Manolo Jewelry

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

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

Oh, I am SO tired of snow.

Today was another day spent working from home, due to the roads being impassable.

And I must say, nothing quite encapsulates the working-mother experience like being on the phone with a major client while your toddler repeatedly pokes you in the left butt cheek with a piece of Duplo.

However, one advantage of working from home is that while on said phone call, one can do some online jewelry browsing, without worrying about Mr. Boss Man suddenly appearing over one’s shoulder.

And due to a recent birthday, I actually have a tiny bit of spending money available. And what better way to get rid of the money that is burning a hole in my pocket, than by spending it on pretty sparkly things?

Currently on sale, we have the talented and delightful Kendra Scott.  Her work has been featured here before; I love her interesting use of colour and shape.

These earrings are just lovely. I love the earthy colour of the stones. And they’re marked down to less than $50:

These earrings are outfit-makers. So exotic and pretty. They’re great for completely changing the look of a basic top ‘n’ jeans ensemble.  AND, they’re $23 off!

I could fill this entire page with Scott’s earrings, but she also has some gorgeous necklaces, such as this feather necklace, now 20% off! With the necklaces, be sure to click on “Larger Images and Additional Views”. You’ll be able to click on a video showing a model wearing the necklace, which gives you a MUCH better idea as to its size and scale.  In the regular photos, the necklaces look smaller than they actually are.

We also have this gorgeous aqua necklace (I LOVE the colour aqua), at a third off!

And lastly, this pretty tassel necklace at a great price, (and there are only two left!)

Well…I guess my birthday money is spoken for, my darlings!

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

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

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

Hello, my little winter chickadees!

Well, the holiday season is over, and we now have the long stretch of winter to face. Everybody has turned their Christmas lights off, it’s dark, it’s cold, and we don’t have any statutory holidays until Easter.

Bah.

The only bright spot for me is that my birthday is this month.  And while I am on the far side of my 30’s, I still get excited about my birthday. Mind you, that’s probably just because I love attention.

I also love garnets, January’s birthstone. I’m a bit weird about garnets, though — I’m not a fan of them when paired with diamonds. However (confession time), as a general rule, I don’t like it when diamonds are used to accent precious or semi-precious gems.  I prefer for the gemstone to take centre stage, or for it to be paired with something interesting or unusual. Pairing a garnet (or a sapphire, or an emerald, or a pearl) with little accent diamonds just seems kind of, “Ooh, let’s jazz this up a bit by adding a bunch of little diamonds!” I guess it just seems sort of lazy.  Mind you, I’m sure there IS some fantastic jewelry out there that pairs gemstones with diamond accents — it just seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

I told you I’m weird.

Anyway, back to garnets. Take it away, wiki:

Garnets species are found in many colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink and colorless.

Garnet species’s light transmission properties can range from the gemstone-quality transparent specimens to the opaque varieties used for industrial purposes as abrasives. The mineral’s luster is categorized as vitreous (glass-like) or resinous (amber-like).

Of course, red (rhodolite) garnet is the one that we see most often.  The word “garnet” comes from the Latin word “granatus,” meaning “grain” or “seed.”  This name was given to the garnet because of its close resemblance to the pomegranate seed.

A gift of garnet is thought to be symbolic of love and the desire for a loved one’s safe travel and speedy homecoming.  As well, garnets were once used medicinally, to increase strength and ward off several medical problems including blood disorders, heart palpitations and lung disease.

The irony is that this garnet jewelry would CAUSE heart palpitations, thank you very much.

Yes, this is a baby’s pendant, but I see no reason why I couldn’t have it set in a longer chain for myself. It’s just too adorable!

Hammered gold and garnets? Why, yes. Yes, I think I shall!  I’m definitely a sucker for hammered gold, so those earrings are right up my alley:

We also have this simple, but perfect ring. The setting doesn’t distract from the gorgeous, deep, rich red of the garnet.  Delicate, but still very, very striking.  Me likey.

So, happy birthday to all my fellow January babies! May your birthday bring you some pretty new garnet baubles!

