Archive
Show us the family jewels!
It doesn’t have to be the maharajah’s pearls or a golf ball sized diamond to be valuable. While so many of the items we accumulate end up worn out or abandoned without a second thought, even the humblest of jewelry often retains an emotional value far beyond its material worth.
This week we invite you to post pictures of your most memorable jewels and tell us about the stories and memories they hold. We’ll be selecting the best 3 posts and those readers get $50 gift certificates for jewels. Go HERE to post your images.
I’ll show you mine and now you show me yours!
My sister, Liz brought back the Angela Caputi bracelet (4) and necklace (5) from Italy. I wear the bracelet so much I worry I’m wearing it out! We’ve been giving one another gifts of jewelry forever. I buy her things I know I would want for myself and she does the same. Anything she gives me instantly becomes cherishable.
David Yurman is for lovers. The cable bracelet (2) is the first serious gift I got from my love before he was my husband. This gift took me by surprise when he handed it to me over dinner at Bouley. We’ve been married about 3 years.
The David Yurman link bracelet (1) was a gift from him the following Christmas. I love wearing them together. I mix them with some ummm… imitations. It’s too good and too bad that David Yurman is so widely copied… but no one (but me) ever knows which are real and which are not. He followed these up with the chain necklace (7), I wear it ALL the time with different pendants.
Finally I said, “I have enough David now, please give some other starving jewelry designer a chance.” He took the bait and gave me this Monica Castiglioni ring (3) for my next birthday. It’s magnificent. I crave MORE Monica…
The freshwater pearl bracelet (6) was a gift from one of my best friends. For a few years we were buying one another gifts from a jewelry designer we knew and adored. This bracelet became even more special when the designer died.
I have more. Much. More. Jewelry that is…
Happy July Birthday! The Ruby Rules this month!
According to gem lore, the ruby is considered the most powerful gem in the universe. They are associated with many astral signs but most notably with July birthdays. Rubies carry intense energy that can sharpen the mind, heighten the awareness and stimulate the whole system.
Ruby is the stone of courtly love and romantic commitment. It is an aphrodisiac long associated with all forms of love, from wild sensuality to mystical communion. Ruby helps foster happiness in those who wear it. It also boosts courage to help achieve one’s best potential. Those who wish to strengthen their self-confidence should meditate on rubies. It is said that ruby rings offer the best protection when worn on the left hand.
NOTES on images above:
After centuries of being thought to be one of the most valuable rubies in the world, the Timur Ruby was deemed to be a spinal sometime around 1851. Though a spinel is a naturally occurring mineral, it is far less valuable than a ruby. The Timur Ruby is still a very valuable piece and is now part of the jewel collection of the British Monarchy.
Lily Safra was a Brazilian philanthropist and socialite who attained considerable wealth after four marriages. This ring was part of a jewelry collection she sold at auction last year to benefits charity.
The Gautama Mala is a Flashioista piece made of vintage red Czech glass, it along with the zoisite and the Bohemian Garnets are all rubies in color and can carry the same intentions.
Zoisite is a natural gemstone. Bohemian rubies can be made made glass or red rock crystals.
It’s the Show-Off color of summer. Tans, attitudes, and jewelry are all enhanced by wearing white. But wearing it requires some level of responsibility. One drop of red wine or a not-so-clean park bench and there goes your pristine whites.
Plan to replace your white basics every season: t-shirts, pants, shorts, shirts etc. If you want to look really crisp and fresh in white, this is the way to do it. Wear and tear and washing take their toll on pure white.
Make sure you have a fully lined t-shirt bra to wear under ALL white tops. Bras, panties and shapewear should be nude. White underwear will show through when worn under white (or any light colors).
With white pants, skirts and dresses make sure the fabric is thick enough that the pockets or your underwear do not show through. Linings are not the answer. Most lining fabrics are man-made nylons and polyesters that do not breathe; wearing them in summer is like sweating in a plastic bag
1. Ann Taylor Stripe T. 2. Flashionista (of course) Crystal Quartz and Labradorite Necklace. 3. Rachel Zoe Wrap Top. 4. Eskander Wide Leg Linen Pants. 5. Black & Red Buddha Mala Necklace. 6. Flashionista Pearl Wrap Bracelet. 7. Frye Rachel T Sandals. 8. Michael Kors Skinny Ankle Pant. 9. Mod Cloth Stripe Bag.
10. Eskander Shirt Jacket. 11. Mary Marino White Coral Industrial Necklace and Black Lava Charm Necklace. 12. Eileen Fisher Layered Tank. 13. Oakley Shades. 14. Black Lava Wrap Bracelet. 15. Stuart Weitzman Sandal. 16. Kate Spade Fabric Bag. 17. Eddie Bauer White Jeans.
