Layering Delicate Necklaces

I recently wrote an article about the spring 2014 trend of layering delicate necklaces. (If you missed it, click here to read it.) I told you that I was going to go through my jewelry box and see what combinations I could come up with. Well never wanting to let you down, here are a few of the mixes I came up with.

This first trial includes a labradorite bead necklace (worn doubled) by Flying Lizard, a bezel-set diamond chain I got years ago from Ross-Simons, and a sort of boho creation that I got at a boutique somewhere in Santa Cruz.

delicate necklaces

The next incarnation combines a painted crystal purchased at Crimson Mim quite a few years ago, and a newer raw diamond necklace by Ali Grace, acquired at Carrots.

ali grace necklace

Next, I paired the same Ali Grace necklace with a petite pendant by Adel Chefridi, from Gallery of Jewels.

adel chefridi necklace

I wanted to make a mix with a longer necklace in it, so I pulled out a long sterling silver bead chain, also by Flying Lizard, and paired it with my Armenta horseshoe from Head over Heels and a tiny diamond disc on a black cord which I purchased through Gilt.com a couple years ago.

armenta necklace

Finally, I wanted to see if I could bring my Nordstrom diamond circle pendant necklace (circa 2005?) back into rotation, so I coupled it with a Chan Luu silver and gold leaf long necklace, worn doubled, from Leaf & Petal.

chan luu necklace

I’ve definitely been having some fun with this, and I plan on creating more mixes in the weeks to come. What about you — have you tried it yet? I’d love to see what you’ve come up with!

Fern Freeman: Designer

Coming from the world of fashion, Fern Freeman is a prolific jewelry designer! When I stopped at their booth at the JCK show, I learned that a whopping 70% of the items in their cases were brand new.

fern freeman and amy roseveare

The line is full of statement pieces, many with a creative, bohemian edge. This is definitely at the opposite end of the spectrum from delicate chains and skinny stacking rings. Take a gander at this long labradorite pendant.

fern freeman labradorite necklace

And what about this geode and diamond necklace with a double chain? Yes, please!

fern  geode necklace

I was also loving this rhodium cuff with a diamond bar. It’s large, yet still a bit delicate at the same time.

fern freeman cuff

And is it cocktail time? I mean cocktail ring, that is. I’ll take mine in the form of this crystal and 22K gold ring.

fern freeman crystal ring

And because I’m obsessed with all shades of aqua, these agate and moonstone earrings are a gypset girls dream!

fern freeman earrings

Would some of these pieces work for your personal style? How would you style them?

Adjustable Magnetic Jewelry Stand

Am I the only one whose mailbox gets swamped with catalogues? (I feel so bad for my mail carrier!) While many of them go straight into the recycle bin, I do take the time to peruse some of them, including Sundance. Last night while flipping through the pages of the latest issue, I came across this jewelry stand. At first, I couldn’t understand why the bars were slanted every which way.

sundance jewelry stand

Then as I read the description, I realized that the bars are magnetic, and you can place them anywhere on the stand you’d like. This is such a cool idea, since you can really design the layout to fit your particular jewelry collection. It’s made of hand-rubbed steel and made in the USA. (snap!) It’s also quite narrow, only 8″ wide and 15″ tall. This makes it easy to fit onto a shelf or on the top of a dresser.

If you’re looking for a clever way to store and display your jewelry, this might just be what you’re looking for. Let me know if you get it and try it out.

Amazing Designs by Coomi

I must admit that I never did very well in my history classes, but if Coomi Bhasin had been my teacher I would have rocked it, no doubt! During the course of our interview at the Couture show, everything from the Mesopotamian Era to Alexander the Great was thrown into the mix. This beautiful, highly intelligent and evervescent woman really wowed me, as did her jewelry line.

coomi bhasin and amy roseveare
Coomi, a Mumbai native who has spent her whole life designing, studied construction management (I can SO not picture her in a hard hat!) as well as being a textile designer and landscape architect. She made the official switch to full-time jewelry designer in 2002, at the age of 52. The fact that she followed her dream is a true inspiration to me.

