Manolo Jewelry

The Bangle

I confess I have a weakness for inexpensive costume jewelry bangles. If I’m in a down market antique store (formerly known as junk shops), and I find a box filled with costume jewelry, I’m all over it, digging through everything until I reach the bottom, all in the hopes of snagging a few choice items. My husband says I’m like a crow, attracted to bright objects, wanting to pick them up and drag them back to my nest.

As a result, I’ve probably got fifty bangles piled up in a small drawer in my dresser. If you look through them, you’ll see that I’m partial to anything unusual, or out-of-the-ordinary: animal motifs, exotic color schemes, shiny-cheap metals with geometric figures, anything that looks like you bought it in Timbuktu, or Katmandu. That’s what I’m after, something different.

The good news is that bangles are the cheap date of the jewelry world. For a few bucks, usually less than $10, you can actually find something worth wearing that won’t embarrass you. Try that with a ring, or a necklace.

So, to conclude, inexpensive, versatile, and terrifically fun, bangles give you a lot of bang for your jewelry buck. (All images courtesy of Treasure Jewelry.)

Amethyst was one of the oldest gemstones know to man. Derived from the Greek term “amethustos”, meaning not drunk, amethysts arrived in Greece via Egypt following the death of Alexander the Great. The ancient cultures of the Mediterranean thought that amethyst gave protection against drunkenness, and would guard warriors against harm in battle. For the Greeks, it had a close mythological association with the god Bacchus, the god of wine and liberality.

From at least the time of the Phoenicians, the color purple has been the color of royalty, and amethyst has been use since then as adornment of people of the highest rank. It’s even mentioned in the Bible as being one of the twelve gemstones found on the breastplates of the high priest of the Hebrew temple (Exodus 28:19; 39:12)

The most highly prized and valuable variety of quartz, amethyst is a hard, durable stone especially popular in the present day for bracelets, birthstone rings (it’s the stone of February), and pendants. And even without it’s lengthy history, it would still be loved for its beauty alone.

The recent contretemps about John Galliano has gotten me to thinking about ethics and fashion.

Obviously, everybody has their own standards. Some folks rival Cruella de Ville and would happily wear a coat fashioned from baby beagles, trimmed with kitten noses, and crafted by Satan himself.  Others do Ph.D.-worthy research before buying so much as a pair of socks, to make sure that the purchase is ethical and that the owner of the company only eats organic quinoa and regularly helps old ladies cross the street.

My coworker came up to me the other day, showing me some jewelry that she thought I’d find interesting (she knows about this blog). She spent much of her childhood in Africa, and her folks bought some pieces while there.

One of the pieces was an elephant ivory bracelet.

Objectively, it’s a beautiful piece. Stunning, in fact.

I haven’t seen her wear it, and didn’t think to ask if she does, in fact, ever put it on. And I started thinking: would I wear it?

I would never BUY ivory jewelry.  But, if it were inherited, would I wear it? Would that be considered to be supporting the ivory trade in spirit, if not in dollar?

Honestly, I don’t know. It would be a shame for a beautiful piece like that bracelet to never be worn, especially considering that wearing it isn’t going to directly support ivory poachers or anything. But part of me might always feel uneasy or a little guilty about wearing it.

What say you?

Bisous,

LPA

Okay, so this is the first time I’ve live-blogged anything, so please bear with me.

I won’t be blogging the ENTIRE Oscars, ’cause I just don’t stay up that late. But I will blog the red-carpet, and maybe a bit beyond.

Keeping with the theme of this blog, I’ll make a special point of noticing and commenting upon jewelry. However, I won’t be limiting myself to only jewelry, and may make the odd comment regarding anything else that catches my eye.

So, I hope you all have wine in hand, popcorn in bowl, and tongue firmly in cheek.

BTW: Am watching the ABC coverage, as it’s in HD. Just so you know.

8:00: Robin Roberts looks pretty. I see that she’s following the “big cocktail ring on index finger” trend that we’ve seen a lot lately.

8:04: I love you, Tim Gunn. Come live with me.

8:05: Maria Menounos is also doing the big cocktail ring.  I’m not sure if that gigantic sparkly thing on her wrist is a bracelet, or part of her dress.

