couture show – Jewelry Fashion Tips

Megan Thorne: Designer

Last summer I was in charge of my 25th high school reunion. As you know, I’m a strong proponent of self-gifting, so to celebrate the occasion, I bought myself a little prezzie — in this case a wide gold band with diamonds by Megan Thorne. I wear it stacked with a thin gold ring by Armenta, and every time I look at my hand, I remember all the fun memories of the reunion.

I was so excited to meet Megan in person at the Couture show! She is just a delightful woman, and her smile lights up a room! From her first impression, you’d never believe that she actually got kicked out of an NBA game once for yelling at a ref! (Yep…it’s true!)

Megan originally started out in lingerie design, totally swept up in the beauty of lace and the various prints on fabrics. Though once this self-proclaimed klutz tried her hand with a jewelry torch, she knew she was a natural. Thus began her career in jewelry in 2007, tools in hand in her garage in Texas. She’s still based there, and everything is hand-crafted at her Texas studio.

This is called her “picture frame ring.” You can see that the center of the ring really does look like a picture frame with a diamond in it. It’s based on a ring that her grandmother had as a little girl. Years later, she still had the ring in its original box with her childhood handwriting on it. She gave it to Megan, who then fashioned this ring — love that back story!

megan thorne picture frame yellow gold emerald cut with ribbed princess step band

While she didn’t originally set out to be a bridal jewelry designer, that’s where the path has taken her. But I really don’t think you have to be a bride to wear her beautiful pieces. (I’m proof right there!) I was drawn to this ring, which was one of her earlier pieces. I love that that it’s larger in scale, yet still extremely feminine.

Megan designs more than just rings. I just adore these diamond studs, which were inspired by a fabric print. The rose cut diamonds are gorgeous in the white gold setting.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, then you can meet Megan in person and see/try on her collection. She’ll be at Gallery of Jewels in Union Square on Saturday, June 29th from 11-7. This is part of their big Endless Love jewelry event, which you don’t want to miss! It runs June 28-July 14th at all three of their SF locations. (Click here for the full schedule.) And remember, you don’t have to be a bride to find something fabulous!!

Emily Armenta: Designer

As a long-time fan (and collector) of the Armenta line, I was just thrilled to spend some time with Emily at the Couture show. She was everything I thought she’d be and more! With her long, dark hair and fair complexion, she was just what I’d envisioned as the creator of such beauty. Both her and her line have an almost other-worldly quality to them, with nods to earlier times in history.

Emily Armenta and Amy Roseveare — Emily is truly a visionary in jewelry!

Born into an extremely artistic family (mom paints and sculpts, dad is a writer and sister is a poet!), Emily told me she began to sketch jewelry as soon as she could hold a pencil. Though she did go the route of working as a trader for Morgan Stanley, she knew it just wasn’t the right fit for her. While in business school she created the plan for her jewelry business, and she launched in 2002. From the sounds of it, she did everything in her power to make it work! One of her money-making ventures was buying cars at auctions and then re-selling them. She dumped every cent of profit into building her business, and I’m so glad she did! Not only that, but her whole line is hand-crafted right here in the USA. Brava!

Inspired by the Spanish poet Fedrico Garcia Lorca, Emily learned of duende, which is “…a spirit of unpredictable passions that surges within us, and how it manifests itself as a creative force.” Black and gold are a big part of her signature, and here’s a perfect example of how she expresses herself in large, statement rings.

armenta rings — Quintessential Armenta rings

Personally, I also just adore her bangles. I long to have a collection of them, stacking them with other bracelets I already own. The creative combinations would be endless with each bangle added to the group.

armenta bangles — Opal bangles — delicious!

Working with 18K yellow and rose gold, oxidized silver, and incredible stones, she also launched a “New World” collection in 2011. This group is made of sterling silver with a platinum wash. I asked her about how she finds stones with such amazing colorations. Turns out that she often fuses two stones together, which are called doublets. For example, she’ll fuse boulder opal to sandstone. Not only does this create fascinating hues, yet it also creates a stronger stone. Who knew?! Here are some rings from her New World collection.

armenta new world collection — Just lovely!