Bisous,

LPA

‘Tis the season — for the holiday party.

The holiday party can range from the sublime to the horrific.

On one end of the spectrum, you have the festive/raucous, delightful/hilarious evening with good friends and intriguing strangers, filled with witty conversation, great music, delectable nibbles, excellent beverages, and a lovely atmosphere.  Dancing games on the Wii are optional (it IS, however always a delight to see your pregnant friend Jennifer waving a remote around wildly to the gentle strains of “Groove is in the Heart.”)

On the other end of the spectrum is your boyfriend’s sad office party, where you are forced to make small talk with Troy, the unctuous middle manager who insists on talking with his mouth full (of spinach dip, no less) and who has already dropped every single name with whom he has even the most tenuous connection.

Buying a new outfit for a party that promises to be fun is a delight, but also comes with a certain amount of pressure. Buying a new outfit for a party you dread? That’s just bleak and sad and depressing.

So what to do? Get yourself a workhorse stunner of a dress and make that bad boy earn its keep by pairing it with a gamut of accessories.

You could go with black, but why not experiment with a bit of colour?  This Donna Karan dress, with its artful draping, modest neckline and gorgeous colour, can work for a multitude of occasions.

For look #1, you could go with an elegant, yet somewhat exotic look. The rich colour and flattering draping of this dress remind me a bit of the saris that my best friend’s mom used to wear, so why not go with a bit of Indian influence? These earrings and this bracelet fit the bill quite beautifully without being at all costumey. This is perfect for a romantic dinner out with the beau, or for cocktails with the girls.

Look #2 is great for those evenings when you want to make a big impact without having to put a lot of thought into it.  It’s one of those nights when you are getting home late from work and now have about a half-hour to shower, change and put on some makeup. You’re frazzled as heck, but still want to look put-together.  Consider a bold, single accessory like this floral brooch, in a highly contrasting colour. It conveys a major amount of confidence and sophistication — basically, it’s the type of look that less confident women will wish they could carry off.  And when you’re wearing a statement piece like this one, you can eschew any other accessories, making for fewer mental gymnastics at a time when you’re truly on your last nerve.

Look #3 is for those times when you really do have to go in a conservative direction. Perhaps it’s a business dinner with a client. Perhaps it’s some other sort of function with dreary but very important people. Conformity tends to be the name of the game at events such as this. However, there are still ways to add a bit of personality and quirk to your look. These earrings and this watch are classic and basic, while this adorable owl brooch adds just enough of a touch of whimsy that you won’t blend in TOO much with Muffy, Kiki, Babs and Myra.

Mind you, if you want to utterly knock the socks off of Muffy, Kiki, Babs and Myra, Tiffany’s version of an owl pin will probably delight them enough that their faces may break free of the constrains of their latest Botox injections and actually register a facial expression.

Well…we can hope, right?

Bisous!

LPA

Hidey-ho!

I featured a nifty bracelet from Monserat De Lucca in a previous post, and I can tell you now that I had a HARD time figuring out which piece of theirs to feature in that post, because there was just so much stuff that I loved.

What was I able to find out about Monserat De Lucca?

Not much…yet.

Their bio page is very low on details as to how they came about, and other information about them is pretty much non-existent.  They’ve indicated that they will be sending me a bio shortly,  so I will update this post as soon as it comes in. In the meantime, I was able to find out that they were founded in 2006, and a bit about their design inspiration:

“Modern women are multi-faceted dynamic creatures. We wanted to embrace this by creating accessories that are delicate and edgy, feminine and masculine, hard and soft, just like the women that they are intended for. We were inspired by the next natural evolution – an evolution in which the biker girl and the bohemian girl might not only be friends, but they may also be the same girl!”

Their pieces are whimsical, quirky, feminine and strong. AND, they’re very reasonably priced. I definitely plan on snapping up a few pieces, such as this sweet nest necklace:

These conversation-starting bracelets:

These lovely, tendril-y earrings:

It’s also worth noting that they have some rawther lovely handbags as well! I’m currently lusting after this gray satchel (which also comes in a multitude of other colours!)

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