Good as Gold

The holidays may conjure up images of red and green but here at Lori's we're seeing gold. Since we're saving the real, Eureka-type stuff for our mattresses, we've resorted to some visual slight-of-hand to give us some glitz on the cheap. That's right: Fool's Gold!

We're no prospectors, so we have no problem with the dense mineral sparkle of pyrite, that charlatan of precious metals. Specifically we're taking a gander at Kendra Scott's Pacifica necklace, a rhomboid hunk of the stuff tamed with a checkerboard cut and set in a gold-tone bezel dangling from an 18-inch gold filigree chain. It's the turducken of fake gold: pyrite wrapped in goldplate.

The tinny-bright gold-tone of the bezel contrasts marvelously with the pyrite, lending gravitas to the dense, flecked ore. It bumps up the legitimacy factor. The rounded checkerboard facets catch the light and return an enticing gleam.

We've also got an eye on the matching Ada earring, nine bezels in a diamond shape displaying assorted checkboard-cut stones of limited value but fascinating color. Known on the linesheet only as "Sambuca," we had a guess at the actual stones: the drop point's citrine-like crystal, twin pyrite nodes above that and a row of hematite at the middle. Above that, a row of oily minerals topped by what looks like a polished chunk of the Dark Crystal. In sum, one helluva earring.

The benefit of all this is a range of colors and surfaces all set in bright gold-tone. The variety of rocks will pick up the colors in your hair and work back easily to just about any outfit. We love the subtle gradient effect: the darkest top stone leads to lighter and brighter, ending at clear at the bottom. This, along with the slender hoop supports, creates a sense of lightness despite the earrings' size. Their bold, bias-hung design adds an exotically royal air to your look. Pyrite, hematite, gold-tone ... they might not be the "real thing," but foolish is the last thing you'll look when wearing them.