For those of you who love to wear a myriad of colours, an alternative to gem stones is the rare metal niobium. The colours are not paint or enamel. They come from passing an electric current through the niobium which generates an oxide layer on the surface. The thickness of that layer decides the colour, so the blues, purples and golds you see are due to light bending on the surface and not due to adding a colour pigment that could chip or wear away.

Nearly all of these are by Brian Eburah, who has been working in niobium for years. He sets it against sterling silver, and often gold and stones, so they add richness and depth to his work.