Sculptural Bracelets for Spring

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to visit Angela’s in Menlo Park, one of the most chic, well-curated stores in the Bay Area. Angela has such an eye for sourcing the unique. Given that I shop pretty much every day (no joke!), it takes quite a bit to turn my head and pique my interest. This is exactly what happened when I spied her case of Goossens Paris jewelry. Not only was it a brand I’ve never heard of, but I loved it! These two bracelets particularly had me reaching for my iPhone to take a photo. (If you want to learn more about these pieces, you can contact Angela’s at 650-323-7410)

goossens paris bracelets
I love how bold they are, and they’re SO easy to blend with any outfit with the rock crystal. (Yes, I’m showing my obsession with rock crystal again!) And the price points? VERY reasonable. I think incorporating fashion jewelry in with fine jewelry is the way to go. Not only does is create a varied, layered look, but it’s much easier on the budget as well.

This got me inspired to take a look online to see what other sculptural bracelets I could find. I discovered many options, and they really suit a variety of personal styles. In no particular order, here’s 10 different designs. Perhaps one will pique your interest?

Marni color block leather cuff

marni colorblock leather cuff
Proenza Schouler cube bangle bracelet

proenza schouler cube bangle bracelet
Nest blond horn rotating disc cuff bracelet

nest jewelry blonde horn rotating disc cuff bracelet
Eddie Borgo safety chain cuff bracelet (It also comes in a rose gold tone.)

eddie borgo safety chain cuff bracelet
Elizabeth and James Connolly cuff

elizabeth and james connolly cuff
Alexis Bittar crystal-framed lucite cuff

alexis bittar crystal-framed lucite cuff bracelet
Alexis Bittar large liquid metal dome bangle

alexis bittar large liquid metal dome bangle
Morpheus cuff from Sundance Catalogue

morpheus cuff from the sundance catalogue
Lulu Frost jardin cuff bracelet

lulu frost jardin cuff bracelet
House of Lavande Kemala crystal bangle bracelet

house of lavande kemala crystal bangle bracelet
None of these are fine jewelry, yet I think they all give a pretty big look for the investment. Could you see yourself wearing any of them? Perhaps you’re a long-time bold bracelet aficionado? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Sydney Lynch: Designer

I got my first in person look at Sydney Lynch jewelry at De Novo in Palo Alto. I was immediately a fan. The color combinations in this contemporary line are simply gorgeous. You can imagine how excited I was to meet Sydney in person at the JCK show in Las Vegas! I didn’t know what to try on first! Can you believe the statement this boulder opal cuff makes? I couldn’t stop taking photos of it.

sydney lynch opal cuff
Or what about the luminescence in this rainbow moonstone ring?

sydney lynch moonstone ring
Sydney began her career in jewelry 1981. She spent time during college working at a Navajo reservation, where she met her first silversmiths. Although she had been a jewelry girl since childhood, this seemed to be the impetus that got her going on her own line. (And I’m so glad it did!) She now resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, where each and every piece is hand-crafted in her studio by her and her assistants — two of which have been with her for over 20 years!

Sydney was born with an acute sense of color, and you can see the result of this talent in her work. Here’s a shot from her website showing her and Tammy working on the layout for some bracelets.

sydney lynch working with tammy designing bracelets
You can see how carefully each gem and hue is placed in order to create a stunning result. Here’s an example of a bracelet from her archives in a parade of blush tones.

sydney lynch aurora multilink bracelet
In this bracelet, she extends the palette from pinks to browns. Isn’t the result just breathtaking?

sydney lynch tundra twig cuff
If you take a look at Sydney Lynch’s Instagram feed, you can see that nature is a definite influence in her work. It’s not only the colors that inspire her, but the shapes as well. She does, in fact, have a wide array of mixed metal pieces in her collection that would be perfect neutral additions to any jewelry box. Here’s a couple pair of earrings, one with Baroque Tahitian pearls, which would easily complement any color palette.

sydney lynch silver lake earrings with black diamonds
sydney lynch baroque tahitian pearl earrings
This bold cuff would add punch to an outfit, don’t you think?

sydney lynch skyline cuff
While at the show, this necklace really caught my eye. It would definitely function as a neutral in my own wardrobe.

sydney lynch necklace
If you’d like a little inside look at Sydney and her process, take a minute to watch this video.

