Friday, September 27, 2013

everyday diamonds

I am always curious to know what one piece of jewelry someone would invest in if they had to choose.  Instinctually, I would say I would invest in a good ring above all else yet those are the pieces of jewelry I swap out the most from day to day.  Lately, I have been wearing the same earrings, necklace and bracelets every day... so wouldn't I want to invest in really good pieces of those instead since I would be getting more out of my dollar per wear?!  Still I would rather spend my money on a really spectacular ring.  So I'm curious readers... which piece of jewelry would you choose to invest in?  A ring that could work for everyday?  A great pair of earrings that works with everything you wear?  A necklace that makes you feel fantastic every time you wear it?  A bracelet that goes with all of your other jewelry effortlessly?  (Images from here, here, here, and here.  P.S. How unbelievable are those Asscher cut diamond studs?!  I am DYING over them!)   

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

repurposed diamonds

Love these Diamond Dot necklaces by Hitchcock Madrona.  Even better, this jeweler repurposes their clients' old diamonds and sets them in these beautiful gold bezels.

Friday, September 20, 2013

dark angel

Confession... my latest guilty pleasure has been reading The Mortal Instruments series.  I have been totally sucked into that world and have the hardest time putting the books down every night.  This angel wing necklace, by Finn, looks like a totally badass accessory I can see any of the Shadowhunter ladies wearing.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Monday, September 16, 2013

sketching

I have long wanted to learn how to properly sketch jewelry design ideas.  I have never been very good at traditional art (sketching, painting, etc.) and sadly my jewelry sketch book looks like nothing more than doodles.  Even more of a tragedy is that some ideas I "doodled" years ago are now lost in my inefficient way of capturing my ideas.  I've bought some books on the subject but get lost after the first couple of pages, which leads me to think I need to take a class or learn in a more visual way.  I can only wish that one day my jewelry sketches look like works of art on their own!

Friday, September 6, 2013

victorian lace

Another post from inspiration I see every day at work!  Beautiful and delicate, the positive and negative space on these lace rings is exquisite!

This ring (which my coworker was wearing today!) is cast from Victorian lace backed in Muslin.  I love how the lace texture looks dilapidated yet you can still see the delicate intricate details of the lace.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

green with envy

I have been having such a strong love affair with sapphires lately, that I feel like I have neglected my first true love, emeralds.  It was next to impossible to narrow down all the beautiful options of antique emerald rings.  My selection was therefore based on emerald being the focal stone and the ability to highlight the beautiful color of this stone.  This amazing Edwardian ring (shown above) features an Asscher cut emerald in a filigree setting.

 
First off, the shape of this Art Deco beauty is outstanding.  The mix of platinum and yellow gold tips it over the edge of extraordinary!

I had to feature this Victorian ring!  The exceptional beauty of this cushion cut emerald doesn't need a lot of frills in the setting... this amazing stone speaks for itself!