You may be familiar with Maiyet’s luxurious clothing line, but did you know they also have both fashion and fine jewelry lines? Though I had seen their signature skinny bangle on one of my clients a couple years back, I had no idea what range they have in their collection until I encountered their booth at the Couture show.
First I’d like to show you some very stylish pieces from their fashion line. Here’s a pair of natural horn earrings. You will find quite a bit of horn across their collection. But have no fear, their materials are very ethically sourced.
In fact, that’s one of the things I love most about this company. They are very devoted to partnering with artisans around the globe, preserving their techniques and promoting “self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship in developing economies.” They strive to protect our planet and its resources. Even with their cashmere used in their clothing line, they have partnered with the Gobi Revival Fund and goat herders in outer Mongolia to create “the world’s first ethically sourced and environmentally sustainable cashmere yarn in the world.” How wonderful is that?
Ok, now back to the jewlery… Here are a couple rings and a cuff from their Empire collection, made of 18K gold-plated brass. I’m sure you can see how New York City architecture was an inspiration for this group.
Now let’s move on to some fine jewlery. First up are these two long diamond bar rings. The diamonds were sourced in Jaipur, where they were made in a manner which honors the Indian techniques of jewlery making.
There were also various single-finger rings. If one is good, then three are better, right?!
Next, I explored the Dagger collection. I tried on this black horn and diamond cuff while admiring the coordinating pendant necklaces.
One of my absolute favorite pieces I tried on, also in the Dagger line, is this moonstone and diamond ring. It’s as cool from the top view as it is from the side.
Their Moon & Stars group had a very dreamy necklace and heavenly bracelet (Sorry..couldn’t resist).
And finally…the pièce de résistance…their gold and diamond cage bracelet. The designer actually went to Jaipur and brought a stone-setter from NYC to train in how to set the diamonds to her specifications. I would say her efforts certainly paid off, wouldn’t you?
Get ready for your jaw to drop…seriously, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Pretty spectacular, hm?! OK — here’s one more to whet your appetite.
Now you’re getting an idea why meeting Paula Crevoshay and getting the opportunity to see her jewelry in person at the Couture show was on my “must do!” list. Aptly dubbed “The Queen of Color,” Paula utilizes her artistic talent to paint with gemstones. (She in fact has a masters degree in painting and sculpture, graduating with honors by the age of 22!) Each of her pieces is one-of-a-kind.
Let me show you a few items I couldn’t resist trying on while at the show. First is this poppy ring, which took a year to make. The intricacy of detail as I peered from the top, side, and back was just incredible. The ombre effect she created with the Mexican opals, moonstone center, the folding waves of the petals…I couldn’t get enough of it.
Paula sketches each design, and she can envision exactly which stones she’ll need to bring her vision off the page and into real life. This African Queen bracelet is made of faceted Ethiopian opals and blue zircon from Cambodia. From design until completion, it was about 6 months. It looks pretty good on me, right?!
While Paula didn’t necessarily anticipate going into jewelry, that changed while she was on a three year “Magical Mystery tour” in India as a new bride. I can only imagine how the vibrant colors of India, combined with her artistic talent just exploded during this period in her life.
Being the ocean-lover I am, I also had to admire her Seafoam Bracelet, depicting the waves coming onto shore. The blue sapphires represent the water, with diamonds as the frothy foam.
I know you won’t be surprised to hear that Paula has permanent displays in museums, including the Smithsonian Institute, Carnegie Museum and the GIA Museum. Believing that “we are born to be jeweled,” it has always been her intention that her jewlery consists of one-of-a-kind art pieces. She has achieved this in spades.
I want to share a few more images with you…
If you’d like to get to know a bit more about Paula and explore her passion, take 6 minutes to enjoy this beautiful video. After viewing it, I felt both zen and inspired at the same time.
I want to thank Paula and her wonderful team for taking the time to speak with me. I learned so much, and I now have an even deeper appreciation of her work.
