Designers – Page 24 – Jewelry Fashion Tips

Essenza: Fab Seattle Boutique

I recently returned from a girl’s weekend in Seattle with my cousin Rachel and my “cousin-to-be” Megan. We had a blast, despite the rainy weather, exploring this beautiful and friendly city. Since they were hanging with me, a professional shopper, I know that they weren’t surprised when I pulled out my page of hand-written notes on all the shops I wanted to visit. And bonus, Megan had a rental car! So off to the Fremont neighborhood we went, which is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Seattle.

One of the shops on my “must see” list was Essenza, which is a unique combination of jewelry, bath/skincare products, sleepwear, and some kid’s items. I knew I liked the store before I entered, which was painted in a pale aqua-blue (my favorite color).

And my thoughts were confirmed as I entered this charming store, with a central fountain surrounded by beautiful cases of jewelry.

So many of my favorite designers were represented, from Megan Thorne to Rebecca Overmann to Sarah McGuire.

Peering into the cases from Zoe Chicco and Jamie Joseph definitely brought a smile to my face!

I was excited to find a new men’s jewelry line, The Blue Hound. It’s so rare that I see a men’s line represented at a store like this, and I loved it! It was very industrial, and had a great price point. Here’s some bad-ass skull cufflinks and a couple edgy bracelets.

If you’re in the Seattle area this coming week, then it’s the perfect time to stop by the store. They will be hosting an Anne Sportun (oh, how I love her and her line!) trunk show. Here’s the details on the show.

I hope that the next time you’re in Seattle, you’ll make the effort to visit Essenza. I met Wendy, the owner’s sister, and she was just charming. And in a typical small world style, it turns out that she used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and knew tons of people in common with my cousin. Go figure! I love how the universe keeps connecting us all in that special way.

Boho Chic: Jewelry Judge

During my recent girl’s weekend in Seattle, I finally got to visit Les Amis in the Fremont neighborhood. Just reading the list of clothing designers that they carry which I love (Gary Graham, Pas de Calais and No.6 to name a few), I was psyched to walk in their darling front door. So I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised that one of the cool sales gals rocked my boho world with her jewelry choices. First of all, I loved her statement necklace by Annie Costello Brown worn with a simple cream top.

Then, as she began writing up my receipt (because you just KNOW I went home with a couple amazing tops!) I was mesmerized by her eclectic ring combination. It takes an expert to combine a midi ring, a couple oversized rings and a wedding ring set with such panache.

I thought that this gal did an amazing job at expressing her unique personal style. In addition, she was the perfect fit for the store (perhaps she was the owner?? didn’t ask…). It has inspired me to take a closer look at how to combine the rings in my jewelry box, for sure. What do you think of her choices?

Diana Broussard Necklaces @ Crimson Mim

You may know the name Diana Broussard from her work at Calvin Klein, Christian Dior and Gucci. While she is certainly famous for her shoe line (she used to design shoes for Gucci under Tom Ford), she is also the designer of some fabulous necklaces, currently available at both the Los Altos and Palo Alto locations of Crimson Mim. (Gotta love when you find cutting-edge fashion close to home!) Her feather-light resin chain-link necklaces are the perfect centerpiece for this spring’s minimalist look.

Handcrafted by Italian artisans, they come with just the links or with an added padlock pendant, and range in price from $275-$375.

Here’s Miroslava Duma, the former editor of Harper’s Bazaar Russia, modeling one of the necklaces.

They are selling like hotcakes, so if this rings your jewelry bell, then definitely rush to Crimson Mim and give them a try. It might be the perfect go-to accessory for your spring wardrobe!

Gintare: Designer

You know when you meet someone and they have this sort of ethereal, other-worldly aura about them? Well that’s just how I felt when I met the talented Gintare at the Couture show. Chicago-born, yet with both parents from eastern Europe, Gintare now resides in southern California. She realized what a strong energetic connection she has to Lithuania when she visited her mom’s farm back in 2008. This farm is in fact a sacred place in the country, which explains quite a bit about her. This line is steeped in culture, with a strong spiritual (though not religious) tone.

Gintare is most famous for her Karuna rings (meaning crown in Lithuanian and compassion in Sanskrit). She makes them in green, white and rose gold, embellished with diamonds. They can be stacked in countless ways, and easily combined with baguette bands.

