At my first Couture show, I just fell in love with Efva Attling, both as a person and with her amazing jewelry line. I have since visited her store in NYC with a client, and I look forward to seeing what new designs she has in store each year. This year was no exception, and here’s pretty much how it went down when I visited her booth.
“So Efva, I’ve been seeing you around the show in a fab necklace. Is this the latest and greatest in your line? Tell me about it!”
“Well, Amy, I’ve got balls.”
“Tell me something I don’t know, Efva.”
Seriously, I just adore this woman. And I also adore her new necklace with large sterling silver balls (the main one which moves) that I’m wearing in the photo below.
It felt light and comfortable on my neck, and it was a MAJOR statement, which was perfect with my all-black outfit. I also like how it looked when I slid the necklace around to the back, with the largest ball now serving as the centerpiece.
And of course, always being on the cutting-edge of jewelry, Efva also has a ball ear-cuff which doesn’t involve any piercings. (Gotta love that!) This may be the edgiest my ear has ever looked.
Now I can’t way WHO, but there was a hot-hot-hot fashionista enamored of this necklace as well. All I can say is that they clearly have great taste, and I hope to see it available soon.
There are a few non-jewelry blogs I follow, and one is “French Kiss Life” by Tonya Leigh. She has this amazing view of life full of joie de vivre, and I always find inspiration from her blog posts. Her latest one is entitled 80 Mantras for the Elegant Lady. While I’m not necessarily into saying mantras on a daily basis, I still read through her list. One popped out BIG time for me…”I don’t have to be a good girl.” Really? Who says? This is my decision? Me, the girl who had “Goody Two Shoes” by Adam Ant dedicated to me countless times in middle school? Me, who always does the “right” thing, even if it isn’t the best decision for me? Hmmm…very interesting. Revolutionary, really.
Perhaps this thought has been percolating in my subconscious for a while, because when I saw Efva Attling’s Passion Cuff rings at the Couture show, I made the sales rep take them off her own hand so I could try them on!
These are a little bad a**!
I don’t think the casual observer would notice that they are handcuffs, but as the wearer, you do! With a subtle reference to being naughty, it brought a devilish glint to my eye. In addition, I think these sort of multi-finger rings are just hot-hot-hot! She also makes the design in a bracelet.
I think when I work in NYC later this month, I’m definitely going to make a point of visiting her store in the Meat Packing district and try those rings on again. I don’t need to be a good girl, and I think that this piece might be just the mantra I need, yet in the form of jewelry! 😉
I arrived at the Couture jewelry show a couple days before it started, as I wanted some time to relax in Vegas. (OK…actually time to shop, who am I trying to kid?!) While lounging by the pool one morning, I saw a very stylish woman in an aqua bikini gracefully walking into the pool. The next night, at Couture’s poolside opening party (Taio Cruz!), I found myself sitting next to that same glamorous woman. Coincidence? I think not. I’m confident that we were supposed to meet.
Come to find out that she is Efva Attling, an amazing jeweler from Stockholm, Sweden.
Efva and Amy
We sat for quite some time in her salon, as she told me a bit about her life and how she came to be the woman and designer she is today. Her history includes being an uber-famous model (she was even on the cover of Elle at age 50!), headlining a gold-record band back in the 80’s, and hosting a talk show, just to touch the tip of the iceberg. Regardless of her fame, she is extremely open and down to earth. She exudes a positive energy that just draws you to her. I think this energy translates to the jewelry she designs.
Known for her silver work, her tag line is “beauty with a thought,” as she desires to connect with people with “short songs,” as she calls them. While she can’t put an entire song’s lyrics on her pieces, she instead carefully selects words to get to the heart of the matter and connect with wearer. I love the words embedded in this necklace, don’t you?! It’s a rod of rock crystal with silver.
This necklace says it all!
Here’s a very clever necklace, that has a heart tucked inside. When she gave one as a gift to Angelina Jolie, she had the names of her children inscribed on the heart. Precious.
The inscription says "think of me" in 14th century French
And this unique cuff bracelet has a fingerprint on it — do you see it? Believe it or not, it’s the fingerprint of her mother, which she captured before she passed away. Truly, all her jewelry has a heart.
A cuff with meaning
Her fine jewelry is also quite amazing. Here she is wearing one of her signature necklaces. All I can say is, “Wow!”
Stunning!
While we were talking, she told me the story of a very good friend of hers. She had tried for years to have a child, and was finally blessed with a son. This precious gift was then taken from her in the tsunami in 2004. In her grief for her friend’s loss, she designed a special angel necklace. This “Angels” necklace, in cooperation with the Red Cross, has now raised over a million dollars for the tsunami victims. I think this story clearly demonstrates the type of woman Efva is.
For those of you stateside who can’t quite swing jewelry shopping in Sweden, don’t despair! In addition to her online shop, she also recently opened a boutique in the fabulous meatpacking district in New York City. Personally, I can’t wait to check it out on my next trip to the Big Apple!
