I meant to wish Queen Elizabeth II a happy 90th birthday yesterday, but then we tragically lost another royal and I had other things on my mind. So happy belated, Liz! My jewelry line is inspired by powerful women, especially royals, and one of my very first major designs was my Gloriana necklace, adorned with…
History
Recommended Reading: “Last Men Standing”
George Michael’s quote in yesterday’s post about “the years when HIV was a killer” reminded me that I’ve been meaning to share the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Last Men Standing” project. The Chronicle described its package of print and digital stories and film this way: “They outlived an epidemic, but San Francisco’s AIDS survivors are still…
For International Women’s Day …
My jewelry line is closely connected with my interest in bad-ass historical women. One of the earliest designs I did was my Gloriana necklace, inspired by Elizabeth I. There are so many things I love about Elizabeth I. I included a couple of my favorite stories in this post from 2007. Check it out. CLICK…
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #11 of 14
Here’s a jewelry design for Throwback Thursday that’s also ruby-red for Valentine’s Day: my Lady Jane necklace. The true story of Lady Jane Grey — the “Nine Day Queen” of Tudor times — inspired me to create this teardrop-shaped pendant in 2008. It was made from two pieces of custom-cut rock crystal, loose rubies, and…
Jewel of the Month: Dragon and Knight Maneater Ring
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen the seventh ring in my Maneater series: the Dragon and Knight. If you don’t follow me, first of all: follow me! Secondly, enjoy this little video of the piece, which is November’s Jewel of the Month. A video posted by Wendy Brandes Jewelry PR (@wendybrandesjewelry) on…
October’s Other Birthstone: Tourmaline
October babies are lucky. They have two birthstones: opal and tourmaline. Opal is better known as a birthstone, but I think it’s good thing that there is a backup. Opals are relatively soft gems — about as hard as glass — that are more easily scratched than other stones. Once in a while, someone makes…
Princess Diana Style: Right for 2015
Elle put together a photo gallery called “Princess Diana’s Most Underrated Style Moments” and it’s pretty great. As Elle points out, many of her looks would be on-trend now, including her “boyfriend” sweater with a skirt. The only thing that hasn’t come back in a high-fashion way is that 1980s feathered hair. View image |…
I’ma Get Medieval on Your … Owl!
Here’s a tweet for history buffs. I keep looking at it to have a laugh. Click the image to go to the source and see the funny illustrations. I’m really upset that I’ve never visited the cat bakery before! I’ve also found a replacement for the many now-defunct “royal” Twitter accounts I followed in 2010….
Diana Heart Jewelry for a Royal Mother’s Day
So sweet! The name of Britain’s new royal princess has been revealed: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. I’m all choked up about it. I vividly remember getting up early to watch young Diana Spencer get married to Prince Charles in 1981 and now I’ve seen Princess Di’s first granddaughter arrive. Speaking of arrivals, did you see little…
Jewel of the Month: Boleyn Necklace for Wolf Hall Fans
Are all of you Anne Boleyn/Tudor history fans watching Wolf Hall on Masterpiece on PBS? I saw the excellent theatrical adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s historical novel Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, in London last summer. The books and adaptations are about the rise of Thomas Cromwell, who rose from poverty to…