I first met Liz Kantner while at the Couture show in the Todd Reed booth. I liked her instantaneously. Since then, I’ve gotten to know her via social media, even though she’s based in Colorado and I’m here in California. I admire her personal style and how she just gets what’s cool, even if the rest of us don’t know it yet. Not only does she write an on-point jewlery blog, but she is also a jewelry consultant and jewelry-lover to the Nth degree. I was thrilled when she agreed to photograph her ears for a week so we could get an up-close look about what’s hip in the world of Liz. Though she does wear a stud configuration most days, at least a few days a week (when she’s feeling bold) she rocks a dangling earring. So without further ado, check out her week…
In all vintage studs…
This next look is vintage studs with a dangling earring by Laura Wood.
A Todd Reed drop earring with a vintage bug and tiny star earring are so unexpected, yet they work!
This ram earring from Fox & Bond is perfection with the vintage wishbone and tiny star earring.
And what about this Collette Ishiyama drop earring paired with a quartz stud from @xavi.and.gold and the vintage tiny star earring?
Though I did get two additional piercings in my left ear in 2014, I sadly had to let the very top one close — it just wouldn’t heal. I am now exploring my next earring purchase for my lone second piercing on my left ear. I did order one of the earrings in this post to try out, as I’m totally obsessed with it. Any guess which one it is?
Thank you so much, Liz, for sharing your lobe and your jewelry savvy with us!! xo
I’ve had a crush on Brooke Gregson’s jewelry line for many years, and I was lucky to have the opportunity to meet her in person and play with her jewels at the Couture show. Does her name sound familiar to you? You may know her for her well-known woven silk bracelets with gemstones. Simply divine.
The lovely Brooke was raised in California and now lives in London. She has studios both in her Notting Hill neighborhood and in Los Angeles. Since founding her business in 2004, Brooke has always maintained strict quality in all her pieces, each hand-made with the assistance of master craftsmen. I was particularly entranced with her engraved pieces. I don’t know which of these three rings I like better. The engraving is all done by hand, and is inspired by her watercolor paintings. (Yes, she paints too!)
Can you see the wide array of colors in the boulder opals? Brooke carefully selects each stone she works with and often chooses gems which others may have overlooked, as they didn’t seem “perfect enough.” It shows how she can see the beauty within. This substantial cuff is another in her engraved series. No…I did not want to take it off!
The two collections meld together effortlessly, as seen in this stellar stack she posted on her Instagram feed. (If you want a riot of color in your feed, I suggest following Brooke Gregson.)
I was also drawn to her Ziggurat collection, so named for the rectangular stepped temples from ancient Mesopotamia. Here are two rings from this group.
The larger of these two rings is named the Hoffman Boulder Opal Sapphire ring. Don’t you think the color combination is so unique? I think Brooke’s talent in painting and drawing has really opened her eyes to mixing colors in ways that others may not think of.
Here are some Ziggurat necklaces layered together.
Once again, I’m in awe of the colors in this complex Ziggurat necklace, composed of boulder opal, turquoise and pink sapphires. It really pops!
If you’re looking for some alternative bridal rings, one of these may be what you’re looking for. I’ve got on the Eclipse Diamond Ring and the Ziggurat Frame Diamond Ring. Which would you choose?
Truly, this line is organic elegance at its best. It’s a jewelry goal to one day own a piece myself. Thanks so much for spending time with me, Brooke! I look forward to our next meeting.
Todd Reed is quite a legend in the jewelry industry (and not just because of his wavy locks) — but rather for creating a line showcasing raw diamonds long before they were in the limelight. Little did he know the trajectory for his career would begin when he was only 10 years old and was mesmerized seeing a silversmith at work. Throughout his formative years, he was involved in creative endeavors such as leather work, sculpting and even graduating from the culinary academy. Creativity is clearly in his DNA.
