In addition to the Horse Beauty pageant, Turkmenistan will be holding a national competition for carpet makers, jewelry makers, and sculptors.  Each group of artists are being encouraged to embody the horse’s beauty into art.

We can’t wait to see the entries, particularly where the jewelry makers are concerned. Great horse jewelry is all about capturing the beauty of horses, their grace, their passion, their majesty and power.

Cameo Horse Jewelry

When you buy horse jewelry for yourself – or as a gift for your sweetheart, as Valentine’s Day is less than a week away! – you want to choose only those pieces that you find personally beautiful.  A piece of horse jewelry must speak to you. You must enjoy looking at it, wearing it, and having it be part of your horse jewelry collection.

This beautiful double horse head cameo necklace certainly qualifies on every level. Carved from Italian agate,the necklace features hues ranging from deep navy blue to pure white.  Graceful and elegant, the pendant features a bit of whimsy: the flowing manes evoke an almost magical, otherworldly sense to the piece.  A delicate twisted wire bezel of 14K gold surrounds the pair. Great for horse lovers of every age, and absolutely romantic. The fine features, especially the pointed ears, of the horses reminds us of the Akhal-Tekke, and we’re absolutely sure that the judges in Turkmenistan would love this pendant.  How about you?

That being said, we don’t necessarily recommend offering yourself up as the obstacle! You have to wonder who the guy in the center ticked off to draw that particular assignment at the horse show….

Hunter/Jumper Horse Jewelry

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.  If you’re going to buy your sweetheart horse jewelry for Valentine’s Day, consider selecting a piece that closely reflects their interests. Eventing is a passion: people who spend all of their time, money, and energy in the hunter/jumper world do so because they love it.  Select jewelry that reflects that love!

Bangle Bracelets are a perpetually popular option for Valentine’s Day. This Sterling Silver Hunter/Jumper bangle bracelet features a sculpted horse head with exquisite detail. A low, flat design makes it ideal for everyday wear: beauty can be durable!  Sized for a larger wrist, this bangle bracelet can be worn by men and women.  If you’re looking for a daintier version, check out this version. Slightly slimmer, this bracelet also features the detailed sculpture of a hunter/jumper’s head.

Earrings make a great Valentine’s Day gift! These sterling silver studs shaped like horses’ heads feature the same detailing seen in the bracelets. These earrings are small enough to be worn in the show ring and are great for everyday wear. You can dress them up or down: they go from home to office to dinner seamlessly – always appropriate and always stylish.

Valentine’s Day is all about the sentiment.  More than any other holiday, this is when it truly is the thought that counts.  Knock your sweetie’s socks off by presenting them with horse jewelry that’s stylish, high quality and reflects their love for their hunter/jumper – who they adore nearly as much as they love you!

And perhaps I’m more than a little nostalgic for Norman Thelwell’s ponies.  Do you remember them?  With touseled manes, snarled tails, and determined helmeted riders, Thelwell’s ponies were a staple of my childhood, decorating storybook pages and china mugs.  I collected such things as proof of my love for all things equine – even if I got no closer to the show ring than leading Sugar around and around and around the corral!

Of course, you live, you learn. Growing up means discovering that fresh fruit and vegetables are better than candy and cake – for you and for your horse!  When we love someone, we want what’s best for them.  And boy, do we love our horses.

Silver Horse Jewelry

I scoured the Equestrian Jewelry Collection to see if we had any pieces that evoked the fat and sassy ponies of my childhood – after all, aren’t there some days when you’d LOVE to wear a brooch with that expression of absolute and utter contempt that only a pony can manage? – but no such luck.

Instead, let’s check out Sterling Silver Horse Head in Heart Necklace. It’s a little more refined, perhaps, with an elegant jumper’s head in a silver heart. The 17 1/2″ rolo chain is the perfect length, flattering with every neckline. Whether you’ve got fat and sassy ponies in your life or trim, athletic horses, this is the necklace for you!

There’s been a lot of speculation about what exact type of horse the Pompeii horse was.  It’s pretty hard to tell just from looking at the skeletal remains.  Theories abounded, including the supposition that the Pompeii horse was from a brand now extinct.

However, according to a Cambridge University researcher, the Pompeii horse isn’t a horse at all.  A DNA examination reveals that the Pompeii horse is a kind of donkey, closely related to the Somali wild ass.

That’s not to say that the Pompeiians and those from nearby Rome didn’t love their horses.  At least five sets of remains confirmed to be horses have been found at the Pompeii site.  And Rome?

