Horse Tails & Ant Hills - The Hidden Secrets of Garnets   FYI: Gemstones keep secrets, and it all starts with Horse Tails and Ant Hills!   Find out just what these cryptic clues mean in this week’s brand new, and the FIRST episode of Jewelry Navigator Podcast of 2022!   It’s the Year of the Tiger! Are you ready to POUNCE on more gem facts and jewelry stories?! Listen to Jewelry Navigator Podcast on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Podbean. 

As part of celebrating 20,000 downloads of the Jewelry Navigator Podcast, I'm featuring former podcast guests in the Jewelry Navigator™ Gift Guide. I’m so excited for many of the designers I’ve featured on the podcast who are having record sales this year through their perseverance and collaborative efforts with markets, niche shows, and boutiques. The Holiday Gift Guide is a celebration of the guests who have made Jewelry Navigator Podcast fun and interesting for 20,000...

About Jewelry Navigator Podcast: Listen to Jewelry Navigator Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and Google Podcasts. Brenna Pakes is the creative force behind Jewelry Navigator LLC, a collective platform to guide consumers to smart jewelry choices.   As a GIA Graduate Gemologist with an undergraduate degree in geology, Brenna has enjoyed nearly twenty years of retail jewelry experience as a gemologist and jewelry consultant. 
Through Jewelry Navigator, she shares...

How many times have you visited your jewelry box to discover twisted, tangled chains, orphaned, earrings, or rings missing gemstones?   Much of our forgotten jewelry is abandoned due to disrepair, but how can you tell what is worth keeping? What looks like junk may be forgotten treasures! In this episode of Jewelry Navigator Podcast, I share a few helpful tips on what to look for to easily identify jewelry of value in your Jewelry Box Graveyard using clues from the metals with which...

Nan Fusco’s Versatile Jewelry Designs Redefine  Luxury Jewelry   Like many artists, Nan Fusco didn’t start her jewelry career in gem or design courses.   Nan’s former career and formal training are in graphic design.   Skilled with reading a client’s style and needs, Nan’s ability to design around a concept beautifully highlight the fossils and stones she selects as the focal points of her jewelry.   Making jewelry versatile through aspects of changeability and movement is one of Nan’s...

Azra Mehdi is a practicing attorney and balances her family life with her passion for fine jewelry as a designer of timeless gold jewelry.   Azra founded Au Xchange, a platform for sharing fine jewelry created by women designers.   In spite of pandemic obstacles, Azra took advantage of the time during lockdowns to apply for the Zales Designer Spotlight Showcase and won as the only woman designer of color for the showcase.   Originally from India, Azra shares how gold jewelry influenced her...

HHi! Welcome to Jewelry Navigator! I’m your host, Graduate Gemologist,  Brenna Pakes. Here on Jewelry Navigator, and as a Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute of America, and a jewelry professional, I’m in a unique position to share jewelry tips and stories. More than ever, it’s important to support small, independent jewelry designers and businesses. It’s my pleasure to guide consumers to smart jewelry choices through an informative and entertaining platform. For sneak peeks into...

Last week, on Jewelry Navigator Podcast, “Here's to the Men in Our Lives - Jewelry to Celebrate Men and Dads”, I featured jewelry for men, and Tin Haus was featured with the Andromeda ring. Christina Grace, founder of Tin Haus, is a Graduate Jeweler from GIA, an artist, and currently completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.   What inspires me the most about Christina is the unhindered path she creates for yourself. When we tap into the stillness of our souls with courage and sincerity...

Men tend to get overlooked with jewelry - Watches and wedding bands are the staples for most men, while signet, diamond and gemstone statement rings as signature statements. Educating consumers with unique selections of gemstones and jewelry has always been a primary focus for Jewelry Navigator. In this Jewelry Navigator Podcast episode, I'm highlighting designers who've been featured on the podcast, as well as one who will be very soon with jewelry designed to enhance and celebrate the men...

This is a brief episode today. I didn't include my normal introduction, so if this is your first episode, welcome.To understand what my platform is, please listen to any other episode, and you'll understand. After feeling paralyzed, not knowing how to move forward with the current chaos, I felt it appropriate to encourage my listeners, and everyone, to ask questions.Questions of how to move forward with compassion and understanding.Questions of what to do next, and how to help.Questions of...