Launching his jewelry business in 1992, Todd was on his way to making “Raw Elegance” one of the most popular and sought-after independent jewelry lines. I was thrilled to get an up-close look at some of his work at the Couture show. The first necklace I was drawn to was this one, which looks like river stones. They are all hinged together, so it lays beautifully around the neck. It’s easy to see nature as one of his inspirations. (Yes..all those stones are diamonds!)
Todd is known for his mixed metals and has created a long-lasting patina which keeps the metal blackened. This fabulous cuff is part of his Marquis collection. I wish I could have kept it on and gone home with it!
Here are earrings and a ring from the same Marquis collection.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, there are 20 jewelers now working at the studio! He’s got quite the team, and each item is carefully produced, from the initial design to delivering the finished product to the customer. Todd lays out each stone for each piece. With the amount of diamonds in his work, I can only imagine how much time he spends at his bench creating the ideal combinations. I tried on these two bracelets while at the show. The three-strand one is made of octahedron diamonds, which is a natural pyramid state of raw diamonds.
This statement ring is from his pillbox collection. Wow!
There is a lovely range in Todd’s designs. Earrings such as these are perfect for everyday use, and they’d look equally beautiful for a special night out.
And couldn’t you see this necklace looking fab with jeans and a leather jacket one day, and then with a red cocktail dress the next?
I particularly enjoy Todd Reed’s Instagram feed, and I stopped dead in my scroll when I saw this one-of-a-kind diamond ring recently. Yes, please!
Though Todd’s main base is in Colorado, he’s also opened a sublime studio and store on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA. It’s most definitely worth the stop if you’re in southern California. And don’t worry if you don’t live near either location. His line is sold at many luxury retailers around the country.
Your fingerprint is one of the most unique things about you. Sarah Graham has found the perfect melding of fingerprints and incredibly meaningful pieces of jewelry. It all ramped up when she became a mother. When her son was four months old she created a necklace which had his fingerprint on it. Soon, all her mom friends had to have one too. (This is SO not your typical “mommy jewelry,” right?!) She was then tasked with figuring out a way to take this outside her studio and offer it to people far and wide. She knew there was a market for these future heirlooms. When I stopped by her booth at the Couture show, I was thrilled to see some of the collection in person!
Instead of using the old-fashioned technique of taking wax impressions of the prints and then translating them into jewelry (as she originally did), she is now using CAD technology. This allows her to take the line to a whole new level and expand her audience across the country. Take a minute (and 18 seconds) to get an up-close look at how this works.
Pretty awesome, right? And you can see that the finished product still looks very organic, as if you really did push your finger into wax. Her use of recycled gold and her signature black oxidized cobalt chrome make her designs all the more intriguing.
I cannot imagine a more meaningful wedding ring, with the prints of your bride, and perhaps your children on it as well. (How ideal would this be for a second wedding with a blended family?!) I tried on a couple men’s designs while at her booth.
One of the things I like about this collection is that the prints are so subtle, that others may not realize what a treasure you’re wearing until they look closely. It’s like wearing a precious little secret…and definitely a conversation starter.
Though Sarah has been based in San Francisco for many years, she has recently teamed up with Richards and West Jewelers, a family owned business of master bench jewelers. This is allowing her to get out in the world for more inspiration and focus on design. She is currently doing a winter-long artist in residency with Elliott Yeary Gallery in Aspen, Colorado. I can only imagine how her new environment with inspire her. I greatly look forward to seeing her new creations at the Couture show in Las Vegas in June!
I never knew monkeys and jewelry could blend so effortlessly, but Marc Alary demonstrated how it’s a perfect fit. Though he doesn’t have an explanation for exactly why he loves monkeys so much, Marc definitely has made them come to life in fine jewlery!
And what’s even cooler? Check out how it moves!! (Enjoy this 17 second video I shot.)
I throughly enjoyed chatting with the charming Marc Alary at the Couture show in Las Vegas. With his French accent (born in Toulouse) and passion for his craft, I was completely intrigued by his line. Have you ever seen two monkeys fighting over a banana in a necklace? I certainly haven’t.