8:05: Mila Kunis. I like the purple, but I’m not keen on the sheer. I love her earrings — a really different and pretty shape. Stand up straight, though. For someone who used to be a ballet dancer, her posture is crap.

8:07: Hailee Steinfeld. She’s so cute and poised and pretty. Not a BIT of jewelry on her, except for a tiny subtle ring, which is interesting and brave, but it works, considering that her dress is pretty sparkly.

Commercials: Cheese puffs, or popcorn? I can’t decide.

8:14: Amy Adams: That’s a pretty necklace, and a pretty dress, but I just would not have worn them together. That high neckline, calls more for earrings.  And the stones don’t contrast enough with the dress to look cool — just enough to look like they clash. Fail, Amy.

8:15: Jennifer Lawrence: Gold! Nice to see! I kind of wish she’d worn her hair up, so that we could have had a better view of those earrings.

(more…)

I am soooooooo sorry, February ladies! (Including my own mother, whose birthday was on the 18th — Hi Mom! Love you!)

It’s not that I forgot about YOU, it’s that I forgot that I’ve been doing birthstone posts. My only excuse is the short-term memory loss brought about by severe sleep deprivation (ref: “Pearly Whites”).

So, if you will forgive me and still love me, I will now do my best to bring you all sorts of lovely goodness.

The irony of it is that February’s birthstone, amethyst, is actually one of my favourite semi-precious stones. I definitely share Anne Shirley’s love for them:

“I think amethysts are just sweet. They are what I used to think diamonds were like. Long ago, before I had ever seen a diamond, I read about them and I tried to imagine what they would be like. I thought they would be lovely glimmering purple stones. When I saw a real diamond in a lady’s ring one day I was so disappointed I cried. Of course, it was very lovely but it wasn’t my idea of a diamond. Will you let me hold the brooch for one minute, Marilla? Do you think amethysts can be the souls of good violets?”

Anne wound up choosing a pearl as her engagement ring. She didn’t want a diamond, because she was forever reminded of her disappointment that they weren’t purple.  Pity she never saw this ring.

Gorgeous, no? I love the simple setting, letting the stone take centre stage.

Here are some other amethyst lovelies that would have turned Josie Pye a most unflattering shade of green.

I love the delicacy of this necklace and the contrasting chains. So pretty!

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These pyrite-and-amethyst earrings are so unusual, but so lovely.

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I also love the shape of these earrings with their amethyst drops.

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Of course, if our Anne really wanted to steal the show, and still wanted to incorporate pearls into her look, she could have worn this stunning bracelet:

Isn’t it all just so romantic, Marilla?

Bisous!

LPA

Good morning, my lovelies!

My apologies for the delay in publishing the answers to this particular quiz. Technical issues, blahbity-blahbity, software compatibility, yadda, yadda.

Anyway, yeah…so this was  a really tough quiz, no? And you thought that Manolo’s Whose Shoes Wednesday was tough. Seriously though, I won’t make it as blisteringly difficult next time.

And so, on to the answers!

1. Kim Kardashian

2. Camilla Belle

3. Tina Fey

4. Claire Danes

5. Jenna Ushkowitz

6. Catherine Zeta-Jones

7. Natalie Portman

I have to say, I really didn’t understand the hoo-ha over Claire Danes’ look.  I thought the dress made her look rather gaunt. But hey, in Hollywood, since when was that considered a BAD thing?

Bisous!

LPA

Greetings, my dears!

I hope that all is lovely and wonderful with each and every one of you.

Remember WAY back when, when I made mention of my mom’s charm bracelet, and how I didn’t want to tell her that I’d love to have it some day, for fear of appearing grasping?

I could kick myself right now.

She hocked it.

Don’t worry — she didn’t hock it because that was the only thing standing between her and a steady diet of ramen noodles. She simply figured that neither of us girls had ever shown any interest in it, and she hadn’t worn it in years and years, so why not be rid of it.

I could CRY. Seriously. She had charms on there from when my sister and I were born. She had a charm from when she graduated from nursing school. It was the ONE piece of jewelry of hers that I actually coveted.

So I’m a little bitter right now. But I’m also determined that I WILL have a charm bracelet, damn it. And if I can’t have my mom’s, I’ll just have to get my own.

