It’s remarkable that Martin Luther King Jr. said this nearly 50 years ago: “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” It sounds like he’s talking about what’s happening in the U.S. today. And…
History
I Agree With Pantone: Let’s Do Lapis!
This week, the color experts at Pantone released its picks for the 10 top colors for spring 2017. I’m most excited about Lapis Blue, because lapis lazuli is one of my favorite gems. I’ve loved lapis ever since I went to see the blockbuster King Tut museum exhibition in the 1970s and saw Tut’s solid-gold…
Jewels of the Month: Empress Matilda’s Swords
I often use my Jewel of the Month posts to introduce new designs, but sometimes I like to feature my classic jewelry. Right now, my Empress Matilda sword designs are on my mind. I’ve discontinued plenty of designs over the years, but the Matilda necklace and earrings have stayed in my collection since I introduced…
Happy Belated Birthday, Queen Liz!
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…
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 |…