InStyle’s website has a new jewelry blog called My Jewel Box and this week they are featuring something from my own closet –a great pin by Vendome. Please click on the link above to have a look…

Have a great 4th of July weekend!!

British metalsmith, Fiona DeMarco thinks jewelry should possess a pinch of asymmetry, a dash spontaneity, and move in motion with the wearer as if it were alive. Her Blossom necklace with its hand-forged clusters of eighteen-carat gold disks set on wires flutters like petals in a summer breeze. Each item in this range is individually made. She often likes to take a silhouette and expand upon it in varying forms, so for example, some pieces are double-sided and others incorporate gemstones.

Dubbed Spike, DeMarco’s newest collection features silver cuffs and necklaces that are covered with petal-shaped paillettes that are attached by tiny, beautifully rendered wires that terminate beneath the surface of the metal. The look is modern and sculptural yet retains the ease and familiarity of shapes found in nature.

It will be a single wavelength of color for fall, according to Style.com’s Laird Borrelli-Persson; from head to toe, we will be awash in a single tone. Thankfully, this will be a season of sonorous necklaces, pins, and bracelets that will happily leap onto that monochromatic stage. Designers chose a Hudson River School palette of dusky blues, rusty tangerines, bark browns, and leafy greens for clothing. These brooding hues work with metal intensive, or graphically expressive pieces, such as these two necklaces from Kentshire Galleries in New York.

David Webb, circa 1975

Gold, onyx & coral necklace, circa 1970

If jumping in on the big bijoux trend means looking for well-priced items that still have punch then try the shop at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They have a new Manager of Reproduction Jewelry by the name of Michael Nash who is reinventing the museum’s aesthetic to include items that are contemporary and stylish. His background is that of both a designer and merchandiser, so it will be interesting to see how the jewelry will evolve. Many of the ornaments I saw had an enticing tactility about them –you just wanted to try something on to see how it felt. The Schlumberger-esqe bangles, earthy yet ample jade beads, and vintage-inspired brooch below were among the standouts that I felt would make fabulous go-to pieces for fall. Nash also has designed a new collection of watches which I will review in the coming months.

Necklaces with a roundness of rhythm are taking shape on the necks of forward thinking fashion plates. Notice how these two examples from Brits Sarah Hutchison and Christine Kaltoft use positive and negative space to define the character of each piece. Hutchison’s palette of silver, gold plate and freshwater pearls creates a pastel-hued depth-perception that delicately balances dark and light.

Kaltoft envisioned this one of a kind necklace from the movement of birds,
“My current collection is based on a series of sketches I made of birds as they strutted, pecked, flapped and preened. My aim was to capture their lightness, elegant volumes, movement and essential birdiness. Some of this collection was also inspired by a battery hen rescue I helped with. The scared, flapping mass of creatures gradually revealed themselves to be spirited, curious individuals, eager to start carrying out normal chicken behaviours in their new retirement homes. These pieces reflect themes of containment and release.”

The intricately crafted bracelets above were hand worked by the metalsmiths of Laos. As you can see from the image above, the patterns in these pieces have a lot in common with the ornate gold decoration of the temples and shrines that dot the picturesque landscape. This type of jewelry, which was originally created as adornment and metal wares for royalty exclusively, is offered for sale by www.orijyn.com. A portion of the purchase price goes directly to these artisans as well as PADETC, a charitable and mostly volunteer organization that teaches financial and educational self-sufficiency to the young, impoverished population.

These charm-ing pendants by Heather Moore were made using recycled metals. Each item can be personalized and Moore’s range includes cuff links which have a great non-gender-specific quality (I like to wear them with my french-cuff shirts). I also like the matte finish which blends well when you are wearing other types of jewelry.

And lastly, I am thinking about recycling my talents into other formats and one of them is possibly television. While I will remain a loyal blogger, journalist, and author, I have some ideas that I would like to try out — however I do want to know what subjects about jewelry you would find interesting to watch. Do you enjoy tv segments about the latest trends? How about news of who is wearing what on the red carpet? In the end, are these programs disappointing and if so, how or why? What are they lacking? Would you like to know more about the history and newest collections from a venerable house or get to know a new designer? What about styling with pendants, cuffs or earrings intrigues you? I would appreciate your input, so please feel free to leave comments. Many thanks!!