Well, once the emperor Caligula had a horse, Incitatus, that  he loved so much he fed him only golden barley — and promised that he would some day make the horse a member of the Counsul that ruled the empire.   The day before Incitatus was scheduled to appear in some games, Caligula sent advance troops through the neighborhood where the horse was stabled, cautioning them to be quiet and not disturb Incitatus’ sleep.

Imagine how many show riders would do the same if they had a few legions of troops at their disposal!

Roman Horse Jewelry

The proud spirit and passion of the Roman horse is a fine subject for jewelry.  We’re really fond of this 14K Gold Roman Horse Head Charm which can be worn as a pendant or added toward a charm bracelet. This charm is also available in silver, if you prefer silver.  Check out the proud posture, the muscular neck, the alert gaze.  This is everything that the Romans appreciated in their horses — and that we love about the horses that share our lives today!

The Healing Power of Horses

According to this article from Bloomberg.com, Therapists use horses to treat depression, anxiety and attention-deficit and post-traumatic-stress disorders, among other maladies. Our equine friends are also assisting with marriage and parent counseling and corporate team-building.

As any horse lover knows, horses are incredibly intelligent. They’re very receptive to the emotions of people around them.  How many times have you walked out to the pasture when you’re feeling a little down, just to watch the horses run, to have one of them walk up to you and nuzzle? It’s a comfort we’ve had since the earliest days. The companionship of a good horse can make the worst day more bearable.

Horse therapy is very beneficial to the people involved.  It’s also good for the horses.  Many of the horses used in equine assisted therapy are rescue horses or horses that have retired from the racetrack.

Victorian Horse Jewelry

As people are rediscovering the healing power of horses, they’re also finding jewelry from yesteryear that speaks to them. Many people fall in love with the ornate detail, lush curves, and unmatched energy of Victorian Horse Jewelry and find themselves instantly smitten.   Estate jewelry collectors are often delighted by the amount of quality Victorian jewelry available — and the Victorians loved horses! If you’re not in the market for authentic vintage Victorian jewelry, you can get the look and style for a fraction of the price with modern pieces created in the Victorian style.  Appropriate for every environment, classy and stylish, Victorian horse jewelry is one of the best ‘old’ looks people fall in love with every day!

The proud wild mustangs have had a hard time of it lately . But the tide may be turning, as Madeline Pickens, wife of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens, has just purchased a huge Nevada ranch with plans to turn it into a wild horse sanctuary.

The ranch, which is located outside of Elko, is 14,000 acres — more than enough room for even the most energetic horse to run all day long.  The mustangs will also have access to over half a million acres of grazing on public land.  Mrs. Pickens plans to relocate 1,000 mustangs to the property, and eventually hopes to host all 34,000 horses currently being held by the government.

This is truly a rescue effort.  The majority of horses held by the government have been rounded up from the wild, but deemed too old or otherwise unadoptable — which  means they were doomed to a life in the holding centers, far from the lands where they once ran free.

Horse Jewelry That Reflects Your Spirit

The best horse jewelry reflects your spirit.  Inside every horsewoman is a spirit that longs to run wild and free, beyond any fences or barriers that life throws up.  Nothing can stop the wild heart — it will triumph over any adversity and break through obstacles and challenges.

The right horse jewelry can remind you of that always.  We’re fond of this 14K White Gold and Diamond Horsehead Pendant specifically because it captures that sense of wildness, of freedom, of the excitement of hooves thundering over open fields, running for the sheer joy of going as fast as one can. .57 carat weight of diamonds sparkle and shine — almost as brightly as the joy in your eyes when you’ve had the chance to watch wild mustangs free at last, returned to their natural home, running and playing and once again, living free!

I was reminded of this proverb, first delivered to us from the sands of Arabia so very long ago, on a ride this weekend. There is no sensation quite equal to the thrill of riding: that effortless partnership covering miles, civilization left far behind at the trail head, the timeless rhythm of hooves, new wonders discovered with every hour of exploration. We’d gone a long way on this ride, through some wild country and then flatter, more open fields, where our only companion was the sky, the sun our sole witness.

Tabbi, the mare I was riding, isn’t as young as she might be. I don’t hold that against her, as I’m not as young as I might be either. Here we were, two middle-aged females escaping from everyday life for the afternoon. The trail was wide and flat and open. Tabbi’s ears came forward. There was a little bit of bounce in her gait, if you know what I mean. I leaned forward, pitching my question just for her: “Do you want to go, girl?”

And go we did. I gave Tabbi her head and held on — better riders than me would have plenty to say about my form, I’m sure, and we wouldn’t have won any points for style from any judge, anywhere — but my friends, believe me when I say we flew through that field. Tabbi’s hooves barely brushed the ground. The wind rushed by. It was joy, pure and simple, her exhilaration taking me along for the ride of a life time.