Her “illuminated messenger luminous shield” pendant is also based on the Lithuanian culture — it’s the symbol for independence and freedom. (Love that!) It’s crafted in 18K green gold with blue sapphires.

One of my favorite pair of earrings at her booth was this pair, made from green gold, yellow tanzanite, and hand-cut clear crystal. Simply beautiful!

She loves the color white, and this theme carries on with this beautiful necklace. She got the idea for it when she saw the reflection of diamonds while peering through a piece of quartz. She kept playing around with it until she got it just right. The result is like seeing diamonds underwater, though instead of looking through water, you’re seeing them through quartz phantom crystal. Isn’t that just so cool? This really speaks to my water-loving pisces soul.

gintare water clear optical quartz pendant

She also has this ring, called the “frozen waters ring” for obvious reasons. It evokes the depth of color from some of the amazing photographs I’ve seen of glaciers.

This fluid pair of earrings would be a welcome addition to someone’s jewelry box as well!

I left my interview with Gintare feeling so peaceful and happy. There was such a luminous energy about the whole experience, and I think she really nails this feeling with her line. I can’t wait to see her new creations at the next show.

Valentine’s Day Gifts (For Yourself)

I think I may approach Valentine’s Day differently than many women. True, I don’t currently have a love in my life to share it with in the way that Hallmark intended us to, but that really doesn’t make me sad. I feel complete with myself, and I think this holiday is another perfect opportunity to gift myself with a heart-felt token…no, not chocolate (though that’s not off the table), but with jewelry of course! With the overabundance of catalogues and e-mails flooding my mailboxes, I came across many items that would definitely bring a not-so-obviously-valentine-sy smile to my heart.

The first is this heart pendant by Mizuki. The word “love” is subtly spelled out with pave diamonds. (Thanks to my friend Jen for modeling it while we were shopping at Red Bird.)

Again, liking the subtle reference to the heart theme, I thought this bracelet by Zoe Chicco would be so cool in a big bracelet stack. Though you would know you were wearing a self-love gift, most people would just admire your bracelet collection as a whole.

I know there are some of you that would rather have a more obvious sentiment. Meeting in the middle, these 14K gold hearts with white diamonds featured in the Arhaus catalogue would achieve this.

I adore this ring by Workhorse, and if you’re a Francophile, you undoubtedly will as well. Perfect on its own or in a creative stack, I “heart” it.

If you want to be more incognito, then how about this cuff by Coordinates. You can have the coordinates of a special occasion engraved. This doesn’t meant it has to be where you were married or where you first fell in love, but how about where you were born or where you had some other significant event happen in your life, just for you?!

And last, but certainly not least, perhaps you are inspired by the colors associated with Valentine’s Day — from pink to red. If so, then these amazing sea glass rings by Aloha Sea Glass are just perfect.

I wish all of you a wonderful Valentine’s Day. May you fill it with whatever it is that makes you happiest, be it a special dinner with your love, a luxurious massage, or your favorite cocktail and a little trash TV. Cheers! xo

Pade Vavra’s Guitar String Rings

I introduced you to Pade Vavra back in November. (Click here if you missed the article.) She’s an edgy jewelry designer, who I just learned is also a passionate musician. (This SO does not surprise me!) In her words, “I wanted to be a musician, but for the last 19 years, jewelry is my music. Like the bass of a drum or strum of a guitar, it strikes an emotional chord in me.”

She has melded her two loves perfectly with her guitar string rings.

They are not made of actual guitar strings, which are much too stiff, but rather of solid sterling silver diamond cut chain. She makes them with rose or yellow gold plate finishes, as well as gunmetal black rhodium or polished silver.

I tried on the yellow gold in the regular and midi-sized rings.

I was so impressed with how light, malleable and comfortable they are! Pade says, “…measuring 2 millimeters in width, they are sleek, smooth and most importantly, do not get in the way of playing your instrument.”

At only $49 dollars each, everyone from Rhianna to Steven Tyler to Hayden Panettiere have been wearing them. And I can just picture Pade rocking them as she drums on her 1972 Ludwig Vistalite drum kit. Rock on!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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, 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!

I adore how she used another arrowhead in this fantastic 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.

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!

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!

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 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?!

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.

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.

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

Happy bidding, and go Niners!!