What you’ve seen here is just the tip of the iceberg, let me tell you! Click here to see a list of retailers. In addition, you may enjoy her journal/blog — I signed up for it, and I love receiving it in my e-mail inbox. Thanks, Sydney, for your time — loved meeting you and seeing your luscious line!

amy roseveare and sydney lynch

Hillsborough Antique Show: My Picks

This past Saturday I was supposed to shop with a client, but he unexpectedly had to reschedule. Knowing this would allow me the opportunity to visit the Hillsborough Antique Show in San Mateo, CA, more than made up for this schedule change. I decided to go through the show with my “virtual bottomless wallet” and pick out what I would buy if the sky was the limit. This made the excursion so much fun!

Just a few booths in on the first row I walked down, I found a couple swoon-worthy pieces. First up is this Victorian bracelet from France with angel skin coral and natural pearls. I learned the ornate work in the 18K gold is called “tracery work.” (I am constantly learning new things whenever I speak with such knowledgeable dealers like Lisa!) This bracelet is from A Pocket of Rocks.

victorian bracelet from a pocket of rocks
At the connecting booth I met Alison from Duvenay. She was showing an exquisite pair of Victorian cut steel earrings from the late 1800’s. I knew a bit about cut steel jewelry, but when I came home, first thing on the agenda was to research it a bit more. This article from Lang’s AJU has a fantastic description of this genre of jewlery. I think these earrings are the perfect way to get a special occasion look with glowing sparkle.

victorian cut steel earrings from duvenay
Another booth that drew me in by some sort of jewelry magnetic force was that of Laurel Stearns’ PassItOnLTD. Within just a few moments of chatting we discovered we have a mutual very dear friend, and we’ll both be at her wedding this summer. Is that a small world, or what?! But back to the jewelry…I couldn’t decide between these two rings, and since I didn’t have a limit for this exercise, I chose both! The one on the left is a Victorian navette from around 1890, set in silver wth a 14K shank. The ring on the right features a converted Georgian pin from the late 1700’s-early 1800’s. Which would you choose?

victorian and georgian diamond rings from passitonltd
I had to stop at Lenore Dailey’s booth, which always exceeds expectations. The pair of earrings that was calling to me this time around was these late Georgian hand earrings. Do you see the little ruby ring each hand is wearing? So precious and romantic.

late georgian earrings from lenore dailey
I’ve been following TheOneILoveNYC on Instagram for quite some time, but this is the first time I got to meet Mia in person. Boy were her cases brimming with sparkle — tons from the Georgian era! But typical me, who seems so drawn to Victorian jewelry, selected a Portuguese pendant on a long yellow gold chain. I THOUGHT the pendant was Georgian, due to how the diamonds were set, but I was wrong. (So much to learn!) Isn’t it pretty?

victorian necklace and pendant from theoneilovenyc
Her next-door neighbor was Jewels by Grace, a fantastic vendor whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet at a couple shows in the past year. At her booth, I tried on this diamond and turquoise “tiara” bracelet, which was a very popular motif during Victorian times. How can you not admire the 2.65 ctw of rose cut and old European cut diamonds?

victorian bracelet from jewelsbygrace
But then…I spied “The Olsen Twins” — a truly remarkable pair of elongated cushion cut diamond earrings totaling 9.46 carats!! I had seen photos of them on Instagram before (such as this one below) and in Grace’s ears, but this time I got to try them on myself. Ack! I truly felt like royalty wearing them. Can you see my virtual crown?!

jewels by grace diamond earrings
diamond earrings from jewelsbygrace
Near the end of the show, I stopped at Mary Ann-tiques, as I spied a particularly fetching pair of Art Deco earrings. Granted, this is not typically an era I’m drawn to, but this pair of carved rock crystal and onyx earrings had it going on with the mis-matched earring trend that’s so en vogue right now. To give you a sense of their size, I took the photo with my full-sized pen next to them. Pretty incredible, right?

art deco earrings from mary ann-tiques
Though I didn’t leave the show with all these stunning pieces, I still got a thrill seeing them and trying them on. Thanks to all the kind dealers who spent time chatting with me, and furthering my education on antique jewelry. If you’d like to learn a little more, you may enjoy articles I’ve written about Georgian and Victorian jewelry. And if you’re interested in attending this show, which is open to the public, it’ll be back in San Mateo July 21-23 and November 3-5.

