I am pleased to see that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has had a baby boy, though I confess I was hoping for a little queen-to-be. Many of the designs in my signature jewelry line are inspired by queens and other royal wimmins. I don’t usually work with contemporary personalities, so I’m not sure…
History
Throwback Thursday: Madonna, Almost 26 Years Ago Today
I’ve rediscovered a booklet from a July 13, 1987, Madonna concert. During her “Who’s That Girl” World Tour, Madonna did this show at Madison Square Garden to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). This booklet looks like a regular program from the outside, but inside was a comic explaining AIDS and safe sex….
The Orange Trend at JCK Las Vegas (See Me There!)
The Couture and JCK fine-jewelry trade shows are taking place in Las Vegas this weekend. WWD reports that the color orange is expected to be a key trend. If you want to be first to flaunt jewels in a citrus-y shade, check out my Edburga poison ring set with a vivid fire opal cabochon. The…
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…
The King Is Dead. Long Live the King.
A lot of my jewelry is inspired by royalty, but I focus on females: queens, empresses, queen consorts, princesses. I figure history as it is taught in elementary and high school is basically about men, so I prefer to concentrate on herstory. However, I have a soft spot for one dude: England’s 15th-century Richard III….
Resolved: Keep Track of Important Dates
My non-New Year’s Resolution — going into effect immediately — is to better organize my calendar. I tend to keep too much information in my head or in email, thinking, “There’s no way I can forget about something as important as that!” Then, of course, I miss or almost miss the event. It happened with…
If I Were Marie Antoinette …
… I’d wear this beautiful Dolce & Gabbana gown on casual Fridays at Versailles. Joan Rivers has a good line about the French queen that she uses when showing off her own apartment: “Marie Antoinette would have lived here … if she had money.”
“Gold Makes You Blind”
I don’t normally write about other jewelry designers, but I have to make an exception for one of the greats — the famed Swiss jeweler Otto Künzli. I can’t stop thinking about a well-known bracelet he made in 1980. It’s apparently at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, though not on display, so the closest…
Jewel of the Month: Marie Antoinette Earrings
Today is the 219th anniversary of Marie Antoinette’s execution by guillotine. I first created a ring in the French queen’s honor in 2008. Many of my jewelry designs are inspired by royalty, and no royal-themed collection is complete without an Antoinette piece. My ring, in the royal colors of purple and green, features a custom-cut…
Shontelle Shows Two Clemence Rings Are Even Better Than One
Quite a few people have stacked two of my Clemence rings together, but I’ve never managed to get a picture. Gorgeous singer Shontelle (“Impossible“) ended my photo drought last Wednesday when she performed and modeled at the “Real Fashion, Real Women” show benefiting Bottomless Closet. She wore my 18K-gold Clemence ring in rock crystal and…