Sterling silver earrings are perhaps the easiest way to accessorize. They can be put on and forgotten as they don’t weigh too much and don’t get in the way as some chains or bracelets do. Also, while the other two may get hidden behind layers of clothing, earrings are a guaranteed way of showcasing your sense of style without worrying about how visible they are.

Sterling silver is the preferred metal of use over pure silver because it is hardy, and has a better resistance to tarnish and wear and tear. It is an alloy which consists of 92.5% of silver, while the rest of the percentage is made up of other elements like copper or zinc. Pure silver is considered to be a soft metal and is not a suitable choice for making such items of regular use.

Various designs are available at jewelry outlets and can be chosen depending on personal preference and the frequency of use. The most common ones these days have diamonds fitted into them to make them more appealing and fit for special occasions. The diamond karat and quality will depend on the budget of each individual. The shape and color of the earrings or studs can be customized. The most popular ones are square and circular, and other unique shapes include cubes, prongs and even pirate skulls. Colors vary from the traditional gold and silver to a more distinguishing black. Individuals looking to brighten things up can go for the two or three toned ones.

TraxNYC is a business dealing in all kinds of customized jewelry for both men and women. It operates in New York and has made its place among the buyers of this bustling city. Big personalities like Justin Beiber, P Diddy, B.o.B, Ludacris, Akon, Jay-Z and Ke$ha have been happy customers of the company. The secret behind its phenomenal success is the high-tech processes it employs in designing jewelry to ensure precision and perfection. Some of the company’s jewelers have been fortunate enough to work alongside Rolex designers in Switzerland. Different designs of men’s sterling silver earrings can be seen at the dedicated website of TraxNYC.

I hope that you have all had a lovely holiday season thus far, and are now enjoying the leftover sweets and Crystal Jewelry while reclining on a soft surface.

Like many of you, La Petite Acadienne is housebound due to all of the snow that has fallen. This is our first snowfall of the year, and so I am able to enjoy it. Talk to me again in February, when I will be so utterly tired of snow that I will not be able to mention it without a rather violent twitch appearing in the outer corner of my left eyelid.

For now, however, while a fire roars merrily in our wood stove, I can enjoy the crystalline beauty of the snow on the spruce trees outside of my window.

Speaking of crystalline beauty, look at this lovely cuff!

Does it not make you want to dress up in white velvets and satins and style yourself as an ethereal ice princess?

Plus, it would give you something pretty to look at while you stealthily place another Mars bar square in your mouth, no?

Bisous,

LPA

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.

Don’t get me wrong. I am pretty organized when it comes SOME things.  When planning an event, my colour-coded spreadsheets are a thing of beauty and a joy forever.  My closet is impeccable, sorted by dresses, shirts, pants and skirts, and with all of the pairs of shoes placed toe to heel so as to maximize space.

However, there are gaps. And my jewelry collection is a major gap. It is not organized.

I currently have two necklace trees that house my mishmash of good jewelry and costumey fun stuff.  Some of my earrings are in their original cases, some are in my jewelry box, and some are all thrown together in a gigantic orange plaid box from the dollar store.  The same goes for my rings and bracelets. And I think my watch is next to the bathtub, from when I remembered at the last moment to take it off before giving The Wee One his bath.

I am doing SOME things right. My pearl earrings and pearl pendant are in their original case, so that they don’t get roughed up or scratched against any other jewelry. My necklaces are at least hung up, so that they don’t get all tangled. And my little diamond studs are always stored in the same place mainly so that they don’t get lost.

However, there is major, major room for improvement. And I am thinking that this should be my New Year’s resolution: to get my jewelry collection organized once and for all, so that it’s not all stored in a bazillion different places.

The first step in any fit of organizational madness, of course, is to pare down what you’ve got. So, it will be time to take a good, hard look at what I have. I must limit my collection only to that which I actually wear, or that which has priceless sentimental value to me (such as my grandmother’s pendant watch).  Everything else will be 1. offered to friends and family, 2. pawned, or 3. given away to charity. (I can always buy more designer jewellery from Whaton Goldsmith.)

After that, it’s to decide how to store it. I love the idea of a jewelry armoire. It just seems so decadent to have a piece of actual furniture devoted solely to storing one’s jewelry, no? And, it would allow me to store EVERYTHING in one place, as opposed to having a jewelry box here and a necklace tree there, etc.

However, floor space in my boudoir is rather limited at the moment, due to the presence of a piece of exercise equipment that rhymes with “Gisele”. And no, I do not think that the fact that these two loathsome,  spindly objects rhyme is a coincidence.  I am convinced that it is subliminal messaging: that by using one, I will look like the other.

But I digress.