Into the Jewelry Box: Michelle

I first met Michelle around 2000. I recall that the first year or so we knew each other, her wardrobe uniform included a fitted black Prada t-shirt, and virtually no jewelry. Seriously, no sparkle! It’s been such a treat to see how Michelle’s style has evolved over the years, and I now consider her one of the most avant-garde dressers I know. Granted, she is in the fashion industry, but Michelle does not let trends dictate what she wears. I’ve seen her dive into both color and gems the past 17+ years and truly discover her own personal style. Lucky me — I got to spend an hour exploring her jewlery box and hearing about her favorite pieces for this latest installment of Into the Jewelry Box.

When Michelle met me at the door, she was in a Saturday casual chic look which included an Avant Toi sweater topped with a knotted chain necklace with a singular Tahitian pearl. She told me, “It’s messy and old…I’ve had it for over 10 years…and I love it.” Now that’s a good return on investment, still wearing it a decade later.

knotted chain necklace
She complemented the easy look with a pair of pave diamond studs. These earrings get a lot of mileage in her wardrobe, as they go everywhere from spin class to traveling the globe.

sidney garber pave diamond button studs
I was lusting after this other pair of diamond slice studs nestled in her jewelry box — what a fabulous, warm glow! These were purchased on a trip to India.

diamond slice stud earrings
Another pair of her everyday earrings are these luscious grey drops from Larkspur & Hawk. I can see how they’d just meld with whatever she decided to wear that day.

larkspur & hawk earrings
This striking round pendant necklace by Beth Orduna was purchased at A’Maree’s in Newport Beach, one of her (and my) favorite stores.

beth orduna necklace
I hadn’t been to Michelle’s house in years, but it didn’t surprise me to see her jewelry collection was as edited as she keeps her closet. She chooses to buy fewer pieces, but fabulous pieces. I asked her what her most worn items are in the current rotation. First and foremost is the “rolling” bracelet by Sidney Garber.

sidney garber rolling bracelet
She first saw this bracelet in Aspen, where one of her friends was wearing it. At first she didn’t “get it,” but then her eye started seeing it paired with The Row and other key designers, and suddenly she had a big “ah ha!” and had to purchase one for herself. It is now her #1 favorite piece of jewelry she owns. She likened the phenomenon to skinny jeans. Remember how when they first hit the scene we cringed while wearing our boot-cut jeans? Then when our eye and mind got used to them, they were suddenly a staple.

Michelle also has two long necklaces which she frequently layers together. One is a golden hand on a long leather cord, and the other is a gold Irene Neuwirth chain with two brightly colored pendants. And all together, they totally work on her!

necklaces
She found a pair of amethyst Judy Geib earrings that really play back well with the whole jewelry ensemble. They “go” but they’re not totally matchy-matchy, if you know what I mean.

judy geib amethyst earrings
Michelle also has a real affinity for the fashion jewelry from Bottega Veneta. She’s acquired a nice collection of their drop earrings, as well as a very cool bracelet with green accents. These are easy for her to mix and match with her scarf collection.

botegga veneta fashion jewelry

Speaking of earrings, she has a few pair that are extra-special. When I asked about her strategy for jewlery acquisition, she explained, “I’m clothes-driven. I just LOVE clothes. I buy the outfit first, and then I go about finding the right jewelry.” This is how she ended up with these crazy-cool Nak Armstrong earrings, purchased to complement her mother-of-the-groom outfit for her son’s wedding. I took a photo of them on top of the Gucci skirt she wore. Once again, you can see how she just nailed the blended color palette.

nak armstrong earrings
Here’s another standout pair of earrings, this time labradorite by Irene Neuwirth. These are generally reserved for more special occasions.

irene neuwirth earrings
One of the things I really admire about Michelle’s collection is that it really isn’t full of “basics.” In fact, most pieces have a very distinct personality, just like she does. Have you ever though about having a fly on a necklace? And that it would be one of your go-to pieces? Neither had I, but she bought this Stephen Webster fly necklace and it has become a staple. Who would have thought?

stephen webster fly necklace
Or what about a multi-strand necklace embellished with crystal evil eyes on pearls? Sounds a bit out there? Well not in this case — in her wardrobe it’s spot on perfect.

necklace from amarees
I have to say, that getting an inside look into Michelle’s jewelry collection has really got me thinking. Perhaps I should consider adding more color to my jewelry? Does this fit into my personal style? I certainly tend towards buying neutrals. Also, if I see a piece that truly speaks to me, yet it’s more “quirky” than I would normally buy, I’m going to analyze it before automatically dismissing it — would it blend with my wardrobe? Where could I see myself wearing it? All things to ponder.

Thanks to Michelle for allowing me to invade her jewelry box. I love the collection you’ve built, and I’ll be anxious to see what you acquire next!