Studio Stories: The Pendant Pastel Gemstone Drop Necklace
What Is the Pendant Pastel Gemstone Drop Necklace?
The Pendant Pastel Gemstone Drop Necklace is a hand-fabricated gemstone necklace featuring an AAA-grade concave-cut green amethyst (prasiolite), yellow aquamarine, Australian opal, scapolite, kunzite, blue topaz, mystic quartz, Japanese Keshi Akoya pearls, purple sapphire, and grey sapphire, set on recycled 14/20k gold-filled paperclip and circle link chains. It is part of the Tamar Collection by Andrea Li Jewelry.
AAA grade is the highest quality tier in gemstone grading, reserved for stones in the top 10%, characterized by exceptional color saturation, near-flawless clarity, and cuts optimized for maximum brilliance. The concave-cut green amethyst that anchors this necklace meets that standard.
Some pieces arrive easily. This one unfolded slowly, revealing itself layer by layer.
How Did the Design for This Necklace Come Together?
The necklace began with familiar components from the Tamar Collection: gemstone clustering, paperclip chain, and soft pastel tones. But something about this configuration demanded a new approach. The center would resolve into a cluster, which felt clear. What was not immediately clear was how to extend it into something more significant, something that read as intentional rather than decorative.
The answer came from a set of blue topaz gemstones Andrea Li sourced at the Tucson Gem Show. They became the bridge, extending the central cluster downward into a dramatic drop that resolves in the AAA concave-cut green amethyst. The concave faceting on that stone catches light in a way that feels almost architectural: controlled, yet luminous. The curved facets, often described as "scallops," distribute light more evenly throughout the gemstone, resulting in a significantly more "sparkly" appearance compared to traditional cuts.
What Role Does the Chain Play in the Composition?
The substantial recycled 14/20k gold-filled paperclip chain grounds the delicacy of the gemstone cluster, creating tension between weight and translucence. Decorative gold "U" shapes flank the central cluster, and two topaz gemstones are positioned precisely where the necklace disappears around the neck.
That placement is not accidental. It balances the entire composition at the eye's vanishing point, the spot where the necklace transitions from visible to hidden. In hand-fabricated jewelry, these details determine whether a piece feels considered or merely assembled.
How Does the Palette Work Across So Many Stones?
The palette reads as watery pastels, translucent blues, soft greens, and quiet violet tones that feel like sea glass warmed by the sun. Across more than ten individually selected stones, the color story holds together because every material was chosen for how it relates to its neighbors rather than in isolation.
The final addition to the palette came during what Andrea Li describes as the contemplative stage, the period after fabrication when she lives with a piece while working on other projects, quietly studying it before release. During that stage, she identified a visual gap and added a slice of Australian opal with soft blue flashes to echo the gemstone palette and balance the cluster visually. That kind of late-stage refinement is only possible when a designer is willing to sit with a piece long enough to see what it still needs.
Why Does Blue Topaz Work as an Anchor Stone?
Blue topaz does not sparkle like a diamond, and that is precisely the point. With a naturally clean crystal structure and a lower refractive index than diamond, its beauty is not about frantic rainbow fire. It is about broad, glass-like flashes and saturated blue fields that feel calm, expansive, and architectural.
That optical character is why blue topaz thrives in step cuts and elongated shapes, where the eye can take in uninterrupted planes of color rather than scattered brilliance. In this necklace, the blue topaz stones do not compete for attention; they anchor the composition with composure, bridging the central cluster to the dramatic green amethyst drop below.
What Does It Mean to Be a Steward of a Piece?
Andrea Li describes her relationship to finished work not as ownership but as stewardship, a temporary guardianship of the materials, the skills that shaped them, and the brief window before each piece finds its permanent home.
This perspective shapes how every piece in the Tamar Collection is made. Nothing is rushed to market. Each design goes through a period of quiet evaluation where final adjustments are made, visual gaps are closed, and the piece is released only when it is ready. The result is jewelry that carries the patience of its making, work that was lived with before it was offered.
The Pendant Pastel Gemstone Drop Necklace is part of the Studio Stories series, where Andrea Li documents the design decisions, material choices, and making process behind each piece in the Tamar Collection.
