Jewelry…own it, love it, wear it!
I first met Erika Winters a few years ago at the Couture show. As a fellow editor, it was great fun to chat jewels with her. This year, I was immensely proud to see her standing behind a sparkling counter, showing off her first collection at the show! For those looking for a whole new look in bridal, then look no further than Erika Winters Fine Jewelry.
This is a question that comes up from time to time when I’m jewelry shopping with clients. For many, “cabochon” is a jewelry vocabulary word which may not be part of your daily vernacular. Pronounced “kab-uh-shawn,” it refers to a rounded, highly polished cut of stone with no faceting. Typically, this cut is an oval shape (though you’ll find it in other shapes as well) with a flat bottom. Alexis Kletjian recently posted this stunning photo of a group of phrenite cabochons. Beautiful, right?
So that you can get a clear handle on what cabochon jewelry looks like, I thought I’d share a few lovely examples.
Gabriella Kiss aquamarine ring
What a treat to go into my e-mail inbox and find out about a NEW jewelry collection! Thanks to Kellie from Elu on Sacramento Street in San Francisco, I got an inside look at ELUP4, a jewelry collaboration between Cristina Nicoletti, Elu’s founder and creative director, and Evan Sugerman from Parts of 4.
The title of this blog post may confuse you — especially if you aren’t on Instagram; so let me explain. The talented Tura Sugden has created the hashtag #jewelryuniform to challenge other Instagrammers to show a pic of the jewelry they wear each day…in other words, your “jewelry uniform.” I’ve been loving getting a peek into the jewelry boxes of so many jewelry-addicts I admire. And then, I was challenged by both Dana Bronfman and Becky from Diamonds in the Library to show mine. Ack! My immediate reaction was, “How can I possibly do this? I wear different things almost every day!” But the more I contemplated the jewelry in my life, I decided it was possible to narrow it down to the key pieces which have been making me smile this summer. Just like Becky, my fellow writer, I cannot limit this to just one photo, so here I am writing an entire article about it. 😉
First off, I tend to have more silver-oriented days, and others that veer more towards yellow and rose gold. I never have on only one tone of metal from head to fingertips, but there’s definitely an emphasis each day. So let’s start with the “gold” days.
Ears are adorned in my most favorite rose gold and moonstone studs by Nak Armstrong. (Nak helped me pick them out when I visited him at a trunk show he was having at Barney’s in SF; it’s like they were made for my tiny earlobes.)
The wrist is pretty simple with a dark silver chainlink bracelet with a rose gold and moonstone clasp by Alberian & Aulde from Gallery of Jewels.
Then, there are many rings to create a combination from…
Now, let’s turn to the days where my outfit calls for more of a silver vibe.
My white gold and diamond earrings by Sethi Couture are a definite go-to. And on my wrist, I stack three bracelets: a silver chain link with gold lock from Marla Aaron, a silver Hermes Collier de Chien bangle, and an oxidized silver bangle with square labradorites from Nak Armstrong.
For rings, I typically choose among these 4, which include three by Rosa Maria (from Betty Lin) and a Spinelli Kilcollin multi-metal ring with topaz.
My love of jewelry has no boundaries in terms of time. New, antique, vintage — there’s just so much darn jewelry goodness out there! Typically, I buy what speaks to my heart, whether I know much about it or not (from a reputable source, of course). This is how I wound up with a couple Victorian rings from Metier in the past year or so. But as time goes by, I’m thirsting for knowledge about the different time periods of antique and vintage jewelry: Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco. If I’m wanting to know more, then I’m assuming I should take you all along for the historical ride, right? So let’s dig in to this new blog series, and answer the question, “What is Georgian Jewelry?”
Georgian jewelry comes from the time period 1714-1837, in which there were four consecutive King Georges reigning in England (the I-IV). It was truly a tumultuous time in history, including the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette? Catherine the Great? Yep, also part of this time in history. Because this time period covers over 100 years, you can certainly see an evolution in styles. In the early 1700’s jewelry was more in the Baroque style, characterized by a heavier feeling. Things lightened up in the mid 1700’s.
Jewelry was all made by hand of 18K gold (or higher) or silver. Platinum was not yet discovered, and white gold was not used in jewelry. Gold had to be hand hammered into thin sheets before it could be cut up to make jewlery. This process got a bit easier in 1750 when the rolling mill was invented. Interestingly, Georgian jewlery usually doesn’t bear any hallmark stamps of either the maker or the metal content. It was just not done at this time.
There were many popular motifs during this era, including:
Diamonds were especially popular, and they normally came in one of the following cuts:
Colored stones became more en vogue as well around the mid 1700’s. All stones were set with a closed back, often with a foil backing. This foil made the diamonds sparkle brighter and enhanced the color in other gems. (Due to the foil, it’s very important to never wash your hands wearing a Georgian ring. It will wreck it!) Jewelry was worn mainly by the very wealthy and some of the upper middle class. “Paste” jewels (basically cut glass, often foil-backed) were also popular, and the elite sometimes had paste replicas of their good jewels to wear during travel. That way, if they were robbed, they still had the “good stuff” at home.