Upon noticing a showy sapphire ring worn by a guest to a dinner party, jewelry designer Fulco Verdura quietly commented to his dinner companion, “mineralogy isn’t jewelry.” Perhaps the gentleman was a bit too quick to judge the visual effect of stone because even his contemporaries recognized the design possibilities in raw gem material. Susanne Belperron created this ring of a carved chalcedony shank that cradles a lustrous pearl. Belperron loved chalcedony and used it memorably to create the renowned suite of jewels for the Duchess of Windsor.

Andrew Grima’s blasted gold and gemstone jewels from the 1960s represented the powerful inner energy found in all things organic. He created this agate ring, which was only one of three made.

These contemporary earrings are by Abraxas Rex. Raw Herkimer diamonds still retaining their original octahedral shapes conveys a wild kind of beauty as found in the earth, not cut with precision and polished to perfection.

This last image is of a bracelet by Kimberly McDonald. Black geodes become something elegant but also dark and sensuous with an almost baleful expression. What is this mineral that shimmers in sunlight but reveals little of its sparkle with which to demand attention? Is it a jewel, a talisman, or in the end, merely a rock?

It’s the only type of pin that I didn’t discuss in my newly released book on brooches. Pins can cause drama, and not a little bit of trouble. Simon Doonen felt the prick of Andre Leon Tally’s turban pin when he spoke at the CFDA Awards on June 2nd. Noting the glorious platinum and diamond ornament from Fred Leighton, Mr. Doonen quipped about it being a “rental” and suggesting that he “hock it and use the resulting moolah to fund my Antwerp Housewives show”. Clearly the comment was intended as a joke, but Mr. Tally wasn’t amused. Mr. Doonen, a retail executive and fixture at Barney’s New York, soon realized the danger of a hair-pin turn of a phrase and admitted that he should have minded his pins and Q’s.

In any case, I did not add a turban pin to my book and so here I will elaborate on them here briefly. A turban or Dastaar, as a Sikh turban is called, is an article of faith. A turban pin is a symbol of dedication and is worn on the front of the turban. This kind of head wrap and ornament has been worn by those of nearly all religious beliefs, and in fact it was said that Moses wore one. They have also been lyrically depicted in paintings by Rembrandt and Ingres.

As I was doing research on the web today, I happened to come across images of men wearing pearls. The first photograph was of fashion designer, John Galliano attending Yves Saint-Laurent’s funeral. Around his neck were strands of black pearls twisted into a rope, which made them look more like a scarf than a necklace. He appeared creative, comfortable, and utterly contemporary. While I think that most men wouldn’t be able (or inclined) to pull off this look, there are variations on this theme that are equally cool and do not require a master class in self-confidence.

Back in the nineteenth century, the Maharajahs and princes of India wore strands of large, natural (not cultured) pearls. It was part of their custom and birthright as these gems were considered highly valuable and proffered an unabashed display of wealth and power. Here is an image of Prince Rana of Dholphur. Personally I love the very large pearl choker. Note the way in which the pearls are worn as single strands in cascading lengths –a manner of style that would become quite popular during the Edwardian period. It was at this time that Queen Mary was often photographed wearing strands of pearls and diamonds in a similar way. Here she is looking quite wonderful in her regalia.

Men should and can wear pearls, perhaps not with the same panache as Mr. Galiano or Prince Rana of Dholphur, but rather as an accent. Three luminous pearls, or even one large one, on a black leather cord has a relaxed, beach-boy appeal with a soupçon of sophistication.

With the passing on Sunday of fashion designer nonpareil, Yves Saint-Laurent, the extant costume jewels bearing his aesthetic are finding avid buyers on Ebay and vintage jewelry sites. Much of it is from the 1980s and has an East Asian-inspired or exotic look. YSL was a consummate provocateur of such seduction that his conceptual prowess made the exotic, the masculine, the gypsy, and the safari into style institutions for generations of women. He was also a brilliant colorist that other designers openly copied without apology or justification, yet always with reverence; they were students learning from the master. The costume jewelry created for the company clearly illustrates the dramatic and architectural leanings he exhibited in his clothing. Often these pieces have complex, even clashing or oppositional color combinations –a design devise that when employed cleverly, and with precision, draws immediate attention.

