Monica Vinader men's jewelry

Monica Vinader Jewellery offers something unexpected.  It is unique and always a little extravagant. Her pieces seemingly tell the story of her life of collecting curiosities from around the world. 

Her inspiration comes from her native Spain, Central & South America, and her home, a studio in Norfolk, England.  Endless colour, experience and culture.

As one of the most highly regarded designers in the UK jewellery industry, it is little wonder that some of the biggest and most luxurious high street stores in the UK have been clambering over eachother to stock Monica's collections. 

Liberty, Harvey Nichols and Conran's stock her ranges in London alone, yet despite her success, the Monica Vinader brand remains as exclusive and sought after as ever.

 

From her world inspiration come pieces of hand-cut stones showcased in silver, all hallmarked in the UK. These unique pieces offer individual stories.

 

Stories that find you wearing Monica Vinader while you are riding in Argentina, hosting at Ascot, trekking in Marrakech, surfing in Sydney and above all, being uniquely yourself.

Monica began as the creative vision behind jeweller Robert Tateossian. Then as an independant designer created her eponymous collection in 2002 which has been showcased across the UK and Europe to rapturous applause. 

Magic in silver. Stephen Websters Mens Jewellery Collection.

Stephen Webster is the ultimate diamond geezer.  From a modest start in the Thames estuary town of Gravesend, near London, he has attracted some of the entertainment world's most alluring glamorous clients and established a loyal continually evolving, global customer base and in honour of his enthusiasm, commitment and creativity, has achieved several clean-sweeps in the jewellery trade's glittering prizes.  

Four-times 'Luxury Jeweller of the Year' in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005, 'Jewellery Designer of the Year' in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006.  He is a freeman of the city of London.

But while the jewels in Stephen Webster's beautiful pieces may be exquisitely multifaceted, his vision has always been singularly focused.

With magpie-like tendencies apparently hardwired into his DNA, Webster's love of things that shimmer and glisten found him attending a Jewellery and Silversmith course at Medway College of Design aged just 16. 

During that very first term Stephen found himslf fired up with a passion for jewellery design and craftsmanship that remains at the top of his professional agenda to this day.

What makes Stephen Webster such an effortlessly contemporary, unconventional but persistently relevant star in the fine jewellery firmament is the way the designer cleverly blends a love of traditional craft values with his innate love of contemporary music, fashion and modern, rap 'n' roll street styles.  It's a unique and edgy approach that has been some 30 years in the making.

Meanwhile, his unassailably stellar celebrity client roster continues to grow at pace. The past few years have seen Stephen fashioning beautiful, one-off pieces for the likes of Madonna, Sharon Stone, Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopes, Cameron Diaz, Pink and Christina Aguilera. 

He’s also made mens jewellery for Elton John, Jay Z, Ozzy Osbourne, Johnny Depp, Nicholas Cage and Michael Stipe.

Thanks to Stephen Webster's influence and passion, the men’s market has become a key area of growth.

 
With his Stephen’s industrious talent he has helped coloured gemstones and fine jewellery back into the fashion zeitgeist and has been a key player in attitudes to jewellery.

"Things have changed" he says. "The fear factor, the reverence and the rather staid formality have all but disappeared. Magazines now have fashion shoots featuring cheap H&M jeans worn with £5000 diamond rings. Having a diamond-studded accent to a watch or a piece of jewellery no longer marks a customer as a flashy, ostentatious type. It just makes a person look more…lively."

Stephen's History After completing his training under Tony Shepherd, a former Prime Warden of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Stephen worked as a craftsman for several established London design houses. 

Amongst many highly regarded commissions was the honour - on two occasions - of setting the De Beers Diamond Stakes Trophy.

In 1982 he moved to Canada to set up and run a small studio designing and producing for an independent jeweller.  After returning briefly to the UK in 1984, Stephen could not resist the opportunity to move to sunny California where his bold style, employing unusual and exotic gems, continued to take shape with the help of an open-minded and enthusiastic audience.

Confronted by resistance to his bold and colourful style of jewellery in the UK, Stephen continued to focus on his market in the USA.  Slowly but surely collections such as ‘Jungle Fever’, ‘Crystal Haze’, ‘Thorn Noir’ and ‘Attention Seeker’ provoked intrigue and acceptance for the British designer that followed no trend.

In 1988, Stephen returned to London to establish the company that is now known as Stephen Webster Ltd.  

