Endless talk of all things sparkly.

Celebrity Jewelry

Give Back to Malawi, Africa [no adopting babies required]

Lori Leavitt's Panthera Collection was created to benefit African children and young adults of Malawi.  Leavitt has expressed her enthusiasm by saying, “As a designer, it's rare to find an opportunity to be able to express my passion and raise awareness to better the lives of children"  Her collection has been beautifully shown off by Camilla Belle in recent ads, as seen above.   Each piece from Leavitt’s Panthera Collection can be worn to reflect your support for Malawi, Africa. The Panthera Collection, inspired by a vintage lion cufflink from the 1860’s, has been designed into necklaces, bracelets, rings, cufflinks and key chains. The collection is created with a 14k gold lion in each piece. The lion was chosen as a representative of the children of Malawi. It is symbolic of the courage the children in Malawi must endure on a day-to-day basis when faced with endless issues of poverty and illness. 100% of the profits from the Panthera Collection will benefit the H.E.L.P. Price:$1158 for above ring. Learn more about the Panthera Collection at http://lorileavitt.com/pages/frontpage www.helpmalawichildren.org Read More

Education & Advice

Jewelry Time Periods: Art Deco Era

Photo courtesy of Lang Antiques A favorite decorative period of mine is the Art Deco Era, which sprang from the end of WWI. Bouncing back from war efforts, where women desperately had to take over men's jobs and jewelry production was put on hold, the Art Deco period is characterized by decadence. This period encompasses the 1920s-1930s, during which women gained the right to vote, 15 million new cars were registered and hit the roads (1920-1929), many stock market fortunes were made, all while people danced the Charleston. As you can tell, the jewelry reflected what was happening--especially fashion. The "flapper" style was all the rage. Women rebelled by wearing short dresses, red lipstick, and bobbed hair. Bracelets were piled on, both on the upper and lower arms. Earrings, particularly a dangle style, were popular because of the shorter hairstyles. As the economy and stock market fourished, Americans continued to spend frivolously, while borrowing heavily. As a result, the stock market crashed. The Great Depression loomed, and the lavish living of the roaring twenties had come to a dramatic halt. Some motifs and distinctive elements of this time period: geometric shapes- as influenced by Cubism white-on-white: platinum with diamonds, this time adding emeralds, sapphires or rubies as well coral + diamonds, turquoise + sapphires black enamel to contrast bright gemstone colors Egyptian motifs, scarab, sphinx & falcon, as influenced by King Tut's tomb discovery in 1923 Eastern influences- carved gemstones and jade automotive motifs- autos, planes, gazelles, arrows & panthers dress clips convertible sautoirs- long necklaces that could be taken apart forming a bracelet, choker & pendant cocktail watches- diamond encrusted watches Important People of the Time: Raymond Templier Frederic Desprès Jean Dunand Paul Brandt Gerald Sandoz Important Jewelry Houses of the Time: Cartier Tiffany & Co. Winston Van Cleef & Arpels Black Starr & Frost Shreve, Crump & Low Read More

Books

Must-Have Jewelry Books

Most book shelves are filled with boring books, with dull subjects and are visually unappealing. If your book collection makes you dread reading and instantly fall asleep, then these will surely entice you! Filled with interesting information about all things sparkly, with vibrant pictures, leaving you wanting to read on. Any jewelry lover would enjoy each and every one of these books. Jewels in the Lourve by: Adrien Goetz, Claudette Joannis Price: $14.96 Rings: Jewelry of Power, Love, and Loyalty by: Diana Scarisbrick Price: $31.50 Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia by: Prince Michael of Greece Price: $34.65 Jewels: A Secret History by: Victoria Finlay Price: $10.88 Bejeweled: Great Designers, Celebrity Style by: Penny Proddow, Marion Fasel Price: $40 Cartier by: Hans Nadelhoffer Price: $47.25 Read More

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Obsessions

Beautiful, Wonderful, Perfect Pendants

Just some amazing pendants, that are delicate and gorgeous!  All unique in their own way--different styles, different materials, and from different periods of time.  One thing is for sure, they are all vintage and would look great on.  Read on for the details... The white enameling is so unique on this pendant, you don't see that too often. The green stones are peridots. You can find this piece from Craig Evan Small Estate Jewelry. This pendant is delicate, intricate--just plain beautiful! It is comprised of moonstones, sapphires and diamonds. What is interesting about this piece is that it was created during a transitional time between two different artistic movements. This has allowed two different styles to be combined into this one pendant. The price is $5400, from Glorius Antique Jewelry, featured at 1stDibs. This gold and crystal heart pendant belongs to the genre known as regard jewelry, which always includes the use of the stones ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, and diamond. The first letter of each of the gems is an acrostic that spells regard. Interesting, right? Circa 1890, featured at 1stdibs, priced at $1800. Wow, all set in platinum this pendant is so pretty. It is done in blue and white enamel, from Craig Evan Small Estate Jewelry. Read More

Education & Advice

How to Decipher Gold Markings

Those of you who are interested in treasure hunting on your own might need to know what the gold hallmark stamps mean.  It may be confusing at first, but this quick guide will help you out.  The first essential you need to invest in is a jeweler's loupe--a 30 x 21 mm is what I use.  This will allow you to get an up-and-close look at the stones (to look for any chips or at the clarity) and the prongs (hopefully they are not worn).  Next, check out the hallmark.  The guide below will help you decipher what that stamp means: 375   =   9k 417   =   10k 583   =   14k  585   =   14k 750   =   18k 834   =   20k 875   =   21k 917   =   22k The 3-digit number hallmark is stamped on a piece of jewelry of European origin.  Above are the North American equivalents.  Some hallmarks that indicate that gold is not real, not pure are: 10kGF (meaning gold filled), 18k HGP or 18k HGE (meaning heavy gold plate/electroplate). Above are some of the regional markings for several European nations. Read More

Antique & Vintage Jewelry

Glimpse into the Past: Retro Buckle Bracelets

We've seen mesh belts and bracelets,  but the combination of those two things creates the retro buckle bracelet, popular in the 40s and 50s.  Glam Hollywood starlets decked out their wrists with this look.  The buckle motif is still trendy today.  Below you'll find some amazing examples of the retro buckle bracelets. Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels with sapphires, diamonds and 18k yellow gold! This bracelet is all about the details: the round sapphires are set in a star setting on hexagonal links, the "buckle" part is bold, with 1.35 carats of diamonds. With 12.5 carats of sapphires to top it all off, any interested party is going to have to request a price check on this piece, from Beladora. Circa 1945, this buckle bracelet is done in 14k rose gold and platinum from The Three Graces. Although it is not an authentic Cartier piece, this one is almost identical. It can be adjusted to fit your wrist, with its largest size extending to 8.25 inches. The red stones are rubies, with 19 diamonds total. Price: $6250 This bracelet is stunning, from Connoisseur Antiques available at 1stdibs. I like how the buckle is floral, rather than a typical buckle. Everything is set in 18k gold with 3.25 carats of diamonds! Price: $6600 A great alternative to the more expensive and bold choices is this buckle bracelet. The sapphires and diamonds are minimal--the gold mesh is the main focus, which is done in 14k white and yellow. From Lang Antiques, priced at $1450. Read More