My floor space is limited. Hence, a compromise: an armoire-esque jewelry box that can sit on top of my dresser, but that still is tall enough to hang most of my necklaces gracefully.

Something like this would fit the bill rather nicely, I think:

So how about you? How do you store your shiny things? Do you have a system, or do you just biff it all in a drawer and hope for the best?  Are you admirably organized when it comes to your jewelry, and if not, is that on your “must do that someday” list?

Bisous,

LPA

So if you’re actually becoming a real, honest-to-goodness princess, there’s that oh-so-tiny (read: ginormous) extra bit of pressure on you to look regal and stunning and all that good stuff.

I’m sure you folks have all read about the dress and hair and whatnot already, so let’s get down to the baubles.

There aren’t too many times in life that a girl can get away with wearing a tiara. But when you’re marrying a prince? I’d say that you can probably go for it.

And if your tiara is one borrowed from an actual queen, then you just flat-out win.

Here are the details:

Her Cartier tiara was made in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (King George VI) for his Duchess (The Queen Mother — rest her feisty soul) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. Queen Elizabeth received the tiara from her mother on her 18th birthday (I got a new sweater for mine).

Middleton’s diamond earrings (by Robinson Pelham) were inspired by her family’s new coat of arms: a pear-shaped diamond set drop and a pave-set diamond acorn in the center. Middleton’s parents, Carole and Michael, gave them to her as a personal gift for her wedding day.

So it was a lovely blend of both old and new, traditional and modern, much like the couple themselves.

And of course, she already had “something blue” sewn up rather nicely:

And now we wait until that adorable rapscallion of a Harry gets hitched, so that we can be all a-flutter again.

Bisous!

La Petite Acadienne

Her heart, her all-encompassing, all-loving, heart was the source of much joy and much misery for her.

May she be at peace, and may her legend live on even after all of us who were here during her lifetime are long gone.

Cheers, Liz. You were one of the great ones.

LPA

The name itself is so evocative, isn’t it? It makes me think of beautiful, crystalline, blue-green waters and white sand and palm trees.

There’s something about aquamarine that just feels like a soothing escape, isn’t there?

When I think of aquamarines, I always tend to think of the very clear, gemstone-cut variety, similar to these earrings:

They’re very lovely, and I certainly would not turn my nose up at them. However, I never realized how gorgeous the “less clear” aquamarines can be, like in this stunning necklace (which just happens to be marked down by 50%.)

Speaking of necklaces, here’s another gorgeous one:

But, if you prefer the clear aquamarines, these earrings should fit the bill quite nicely, no?

Happy birthday, March!!!

LPA

The lovely ladies at Forever Young Adult have come up with…wait for it…

The Anne of Green Gables drinking game!

I KNOW!!!

It’s so perfect, it hurts.

I don’t know about you folks, but my weekend plans are now well and truly made.

Bisous,

LPA

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

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.

8:19: Melissa Leo. For one brief, horrible moment, I thought she was wearing a jumpsuit. I like how her jewelry looks like things that she might have actually owned and loved. That necklace is charming.

8:29: Cate Blanchett is so pretty.  I can’t tell if she’s put yellow streaks in her hair to offset the yellow on her Givenchy dress and the yellow diamonds on her ears, or if it’s just a weird lighting trick. Either way, I adore her.

8:32: Oh dear. Sunrise — you’re so cute, and I love your hair, and I hate your dress.  But you’re married to the handsome Mark Ruffalo, so you still win.

8:34: Ooh, Marisa Tomei is wearing a REALLY pretty shade.  After the ubiquitous emerald green of the Globes, I was wondering what colour would stand out tonight, and this vintage indigo dress is, as Tim says, “staggering”. And the earrings just set it off beautifully. My guess is that Marisa will find herself on more than a few best-dressed lists after this evening.

8:39:  I’m amused that they’re tracking Justin Timberlake. Is he the Santa Claus of the Oscars?

8:42: Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camilla are just too damn pretty. She’s wearing lovely platinum and pearl earrings, and her dress is plunging, but still classy.

8:44:  I’m glad to see Annette Bening looking much better than she did at the Globes. Are those earrings emerald drops? It’s hard to tell, but they’re beautiful, and she looks great. And Warren seems besotted with her, which is sweet.

8:45: The very, very, very orange Valentino and Anne Hatheway, who is wearing a Valentino-red dress. It’s really quite lovely and fits like a dream. Her necklace is very regal.  Her first big role was playing a princess, and I think she took some lessons to heart.

8:52: Colin Firth — please accompany Tim Gunn to my house. Tim can dress me. You can undress me.

8:55: Reese Witherspoon is also wearing beautiful, beautiful green earrings.  And she paired it with diamond bracelets. I like that she didn’t feel like she had to wear the same stones on ears and wrist. Mix ‘n’ match!

