Necklaces – Page 4 – Jewelry Fashion Tips

Treat Yourself: A Gift Guide

Today I want to share with you a fabulous website, Treat Yourself. This site it definitely more than just a gift guide; it’s a curated collection of jewels, hand-selected by Third Coast Gems (Benjamin Guttery) and DiamonDoodles (Hannah Becker) — truly a virtual store. I’ve gotten to know both of them the past few years, and I can certainly can vouch for their eye and discerning taste.

Before I dive into the gems themselves, I first need to tell you how much I adore the name: Treat Yourself! If you’ve been following me over the years, you’ll know that I’m a HUGE proponent of self-gifting, especially when it comes to the holidays, my birthday, heck, even a random Tuesday. (I explained the origins of this 5 years ago in my article entitled “The Boyfriend Gift.”) So don’t look at this site as only a gift guide for others, but for yourself as well.

Ok, so back to Treat Yourself. There are currently 23 talented jewelry designers represented, 15 of which I have met personally and seen their work up close and personal. (Note to self: meet the other 8 designers in 2017!) There is a wide range of price points available, including various options starting in the $300-ish range, on up.

I want to highlight some of the pieces from the site, but there’s absolutely no way that I can pick my favorites. To solve this dilemma, I thought it would be fun to do it within my Jewelry Box Basics paradigm. This is where I’ve defined six different personal styles: The Lady who Lunches, The Bohemian, The Rock Star, The Minimalist, The Romantic and Trendy Gal. With these categories in mind, I’ll show you one possible piece that would likely suit each one very well. Granted, no one falls 100% into any one category, but you may find yourself gravitating to one of these styles as you read on.

The Lady who Lunches

This is certainly not to say this woman only goes to lovely lunches — in fact you’ll often find her on the board of local charities and in charge of events in the community. She likes luxe looks while she makes a difference. This Daria de Konig necklace gives that exact punch she would love.

The Bohemian

With the warm breezes of Bali in her heart, the bohemian yearns for jewelry with color and movement. These opal and aquamarine earrings from Margery Hirschey fit the bill.

margery hirschey opal and aquamarine chandelier earrings

The Rock Star

No, she doesn’t actually have to be in a band, but her heart has that rocker vibe and her closet likely houses both combat boots and a lot of black. Skulls are a perfect motif for her jewlery, as is this Crystal Coffin Momento Mori ring by The Moonstoned.

the crystal coffin momento mori ring by the moonstoned

The Minimalist

Low-key jewelry is key for the minimalist. She often has a small “jewlery uniform” that she dons daily, and this diamond and sapphire bracelet by Erika Winters would be the perfect add to her collection.

erica winters estella 5-stone bar bracelet

The Romantic

While the romantic is often a lover of antique jewlery, that’s not to say she doesn’t love new sentimental designs with stars, hearts, etc. and an extremely feminine flair. Sara Weinstock’s diamond earrings (which come in three colors of gold) would certainly make her heart sing.

sara weinstock diamond gretta starburst earrings

The Trendy Gal

This woman subscribes to all the fashion mags and visits Net-a-Porter daily to see the latest and greatest in the world of fashion. Knowing that bold color and oxidized silver are hot, hot, hot, she’ll surely want these Delphine Leymarie rings tied up with a sparkling bow.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest, have fun exploring the offerings on Treat Yourself! And don’t forget to self-gift this holiday season!

Pull-Out Jewelry Storage Panels

One of the things I love about my mom is her creative, artsy style. One of her style signatures is typically wearing some sort of statement necklace. They don’t have to be expensive, but they’ve got to have that “wow” factor — and trust me, she’s got quite an eclectic collection growing. The problem? They are not the easiest thing to store. Traditional jewelry boxes are definitely not an option. And though we did try to convert the top drawer in her dresser into an organized system, it just didn’t work. The necklaces didn’t play well together, and they didn’t want to stay in their compartments, if they even fit in the first place.

Inspired by some ideas we saw on Pinterest, we decided to make use of some unused space in her closet. The cabinet-maker who had outfitted her garage built three vertical, pull-out peg-boards. They fit perfectly into the under-utilized space. Here’s a couple shots of them after they were installed.