That’s where the love of horses is born, I think — in those few precious moments when we too know what the comet must feel as it hurtles through space. Or perhaps it comes after that, in the barn, after a rubdown, carrots crunching and brown eyes shining, Tabbi assuring me that she’d had a great time too.

I can’t look at this sterling silver necklace without remembering that ride — and I think that’s the point of horse jewelry. It serves as a tangible reminder of those magical moments. Look at the dynamic movement in the manes of these three horses — it’s the same joyous tangle I saw in Tabbi’s mane — that you’ve seen during these grand gallops. A glimpse of our horse jewelry can connect us immediately with those times when we have no office to worry about, no kids to supervise, no relationship angst to angst about. There’s nothing but joy. Nothing but companionship. Nothing but the sure knowledge that these things that give us so much happiness bring so much to the horses we share our lives with. That’s what inspires my horse jewelry collection, and I hope it inspires yours as well!

That’s good news for lovers of diamond horse jewelry. A dazzling array of pieces, from elegant estate treasures to contemporary masterpieces, is waiting for you.

How Is Buying Diamond Horse Jewelry Different From Buying Diamond Jewelry?

The Gemological Institute of America has some great resources to help you buy diamonds. There, you will learn about the 4 C’s of a diamond: the Carat, the Color, the Clarity, and the Cut. Diamonds can vary tremendously in quality, so you want to make sure you’re educated about what you’re buying!

When selecting pieces for your horse jewelry collection, you’ll notice several things.  First, rather than focusing on one large stone, as you often see in engagement rings, many horse jewelry pieces make use of several smaller diamonds.  That’s what has been done on this exquisite 14K Gold Majestic Stallion Horse Head Pendant Diamonds are used, to great effect,to highlight the bridle — check out the sapphire bit! That type of detail speaks not only to the jeweler’s art, but a great understanding of horses.

A great understanding of what riders value also makes for great jewelry.  Look at the Rider’s Ring on the left: a vintage piece from 1907, this ring features the low profile and a pierced gallery, guaranteeing the air flow you need to avoid the dreaded sweaty hand syndrome, in and out of the saddle! Stunningly beautiful, this 18k gold ring has three .30ctw rubies (July’s birthstone, if you’re looking for a perfect gift!) and two old, round mine-cut diamonds.

It’s almost that time of year again, despite the snow you might see out your window.  Foaling season is on our mind this morning, as we’ve read that the Bureau of Land Management has agreed to delay some of their annual wild horse herd roundups until after foaling season. Wild horse roundups are controversial in and of themselves: some people say they’re essential for herd control and health, while others say they’re dangerous and inhumane.

What isn’t open to debate is the sheer magnificence of seeing a new foal: the filly’s wobbly legs and flickering tail as she teeters upright, delicate and determined at the same time as she seeks out her mother’s milk — or the unbounded exuberance of a colt who’s just discovered he can do more than stand, he can walk — and then he can do more than walk, he can run — and maybe, just maybe, if he could get these tiny hooves off the ground long enough, he might just be able to fly.

Wouldn’t you be able to capture that energy and joy in your heart? You can do the next best thing and wear it close to yours!  This pendant is a particular favorite of ours.  Rendered in 14K gold, with diamond eyes and exquisite detailing, this mare and foal pendant is the perfect piece for so many looks: the ideal accent for a romantic look, sporty enough to wear as an everyday piece — perhaps a signature piece!

Also an ideal gift, especially for a new mother — or from a child to their mother!  Love transcends all, no matter what species we are.  Horses, in this instance, just say it best.

But you don’t have to be a jewelry designer to tell your life story with jewelry.  You can convey the tale of your life with the jewelry you wear!

For example, take this piece, which we’re calling The Ultimate Rider’s Charm Bracelet. At first glance, it’s immediately apparent to even the most casual observer that the wearer loves horses.  Look at the horseshoe charm, and the finely detailed horse head.  Closer examination reveals more: the gloves, boots, and hat that speak to hours preparing for the show arena, the training, the grooming, the nerves fluttering like so many wayward butterflies in your stomach.  And of course, the show ribbon — and who couldn’t use a little good luck, delivered in the form of a four leaf clover?

Selecting jewelry that tells a story is an intensely personal process.  You want to think carefully about what’s important to you, and then take the time to really browse through all of your options. It’s possible to be fashion forward and still very individual: Charm Jewelry is one great option. A golden wheelbarrow might remind you of wonderful days working in the barn, or a childhood when you were so excited just to be around the horses that you’d do anything — even muck stalls — simply to be there. It’s about YOUR memories, YOUR story, and YOUR look.  So don’t delay: start telling your story today!