In 2002, United Kingdom native Monica Vinader began creating her collection of luxurious jewelry for private clients. As her clientele grew, she began to showcase her line throughout Europe and the US. This year the Monica Vinader line was awarded the UK Jewelry Brand of the Year. She then opened her first flagship store in Madrid.  Vinader designs pieces in silver and 18kt gold that are hand set with extraordinary semi-precious stones.  Her collections have been regularly featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Grazia.

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Tags: Aventurine, Collection, Europe, Flagship Store, Gold, Grazia, Hammered, Harpers Bazaar, jewelry, Luxury, Necklace, Quartz, Red, Showcase, Strands, United Kingdom, Vogue

DEAL OF THE WEEK!!!

I’ve recently noticed the explosion of Lucite being used in designing bags, shoes, and jewelry.  Lucite is a type of durable resin that was discovered by DuPont in 1931. Alexis Bittar is one such designer that uses Lucite in his jewelry collections.  The hand sculpted Lucite® Square Bangle Bracelet is vividly luminous and features faceted lines for a sleek effect. This bangle is hand painted in an effervescent light turquoise hue.  It also comes in dark teal, matte gold, red, rich berry, and warm grey. Buy through Nordstrom for $75 $36.90.

Tags: Alexis Bittar, Bags, Dark teal, Deal of the week, Designer, DuPont, Durable, Faceted lines, Hand sculpted, jewelry, Jewelry collection, Lucite, Luminous, Matte gold, Red, Resin, Rich berry, Shoes, Square bangle, Turquoise, Warm grey

Rhode Island based jeweler, Amie Louise Plante, meticulously handcrafts jewelry from fine materials such as gold, enamel, and sterling silver, along with alternative items like glass, bone, brass, and aluminum.  In 2005, Plante received accolades from the Art Jewelry Forum under their Emerging Artist awards. In Rhode Island, Plante teaches a wide variety of art and jewelry classes to adults and children alike. Plante accepts custom requests from clients to create one-of-a-kind works.

In Plante’s Anodized Flower Collection, I found the Electric Blue Blossom Necklace. This delicate and ornate piece is almost weightless. It’s handmade from fifteen metal flowers of various sizes where each one contains a single white pearl. These blue flowers hang from an 18” sterling silver rope chain that’s been hallmark stamped by Plante.

The Blossom Necklace is also available in colors such as lavender, orange, red, golden, aqua, fuschia, mocha, dusty-rose, champagne, and lime. This necklace can also be custom made to combine any of these hues, and centers can be exchanged with a different colored pearls and semiprecious stones. Plante’s Anodized Flower Collection contains a ring, bracelet, and earring to complete the set. Buy the Electric Blue Blossom Necklace for $350. For your own custom made design, head over to Amy Plante’s web site.

Tags: Alternative items, Aluminum, Amie Louise Plante, Anodized Flower Collection, Aqua, Art Jewelry Forum, Bone, Bracelets, Brass, Champagne, Custom Made Design, Delicate, Dusty-rose, Earring, Electric Blue Blossom Necklace, Emerging Artist Award, Enamel, Fine materials, Fuschia, Glass, Gold, Golden, Hallmark Stamped, Jewelry Classes, Jewelry set, Lavender, LIme, Metal Flowers, Mocha, Necklace, One-of-a-kind works, Orange, Ornate, Red, Rhode Island, Ring, Semiprecious stones, Sterling silver, Weightless, White Pearls

While flipping through the latest issue of Lucky Magazine, I came upon the deal hunting section. I immediately noticed Tommy Hilfiger’s Slivertone Bracelet Watch in White . I took note of its crisp and clean design and thought it to be quite splendid. However, when I did a search on the net to find it, I also discovered the Enamel Bangle Watch. They are both unique and exquisite, but there is something about the Enamel Bangle Watch that I found particularly appealing. 

Hilfiger’s Enamel Bangle Watch depicts the Hilfiger brand’s iconic colors of red and blue, which bring magnetism to this watch. It’s made out of stainless steel with mixed metals and enamel coating. The rectangular dial contains the Hilfiger logo with numerical indices. The bangle-watch is water resistant up to 99 feet and the dial is protected with mineral crystals.  This accessory is the ideal way to add a timepiece and yet still look stylish with its bangle design. Buy the Enamel Bangle Watch through Macy’s for $105.

The Silvertone Bracelet Watch contains a white band that has a quilt patter with the initials TH in black. This bracelet-watch has superb flair and class. It is also water resistant up to 99 feet and is enamel coated with silvertone mixed metals. It can be purchased through Macy’s as well for $95.

Now let’s hear from you! Which one of these two jewelry watches do you like best?

Tags: Accessory, Band, Bangle, Blue, Bracelets, Brand, Clean design, Crisp, Deal hunting, Enamel Bangle Watch, Exquisite, Iconic Colors, Initials, Logo, Lucky Magazine, Macy's, Magnetism, Quilt Pattern, Red, Slivertone Bracelet Watch in White, Splendid, Stylish, Timepiece, Tommy Hilfiger, Unique, Watch

Madrid designer Raquel Moreno began her career as a sculptor, but shortly thereafter realized that jewelry was her talent. In 2001 Moreno decided to launch her first collection, which was admired for its intricacy.  As evidenced by her jewelry, her designs are inspired by nature and floral patterns in particular.  Her collections are primarily sold in Spain and Britain, but they can also be found in the United States and Japan.  Her clients include major international labels such as Liberty, Paul & Joe, and Paul Smith.  In the near future, Moreno intends to extend her design realm to include her own array of home products.

The Red Painted Hexagon Earrings automatically begets flair of color for that wow look.  These sterling silver drop earrings encompass a hexagon base that contains red and gold enamel in a flowery abstract design. The drops are hand-made in Spain and are 1 ½” long. I admire these earrings for their boldness and glitzy appeal.  Buy through Clay Pot for $176.

Tags: Abstract Design, Britain, Clay Pot, Collection, Color, Designer, Earrings, Floral patterns, Future, Glitzy, Gold, Hand-made, Hexagon, Home Products, International labels, Japan, Launched, Liberty, Madrid, Nature, Paul & Joe, Paul Smith, Raquel Moreno, Realm, Red, Red Painted Hexagon Earrings, Sculptor, Sold, Spain, United States

Juicy Couture was founded byGela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levyand now owned by Liz Claiborne. They are based out of Arleta, CA and design both causal and dressy apparel along with jewelry, handbags, sleepwear, and shoes. Their designs are sold in high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Nieman Marcus, as well as their flagship stores located throughout the US.

The Juicy Couture Bloom Stacking Rings come as a set of three that are perfectly worn solo or stacked. Two of the rings are adorned with a pink and red flowers while the third is a dainty butterfly. Made out of 12kt gold and silver-plate over brass peppered with sparkling rhinestones. Buy through Saks Fifth Avenue for $88. What an awesome deal on this set of rings!

Tags: 12kt, Apparel, Awesome Deal, Bloom Stacking Rings, Butterfly, Casual, Department Stores, Designs, Dressy, Flower, Gela Nash-Taylor, Gold, Handbags, High-end, jewelry, Juicy Couture, Liz Claiborne, Lord and Taylor, Nieman Marcus, Pamela Skaist-Levy, Pink, Red, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shoes, Silver-plate, Sleepwear, Solo, Sparkling Rhinestones, Stacked