We went with plastic Hook Style Pegs . White just fades into the background, letting the focus be on the jewelry, not the hooks. I also thought that plastic would potentially be less damaging than metal, which could possibly scratch some materials.

Before transferring all the necklace from the drawer to the new system, we first had to lay them all out on the bed to take stock of what she has. She opted to get rid of a couple she didn’t love anymore. Then we organized them by color to get an idea of how we wanted to hang them in the closet. Here’s a quick video of this part of the process.

Next, it was quite quick and easy to pop in the hooks and hang everything up. I like the versatility of this system, as you can add/move hooks so easily, as opposed to those on walls, which can leave nail holes when you move things. Click on this short video to see the finished product!

Mom is pretty darn psyched for her new necklace organization, and so am I! What do you think of it?

Styling Ideas for Antique Necklaces

Over the past few years, antique jewelry has really made an entrance in my life. And with it, I’ve been experimenting with some ways to style antique necklaces so that they look current and express my personal style. I certainly don’t want to look like a “fashion don’t” when stepping out the front door! I want to share two different ways to utilize antique necklaces. The first is layering, and the second strategy is using one necklace as a focal point.

So let’s start with layering necklaces. With this, you can layer various antique/vintage necklaces, or you can mix old and new together. Doyle & Doyle recently shared this photo on Instagram, which is a fantastic example of how to layer with panache.

My personal collection doesn’t have so many amazing antique necklaces (#goals), so my own style experiment only involved two necklaces: one non-antique (a Marla Aaron chain & lock with a Monica Marcella enhydro quartz pendant and a tiny pearl pendant from Erica Molinari) along with one antique (a 57″ 9K gold chain from Lenore Dailey with a Victorian “A” locket from Erica Weiner).

I’ll share what I did with them two days last week. On Monday I looped the long antique necklace around my neck twice, creating a choker effect, and paired it with the non-antique necklace.

In my typical black, I liked how they looked with my harem pants and sandals. I describe my personal style as “urban bohemian” and I thought this ensemble was true to my style.

Then on Wednesday, I wore a dress over a pair of cropped, frayed-hem jeans. I wore the 57″ necklace long, layered the new necklace. I’d never worn a necklace so long! But once I figured out how to maneuver it (and not get it stuck in the seatbelt), I felt pretty swishy! It’s true that I don’t necessarily look like anyone else on the street, but in my book that’s a good thing.

Now let’s take a look at just using one necklace as a focal point. While I was at the Hillsborough Antique Fair a couple weekends ago, I spent quite a bit of time with the charming Lenore Dailey. I photographed two different necklaces to use in my examples. The first one is a Victorian 18K and silver necklace with rose cut and old European cut diamonds. At first glance, you might think, “Oh, this is gorgeous, but certainly best worn for a dressy occasion.” I feel the complete opposite. I think it would look just amazing worn during the day. Don’t worry…I’ll give you some ideas how in a minute.

victorian rose cut diamond necklace from lenore dailey

The second necklace that caught my eye in her booth was this Georgian 15K gold flower chain with the most amazing clasp — check out the cabochon turquoise. What workmanship!

georgian gold:turquoise nekclace from lenore dailey

So yes, of course you can wear these necklaces with a cocktail dress. But how cute would they look with a t-shirt, jeans, boots and a biker jacket? Or what about this — a simple pencil skirt, a pull-over sweater, and funk it up with some Golden Goose Sneakers. (yes, I might be just a wee bit obsessed with these sneakers).

j. crew long sleeve italian cashmere sweater

golden goose superstar satin & suede sneakers

If you add one of these necklaces to the sporty chic look, it’d be awesome! I like how the turquoise would look against the raspberry color. Not too “matchy-matchy,” if you know what I mean. And the juxtaposition of the diamonds with sneakers would be so cool — not a combination someone might typically come up with while getting dressed.

The bottom line is I want you to know that it’s much easier to incorporate an antique necklace into your look than you might think. Try it on with unexpected garments, and you might be very surprised at how original and unique it looks. And with any item you purchase, remember that the more it costs, the more you should wear it so that the cost-per-wear goes down. Never save anything “for good.” Now venture forth into your jewelry box and your closet and have some fun! Send me pix of what you come up with.

