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.)

Men’s Sterling Silver Earrings have been in fashion since before the recording of history and have become more stylish with the passage of time. These days, such accessories have become more or less a fashion statement and a way to distinguish one’s self from the crowds. Women are not the only ones who have gotten highly conscious about how they accessorize; the opposing gender is just as aware of the changing trends around the globe.

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.

Greetings and salutations!

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

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.

Confession time: I am not an organized person.

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

Hey, many of us want to look like a princess on our wedding day, right?

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

Elizabeth Taylor, living legend, philanthropist, AIDS activist, perfumer, hopeless romantic, and the owner of one of the most staggering jewelry collections ever, has passed away of congestive heart failure at the age of 79.

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

Aquamarine…

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

As an addendum to my February amethyst post, I just HAD to mention this.

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

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