Now what about the types of jewelry that were popular? Here’s some key styles from the Georgian period:
Girandole earrings: style where there’s three pear-shaped drops hanging from a bow or some other central element (earrings via 1stdibs)
Unfortunately, there’s not an over-abundance of Georgian jewelry around today. It was often taken apart, melted down, and re-worked. Due to its rarity, you can imagine that quality pieces are an investment. Do you happen own any Georgian jewelry? Or do you know any other interesting facts about the period? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!
I’m a big fan of chainlink bracelets, especially those which have an interesting texture, perhaps some mixed metals, and if you throw in some diamonds, I’m IN! So when I started seeing bracelets from Nancy Newberg on Instagram, I knew I had to meet her at the Couture show!
I’m so glad we were able to meet, Nancy! I definitely have one of your link bracelets on my “jewelry lust list.”
I’m truly amazed how many talented jewelry designers there are here in the San Francisco Bay Area! Sam Woehrmann is definitely one of them, and he recently shared some of his new pieces with me. Because my eyes got wide as saucers when I saw them, I knew I had to share them with you. You can thank me later.
Have you always been a jewelry designer? What led you to your passion in jewelry design?
I have always been designing and making jewelry. I have always been intrigued by gemstones and crystals, ever since I was a little kid. Learning to incorporate these into metal working is what brought me into this line of work.
With your most current pieces, what was your inspiration?
My current work is inspired by the stones, both in composition of shapes and color. When I am designing and combining different stones based on a color palette, I think of the color the metal is going to add to the design. I love mixing metals to get more variety in the overall appearance of the piece.
How would you describe your aesthetic? What type of woman do you see wearing your jewlery?
I would describe my aesthetic as both modern industrial and whimsical. Many of my pieces are hard-lined but also have a touchable softness to them. I picture a modern woman wearing my pieces, someone that wants to make a statement with an edgy style and that takes chances in life. Someone who thinks outside the box and lets that reflect in her style.
Just for fun…what you’re fave SF:
Hard to pick favorites in SF since there are so many great options!
Restaurant– anything Asian. Warakubune is my favorite sushi boat place.
Place to unwind– a few of my favorite happy hour spots are gay bars in the Castro with a chill neighborhood feeling that have outdoor patios like the Pilsner Inn and The Mix.
Gallery or store– Modern Eden Gallery in North Beach — they exhibit amazing whimsical, fantasy, and sci-fi painting and sculpture. A super talented artist couple own this gallery and are the nicest people!
Sam — thanks for sharing your work with us all!!
Photo credit: Ralph Gabriner
Julie Romanenko, the designer of Just Jules, is another talented artist I only knew via e-mail and social media. Meeting her in person at the Couture show was long overdue. (And how perfect that we fortuitously met the night before the show was to start — stars aligning!) Before I even started looking at the treasures in her jewlery cases, I couldn’t help but stare at the stunning opal pendant around her neck, which is one of her signature pieces. The combination of tones in the stone, the unique setting and the layered look is just spot on.
Julie, so wonderful to finally meet you and try on your jewels. I’m a big fan!! xo
I’ve come full circle with my year of birthstone articles, ending with July’s stone, the ruby. (Just for you, mom — happy birthday!) Through my research, I found the ruby to be quite fascinating. It turns out that throughout history, the ruby was considered the most valuable of all stones, even more than a diamond. In the metaphysical world, it has the highest vibration of all stones, so high in fact, that it’s not a stone commonly used in mediation because it’s too darn energetic. Rubies represent love, passion and prosperity. Though I always think of rubies as red, they can actually range from a paler rose to a deep, crimson red (the most valuable). There can be a cast of orange, blue or purple to them, depending on where they are mined.
When you wear a ruby, here’s some of the qualities it will help you with:
-a clear mind
-brings a sense of adventure
-self-confidence
-motivation & high energy
-an aphrodisiac
-gets rid of nightmares
-courage
-stone of manifestation/following your bliss
Interesting, right?! And to whet your ruby appetite, here’s some stellar pieces of jewelry…
Sidney Garber ruby drop accented band
When I returned from Jewelry Week in Las Vegas, I mentioned that one of the high points (aside from seeing all the fantabulous jewelry), was finally meeting people in person whom I had only known online. Judi Powers is one of those lovely people, and meeting her “live” at the JCK show was so much fun! We hugged as if we were longtime friends, which I guess in a way…we were!
One of the first things I had to see at her booth was her Arun Sawad collection. I had been seeing images of these pieces on Instagram, and they did not disappoint in person! On her website she describes the inspiration for this design, “Many years ago while I was traveling in Thailand I fell in love with a riverside temple called Wat Arun, or temple of the dawn. As the sun was rising over this beautiful and sacred place, there was a warm golden glow in the sky. The colors of the diamonds with the gold remind me so much of that special place…”