Now, with one of the largest jewellery manufacturing and design studios in London’s West End, Stephen Webster is widely considered to be one of the international scene’s most accomplished and exciting designers.

His company has expanded worldwide with independent boutiques in Seoul, Moscow & St Petersburg and over 50 concessions in the United States as well as Dubai, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. More stores are planned for the former Soviet Republics in the near future.

info:www.thornjewellery.co.uk

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The Symbols on a Masonic Ring

For today there is a considerable quantity of Masonic lodges with rich history and with the held sacred traditions. These traditions including concern and jewelry which have great value at masons. One of such traditions - carrying of Masonic rings. Symbols containing on these rings can tell about their owners much. We will try to understand them...

The square and compasses in stating that there are a large number of symbols to be seen on Masonic rings. The first three degrees in Freemasonry are knows as the Blue Lodge and contain an incredible wealth of symbolism. 

Among the most common are the square and compasses, typically the most prominent symbols on a Masonic ring and seen as representative of the Masonic fraternity as a whole.

Most rings featuring the square and compasses will also feature a "G" in their center. However, in modern times it has again become popular to replace the "G" with the All-Seeing Eye (or Eye of Providence). Both of these represent Deity. 

Some are packed with a large number of additional symbols, sometimes too small to make out. Usually these are taken from the Blue Lodge rituals and will include the plumb, level, beehive, and Volume of the Sacred Law.

Past Master Rings

Past Master's insignia After a Mason has served as the Worshipful Master of his lodge, he will sometimes wear a ring with one of the various Past Master symbols.

The most common of these are the compasses opened to 60º, typically with a quadrant replacing the square. Inside the compasses is usually a depiction of the Sun with a face, or a mounted precious gem.

 

The compasses, quadrant, and Sun are commonly used as the symbol of a Past Master in most parts of the United States, and can also be found on Masonic aprons, lapel pins, and other items.

Aude, Vide, Tace and Other Latin Mottos

A number of Latin mottos can be found on Masonic rings, several of which are mentioned in Hoye's article. Aude, Vide, Tace means "to hear, to see, to be silent," and is part of an old proverb that originally said, "Listen, see, and be silent if you wish to live in peace."4 It has frequently been confused with similar mottos such as "To know, to dare, to keep silent." In any case, Aude, Vide, Tace reminds a Freemason of his vows of secrecy, and thus makes an excellent inscription for a ring.

 

In hoc signo vinces is another common Latin motto found on Masonic jewelry, but it is not used in the Blue Lodge. Instead, this motto, which roughly translates as "By this standard, conquer," originally came from the legendary dream of Constantine I. It has been used as a motto by numerous organizations, states, and schools since then,5 and in a Masonic context, it is typically associated with the highest degrees in York Rite Freemasonry.

Usually accompanied by a double-headed eagle, Spes mea in deo est is a motto used by the 32º of the Scottish Rite, and translates as "My hope is in God."

Finally, Virtus junxit mors non separabit is another Latin motto that will occasionally be found on Masonic rings. Translated as "Whom virtue unites, death shall not separate," it is a motto used in the Lodge of Perfection, which is part of the Scottish Rite.

Other Masonic Symbols

Among the other symbols that may be found on a Masonic ring are included dozens from appendant bodies. Scimitars and stars from the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (known more commonly as the Shriners), the triple-tau of the Royal Arch Masons, and the double-headed eagle of the Scottish Rite are frequently found. In addition, for many years every Scottish Rite Mason received a ring with the Hebrew letter yod (which looks like a type of apostrophe) upon reaching the 14º, or Lodge of Perfection. All of these rings are common.

Shriners emblem The double-headed eagle is the most common symbol associated with the Scottish Rite. There are several variations. 

For instance in some jurisdictions, the symbol for the 32º has a triangle with the number 32 on the eagle's breast, while the 33º contains a triangle with the number 33 above the eagle's heads. Sometimes the shape of the eagle's heads or wings can indicate the jurisdiction in which it originated, as well.

Conclusion

Examining the symbolism of Masonic rings is not exactly an easy task, but by becoming familiar with the symbolism of Freemasonry, most will become plainly evident. Acquiring such a familiarity is quite simple: most of the symbols in Masonic jewelry are common and well-known to Masons, and have been written about in dozens of books. A trip to the public library might provide a wealth of information, as would a simple phone call to a local Masonic lodge.

I bring to your attention rich photo gallery of the Masonic rings which exhibits will give you real representation on this interesting theme...

info: www.transformason.org