And then there’s a diamond-encrusted monkey, and monkey earrings, dangling with bunches of bananas.
Marc started as a print designer in NYC, working for DKNY, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. While at Marc Jacobs, he discovered he wanted to focus on jewelry design. In 2009 he was given an opportunity to sketch for 2 hours and show them to Marc Jacobs. The feedback was definitely positive, and he headed back to the studio to work. The result was three animal charms — a jaguar, a zebra and an elephant. When they overlay, it creates a more abstract piece. In 2011 he left Marc Jacobs to pursue his jewelry career full time.
As Marc explained to me, “The tangible object of jewelry is what my passion is; it’s better than print.” I’m with you, Marc! His collection of charms continues to grow, and he talked about how you can create different stories by stacking the different charms.
While speaking with him, I couldn’t help but notice his bracelet, which is part of his Caravan collection.
As a runner-up for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2013, there’s no doubt that Marc is on the rise. This is why it was no surprise when I saw his rings featured in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Way to go, Marc!
I’m also very excited about Marc’s latest collaboration with Spinelli Kilcollin, a long-time favorite of mine. It’s truly a perfect alignment of designers, and the result is tres chic. Here are a couple photos they shared on Instagram.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet Marc and explore his line. I look forward to seeing what he has in store next!!
While I certainly enjoy ripping into a sweet baguette right out of the oven and pairing it with some creamy brie, the baguette I crave even more is that brilliant cut of diamond. Suzanne Kalan is a master of creating out-of-this world designs with various colors of diamond baguettes. The top of my list? Her Fireworks bangles. Coming in three sizes, they are beyond comfortable to wear.
While at the Couture show, I couldn’t stop trying them on, and for the life of me, I could not decide which was my favorite…There’s also rings in the collection, oh my!
Based in Northridge, CA, Suzanne has been in business for over 25 years now and it’s truly a family affair. Her husband selects and sets the diamonds; her daughter, Patile Kalandijian, now is working on KALAN by Suzanne Kalan, their 14K gold collection which features beautifully colored stones and diamonds. Just during my time in their exquisite booth, I could feel the warmth of their family. They are passionate about their jewlery as well as their clients. I learned that Suzanne sold her own diamond tennis bracelet, which was a wedding gift from her parents, to get the funds to start the company! Every piece is still made in house in southern California. Awesome.
Here are a couple more examples of how Suzanne creates harmonious chaos with baguettes.
And what do you think of these statement ruby earrings, highlighted with a frame of baguettes?
Or perhaps a linear design is more your cup of tea?
Suzanne was showing a “Starry Night” collection as part of the Rio Tinto collaboration. I was lucky to try on this double star ring.
The Vitrine collection is also mesmerizing. In this group, she takes a gemstone and cuts it flat on the top and bottom. This stone is then a window of sorts to peer at the diamonds behind the stone. Ooh la la!
Giuliana Rancic showed off some Suzanne Kalan earrings at the Met Gala.
The 14K KALAN by Suzanne Kalan line is a perfect complement to the 18K line. Originally developed for a younger audience and at more accessible price points, this colorful collection truly works for everyone. (Check out more of this line at Sak’s.) I first tried on this topaz and moonstone ring.
J’Adore these long topaz earrings!
This design, with it’s off-kilter rectangular stones, is so harmonious with the Fireworks collection, don’t you think?
These earrings once again show how they reign supreme at unique stone configurations, really taking it to the next level in style.
Time definitely flew by while trying on all these dazzling gems. Thanks to Suzanne and her team member Rebeka for the tour!
Are you drooling yet? Known for her designs with “thoughtful asymmetry,” Margery’s work really makes my heart sing. Her use of color is inspiring. Here’s another of her Instagram shots showing “design day” in her studio. So good, right?! I can’t decide which combination is my favorite.
