Manolo Jewelry

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

So it is morning, and your eyes are barely open.  The weekend is ALMOST here, but it still remains tantalizingly out of reach.

You have been operating on about 4 hours of sleep a night for the last week and a half, due to an evil force in your home.

This force is known as the One-Year Molar. It is also known as The Evil Teething Experience From Hell.  And your son currently has three molars coming in at the same time.

Last night, he started wailing at 2am. The “leaning-over-the-crib-and-rubbing-his-back” maneuver didn’t work.  Infant pain reliever did not work. Rocking did not work. Envisioning yourself far, far away at a spa in Martinique did not work.

3am saw you lying on a folded up duvet on the floor next to your son’s crib, with your arm jammed painfully between the slats on the crib so that you could massage his scalp while he finally drifted off.

You woke up at 4:30am, still in that position. Your son was finally asleep, but so was your arm. And your left hip felt like it had been kicked by a mule.  You limped back to bed, next to your peacefully snoring husband, to try to catch some more sleep before your alarm rang at 6am.

And as you slept, tiny, pearly little teeth danced in your dreams.

But, these days shall pass, and it will be only too soon before your pain will be financial as it is discovered that your son needs extensive orthodontics.

So in the meantime, why not get yourself some pearly whites, like this gorgeous ring, to help soothe your frazzled soul and distract onlookers from the alarmingly large set of Louis Vuitton carryalls you have perched under your eyes?

I think you deserve it.

Bisous,

LPA

No, not THAT New Moon. The January 4th will see the first new moon of 2011.  And of course, thinking of the moon makes one think of moonstones.

For years, I had wanted a moonstone ring. A friend of mine had one, and I had always admired it. Mind you, I had always admired everything about this friend’s style — she is one of those people who always looks perfectly, effortlessly put-together. (Of course, the fact that she is a six-foot-tall cool blonde probably contributes somewhat to this effect, I’m thinking.)

Anyway, on a trip to Holland in 2005 with my now-husband, we stopped at this tiny little store in a tiny little town, and there, he bought me a sterling silver ring with a moonstone in it. The funny thing was that I put the ring on my right ring finger, as that is where it fit. When we exited the store, all of our Dutch friends started oohing and aahing and clapping. It turns out that they wear their wedding bands on their right ring finger, not their left.  So they thought we had just gotten engaged.

I look at this ring and am flooded with good memories. If I had a chance to grab any of my jewelry in the event of a fire,  this ring would be one of the first things I would grab.

In India, moonstone is regarded as a sacred stone. It is believed to bring good fortune. And really, couldn’t we all use more good fortune in 2011?

So it is a stone that is reputed to bring good fortune AND it is a stone to which I hold a great sentimental attachment.  Do I really need more reason than that to hunt for pretty moonstone jewelry for my beloved readers? No. No I do not need more reason.

You could have stunning moonstone-and-pearl earrings :

Or you could have this beautiful bracelet:

And of course, you simply cannot go wrong with a moonstone ring! Mine is sterling silver, but this unique gold one is SO eye-catching, no? It’s a wee bit pricey, but it would make a marvelous engagement ring (a deliberate engagement ring, as opposed to my inadvertent false Dutch engagement adventure, obviously.)

May the new moon and the new year bring you plenty of good fortune (and plenty of pretty baubles, of course!)

Bisous,

LPA

You know, I don’t wear pearls all that often.

I WOULD, however, make a rather notable exception for this necklace, thank you very much.

I don’t know what it is about gray pearls that appeals to me so much. It’s probably like my love for gray cashmere — it just feels RIGHT to me.

Details: this 17 inch necklace features 27 Tahitian Gray 13.5 mm by 16.5 mm South Sea Baroque Pearls, finishing this piece is diamond ball clasp. Yes, the diamonds do seem to be a bit of a case of gilding the lily, but I suppose when you’re already wearing pearls like these, go big or go home, right?

So, Mr. Clooney, if you wish to bestow these upon me this holiday season, I’m sure I could find it within my heart to wear them.  I’m very kind that way.

Bisous,

LPA