As the sun rose today, I got a Sunday morning urge to do some antiquing. With my hat, flip-flops and sunblock in place off I went in search of whatever I would find. When I attend these shows, I almost never go with an agenda. There’s more fun to be had when hunting and meeting up with the unexpected. And in truth I’ve rarely, if ever, found exactly what I was looking for. The best part about shows, flea markets and tag sales are the surprises, the people, and the lovely little tales to tell later on.

The dealers were in full force and ready for the crowds. Unfortunately for them and fabulous for me, the lot wasn’t full of browsers at nine am. So I strolled up and down the aisles just to get a general sense of what the dealers brought. More than anything there was costume jewelry –and tons of huge brooches! Czech crystal pieces with large, luminous stones were everywhere as was Victoriana. Rolled gold bracelets, taille d’epergne (black line) enamel earrings, and Bohemian garnet jewelry all seemed to be among the better pieces I saw in the cases. Jewelry from the last quarter of the nineteenth century jewelry appears to be the most plentiful among the antique genres. It has a certain look that is clearly identifiable: a rosy hued metal usually accompanied by a few intricate details and/or small colorful gems. The smaller items, like pins or rings, when grouped together offer a whimsical, eclectic look that works well with casual clothes like jeans or little sundresses.

At night, I’d wear an abundance of examples with black because Victorian jewelry is expressive and dissimilar pieces, when blended together, create drama that is a tapestry of textures. Gold Victorian earrings are a sophisticated accessory for semi-formal lunches or meeting for work; they always stir up conversation and add depth to your professional persona.

I stopped by one booth and saw this Kingfisher feather brooch. I have to admit that it was love at first sight. The price was ok (a little more than $100) considering its condition was only fair to good. However, this type of jewelry is rare to find here in the United States.

Although there was quite a bit of loss to the piece, its character was intact and the balance of color between the metal and the irridescent blue of the feathers made it all the more attractive to me. When the ornament was new, the entire surface of the decoration would have been painstakingly covered in feathers. Kingfisher feathers are finer than hair and have to be applied with glue, by hand, to a silver gilt or brass surface. Each lovely floral urn is mounted on wire so that it moves, a technique in jewelry making termed, “en tremblant” or trembling.

The silver gilt in this particular piece is in very good condition as was the metal work. As for age, it is a little difficult to tell. Kingfisher feather ornaments are from China and in fact, the Chinese have been working in this art form for more than 2,000 years. Collectible pieces are of a more recent vintage –say from the last one hundred or so years. Ornaments made into hairpins, combs, brooches, and earrings, are sometimes accompanied by gems –the vibrant color combination of coral and Kingfisher blue is often seen in this jewelry.

Kingfisher feathers were used in decorative art work like screens and fans. The intricacy and workmanship of the compositions I found online were staggering. Tiaras were created for brides and the finest pieces were owned by royalty although even those whose means were less might own a small item. There is an excellent reference book on the subject by Beverly Jackson entitled Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of an Ancient Chinese Art. It should be noted that the Kingfisher became nearly extinct due to the killing of these birds for their feathers. Production of the art ended by 1940. Unfortunately there are fakes that are being made now with turkey feathers; copies generally are less expensive and appear cheaply produced.

I also purchased a vintage Whiting and Davis handbag, circa 1970-ish. The gold frame has a Florentine finish and the mesh is enameled with a brown and black snakeskin-like print. I have a group of luncheon-and-lecture-appropriate white, taupe, brown, and black dresses to which the bag will lend a bit of the exotic. Its handstitched pale apricot satin lining was in perfect condition and I declared it a bargain at $35. So with sun on my shoulders and my wallet much lighter than when I arrived, my field trip was done. As I headed back to my car, I happily contemplated all the ways I will be accessorizing this summer…