Kanye West popped the question to Kim Kardashian with a 15-carat diamond ring by Lorraine Schwartz. I appreciate his timing, because yesterday I launched another Instagram account — @WendyBrandesJewelry — which focuses solely on my jewelry designs and other jewelry news. No cats and dogs (you need to follow @fitzroy_the_cat for those) and no concert…
engagement rings
Get Your Bespoke Jewelry From Wendy Brandes!
There’s a story in today’s New York Times Thursday Styles section about “bespoke jewelry.” “Bespoke” is a fancy word for custom jewelry, the term that I prefer. I was especially interested in this paragraph. “So-called bespoke pieces (the term started in men’s wear but has spread, like ‘curate,’ to everything from bicycles to software) are…
But I Wanted This! Napoleon and Josephine’s Engagement Ring
I don’t know how I missed the original announcement of the auction of the diamond-and-sapphire engagement ring Napoleon gave to Josephine, but I’m quite disappointed. I would have loved to own this piece of history! It was sold by the Osenat auction house in France, and I have to admit that the final, anonymous bid…
Lori Gets Married
My Jewel of the Month for July was Lori Kadezabek‘s unusual custom engagement ring. Lori and her fella, Brian “Roley” Riolo, got married on November 10. This week, Lori emailed me a photo from her wedding with the note “I uploaded a pic to Facebook and I am getting shout-outs on how amazing my ring…
Gravity’s Manicure and Thoughts on Engagement Rings
My favorite metal is 18K yellow gold — I think it works best with my history-inspired designs — but I use platinum, 18K white gold and silver in my jewelry as well. My “Gravity” wedding/engagement designs, for instance, all got their start in platinum. The Gravity name came from the unusual heft of the first…
Jennifer Aniston and Her Big Diamond Engagement Ring
It seems some online commenters have worked themselves into a tizzy over the big diamond in actress Jennifer Aniston’s engagement ring. As a designer who has done some offbeat engagement rings, I think all that matters is that the wearer is happy. As for my personal taste, you can learn about that in my interview…
I Would Do Anything for Love, But I Won’t Do That
I design all kinds of engagement rings for my customers. I’m happy to do a traditional solitaire, but I’ve also done mixed-metal stacking rings …. … and a white-sapphire ring that looks very different from a conventional engagement ring. Basically, I would do nearly anything so that you have a ring you love. But I…
Jewel of the Month: Lori’s Engagement Ring
I make custom engagement rings for all budgets and, as I’ve said before, I prefer the woman to be involved in the design. If the bride-to-be is not personally meeting with me because the man (or woman) who is proposing is trying to maintain some element of surprise, I want him (or her) to come…
Jewel of the Month: Mindy’s Redesigned Engagement Ring
April’s birthstone is a diamond, so my Jewel of the Month is a redesigned diamond engagement ring. I met gorgeous client Mindy through my equally gorgeous friend Tina during Tina’s birthday festivities in Las Vegas. Mindy was wearing her wedding band, but not her engagement ring. Because we were in Vegas, I was hoping Mindy…
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Forgot to Call Me
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are engaged! I’ve never met Angelina or Brad — though I did once stand kind of near him when he was still married to Jennifer Aniston. Still, I’m all like, “Brangelina, Y U NO call me to make your engagement ring? Is it because I made fun of Angie’s leg?…