If you read fashion magazines, you may well recognize this following photo from her current ad campaign. In addition to her jewelry, she also has started a handbag line! Made of exotic materials such as crocodile and python, many of the evening bags have removable straps. Her wrap leather cuffs actually clip on to the evening bags for an ultra-chic wristlet look. How creative!

emily armenta jewelry — A modern take on historical themes

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and you are intrigued by this line, then it’s your lucky day! This Saturday, September 8th, Emily will be making a personal appearance at her trunk show at Neiman Marcus in Union Square from 10-5. This is a rare opportunity to meet her in person, so don’t miss out!

Clara Williams: Designer

Items that have multiple functions are something I love. Whether it’s a leather motorcycle jacket that can be transformed into a killer vest with de-tachable sleeves, or my hiking pants which can become capris with ease (don’t laugh!), I think it really extends your cost-per-wear on an item.

Dartmouth and Harvard-educated Clara Williams has brought this vision to jewelry, which you know is pretty much one of my biggest passions. With her patent-pended magnetic clasp technology, and over 11 years in business, she has broached (no pun intended) a whole new territory in jewelry. Honored to meet this Chicago-based designer at the Couture show in Vegas, I was so intrigued by her line.

clara williams jewelry — Clara and I at the Couture Show

So the concept behind her necklaces is that you choose the main necklace element, be it one or her 14K or 18K chains, or something more exotic, such as pearls. From there, you choose your center piece, which magnetically clasps to the necklace. How brilliant is that?!

clara williams necklace — 14K braided gold necklace with tourmaline centerpiece

With your imagination, the sky is the limit with the combinations you can come up with. Here are some beautiful examples.

clare williams jewelry — The rough aquamarine has my name all over it!

Her earrings are also convertible. Different enhancers easily slide on and off the basic earring. I can imagine that this line is the traveler’s dream, with the amount of different looks you can achieve with her jewelry! In addition, once you start “collecting” her line, you can just keep adding different pieces, really creating a multitude of looks.

Though Clara loves spending her time fly-fishing and traveling to exotic locales such as the Galapagos Islands, you can also catch her here state-side. Her line is offered in a variety of retailers, and you can even see it live in Pebble Beach coming up on August 16-19 at Elan at the Lodge. If you ever needed a reason to visit one of the most picturesque places in the Unites States, here you have it!

Petra Class: Designer

The first time I met Petra Class and saw her beautiful line was at the American Craft Council show in San Francisco. (She’ll be showing there again this coming weekend, August 3-5!) Her line had a very modern aesthetic, with clean lines and delicious gems. I was delighted to once again see her at the Couture show, and I had a chance to chat more with her (loved finding out that she’s a 2nd degree black belt in Aikido!) and really explore the line.

Petra was born and raised in Germany and started designing right out of high school. She adores sitting at the work bench working on her designs. All her pieces are made right here in San Francisco, and she only uses recycled gold.

Here is a stunning ring. The blue-green hues elicit the feeling of the Mediterranean. I can almost feel the sun shining down on me…

This bracelet really showcases Petra’s perspective. As she told me,”I like crazy in a structured way.” Well, I certainly believe she achieved it with this creation!

petra class bracelet — A rainbow for your wrist

I thought this pair of pearl, gold and diamond earrings had a particularly feminine feel, though combined with a modern edge. Nice juxtaposition!

petra class earrings — Organically beautiful design

Aside from at various shows, you can also find some of her line at Gumps in San Francisco. Personally, I really hope to make it to the ACC show at Fort Mason this weekend and see her latest work. If you’re in the SF Bay Area, hope you can make it as well!

Couture Jewelry Show in Las Vegas!

I have had the privilege of attending the Couture Jewelry show the past few days in Las Vegas. Known as THE show to attend, you can only imagine that I was giddy with delight from my first step into the ballroom. No matter which way you turned, there were salons filled with the most gorgeous jewelry you can imagine. There were multitudes of talented designers that were new to me, some designers that I’ve only read about (and dying to meet) were there in person, and of course some of my long-time favorite lines as well. The diamonds, the pearls, the brightly colored gemstones…it was quite overwhelming.

I interviewed my little heart out, and in the months to come, I’ll be sharing what I discovered with all of you. I met people from around the globe, and I learned so much about design, the industry and how many jewelers are really becoming eco-conscious. Have you ever heard of the “No Dirty Gold” campaign? Well neither had I until I spoke with Monique Pean while drooling over her designs. No worries — I’ll fill you in on all the scoop.

So get ready, first up this week will be a treasure from Stockholm Sweden….