Ananda Khalsa Jewelry

OK…I’m going to show you two images from Ananda Khalsa’s website and I want you to think about the feelings they evoke. Think about adjectives to describe them. Are you ready? All right, here they are:

What words came to mind? For me, adjectives such as feminine, colorful, organic, and fit for a bohemian goddess popped into my head. Although I first started becoming familiar with Ananda’s gems on Instagram, I was lucky to meet her in person and play in her cases at the Couture show. All I can say is that the line was even better in person!

I actually got to try on the vibrant tourmaline necklace from the second photo above.

And what about this stellar trio of rings, the middle featuring a delicious boulder opal?

And then there’s her inviting chandelier earrings, such as these with labradorite and garnet.

quad-filigree-earrings-with-labradorite-and-garnet

She also has a silver collection in her line, with equally beautiful detail.

ananda khalsa oval filigree kyanite earrings

Seeing all these incredible designs got me thinking about how I’d style them. (After 18+ years as a wardrobe stylist, this is the default setting in my brain!) Given that the line definitely has a more bohemian vibe with a nod to ancient jewelry, I thought it’d be fun to share how I’d incorporate Ananda’s jewelry into a whole look. Spring/summer would be easy — a Grecian dress, gladiator sandals and layers of jewelry to start. But what about now, when it’s getting cold outside? For a great, casual everyday look, I’d start with a feminine blouse, perhaps with some lace detail and a killer suede jacket. This ivory Rebecca Taylor blouse and wine-colored suede moto jacket from Capulet set the tone. (FYI, wine is a HOT color this season, and it looks great on a variety of skin tones.)

Given that jeans are a staple, I’d go one of two routes. The first option is a skinny jean tucked into tall boots. I picked a pair of jeans from Good American, as they just debuted two weeks ago, and they come in sizes 0-24. (Can I get a “hallelujah” on that extended size run?!) I ordered a pair for myself, and I can say that I give them a thumbs up. They are built for curvy girls, they are high-waisted (no muffin top!) and the stretch is fabulous. They are clearly flying off the shelves, as the style I ordered isn’t even available anymore! I like the scrunchy vibe of these Steve Madden boots to go with them.

The second look for jeans and boots would be to pair a cropped, frayed “let down” hem jean, such as this pair from Current/Elliot, with a pair of ankle booties. These grey booties from Rag & Bone definitely would fit the bill.

current:elliot cropped straight let out hem jeans

Let’s imagine you have a pair of Ananda’s chandelier earrings on with this outfit, and you’ve got other piercings as well. She’s got you covered with a variety of stud earrings.

Personally, I may also add this turquoise and diamond ring. Can’t go wrong with it! Heck, I’d wear rings on multiple fingers!

ananda khalsa oval turquoise ring with diamonds

Ananda also has another very unique collection in her line which I can’t help but mention. She paints small watercolor pictures and then sets them under crystal. They have either gold or silver bezels and many have gemstone accents. Have you ever seen anything like it? This girl has #talent! If you go to her website and click “painting” you can see she has 17 different themes to her painting jewlery, from koi fish to ravens to willows.

All Ananda Khalsa jewelry is made in studio in Northampton, Massachusettes. If you’re interested in seeing more of her line, click here to see a list of retail locations as well as three online shopping sites.

Kothari: Designer

Tej Kothari was born into the world of jewelry in India — his mother was an antique jewlery aficionado and developed her own successful business. Though Tej studied molecular biology in college, he began designing jewelry in 1997 and launched his brand in 2009. Kothari is a Bay Area based company. (I am once again amazed by the wealth of talent we have locally!) I can definitely see the influence of his science background in the line. Take, for example these polki diamond dish earrings, which come in two sizes. They are like bejeweled cells in a way!

The polki diamond theme also translates beautifully into these bracelets.

This particular pair of earrings really spoke to me. Again, I’m seeing the design as something we’d see in nature — the diamonds like dew drops on a frond.

Kothari is now moving into more color. I was blown away by the pieces made of agate and jasper with inlaid diamonds. The single cut diamonds enhance the natural patterns in the stones, which are all hand-picked.

Being ever-attracted to the moody palate of blacks and greys, I would SO wear this petrified Alaskan black coral and diamond necklace. It’s truly a melding of nature and luxury.

kothari petrified alaskan black coral necklace with diamonds

I also want to share their kAuge Collection, which features sterling silver or 18k gold in streamlined designs. I’m totally into it!