Margery is an awesome mother of two children, and she took time off to raise them and be very involved in their school while they were growing up. With a degree in fine art (she originally wanted to be a painter), I wasn’t surprised to hear that she enrolled in a jewelry class at a local school in Denver, Colorado. In 2008, a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman spotted her wearing a pair of earrings she designed. In fact, here’s the first pair of earrings she ever made, which she befittingly named “cage earrings.”
This clever buyer wanted to see more, but Margery only had 12 pieces to show. This does not constitute a full line, so off Margery went to her studio, where she produced 50 pieces in 22K gold. Yes…fifty! From there, things have only grown, to put it mildly. When I met her at the Couture show in Las Vegas, I didn’t know which piece to try on first! Here are some examples of her amazing work.
Boulder Opal and Emerald Beryl rings
How dramatic!!
Pale Pink Kunzite and Pearl Necklace
This was definitely one of my favorites!
So easy to layer!
Stacktastic!
Margery is very inspired by ancient jewelry and artifacts (one of my personal loves), and she regularly posts inspirational images on her Instagram feed. (If you haven’t picked up on it yet — follow her for a true visual delight!) I feel her line captures the essence of these timeless works of art, and she re-interprets them into modern, one-of-a-kind pieces that will stand the test of time. Her work is not trendy, yet it is effortlessly current. One day, I aspire to have her jewelry in my own jewelry box.
Margery, thank you so much for spending time with me and allowing me to play with your exquisite jewels. (And being patient while I ran back upstairs to change my shirt when I realized it didn’t photograph well!!) It was a pleasure to meet you and your daughter, Rachel!
Margery and Amy
Oh, and p.s. I will most definitely try out Pizzeria Locale when I find myself in Boulder! I’ll treat you to your favorite pie!
Do you recall seeing Jennifer Hudson in this fabulous necklace at the Grammy’s? It was one of my favorite looks of the evening, and this year at Couture, I was able to meet Maral Artinian, the co-founder and curator of Marli, the name behind the diamonds.
Marli elegantly combines minimalism with architectural and pop-culture inspiration in 18K gold and diamonds. Though Maral studied psychology in Montreal, she has found her passion in jewelry. It must be in the blood, as both her father and brother are jewelers as well. The first thing I tried on were these two bracelets, the Cleo and Dahlia. So comfy, yet blingy at the same time!
Here’s a better view of the Dahlia bracelet.
This bracelet features the” Y” shape, which is a signature in her designs. Not only is it a very strong, powerful shape, but its use of positive and negative space reflects the shadow and reflection of the Chrysler building. Constantly being inspired by the streets of NYC, Marli definitely has her pulse on the beat of the modern woman.
Dahlia ring
When I first looked at her pyramid bracelets, I didn’t realize they had moving parts. Take a peek at this 9 second video that shows how they move.
She recently posted this bracelet stack on Instagram, which showcases other variations of the design.
Speaking of Instagram, I reposted her diamond Vine cuff on my feed, and it’s among my most popular posts ever.
I wish I had tried on her Ipsilo white gold and diamond collar. The Ipsilo collection is, “..characterized by distinctive “Y” shaped motifs and triangular cut-outs; the collection is inspired by the work of Rudi Gernreich and highlights our interest in the juxtaposition of positive and negative space, and the resulting shapes that are consequently formed.” Simply fantastic.
Ipsilo collar
I also have to share a couple avant garde ear cuffs with you. The first is from the Avventura (meaning adventure in Italian) collection. I can only imagine how the diamonds sway when you walk.
And how about the Iris cuff, which wraps your ear in diamonds in such a unique way. I would SO wear this!
Actually, I’d pretty much wear every single item in her cases! It was a pleasure meeting Maral and getting an up-close look at the line. And next time I’m in NYC, I’m going to check out her favorite restaurant, Felix, down in Soho. (She said it’s great food, and she met her boyfriend there — gotta love that!)