One can always buy a pre-charmed (so to speak) charm bracelet, if you like the look, but don’t want the time, bother and expense of slowly filling up your bracelet with charms.  This one from Lily Pulitzer is rather adorable, and it does still have room for charms if you want to add something more personal. Plus, it’s on sale:

I also think this one is really neat. The Feng Shui of the charms is supposed to increase the energy in your life.  So it IS a little pricier than coffee, but it doesn’t have the diuretic effects…so it’s a toss-up, really. However the fact that it’s 77% off certainly sweetens the deal, no?

Or, you could do what I’m probably going to do, and get one that’s mostly blank, so that you can add on your own charms. I’m loving this David Yurman one. The fact that it’s silver AND gold makes it a lot more versatile with regards to what charms you pick for it, I’d say.

So what kind of charms would I put on there? Well, I’d want them to either have meaning, or be ones that I just think are delightful. This Eiffel Tower charm would be a must-buy, as it would remind me of the lovely 24 hours I once spent in Paris.

Of course, with charms, you can’t go wrong with Tiffany. They have got a broad selection of gorgeous things. How dinky is this oyster charm? It  opens up, to reveal a pearl inside! Swoon!

I’ll also be getting some sort of charm that reminds me of my son. I’m not sure yet what to get though…but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?

If you had a charm bracelet, what charms would you want on it?

Bisous,

LPA

Well, the Golden Globes was definitely an interesting show.

Between Helena Bonham Carter wearing two differently-coloured shoes on the red carpet (on PURPOSE!) and Ricky Gervaise hilariously introducing Bruce Willis as “Ashton Kutcher’s dad”, I was entertained the entire time.

So, to keep the entertainment going, I thought I would springboard off of the Manolo’s always-delightful “Whose Shoes Wednesday”, and present to you “Whose Golden Globes Bling?’

Can you guess who wore what beautiful accessory?

And my vote for best-accessorized of the night? Well, it’s a toss-up.  An alarming number of women wore no jewelry at all, or only very subtle baubles.  That’s why I was so thrilled to see Kyra Sedgwick and her bold colour combination:

My other vote for best-accessorized goes to Susan Downey, and not because of what’s around her neck.

Bisous,

LPA

As you read this, I am at my company’s annual “team-building” staff meeting.

So, while my brain is rendered into mush from an overload of corporate-speak, I leave you with beautiful pleasures for the eyes and for the ears.

First, Harry Winston’s diamond wave bracelet:

And for the ears? Mumford & Sons — The Cave

Enjoy, and see you in a couple of days!

Bisous,

LPA

It is THOROUGHLY winter now, my dears.

At the moment, the snow in my front yard is up to mid-calf, and after this weekend, it will probably be up to my knees.

Bah.

I know, a Canadian complaining about winter is like the guy who goes to the same restaurant every day but always complains about the food. However, taking my business elsewhere isn’t really an option.

Hence, I wallow in bitterness from about January 3rd until roughly sometime in late April.

There are only a few select tasks that will chase away my winter doldrums:

1. Getting my hair professionally blown out.  This little indulgence never fails to make me happy, no matter what time of year it is.

2. Receiving a kiss from my toddler.

3.  Eating homemade butter tarts. The Stonecutter made an obscene quantity over the holidays, bless his heart.

4. Flowery jewelry. It’s springtime-ish and cheerful and oh-so-feminine. Just looking at it makes me forget that it’s so disgusting out that I’ve had to wear my big Kamik snow boots everywhere. (That sound you just heard was the Manolo sobbing into his impeccable wool gabardine sleeve. Sorry, boss.)

Want to chase the winter blues away? You could start with these pretty, delicate earrings. Just skip them if your skin tone is similar, or else people may think you have an unfortunate growth on your earlobes. On darker-skinned ladies, however, they’d be SO pretty:

These earrings also make me very happy. I love the jasmine flower (not to mention the incredible scent of jasmine flowers.)  These are floral, but also somewhat exotic, and altogether lovely.

This bracelet is like a cooler, more durable corsage.  And really, why should we have to leave corsages behind after prom? It’s unfair, I say.

Some flowers are just meant to boldly impress, and this conversation-starting flower necklace does a thorough job of that. The multiple chains add a cool edge, but the piece is still delicate enough to wear with your more feminine clothes, I’d say.

Bisous!

LPA