Journal
Making Glass Mosaic Jewelry with Smalti
Jun 23, 2022
Learn about the glass mosaic jewelry I make with smalti, which brings fade-proof, vibrant colors and subtle surface variations and bubbles. I also like incorporating a traditional element in my designs that has been used by artists for centuries.
Guide to Tourmaline Jewelry: Tourmaline Colors, Sources and Costs
May 16, 2022
The first time I saw a tourmaline gem, I couldn't identify it. I was looking in the window of a tiny shop in Tel Aviv where I saw a necklace with a flat stone set in gold. The stone looked like a slice of watermelon, green rind and red interior, a most unusual and gorgeous combination. I asked the shopkeeper about it, and she said that it was a slice of “Watermelon Tourmaline”. I was so entranced that I immediately began to look for sources from whom I could buy Watermelon Tourmalines for use in my own creations. After much online research, I found a reliable source in Jaipur, India who could provide not only watermelon tourmalines, but also other tourmalines in a beautiful array of colors that all are natural and untreated. I also wanted to know more about Watermelon Tourmalines, and Tourmalines in general. Here is what I discovered!
Meet Erica
Apr 04, 2022At RTJ we cast real women for our photoshoots. We love to learn about their lives and want to share their stories with you.
Erica Behrens, 58, is Director for the US and Canada of Franz Mayer of Munich, a firm that fabricates high-end glass and mosaic public art projects around the world. She has worked directly with contemporary artists for many years through galleries, museums and municipalities and lives in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York.