8:56: Robert Downey Jr can also come with Tim and Colin. Please.  His wife’s earrings are nifty, though. Evidently they were designed by Angelina Jolie. They suit her colouring beautifully. She has pretty earrings AND she gets to go home with RDJ.  Must be rough.

8:59: Commercials. Turns out, my husband at the last of the cheezies.  Colin Firth would never eat the last of the cheezies. That’s okay, though. I still love him. Besides, he reminded me of the Bulk Barn party mix in the pantry. That’ll do nicely.

9:02: Holy moley, Jennifer Hudson! You look hawt! I love the art deco diamond jewelry, and you are definitely rocking the red. Can I just say that I’m sick to the gills of that frigging Weight Watchers commercial, though? I get it, it’s a new day, a new liiiiiiiiffeee!

9:03: Natalie Portman is wearing what appears to be a very common colour this evening.  It’s kind of a magenta purple. Her tassel earrings are seriously cool, though, and she gets bonus points for calling someone “the bee’s knees”.  This is a big improvement over her Globes look. I know some people loved the pink dress with the big jeezly red rose. I wasn’t one of them.

9:05: Aw, James Franco. You’re so cute.

9:08: Sandra Bullock, also in red, but she just looks kind of…blah. Simple diamond studs, and her updo looks like there wasn’t much effort put into it, and her bag just kind of clashes. I don’t know. I loves me some Sandy, but I don’t think her heart is in it this year.

9:14: Nicole Kidman looks so much nicer with her hair back to a reddish tone. And that is one gorgeous necklace — really stunning, and it manages to not compete with her Dior Couture dress.

9:15: Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing Calvin Klein, and actually looks really good. It fits her beautifully. I’m really not sure about the earrings, though. I love multicoloured stones, but the shape just looks really awkward.

9:17: Where’s Christian Bale’s wife? I was hoping to see her — I’ve had a soft spot for her since she appeared in one of the late, great Kevyn Aucoin’s books.

9:18: Yep, Tim liked Marisa Tomei as well. I just got another look at Mila Kunis’ dress, and I don’t like it as much anymore. The front makes it look like she’s wearing pasties.  Anne Hatheway still looks gorgeous, though. It’s a good choice for an Oscar host — it’s not boring, but it’s not SO out there as to distract from the job that she’s doing.

9:21: Commercials. Jennifer Lopez, why are you shilling razors? Seriously, the Idol judging gig can be forgiven, but now you really ARE starting to look rather desperate for attention.

9:26: Yay! Halle Berry is wearing clothes. A very pretty Marchesa, actually. Simple diamond earrings.

Had to pause there for a second. The peanut had kicked off his blankets and was fussing. Poor mite has a cold and had a heck of a time falling asleep. You know when you have a cold and you just get this annoying, constant tickle in your throat, causing you to cough incessantly, and you can’t fall asleep? Yeah. That’s what we’re dealing with.

Okay, red carpet is over, and it’s time for the ceremony!

Ack! Anne Hatheway changed dresses. I was not expecting that, but I should have.  It’s…different.  I’m trying to figure out what all that whatchamahoozit on her dress looks like, but words are failing me.  Her hair and makeup ARE super-pretty, though, so there is that.  And her mom just told her to stand up straight. I love it. And James Franco’s grandmother is freaking adorable.

I’m really not sure of the point of looking back at these other classic movies — it just seems like one of those goofy Oscar conceits that winds up taking up more time than needed.

9:56:  Ooh, Best Supporting Actress time. Anne Hatheway has just totally lost her mind at the thought of Kirk Douglas calling her a beautiful woman. I think that’s neat that even though she’s very much an A-list actress, she still gets all twitterpated when faced with a legend like him.  And I like that he’s milking his time onstage. Why the hell not, right?

Aww…Melissa Leo looks like she’s going to pass out.  She seems really genuine and sweet, and it’s nice to see someone who’s so thrilled to win.

10:16: Am checking out other red-carpet blogs, and realized that I have REALLY got to contact StarChoice to get E! added to my subscription package. I missed a lot of people, including Helena Bonham Carter. What the hell kind of red carpet coverage does not include Helena Bonham Carter, I ask you?

Anyway, I think it’s time for this little chickadee to hit the hay. It’s been a long day. Nexcheer, I promise I’ll watch the E! coverage instead.

But then I’d miss Tim Gunn. Oh, now I’m really torn.  Maybe I can just invite Tim to my house, and he and I can eat party mix and drink Sprite and co-blog the red carpet.

Now THAT’s a thought to give me sweet dreams.

Bisous to all of you!

LPA