There’s a nice selection online at Twist if you’d like to take a closer look. Wonderful meeting you at the Couture show, Tej! I appreciate your time and talent.

Emanuela Duca’s New Collection

While Italian-born, New York resident Emanuela Duca is probably most well-known for her textured jewlery, I have to say I was quite enthralled with her sleek new collection, Thoughts Frequency, when I met her at the NY Now show.

As you can see from this handful of rings I just had to try on, they are so highly polished that it was impossible to photograph them without getting a reflection of my cell phone in the image! In fact, they practically function as wearable mirrors, and they are intended to reflect the thoughts of those around us. Emanuela talked about how all thoughts are energy, and the thoughts of others certainly influence us. Hence, the name of the collection, Thoughts Frequency.

Made in sterling silver and 18K gold, I find this line ultra-contemporary and very wearable. Here’s two of the 18K rings; you’ll see a yellow sapphire shining in each one.

Emanuela, as lovely on the inside as on the outside, modeled this sterling cuff from the collection for me.

She was wearing this delicate 18K choker, which would be a perfect luxe, everyday look. I could envision it easily layered with other necklaces as well.

The clean surfaces of each piece feel like a calm in this crazy world we live in. They inspire me to take a deep breath… Wonderful to meet you, Emanuela! If you’d like to see more of her work, here’s a list of retailers around the country.

Melissa Schmidt: Pyrex Jewelry

Yes, you read that correctly…jewelry made out of Pyrex! Mom and I were strolling through the Sausalito Art Festival over Labor Day Weekend (worth the visit if you’ve never attended — very well curated), and we came across a booth with the sign, “Keep Calm, It’s Pyrex!” Ok, that got our attention. So did this necklace:

Pretty interesting, right? Not only are the glass baubles really intriguing, but so is the chain, with it’s unique links. I was worried about having glass pendants that hang so low as they could possibly get knocked on a table or something when sitting down, but Melissa told us that she has a life-long guarantee on her work. So if something happens to break, she’ll replace it. Now that’s something!

Melissa Schmidt is a St. Louis based jeweler. She is self-taught with her glass blowing and takes inspiration from antique glass buttons. I checked out her Etsy shop and thought I’d share some more images of her work.

I’m glad mom got the long necklace in the first photo. Can’t wait to see how she styles it!

Long Turquoise Necklace: Jewelry Judge

Yesterday I was psyched to stop by The Podolls in Burlingame to see the latest and greatest fall arrivals. As I was chatting with Josh, half of the husband/wife team behind this local, sustainably-made brand, I got distracted… A woman walked in and I was instantly drawn to her look.

Though her outfit was cute, I wouldn’t have necessarily done a double-take without the necklace. Not only did it add a major pop of color, but it created this cool vertical line which led right up to her smiling face. It complemented the long lines of her jacket and the overall impression was casual, not over-done, and just right.

And do you want to hear where it was from? It was found online at Anthropologie! This goes to show that you don’t always have to spend a fortune on jewelry to really take your outfit to a whole new level. (And of course I came home and had to check out the whole jewelry section on the Anthropologie website — I did find the necklace, and it’s only $88.)

Another key lesson from his look — it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort take an outfit from nice to pretty awesome. In this case, simply adding a necklace. That can’t slow you down getting out the door too much, can it?!

(P.S. I just realized that this is the 500th article I’ve written for my blog. Time to celebrate!)

Atelier Gigi Stethoscope Ring Holder Pendant

Sometimes I come across something so darn clever, I just have to share…and this is one of those times! To be honest, I’ve never really thought about where doctors or nurses put their rings during medical procedures. Now that I think about it, I would assume they put it in a locker like they have on Grey’s Anatomy. Well Atelier Gigi (who you may remember from when she designed the engagement ring my brother gave to my now sister-in-law) just came up with something WAY cooler than stashing your ring in a locker.