Now let’s take a closer look at some of her work, which she describes as “important, yet wearable.” Here’s her Lucy necklace. Lucy was one of the oldest skeletons every found, and Coomi designed her skeleton in gold, just as it was found, backed by an arrowhead, over 10,000 years old. (See what I’m saying about the history lesson?!) Have you ever seen anything quite like it? I sure haven’t!

coomi lucy necklace
I adore how she used another arrowhead in this fantastic cuff.

coomi arrowhead cuff
I was quite taken with this 15th century bronze buddah ring. I tried it on was amazed to see that it had a backside covered in diamonds. She told me with a glint in her eye, “They’re just for you!! No one else knows they are there!” Coomi told me that diamonds have the purest energy of any stone, and they must touch your skin to release the energy. She has one on every single piece she makes.

coomi buddah ring

This diamond cuff is honestly a work of art. Each diamond takes two hours to set by hand, if you can believe it. That’s one labor-intensive bracelet!

coomi cuff
One project she has worked long and hard on is how to create a diamond piece without any metal showing. Two years in development, she finally worked it out (I guess this is where her architectural training really comes in handy!). Here’s a diamond and ruby necklace in which the gems just seem to be floating. This was her first attempt with white gold, and I say she nailed it!

coomi diamond and ruby necklace

Another necklace she showed me was this one from her Serenity collection. It depicts the desert rose from the Kalahara desert in Africa, which blooms only once every 100 years. The diamonds represent the water droplets that get trapped in the bottom, center of the flower, and the texture of the gold represents the dryness of the desert sand.

coomi serenity necklace
Coomi has also recently launched a silver line, which is currently available at Neiman Marcus and Wilke’s Bashford. You can find her line at numerous states across the country, so if this collection intrigues you, then I urge you to go see it in person!

Bloomingdale’s Bedazzled Football Helmets

I can tell you that football fever is hitting new heights here in the San Francisco Bay Area! With the latest win over the Panthers, we’re one step closer to the Super Bowl. New York is also psyched for the game, as this is the first time the Super Bowl will be played in the New York area. In honor of this momentous occasion, Bloomingadale’s has teamed up (no pun intended) with the NFL Foundation and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CDFA) for a very fashionable fundraiser. Who knew that sports and bling could go hand in hand?!

Created by Alice + Olivia
Created by Alice + Olivia

48 top fashion and jewelry designers have created over-the-top football helmets to be auctioned off starting Wednesday, January 15. Starting bid will be $248 for each helmet, and I can only imagine how high the bids will go during its run through February 5th.

By Badgley Mischka
By Badgley Mischka

Most of the world will have to view these helmets online, but if you’re in NYC then you can see them on display in the windows of Bloomingdale’s 59th street store starting today.

By Dannijo
By Dannijo

For a full list of participating designers, from Donna Karan to Alexis Bittar to Yigal Azroel, click here.

By Marchesa
By Marchesa

Happy bidding, and go Niners!!

The Bachelor 2014: Jewelry Dish

I know I wasn’t the only one tuned in to The Bachelor during its season premiere on Monday. While this certainly isn’t a brain-enriching show, I consider it “mind candy” after a long day. Plus, I’m pretty content just watching Juan Pablo for the two hours!

juan pablo the bachelor

This season the lucky bachelor has 27 single hotties to choose from!

juan pablo and the girls

As each woman steps from the limo, you know that you just can’t help giving her the once-over, from her head to her toes. They say it only takes 7 seconds to make a first impression, so clearly they all were trying their hardest to make the best impression possible. Unfortunately, although they are all just gorgeous in their own way, I felt some of the lovely ladies missed the mark with their accessory choices.

First, take a look at Christy. Wearing a floor-length white halter gown, a beaded headband and extra-sparkly long earrings, I couldn’t decide if she knew she wasn’t a bride, at least at this point in the game. Not such a subtle statement, if you ask me!

Christy from the Bachelor

Then there’s Lucy, the free spirit from Santa Barbara. While I understand her love of hippie chic, I really don’t think the flower-child hairpiece and the lack of shoes (seriously!!) and make-up did her any favors, especially on TV.

Lucy from the Bachelor

At the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got Elise, who apparently thought she was competing in a beauty pageant. The floor-length jewel encrusted gown (which must have weighed a ton!!) was one thing, but then when she added the oversized, cheap-looking earrings and the big hair, it was just all wrong. (but great for Miss America!)

