Post- Hurricane Storm Sandy Memento

Get yourself something nice, like the Coomi Eternity diamond ring at http://www.coomi.com/locations.html, for riding out the storm. 

Hope all are well; we're fine.  Thank you www.IntoTemptation.wordpress.com for the timely piece.

Hello Sandy- Goodbye Fall!

Hurricane Sandy may not be a hurricane any more, but the beast howling around outside is NOT friendly.  We are blessed to be warm and safe and together.  Dear Lord who creates hurricanes, watch over your children as this monster prowls and growls up the east coast.  Amen.

And back to Gem ID before we lose power, probably for days!  Sandy's knocked down all of the autumn leaves, so enjoy this lovely Tiffany necklace, on www.1stdibs.com.  Wouldn't you love to know this piece's provenance?

(Good advice for coffee fiends- if you expect to lose power, prepare a pot of coffee ahead of time and put it in a thermos to stay warm, just in case.)

Black Friday- Old Is New Again

These Handcrafted Leather Cuff Bracelets from Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry in collaboration with Eugene Lee are recycling at its finest- stylish, well made, old into new, edgy with a respectful nod to the past.  Good leather, well constructed, with platinum and diamond vintage buckles, will get better over time.  Think how fabulous these would look with jeans- and even better with a LBD or evening gown; wear them to the coffee shop or to the opera!

To learn more, please email info@shsilver.com.
Or contact concierge at (650) 503·3054.

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Handcrafted leather cuff bracelets with vintage diamond and platinum buckles; our first collaboration with designer Eugene Lee

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A Pick Me Up for Monday

The Delphi Necklace by Suzanna Dai is perfect.  Each appliqued section is beaded with gunmetal bugle beads, blush pearl beads, and rhinestones.  The necklace is backed in grey suede.  As a statement necklace, I love what this one is saying.

 

Suzanna Dai

 

 

Black Friday

The blogiverse is a-twitter critiquing Jennifer Aniston's new engagement ring, seen in this  blurry photo.  It's too big; it's too gaudy; it's too whatever...Who died and made these people Goldilocks?  Opinions are like bellybuttons.  Everyone has one, and a lot of them should not be on display.   

Yup, a gazillion carats- an idol somewhere is missing an eye! From People



Repeat after me...All brides are beautiful.  All babies are beautiful.  All engagement rings are beautiful.  That is, unless they look like this...

Black Cat Ring by Abrakadabra, www.notjustalabel.com
 

Good manners would require positively responding to this ring too, "In Britain, black cats are good luck!" or, "He knows he likes your kitties."  Have the, "Are you sure he's the one?" conversation later.  (For fun, post what you would say to a friend who received this statement piece as her engagement ring.)

 

Diamonds are great, and are best from someone you love who loves you back.  Ms. Aniston received a monstrously huge ring that she seems to like from a guy she loves.  Even funky kitty rings are good from someone you love who loves you back.  Embrace the gesture and move on!



How to Stretch Your $500 Part IV

Here's where I waffle like a lawyer.  These strategies will not get you a Cartier panther watch for $500.  Or even $50,000.   They will help you get a few hundred knocked off a fine piece or maybe even $1,000 here or there (if shopping at a gem and jewelry show), and they might help you acquire pieces otherwise beyond your price point.  Perhaps they will help you think of your jewelry as a coherent whole, a collection, that expresses your aesthetic vision and extends beyond what you hang on your body. 

This leads to the other important rule, as important as the rule that you should never buy retail.  Never buy crap.  Don't buy junk, not even inexpensive junk, because junk is junk.  "What is junk?" is a fair question, but not to be answered today.  That's an answer that can take a long, long time and has 1,000 pitfalls. 

Today, let's look at something pretty. 


Tiffany dogwood necklace, 1st Dibs I think.  If it is not, someone please correct me.



Art Nouveau pendant of gold, enamel, freshwater pearls, and diamonds, www.1stdibs.com.

P.S.  My aesthetic vision apparently is, "Ooooooo!  Shiny!" 

P.P.S  If you want to weigh in on the definition of "junk," please do!

How to Stretch Your $500 Part III

Continuing with ideas on how to save your money and grow your collection since you should never pay retail... 

8.  Yard sales are not the bonanza they used to be since everyone sells their gold, but some surprises still surface.  An acquaintance found a VC&A item at a yard sale.  Go at least a half an hour early before the sale starts and take cash.  Flea markets sometime cough up surprises, but go early.  Don't sneer at pawn shops and musty old antique/junk shops.  Local auctions are sometimes worth a look.  Do not turn up your nose at family pieces either.  Clean, fix, size, and, if necessary, remake items lurking in your grandma's, mother's, or great-aunt's jewelry box.  Ask if you can borrow them; usually, family members will loan items if they aren't wearing them.

9.  Birthdays- sometimes family and friends will help you finance a piece for your birthday or a holiday.  Sometimes they are willing to buy it and give it to you as a present on the big day;  my wonderful man is relieved to get me something he knows I will like.  

10.  Sales, including sale sites like Net-a-porter, Gilt, and other designer outlet sites, can help take some of the edge off of designer jewelry.  Designer jewelry is expensive, and in most cases at least half of it is the name (in BogV's case, its ALL the name).  Figure out what you like about a particular style and see if you can find something similar...but avoid direct knockoffs and counterfeits.

Isharya agate, gold plated unknown metal, crystal, and enamel snake necklace from Net-a-Porter.com. 

11.  Gem and jewelry shows are God's gift to magpies, but once you've been to one, you'll never shop at a normal jewelry store again.  "Tucson" is synonymous with an enormous event that lasts a week in February, and Las Vegas has a big one too, but there are localized ones as well.  At the Chantilly Gem Show I purchased items at costs that I blushed to tell people later.  There are some fantastic antiques and old designer pieces as well.  Again, know something before you go, because not all items are a deal and there a few ignorant or unscrupulous dealers. 

I was ordered to put my camera away before I got to the diamonds...

12.  Always bargain no matter the venue.  Sometimes the price will come down with a simple, "Is this the best price?"  If you are better at bargaining, do so.  Remember that retail is absurdly high, at least five to six times times the wholesale cost.

There you have it- tested ways to acquire jewelry for less money than you thought, all of which I have used and worked for me.  Why?  Because you should never pay retail for jewelry.