Geometric jewelry has been a big trend on the runways starting with last fall, when both new-age pieces inspired by modern art as well as pieces paying historical homage to the great works of the Egyptians made their way down the runways. Jewelry, no matter if it is dainty and subtle or dramatic and statement-worthy, is always the finishing touch on an outfit. When an artist or designer creates a piece of jewelry, they do so with the intention that it will become a part of the final elements that polish off the look of an outfit’s overall appearance.
The Spring Festival Necklace by Madewell is a statement piece that represents a current trend in fashion, but is not so bold and dramatic that it makes it very difficult for the average person to wear it. The piece features a mixture of ovular pieces as well as pointed triangle pieces in gold and black that together create a dramatic ring around the neckline.
Dramatic on its own but even better layered, this geometric necklace has a high-impact sheen that’s impossible to ignore.
The length of the chain is 20 1/2″, it has a spring clasp closure, and is made of brass and resin.
Spring is often one of fashion’s most indulgent seasons, as fresh new prints, patterns, and accessories flood the runways, trickling down to the department stores, before finally making their way to the street. Of the many trends with accessories specifically this season, textures in stonework and metallics seem to be prevalent. One eye-catching piece that popped up on the runways was the concept of fringed cuff bracelets, that in some cases lent a sort of Native American feel to it, and other times gave off a Wonder Woman sort of impression, depending on the materials the cuffs were made from.
The Adia Kibur Fringe Cuff, available at ShopBop, is a a gold hammered cuff with a high-gloss finish, and chain fringe detail near the opening. The look is dramatic, with the chain fringe adding a sense of movement and texture, and presenting as an eye-catching conversation piece sure to get you looks and compliments as you wear it out and about. The movement of the fringe adds emphasis to every emphatic gesture and hand-to-hip pose.
The designer, a former aspiring diplomat, Nadia Lee found he creative streak and penchant for jewelry design in her family’s native Taiwan. Shortly thereafter, she launched her Adia Kibur accessories line and went on to pioneer a system of jewelry design based on guitar strings.
The cuff measures 3.5 inches at the width and 2.25 inches in diameter. The cuff retails for $36, and can be found here.
As technology continues to become more pervasive in our everyday lives, the digital medium is quickly overtaking most of our other methods of communication. This concept is not lost on Bermuda-born designer Alexandra Outerbridge. The clever artist, who was brought up in London, and schooled in Miami, currently calls the city of Los Angeles home. She has recently released a line of jewelry that is inspired by the emoticons featured in instant messages, text messages, and emails, and has made them to be just as interactive as the originals.
This Double Sided Lover Face x Dead Upon Arrival Face Necklace features a double sided emoticon-inspired expression face pendant, perfect for matching your mood of the moment. The piece is made of plated bronze, and hangs on an 18″ chain. The piece retails for $115, and is available for purchase here.
The line also features earrings, bracelets, and rings made out of materials like plated bronze, 14k gold, 14k rose gold, and silver plate. The line is entirely designed, sourced, and produced locally in the heart of L.A. from start to finish, where the designer draws heavily upon the youth-obsessed culture of her hometown for all of her pieces.
So often, jewelry is given as tokens of affection. Family, friends, lovers, significant others, will give sparkly tokens of affection to someone that means something to them, or to commemorate a special occasion, to say without words all of the encapsulated emotions felt between loved ones. Sometimes, the piece itself proclaims the emotions represented through a word, inscription, or symbol, indelibly gifting the receiver with it’s eternal sentiment.
The Paloma Picasso Love bracelet features a simple silver chain with clasp, and the word “Love” in script, connecting each end of the chain, meeting in the middle. The designer, Paloma is a French/Spanish fashion designer and businesswoman, who also happens to be the youngest daughter of the great 20th-century painter, Pablo Picasso. Paloma has worked with Tiffany for many years, and has created a great variety of pieces that occasionally even seem to draw inspiration from her father’s work.
Part of her famous Graffiti collection, the design features the word “Love” in Paloma Picasso’s own handwriting. The bracelet comes in sterling silver, and is presented in the traditional Tiffany robin’s egg blue box and leather pouch, for safe keeping. The chain is approximately 7″ long. The design is a Paloma Picasso original, and is copyrighted.
The Paloma Picasso Love bracelet is available at Tiffany & Co. for $175.
Perhaps it is the ever pervasive influence of the illustrious Mother Monster, or just the fact that Lady Gaga’s totally crazy fashion sense has created a “no holds barred” trickle down effect in the world of fashion, clothes, and accessories, but we’ve been noticing a lot of things in the jewelry world that we’ve never seen before. For example, check out this totally awesome crystal hook nail ring, that comes in a few different options of metal and stone combinations, and retails for only $9.99.
