Metals – Page 22 – Jewelry Fashion Tips

Meredith Marks: Designer

I’m like a kid in a candy store when I attend jewelry trunk shows. When I have the opportunity to see a designer’s line that I never have seen before AND it’s tremendous, it’s like Christmas morning. That’s exactly how I felt last week when I went to see the Meredith Marks show at Angela in Menlo Park. WOW!

Meeting designer Meredith Marcks — Meeting designer Meredith Marks

The first thing that struck me about her line was it’s diversity. Some pieces had a more exotic flair, while others were polished to the nines. I also appreciate how she uses gold (in various colors), silver, and both precious and semi-precious stones, which gives her collection a wide range in price points. It is accessible jewelry to be loved and worn.

Another wonderful feature is the multi-functionality of many of her pieces. For example, she showed me a pair of larger earrings (the elongated pointed ovals on the left side of the picture below) where the dangling part comes off and can be used as a pendant on a necklace. Another necklace she showed me is the perfect length to be used as a wrap bracelet as well. With jewelry that can be used in a variety of ways, it really makes your jewelry dollar go farther.

meredith marks jewelry — A selection of Meredith Marks jewelry

Meredith started her line a couple years ago, and her passion for it is palpable as she talks with you and shows you various pieces. You can’t currently find her jewelry in any US department stores–just specialty boutiques. In my mind, this makes her line all the more coveted, as it’s truly unique. If you’re interested in seeing her jewelry, you can contact her to find where it’s sold near you.

Dominique Cohen: Designer

I have been a huge Dominique Cohen fan for years, so I was especially excited to meet her in person at a recent trunk show in San Francisco.

I’ve always considered Dominique’s jewelry as perfect layering pieces. Although she makes all different types of jewelry, I associate her most with her necklaces. She has core collection chains in rose and yellow gold. To these you can add a variety of pendants.

She features semi-precious and precious stones, as well as stunning pearls to her jewelry. By adding different layers and stones, you get completely different effects. It’s wonderful (and cost-effective) how you can keep adding different necklaces to your collection over the years, yet they all mix and match perfectly, both with themselves and with other necklaces you already own.

I also love the fact that her jewelry is made right here in the USA. It is hand made, and she casts each gold piece in her Los Angeles facility.

Here are a necklace and some earrings from her spring 2011 line:

You can find her jewelry at Neiman Marcus, Sak’s Fifth Avenue and various smaller boutiques. Read more about her and her line at Dominique Cohen.

Hoop Earrings: Hoop it up!

As I was choosing what earrings to wear the other morning, my boyfriend happened to peek over my shoulder into my jewelry box. Granted, he’s about the most un-materialistic person I’ve ever met, but his expression totally cracked me up as his eyes opened verrry wide. “Why do you have so many hoop earrings? Aren’t they all the same?!”

Clearly, not all hoops are created equal, and in my mind, they are the LBD of a jewelry wardrobe. (LBD=little black dress) Hoops in their various sizes and metals are one of the most useful items you can have. In fact, when I finally got my ears pierced in college (it was torture waiting that long!!), I promised my parents that all I really needed were hoops, as you could wear them anywhere. (That lasted for about two weeks, when I just had to branch out, of course!) 🙂 But truly, hoops can work from the boardroom to the ballroom.

So what type of hoops should you have in your collection? First, consider what metal you wear. If your skin and hair are in the cooler tones then silver or platinum are most flattering, and warmer skin tones look fabulous in gold. Rose gold, which is currently very popular, looks good on many skin tones, so be sure to try it out in the stores. (If it works for you, buy it while it’s in fashion, as it will one day disappear again.)

Small hoops (up to about .75″ in diameter) are best for more conservative environments, and medium (.75″-1.5″ diameter) to large hoops (over 1.5″ diameter) range from casual to dressy. In each of these categories, you also have to consider the thickness of the hoops themselves. Thin hoops are more basic (but certainly not boring) and wider hoops make a bolder statement. When considering what size and width to buy, be sure to consider your own proportions. Teeny, tiny hoops on a 5’11” voluptuous gal just won’t do the trick.

Hoops go beyond basic when you get into diamond or beaded varieties. And I just love the sparkle of diamonds! Once you’ve got your basic metals down, then save up for some diamond hoops, be it jeweled all around, or just with one or two diamonds as accents. And yes, you can wear them during the day!