation of the piece, which sometimes even a video cannot encapsulate!
SUPERMAN PENTAGON-SHAPED, TEAL AUSTRALIAN SAPPHIRE
This piece has more of a story than what meets the eye. Back in February 2023, Hanna had purchased a beautiful pentagon-shaped aquamarine. However, once the gemstone was ready to be set into the piece it was chipped in the process. The unfortunate danger of working with fancy aquamarine is that extra care is needed with corners. Aquamarine, as the stone is relatively soft anyways compared to that of a sapphire.
Stone chipped? Want a replacement? She came to us for a replacement stone. When we attempt to find replacement stones they have to be the same dimensions as the chipped stone. The impossibility of which in this case is palpable as the stone was a fancy-cut gemstone. In addition, all of the angles of the sides have to be the same or similar to the original stone. That all being said, The Gem Monarchy has a vast collection of gemstones… and guess what? We found a winner.
This delicious Australian Sapphire was also from our first batch of Australian-mined gemstones, weighing 0.81 carats. It has a stunning teal colour leaning more towards green than blue. Suffice it to say, the stone was a beautiful centre eye-catcher to Hanna’s classical “My Heart You Have” design.
OVAL-SHAPED, TEAL AUSTRALIAN SAPPHIRE
This has got to be one of the fastest turn-arounds for jewellery that we have ever seen. This beautiful Australian Sapphire we sold Hanna in November and within a couple of days she had made the piece and already posted it on Instagram for all of her followers to see. The jewellery piece itself is a beautiful Signet Ring with a multi-stone setting. The yellow gold in the piece creates a beautiful harmony between the sapphire and the diamonds embedded within it. The style of the signet is probably different from what you’ve seen already in this gallery. However, the difference is a testament to the versatility that Halo and Hurt as a brand provide.
We’ve included the original box in which that oval was in. And by far that was probably one of the best, if not, the best stone in that whole box. Hanna’s eye for beautiful gemstones is something that nearly every jeweller aspires towards. And of course, there’s plenty more where such amazing stones come from. The beauty of Australian Parti Sapphires is all in the mixture of colour. The stone which was selected has a stronger partition of colour of green and yellow. Naturally, this colour mixture epitomises the truest of true Australia. When Australia goes to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games what are the colours? That’s right green and yellow!
The Signet Style is a personal favourite of ours because you can mix and match, put any coloured gemstone (from The Gem Monarchy) you like in there, and Viola! you got yourself an immensely unique piece for those fingers.
FANCY SHIELD, SPINEL
One of the revolving themes around Hanna’s classical themes is the coloured gemstone which is used. With a fancy shape, yet with an element of symmetry. This beautiful jewellery piece is made in the style of “My Heart You Have.” The top of the ring having the same ray and the bottom having a link design!
The gemstones itself is a beautiful, steely blue spinel with a carat weight of 0.84 carats. We’ve included a studio photograph of the gemstone. The stone is probably one of the first gemstones which Hanna bought from us; it was at our first time participating at The Jewellery Industry Fair in Melbourne 2023. We sing praises about spinels because of some very specific reasons.
- They have the perfect hardness for an everyday wear ring.
- They have the perfect affordability, not too expensive compared to that of sapphires and diamonds.
- They have a characteristic colour shift(or at least the Sri Lankan material does) where in sunlight the colour comes out and indoors the steely overtone is the highlight.
She purchased a whole heap of other gemstones during this trip and safe to say that this one was most probably the best stone, which had left our collection.
PEAR SHAPED, SPINEL
One of the best feelings of gratification is when a piece of jewellery gets sold and then you get calls from a couple of other customers that want the exact same design and piece made. This was one such instant, where Hanna’s client saw a previous piece but wanted a bigger centre stone for her piece of jewellery. The previous piece adorned a spinel which Hanna had in her own collection, which she purchased before she started purchasing gemstones from The Gem Monarchy.
So she had contacted us to find an option for a client. The exact specifications were something as close to 10mm in height as possible. We had three to four options available, so we sent to her on-approval for her client to sell. The individuals, you’ll be able to have a look at the “behind-the-scenes” video which Hanna had posted on Instagram. The client then had the option of choosing the specific stone which spoke to her! Of course the style of the piece once again was a “My Heart You Have”.
Finally the stone that was chosen came to a carat weight of 1.42 carats, which was a significantly sized gemstone. One that would draw the attention of anyone passing by. In addition it’s a gemstone from us here at The Gem Monarchy, with an unbeatable sparkle and polish!
Hanna very graciously has posted a video of the making process which you are more than welcome to check out!
MODIFIED TRILLIANT, INDICOLITE TOURMALINE
Indicolite Tourmaline is one of the most sought after tourmaline varieties in the world, mainly due to their light teal colour and close colour resemblance to the ever-so-popular Paraiba Tourmaline. This gemstone was on display at the Jewellery Industry Fair in Melbourne and was one of the stones that Hanna had purchased along with one of the aforementioned fancy cut spinel. And of course she told us that it was because the colour of the stone that she was immediately drawn to it! Although the stone itself does have some slight inclusions, to the naked eye they are negligible.
We were also quite happy in how the studio photograph of the stone also turned out. The trilliant shape in the world of coloured gemstones is something which isn’t utilised often, but it sure gives other traditional cut gemstones a run for their money!
At this point it is our belief that any amazing gemstone in a “My Heart You Have” ring design is a dream ring! The unique feature on this piece is in the setting in itself. It has both a claw setting and a bezel setting, complementing the truly stunning gemstone which the piece contains.
A truly unique entity!
FANCY KITE SHAPED, TOURMALINE
The colour on this beautiful gemstone is hard to describe. Is it olive green or is it mossy green? Who knows. But however you want to describe it, you can’t deny that it is an absolute sparkler of a gemstone. This tourmaline was also purchased by Hanna at The Jewellery Industry Fair in Melbourne 2023! It weighed a modest 0.86 carats and really caught Hanna’s eye!
With all the “My Heart You Have” designs and jewellery pieces that Hanna has come up with for our gemstones, you’d think that this would have gone into one as well. However she surprised us with this intricate piece. With a matte gold finish with engraving, the piece contains a wide band, making sure that the whole height of the gemstone is covered. In our opinion it’s the perfect piece which encapsulates the whole theme of Hanna’s brand aesthetic! Something fancy, something symmetrical and something unique.
Hanna has the ability to take any coloured gemstone that we’ve sold her and bring out the best, by utilising her skill and her vision. And this piece is an exceptional example where this is the case! And what a joy that we are all able to revel in its natural beauty.
A true wonder indeed!
TRILLIANT SHAPED, MADAGASCAN SAPPHIRE
When it comes to teal sapphires, there’s a few countries which produce such lovely colours. First on the spectrum is Montana, providing pastel teals, then Madagascar, providing medium teals, along with Sri Lanka. Then there are the Australian teal sapphires, which are rich in iron, making them relatively dark. This stunning sapphire is a Madagascan Teal Sapphire, and boy did it catch Hanna’s eye, when she was going through our display at The Jewellery Industry Fair in Melbourne 2023. We were even more delighted when she had posted this photo of the final piece.
The deviation from the norm of “My Heart You Have” in this ring is that only yellow gold has been used in this piece. Its intention to highlight the sheer contrast between the teal and the gold, once again driving importance to the centre stone and the beautiful colour which it emanates. The intricate attention to detail features a milgrain texturing on the bezel, something which is used by Hanna to create a harmonious symposium between the stone and the rest of the ring.