Elise from The Bachelor

Of course, there’s always got to be someone who turns on the waterworks during each episode, and this week is was Lauren H. While she’s just a darling girl, I think it would have been better if she skipped the necklace (and the tears) with her asymmetrical one-shouldered gown. The chandelier earrings would have been plenty, and the “matchy matchy” set is a bit dated.

Lauren H on the Bachelor

I will say that Sharleen, the opera singer from Canada by way of Germany, did stand out from the crowd with her ensemble. While most of the women really went all-out glitz, Sharleen opted for a simple, yet sophisticated unembellished gown with statement earrings. (I think they may be by Alexis Bittar, but don’t quote me on that.) I don’t think it was necessarily her best color, but it still made for a great impression. So much so, that Juan Pablo gave her the first impression rose!

(photo courtesy of abc.com)
(photo courtesy of abc.com)

I’m sure next week the girls will spend half of the episode in bikinis or some other skimpy outfit (after all, this is the Bachelor), and I’ll be curious to see how the girls bejewel themselves for that. Are you watching the show? Would love to hear your opinions!

Spring 2014 Trends: Layering Delicate Necklaces

“Spring trends?? Aren’t we still in winter?” Well, yes, but in the world of fashion things definitely move ahead of the actual calendar, so spring clothes and jewelry are beginning to grace the pages of the magazines and are slowly appearing in the stores. This is a very fun time of year for me, as I anticipate the trends for the coming season by analyzing what I’m seeing.

I stopped by one of my favorite boutiques in Palo Alto the other day and struck up a conversation with the manager. She had just been shopping on Hayes Street in San Francisco (definitely a street with some cool, edgy stores), and she wanted to talk jewelry. She had noticed that delicate necklaces were definitely being spotted again, and I had to agree. BUT, instead of just wearing one at a time, as we did back in the early 90’s, this time they’re being layered in all sorts of interesting ways. (Sidebar: if you have a minimalist personal style, then wearing just one at a time is just right for you!) Now this isn’t to say that bold, statement necklaces are “out.” (Though I would store away jeweled collars for now, a trend that had a rather short shelf life.) My larger scale necklaces are definitely still in rotation. Rather, this is just another option in the world of necklaces, and I think it pairs nicely with my new obsession, stacking skinny rings.

Take a look at this combination by Jacquie Aiche, where gold and some bling are a unifying theme.

jacquie aiche
Here’s another lovely example of gold layers. I like how the three chains are different textures, yet they blend beautifully.

delicate layered necklaces
If silver is more your thing, then you might like this combo with quartz pendants.

silver and crystal layered necklaces
It’s easy to incorporate color into your layers as well, as shown in these necklaces by Kei jewelry.

kei jewelry
Celebs are also in on the trend (shocker!). Here’s Kourtney Kardashian in a casual chic look with two necklaces. The sideways rose gold cross is by Sugar Bean Jewelry.

kourntey kardashian
Kristin Cavallari has left The Hills and gone jewelry designer (who knew?!) — here’s her Pyramidia layered necklace, which looks like three different chains, but it’s actually all one necklace! That makes is pretty darn easy to get the look without having to think too much.

kristin cavallari for glamboutique
And just for one more look, I love the romantic feel of these necklaces by Rust Jewellery from England.

RUST jewellery
I don’t know about you, but I’m going to take a tour through my jewelry box and see what combinations I can create. I’m going to mix metals, use different lengths, and I’ll be sure to let you know what I come up with. I hope you share your stylish mixes with me as well!

Eyeball Jewelry: Jewelry Judge

No, you didn’t read the title wrong. It’s amazing what you can find while you are surfing around the internet, and I must say that I gasped when I stumbled across this image.

Diamond Contact Lens by Shekhar Eye Reasearch

What’s up with her eyes?! It turns out that she’s wearing $15,000 diamond contact lenses created by Chandrashekhar Chawan. Eeew!!! I mean, I’m all for bling, but in your eye? Searching a bit more, I came across these photos.

diamond contact lens

diamond-contact-lenses

What really pushed me over the edge was this image — a contact lens with jeweled “tears” dangling from it. All I could picture was some little kid grabbing an pulling it. Ouch!

contacts with tears

I can say, with complete certainty, that I’m NOT a fan of eyeball jewelry, and I truly hope that this does not become a strong trend. What’s your opinion?