Etsy Metal Bracelet

This charm bracelet is completely right.  The crow charm totally makes it- but the longer you look at the 19 original charms made by 19 metal artists, the better it gets.  It probably even sounds good being worn- an arm party of one. 

www.etsy.com/listing/79262175/etsymetal-charm-swap-7-bracelet

Introducing the Letseng Star

It's a Diamond!
Found:  19 August 2011, displayed 23 September 2011
By:  Letseng Diamond Mine, Lesotho
Size: 550 Carats
Color: D- colorless! 

Wow!  Amazing- and so much potential!

Monday

To fire up your creativity on a Monday, visit www.pem.org/sites/iris to dress your own Iris Apfel paperdoll!  With Iris, more is more!  (Seriously- this is waaaay addictive.) 

And Alex Monroe's updated site is up; the Chrysanthemum collection is on it...www.alexmonroe.com.

Friday's Treat

Isn't this beautiful?  Do you think the jeweler laughed when he finished and realized what he had made?  When you see something this lovely, made by a person, you realize that we reflect (imperfectly) God's image in our desire and ability to create. 

Carnelian, onyx, white gold, and diamond from www.Wartski.com

Catalogue Can Be Reserved

You can reserve your catalogue for the Liz Taylor Jewelry Auction now.  Go to www.christie's.com and click on catalogues.  Warning- it's pricey!  I'm having to talk myself into ordering it, but I will regret it if I don't!  

These are just two of the over two hundred items that will be auctioned.  The JAR earrings were made specifically for her to match her eyes, which she thought were blue and sometimes green.  Burton gave her the necklace (with matching earrings) as a gift when her first grandchild was born.

A Shout Out to Readers

Have any of you tried on earrings by Ms. Jessica Winzelberg?  I LOVE the colors in these, but fear they would be heavy.  Anyone out there tried on these or any like them?

Triple stone drop by Jessica Winzelberg, 14 kt gold, cuprite chrysocolla, Larsonite, and geode from www.roseark.com

 

Pamela Love's Spring 2012 Collection

Pamela Love's newest collection has the desert and wide open spaces in it.  Its colors and inspiration are a change from her previous goth collections, and the results are strong and full of energy.  The colors especially are a radical departure from her signature dark designs.  Well done, Ms. Love, in keeping your design fresh, fierce, and free spirited!     

Why I Am Not Afraid of Being 90



Because Iris Apfel makes 90 look GOOD!  You don't get that level of style and confidence without living in your skin for more than 45 years.

“I learned that I have to go to bed with myself at night and that I have to please myself…and as long as I don’t go out of my way to offend anybody that I love, upset my mother or my husband…I’ll do my own thing. And if the public doesn’t like it, it’s their problem, not mine.” – Iris Apfel

True story- I was in church, envying an old lady who wore a zillion diamond rings, thinking, "When I get to be her age, I'm going to wear all of my jewelry at once too."  Then I thought, "What's stopping me?"  Duh!  Be who you want to be!  Life is not a dress rehersal! 

Some of Iris' bling.

   

Love and Devotion

More "Awwwww" for Friday.  This is so sweet that it makes you feel good to see it.  That makes it  perfect for Friday.

www.georgianjewelry.com

Big enough to fill your palm, it's Edwardian romance in 18 kts with diamonds and garnets.  Look at how the beaks and diamond make a heart!  May your weekend be spent with someone who holds the key to your heart! 

"And Who Are You?" "Please, sir, I hardly know."

When Alice meets the caterpillar, she is so confused that she cannot answer the question, "Who are you?"  But who could give a straight answer if questioned by the world's largest, stoned caterpillar?

Perhaps the Alice in Wonderland bracelet by 2 Roses would have helped her keep her balance.  

Polymer clay and wood at www.etsy.com/shop/2Roses

Perhaps not; the bracelet resembles Alice mental state after hanging around the hooka, not before she fell down the rabbit hole.

Lewis Carrol was a freakin' genius.   

Adorable AND Historical

These will make you say, "Awwwwwww."

Giardinetti rings, more prosaically called "flower pot rings" on our side of the pond, were made to look like little pots or baskets of flowers or little ribbon-gathered bouquets.  They were seriously adorable in the 1700s, and they still are!

Photo from Three Graces, www.georgianjewelry.com, ring from approx. 1750 of gold, silver, diamond, ruby, garnet, and spinel

Photo from Victoria and Albert Museum, rings from 1734- 1766 in gold, silver, ruby, diamond, and paste

Photo from www.albion.com, ring from 1770 of gold, silver, diamond, pearl, and enamel- the ring symbolized happiness (flowers) and prosperity (barley)

BTW- they are really rare. 

9/11

10 years ago on this day, everything changed.  Today, ducking the media's mastication, we'll  talk about 9/11 and remember.  God bless us all. 

Web cam at the 911 memorial at Ground Zero:  www.911memorial.org/911-memorial-webcam.  

Biographies for victims of the attack on the Pentagon:  http://pentagonmemorial.org/explore/biographies. 



   

Other Posts of Interest

Things y'all may think are interesting:

The vivacious Tina Tang is giving away of two of her sterling necklaces.  Take a look and sign up at www.blog.tinatang.com.

The talented and insightful Lori Ettlinger Gross at www.jewelhistory.com has book recommendations and another ethical jewelry site.  Eons ago, I said I would post on the subject, but she beat me to it- and wrote her post very well.  Anyone with an interest in the subject should check out her site's posts and recommendations.

Lastly, from The Sartorialist, www.thesartorialist.com, a number of wonderful, end of summer beach fashion shots and this photo of over the top earrings. 

Wait- that may be a necklace; I love it.  The energy, the movement, the childlike colors with the very adult chaotic concertina wire references- fantastic.  I couldn't wear the Mousetrap Mouse, but the bigger piece/pieces are fabulous!

Good Bye Summer II; Last Run to the Beach

Labor Day- last run to the beach to breathe the warm, salty air into the bottom of my lungs and fill my ears with sand and the rumble of waves calling to me to come in and play. 

I love the beach in the fall and winter, but my relationship with the water is different then.    Invariably, I'll try wading and end up soaked to the waist and frozen.   

Venus, in this cameo, would definitely have her hair slicked back and her Wayfarers on.  Here's to this summer's fun and memories!

1890 cameo, shell and 18kt gold, from www.1stdibs.com

And the Gauley River dam releases in September!  Yeah!

Good Bye Summer I; Last Weekend at the Pool

Labor Day Weekend is the end of summer- and I make no excuses for my hanging on to the  last, wonderful, warm days.  I'll be at the pool, soaking the last of the summer sun into my bones, trying to get excited about the changing season. 

As I have plowed back and forth in the lap pool in the sunshine this season, I've daydreamed about aquamarine waters, diamond water splashes, and onyx lane marker tiles.  Both of these swimming pool inspired jewels are available from www.1stdibs.com for when you want to dive into the deep end, but the winter wind says, "No."    

David Webb- 80 carats of aquamarines, 3 carats diamonds, enamel, and gold

40 carat aquamarine, diamonds, sapphires, gold

De Vroomen Jewelry

De Vroomen's jewelry is sophisticated and elegant, made for strong women who delight in exquisite craftsmanship and wear the pieces with confidence and pleasure. 

Tourmaline, Tahitian pearl, and gold necklace

Gold, sapphire, enamel, and diamond brooch

He uses large, colorful stones playfully with fearless enameling, but the pieces are timeless.  Appropriate for a woman in her twenties or a lady in her 80s, De Vrommen's collections are unforgettable.   See more at www.devroomen.com.uk.