Kathy Flood - Warmans Jewelry Field Guide

M y escape, when I need to stop thinking about jewelry (or think about it some more) is a 300-acre Victorian walking park nearby, where even the beauty of bijoux fades amid weeping willows, old stone bridges over gurgling brooks, and lamplight against sunsets burning red deeper than rubies. Why do these old pleasure grounds come to mind here? Because an owl family with newborns moved into a tall evergreen there last winter (bird watchers went wild every time they hooted and cooed) at exactly the same time I was watching another owl family in my favorite antiques mall.

Signed Kramer Owl/Snake pin gold-toned metal. Layered petal-like discs for owls eye area. Green bullet cabochons and tiny clear chatons with inverted pear-shaped stone for owls head piece. The snake is articulated and covered in tiny clear chatons. 1950s. 3. $150

Jewelry courtesy Beth Silta; photo by Ross Englund

Two stunning sterling fur clips, with matching earrings like babies, comprise a famous family well-known as Hoots, made by famed Coro designer Adolph Katz. The jewelry world is full of owls, but this 1940s Duette set is special, just like it was to see a live owl family each day. The thrill of natural beauty and great jewelry are almost equally exciting, whether you find it out in the field in the great outdoors or the great indoors.

Hoots owl set, two fur clips (missing Duette brooch mechanism), matching owl earrings; deep-red crystal stones, clear brilliants, signed Sterling and Coro-Craft, 1944, 2 1/2. $150-$200

Jewelry courtesy Kate Douglas; Fotografia Gregorino

This is a book to keep handy for drawing your sights on everything from rare birds of a feather that don't flock together, creatures with features that defy jewelry physics, eye candy in the form of gems, black to green, and materials from lava to shagreen.

So, see you out there, frolicking in the field.

Kathy Flood

Enameled owls pin, sterling silver and marcasites, 1960s, signed Alice Caviness, Germany, Sterling Silver, signed version rarer than unsigned version, 1 1/4. $125

Vintage owls necklace, gold-plated links with 30 jade-green resin owl pendant charms, each 1 1/4, total length 36. Unsigned, 1970s. $100

Owl ring with golden mother of pearl crescent moon, 18k rose gold, 1.46 carat weight in 82 full-cut black diamonds, nine round white diamonds totaling .06 carats, 4mm pink tourmaline eyes totaling .57carats, additional champagne diamonds on side of band, 7/8. $1,995

Jewelry courtesy HeavenlyTreasures.com