REPOSSI Jewelry VS Barneys

 

REPOSSI JEWELRY FOR BARNEYS

It wasn’t even that long ago, that the Red Carpet was bedazzled with very traditional fine jewelry pieces. Glamorous? Yes. Pretty? Mostly! But modern, fashionable or even remotely original? Hardly! A few years ago, knuckle dusters suddenly appeared on the Red Carpet. As well as body chains and modern ear cuffs. The by now iconic ear cuffs by REPOSSI. All of a sudden, high end fine jewelry wasn’t reserved for old, rich ladies, it was becoming fashionable again for a younger generation.

Gaia Repossi has been one of the leading forces in the resurgence of fashionable and modern fine jewelry. For upping the cool-factor so to speak. As well as making exceptionally awesome ear cuffs, she is also a gutsy lady. A tomboy at heart and not really that interested in jewelry designing at first, she dropped out of her anthropology studies at Le Sorbonne, and at only 20 years old became the artistic director at Maison Repossi. Sure, she had some connections ;-) given the fact that the eponymous jewelry house has been in the family since 1925, but still, it takes guts to take on that much responsibilty at such a young age.

REPOSSI LOOKBOOK 2

What surely strenghtened her resolve was that she probably knew she had an unique vision. She went with her gut instinct telling her she really could make a difference in terms of fine jewelry design. In 2011 she debuted her Berbere collection. Following her instinct paid of as it instantly became an iconic collection. Speaking about her jewelry she said it’s aimed at women like her who “didn’t like jewellery, either because they didn’t look smart with it, or because it was too ostentatious, or too bourgeois or just not modern enough for a conquering modern woman.”

REPOSSI LOOKBOOK 3

By the way, I’m intend on writing a more in-depth piece on the resurgence of fashionable fine jewelry. But for now, you will have “to make do” (though I know ;-) )  with images of this gorgeous lookbook by Barneys. Now, there are lookbooks and then there are Lookbooks. Lookbooks that merely serve their purpose but are nothing special, and lookbooks that can truly measure up against some of the best editorials out there. This one, falls in the latter category!

REPOSSI jewelry is available at Barneys New York. Shop the lookbook here.

Credit all images: Barneys.

By |February 2nd, 2015|Jewelry Label|Comments Off on REPOSSI Jewelry VS Barneys
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Gold Philosophy’s Bold Gold

 

Gold Philosophy Jewelry

Gold Philopsophy has been taking the fashion blogging community by storm and it’s not hard to see why. One of the biggest jewelry trends at the moment is pearl jewelry with a new, modern twist. With so many  jewelry designers at the moment re-imagining the usually classic pearl jewelry, it’s hard to stand out. But they’re more than succeeding! Their take on pearl jewelry is not only original, it’s also affordable. Plus, they make fashion jewelry really look like chic, quality jewelry which is actually harder than it looks. With these strengths combined, their jewelry label makes a perfect candidate to be worn by fashion bloggers who are always on the lookout for original, affordable and chic pieces. Combine the publicity of fashion blogs with a good use of social media and it’s not exactly rocket science why Gold Philosophy’s jewelry has been popping up everywhere!

gold philosophy jewelry

gold philosophy jewelry

Launched in May 2012 by sisters Ting and Katy Lee, Gold Philosophy operated as a jewelry retailer at first. Only offering only jewelry from other designers. In 2014, they decided to take the plunge and debuted their first jewelry collection. The spring 2014 “Myth” Collection laid the groundwork for their signature aesthetics, but things really took off with their second “DiMare” collection. Their new Spring/Summer 2015 collection (as of yet untitled) is a return to more subtle and delicate pieces compared to their previous bolder collection. In 2012 Katy Lee, while talking about their first initiative, told MOWA that their aesthetics could not be more different: “I love bold, eccentric costume jewelry while my sister leans more towards delicate pieces”. So it seems Ting “won” the latest design-round ;-) . I’m already looking forward to their next collection ^^.

The designers use 18K (yellow, rose or white) gold plated sterling silver for their designs. Set with freshwater cultured pearls and cz diamonds. All three collections are sold online at Gold Philosophy and select retailers.

Rings clockwise: The Tiara Pearl Ring, The Treble Ring, The Twins Pearls Open Ring and the very popular Open Bar Diamond Pearl Ring. Credit all images: Gold Philosophy.

gold philosophy jewelry - collage by viapoetica.com

By |January 27th, 2015|Jewelry Label|Comments Off on Gold Philosophy’s Bold Gold
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Paula Mendoza Jewelry

 

Paula Mendoza Jewelry

 

Ten years ago, the Colombian journalist turned jewelry designer first started making jewelry purely as a hobby. She figured it would make some nice pocket money while studying journalism. Nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t until a gallery in Boston actually picked up her jewelry pieces that a light bulb went off. “Hey I can actually make money with this!”. She quit journalism and fully submerged herself in the world of jewelry designing. She studied gemology and jewelry techniques in Brazil and Peru. And returned to her native Bogotá to study jewelry making. She moved to Washington and took a course called “Jewelry as Sculpture” at the Corocan Institute. It forced her to look at her jewelry designing in a new way. Jewelry not as simply jewelry, but also as small sculptures. It is this concept that took her jewelry the next level.