The story goes something like this: She was working on an engagement ring for a young man who would be proposing to a medical student. While it didn’t work out to incorporate any medical theme into the ring itself, Gigi designed a stethoscope pendant to hang around her neck. Not only is this awfully cute on its own, but it serves as a place to hang her ring, right next to her heart, when she can’t be wearing it.

atelier gigi stethoscope ring holder pendant:necklace

Here’s the bride wearing the necklace with her ring placed on it. So not only is her ring safe, but it’s so precious in its sentimentality!

atelier gigi stethoscope ringd holder necklace

Knowing there are likely many in the medical field who would love to have one for themselves, Gigi is now selling these pendants on Etsy. You can order them in silver, 14K & 18K yellow or rose gold, or platinum. Perhaps this will give you a little head-start on your holiday shopping for the medical professional in your life!

Studio Collections Jewelry in Sonoma, CA

It has been years since I’ve been up to Sonoma, even though it’s only a two hour drive from where I live, so I was very excited to head up there this past Friday. Not only was I meeting a dear friend and colleague for lunch, but I was also finally going to visit Studio Collections Jewelry. I have been “virtual” friends with the owner, Bess Nathan Rice, for quite some time now. Located just off the main square, this store sells a very wide array of styles, from dainty to bold, new to vintage. I have no doubt that whatever your personal style, you’d be able to find something to complement your wardrobe in this boutique.

As I walked in, I met Beth Hanson, who is the woman in charge of all the styling and merchandising at the store. Her love of jewelry had us chatting non-stop.

beth hanson at studio collections jewelry

There are quite a few lines that were new to me, and I want to share a few of them with you. The first one, Yed Omi, was located at the counter right as I walked in. It’s handcrafted by a husband/wife team out of Portland, Oregon.

I tried on the gold earrings on the right, and they were quite fabulous! Not only are they extremely lightweight, but the line is very reasonably priced.

Bess, the owner, also sells her own line. Luck would have it that she had just brought in trays of new designs while I was there. This necklace can be worn long, doubled, or even tripled. It features a rose-cut diamond and sterling pendant, with Tahitian Keshi pearls; these pearls are quite unique, as they are non-nucleated.

She also showed me this necklace with tourmaline, Tahitian pearls and some excellent swinging tassels.

You may be getting the gist that Bess is definitely a pearl girl. If you’ve got some pearl jewelry that just isn’t doing it for you anymore, Bess can help you re-design them.

I couldn’t help but notice a display of larger-scale jewelry by Patti Crandall. I wasn’t familiar with her line, and I found out why — Studio Collections is the only place she sells her work! Take a gander at these three rings. I tried on the one with citrine topaz and moonstone. Now that’s a statement!

I also had to try on these three opaque diamond rings in 18K…

This necklace was also very intriguing. Made from a replica of an ancient Greek coin, you can see there are four spinels on the back side. Definitely a conversation piece.

On one whole wall of the store there are these great shadow-box cases, just beckoning you to come closer and inspect the treasures inside.

One case in particular was calling my name — that which was full of traditional Mexican earrings. They are all hand fabricated in Oaxaca and Taxco. Although they look like they could be vintage, they are newly made, and ready for the right buyer! Here’s a few pair of earrings from this group. Whether or not they’re your personal style, you’ve got to appreciate the detail in the workmanship.

traditional mexican silver earrings with turquoise

As I was looking at the selection of earrings, Bess pulled out a very special pair of gold and pearl “gusano” (meaning caterpillar) earrings. This pair is in fact vintage. I’ve honestly never seen anything like them.

Speaking of vintage, there is a carefully curated section of estate jewelry. Since I’ve been educating myself on different eras of jewlery, I enjoyed trying them all on.

But have no fear if your taste is more on the contemporary side. You can find some beautiful designs, such as these rings by Sonoma County’s own Jennifer Dawes.

Should you decide to purchase something, either for yourself or for a gift, know that you’ll be getting a very specially wrapped box. As I watched Beth wrap up this ring box, we were laughing about how it reminded us from that scene from Love Actually where Alan Rickman is purchasing a necklace for his secretary. Humor! (Oh, and if you haven’t ever seen that movie — download it right away. It’s one of my all-time favorites.)

Bess, I so enjoyed visiting your store and getting the chance to know you in person. Thank you for all your time and expertise!

With Bess, the owner of Studio Collections Jewelry

Oh, and if you’re looking for a yummy lunch nearby after jewelry shopping, I really enjoyed El Dorado Kitchen, right on the square. I’m still dreaming about the heirloom tomato salad…