JEWELRY

What a dillemma. You only have enough cash to buy one ring, so which of this year’s trends do you go for? According to my sources (ie Conde Nast) Cocktail rings are the must have bling for any woman who wants to be noticed on the scene. And get you noticed they will–the cocktail rings on the market today are huge, gaudy baubles in blinding shades lemon, orange, turquoise and violet. Sure they look pretty, but, you know what? So do Christmas lights. And, most likely, when this trend passes, anyone caught still wearing one of these lint catchers will look like a sad, naked Christmas tree waiting for the garbage truck, wearing one forgotten, lonely jewel on one of it’s drooping brachces. And nothing says “the party’s over” like a dried out Christmas tree face down in the gutter.
Instead, buy a set of stackable gold rings. They’re cheaper, classier, and if they go out of style, you can always wear them separately (or wear one on each finger, as fashion dictates). Instyle recommends a set of gold vermeil stackable rings for $84, and after some online sleuthing, I’ve discovered that this is a pretty good price. The lower priced stackable rings looked to be of questionable quality, and the higher priced ones didn’t seem to be much better, except that some of them had diamonds.

If you absolutely can’t live without a cocktail ring, get on to macys.com. Right now they are selling cocktail rings half price (likely a sign that they are already going out of style). But hey, fashion is cyclical, and they probably will come back in, so at the very least you can get them at a better price.

Gros bisous,

Noelle

For hundreds of years we have referred to “diamonds in the rough”–people or things that would be brilliant and only needed to be cut and polished in order to bring out that shine–without realizing that diamonds in the rough are beautiful, too.

Rough diamond jewelry is in. If you don’t believe me, check out the Bergdorff ad in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar. It shows a ring set with three stones, each a different size and shape, and brownish in color. The stones are murky, with hints of shimmer trapped inside, like the interior of a storm cloud. Their beauty is more subtle than the diamonds we normally see. It’s like comparing a woman who’s been told to speak and act and look a certain way, to a woman with a strange accent and who doesn’t wear makeup. Both are beautiful in her own way.

Personsally, I really adore the warm glow of the rough diamonds. They remind me of candles almost. Visit Bergdorffs or Neiman Marcus to check out this facet (pun intended) of the Back-to-Nature movement.

A plus tard,
Noelle

People everywhere are going organic and it’s not just about food anymore. The new look that’s in demand for fall is jewelry with “organic looking” stones. Now, this may seem odd, given that, with the exception of stones manufactured in laboratories, gemstones do come from nature. But there are some that have an earthy quality that matches the un-processed beauty of an oddly shaped, homegrown tomato. Below is a list of this fall’s trendiest and most “organic” stones.

Amber
Amber is petrified tree sap; you can’t get more organic than that. Most amber has a honey-golden hue, but there is also the reddish carnelian amber, a darker cognac amber, various shades of green amber, and, very rarely, blue amber. A necklace of amber beads (in any color) goes great with this fall’s shades of gray, while a pair of amber earrings will give you a hint of glow.

Turquoise
Rumor has it that the Southwestern look is in, so dig out any Southwestern style jewelry you might have lying around. Turquoise (originally brought to Europe by the Turks via Venetian markets) is found in Iran, Sinai, and to a much lesser extent China, but one of the biggest sources of turquoise in the United States. Turquoise is prized by Native American artisans, was used in jewelry and mosaics by the Aztecs, and is still used today by the Navajo, Apache and Pueblo craftsmen. Wear it with a denim skirt (but not jeans) or with a red sweater—the contrast of the colors evokes the feeling of a sunset in the desert.

Jet
When people describe something as “jet black” how many of them know what jet is? Jet is a fossilized wood. According to wikipedia, jet is “derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure, and thus organic…the name comes from the French word for the same material: jaiet.” Jet has been used for centuries in the making of jewelry. It was popular in the 19th century—Queen Victoria wore it—and was also popular in the 1920, as flapper girls wore long strands of jet beads that hung down to their waists. You can see why it was popular—black is sexy. Wear it to contrast a white sweater or pea coat or with your LBD—black on black is hot.

While these are just a few examples of stunning organic stones, this should be enough to get you started.

XOXO,
Elizabeth

Confession: I love Indiana Jones. I’ve seen all the movies at least a hundred times, read all the books, and I have (in a secret stash in my apartment) several Indiana Jones action figures. He was strong, sexy, and not afraid of anything, except snakes. I always dreamed of being in Egypt with Indiana, when he goes to the pit to find the lost ark, and the pit is full of asps…the old Egyptian guy says to Indy, “You go first,” and I, knowing his loathe for anything that slithers, say, “No, Indy, let me go first.” And I lower myself down into the pit and kill every last snake, so that when Indiana comes down into the pit he is so grateful that he pulls me into his arms and ravishes me right there, before the lost Ark and the Ten Commandments. Then I would turn the snakes into fabulous accessories, like belts or watches.

Python watches are very hot right now, as are Python hand bags and snakeskin belts. The thing about snakeskin is that it is very earthy–and you know how great Indiana looked in earthtones. However if earthtones don’t ring your bell, you can always find Python in other colors, even pink, yellow, and blue. BCBG makes a gorgeous watch with an ivory colored Python strap and crystals. Invicta makes a lavender Python watch, and a pink Python watch with diamonds (that costs significantly more). If you really want to spend some money, get a Tag Heuer Monaco watch–it comes in black, and it’s unisex, so if they have a buy one get one sale, you can get for you and your Indiana too!

Sincerely,
Noelle