Her philosophy of seeing jewelry as sculptures is really evident in her jewelry. Bold, serpentine bracelets swirl around the arms. Armorlike necklaces are architectural, fierce and sexy. Sculptural and geometric jewelry is really nothing new. Geometric jewelry is a big trend at the moment, and sculptural jewelry has been designed (by architects mostly) for ages. This is the most original take on both trends that I’ve seen however. Her style is instantly recognizable, because there is simply no other jewelry like it!

Even though she moved to NY in 2012, her jewelry remains deeply rooted in her native Colombia. First, Paula designs and makes the prototypes herself. Then every piece is handcrafted in her family-run workshop in Bogotá by a group of local artisans. People she has worked with for ten years. She favors working with brass because it allows her to translate jewelry trends in a chic way, while still remaining affordable. As a finishing touch, every piece is gold-plated with 24 kt gold.

Ever since I saw her jewelry in 2013 for the first time, I’ve been hooked. And fortunately, I’m not the only one taking notice! Throughout her career, there have been some pivotal moments. To begin with, her statement jewelry lends itself perfectly for fashion editorials and videos. Combined with some seriously intense networking skills (almost stalking buyers ;-) ) and smart use of social media, stylists and buyers started paying attention. What really took her brand to the next level was being featured in Beyoncé’s “XO” video. Beyoncé’s stylist first noticed her jewelry via Mendoza’s instagram account. It was on this same instagram account that retailer Net-a-Porter first spotted her jewelry. They went on to buy the A/W 2014 ORO collection. Moda Operandi soon followed suit. The last battleground to conquer was the Red Carpet. Dakota Fanning obliged, but it was Kate Beckinsale’s look with a Zimmermann dress and Mendoza choker that really turned heads.

The new S/S 2015 collection, Aranjuez, is nothing short of stunning. Inspired by the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, this collection has a regal quality. The collection contains her signature snake coil jewelry, but also new pieces adorned with rich colored stones. The campaign photos look like oil paintings that could adorn the palace walls of this 16th century palace.

Mendoza said that her instagram-followers react the strongest to pictures of her wearing her own jewelry. And with all that eye candy at her disposal it’s not exactly hard to see why. So instead of choosing mostly lookbook photos to showcase her beautiful jewelry, I’m letting her gorgeous instagram photos do all the talking.

By |January 23rd, 2015|Jewelry Label|Comments Off on Paula Mendoza Jewelry
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Pearl jewelry collection Balloons by Line & Jo

In the Netherlands, it’s nearly impossible to walk into a interior design shop and not stumble upon dozens of Danish design products. And it seems you can’t really qualify as a fully-fledged Dutch interior blog if you’re not displaying at least one Danish design product. Simply put, Danish design is hot. And as a Danish design lover, I’m certainly not complaining!

Danish jewelry brands however, are less known amongst the general public. Yeah sure, almost everybody knows the iconic Georg Jensen, the famous silversmith and his eponymous jewelry brand. They are usually also familiar with Shamballa jewels, a brand famous for its line of bracelets, if not for the hundreds of knock offs it inspired. But beyond that, people usually look a bit puzzled when you tell them you love Danish jewelry.

Trendy Danish jewelry brands, the brands that I love the most, are often characterized by a love for abstract nature inspired designs, geometric shapes, oxidized silver and a love for minimalist aesthetics. Until a few months ago, Line & Jo certainly fell into that category in terms of design style, but managed to set itself apart from the other Danish jewelry brands with their truly exquisite and original jewelry design. Their well known ear cuffs for example, were on trend, but unlike the dozens of others ear cuffs I had seen. In september of this year they managed to set themselves even more apart with their new collection called “Balloons”. The invitation for the launch of the collection introduced the collection as “A tribute to the fearless and feminine fifties Hollywood stars” and promised a reinvention of pearl jewelry design. Well, they certainly delivered. And it true Line & Jo-style, it’s completely on trend but with an original twist like no other.

The Balloon collection consists of 14 pieces in 14 karat gold with akoya pearls. Available at Line & Jo.

Image source featured image: instagram.com/lineandjo. Image sources clockwise: 1 Lineandjo.com 2,3,4 instagram.com/lineandjo.

 

Line & Jo Balloons Pearl Jewelry Collection

 

 

By |December 8th, 2014|Jewelry Label|1 Comment
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