The ring is not worn as most traditional rings are, down near the knuckle, but rather this ring is worn towards the tip of the finger, so that the metal and stone plate part can cover the nail, just as a talon would appear. The color options include a gold metal and diamond-like studs, or platinum colored metal with hematite colored studs. The talon part does come to a point and curves downward, just like a real fingernail.
This statement is definitely not for wilting flower, as this piece is sure to catch people’s attention and start conversations. The ring is available in sizes XXS through XXXL.
Lace has been a hot trend in the fashion industry this coming season, as flirty and sophisticated trims, embellishments, and even prints have been popping up in all sorts of colors and all sorts of fashion pieces. The look harkens back to decades old ladies’ fashion, where lace petticoats, gloves, collars, and other delicate elements helped women portray a certain amount of feminity. Today, lace is being used in more modern designs, giving fashions a sophisticated, yet surprisingly edgy flair.
The Geneve Lace Ring comes in both gold and silver, and is a rosette cocktail ring that is of course inspired by vintage lace. The piece is a slightly more showy piece of jewelry, so it should definitely be viewed as a high fashion accessory. The multi-textured, multi-layered rosette petals give off a lace-like appearance through the delicate twisting and overlapping of the fine metal pieces. The rosette sits on a medium thickness, plain band, that can fit ring sizes 5-9. The ring is lead and nickel safe.
The ring is brass with antiqued plating. The gold ring retails for $59, the silver for $69, and can be found online at Stella & Dot.
Good jewelry is almost always also a conversation piece. Whether it be because of the size or sparkle of a certain stone, the ornate design of piece’s antique origins, or simply the unusual idea a particular design might present, good jewelry always gets people talking. In some very rare cases, it might even be able to teach people something. Check out a line of jewelry by Aroha Silhouettes called Molecular Addictions. These necklaces, earrings, and brooches all give a pretty, yet science-y spin on this particle aspect of fashion accessories. Taking the chemical make-up of particular molecules–like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, theobromine, and more, and translating that make-up to a simple stainless steel design, these pieces are as unique as they are educational.
All the pieces are made from strong, lightweight stainless steel. You have the option of getting the pieces in either a smooth matte black powder coating with a gunmetal chain or in an uncoated finish with silver plated chain. The chain on the necklace measures 1.6 x 1.6 inches at its widest point and hangs from a 17.3 inch chain. Necklaces start at around $50, depending on the finish that you choose. All pieces can be ordered through their website for a $5 flat rate shipping charge.
It’s no secret that women like jewelry. It’s also no surprise that on Valentine’s Day, women enjoy receiving pieces of jewelry as gifts as a symbol of affection. While some pieces of jewelry may proclaim their worth through meretricious ornamentation, the postcard necklace by Michakaudi Jewelry literally spells out the giver’s feelings right there in plain sight. The tiny postcard charm hangs from the midpoint of the chain, a unique and interesting piece that will definitely earn the wearer many compliments for it’s sentimental and nostalgic simplicity. The charm is strung at each corner, and is one sided, so the printing and design will only appear on a single side.
The piece is most ideal for those that appreciate jewelry that has more character than expensive materials, or even for those that have an affinity for postcards or nostalgia, as the piece is definitely reminiscent of a simpler time when people actually received love letters in the mail!
The necklace is made of simple materials–the postcard is a brass charm stamped with “I Love You” in script. It hands along with a tiny heart charm on a 16″ base metal chain. The envelope measures 1″ x 1/2″. The piece is handmade by Mishakaudi Jewelry in the USA. The piece retails for $18.
With the advent of Etsy, the internet has enabled the world to become exposed to a whole new creative world. Artists, artisans, crafters, and other creative types who would have remained nameless and largely under appreciated can no share their creations with people across the globe. These pieces, be they made of paints, wood, glass, metal, fiber, and still other materials, present us with a unique perspective of our world, that we might otherwise have not been privy to.
Artist Dara, who is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, hand-crafts wearable mini-terrariums which contain undying flora and fauna inside tiny glass receptacles. Her line, Hieropice, also features an array of necklaces and earrings made using traditional beading techniques from the Maasai tribe in Africa, but with her own modern twist.
Her Lost World Mini Terrarium Necklace for Spring features a mini flower with moss and a mushroom, on silver chain, all encased in a glass bulb-shaped vial with silver cap. The piece retails for $23.50 and can be found on her Etsy site.
The designer was inspired to make her creations after making full-size terrariums in large glass vessels, using real plants. She wanted to make a tiny version that could be worn. Thus, our lovely mini terrarium necklace, created as a celebration of Spring, with a miniature budding Spring crocus, tufts of green and chartreuse moss and tiny plant shoots, and a darling red mushroom.
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