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jewel of the month

Jewels of the Month: Tolula in a Tiara and More

May 31, 2021 by WendyB

In 1985, I listened to British singer Belouis Some‘s song “Imagination” on repeat. Kids these days don’t appreciate the dedication it took to play a song obsessively back then! It was a delicate operation, what with lifting the turntable needle up from the vinyl record and moving it to that flat, grooveless space in between…

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Filed Under: 80s style, Arts & Entertainment, Fashion, featured jewel, Gangsta Boo, gold, jewel of the month, Jewelry, jewelry designer, lockets, music, pearls, poison rings Tagged With: belouis some, bridal tiara, marian kwei, the story, tiara, tolula adeyemi

Jewel of the Month: Black Diamond for Purrkoy

April 30, 2021 by WendyB

April’s birthstone is the diamond, so my procrastinating ass is going to squeeeeeeze in an April Jewel of the Month post at the last possible moment! Behold, the black-diamond version of my 2010 single-stone platinum Gravity band. This design was originally created as a unisex wedding ring, but I made the new ring as a…

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Filed Under: Animals, birthstone, cats, diamonds, featured jewel, gems, inspiration, jewel of the month, Jewelry, mourning jewelry, platinum, rings Tagged With: mourning ring, purrkoy the kitten

Jewel of the Month: Inspired by Lil Nas X

March 29, 2021 by WendyB

In 2019, 19-year-old rapper Lil Nas X vaulted from TikTok meme maker lauded by Justin Bieber to record-breaking mainstream success with his country-rap song “Old Town Road,” and there are so many things I love about this story. First of all, this song appealed to every age group, from toddlers to their grandparents. If you…

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Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, charity, earrings, featured jewel, gift ideas, gold, Good Causes, In the News, jewel of the month, Jewelry, music, my designs, platinum, racism, stud earrings Tagged With: billy ray cyrus, lgbtq+, lil nas x, montero, old town road, satan shoes

Jewel of the Month: Lip Necklace in 18K Gold

February 17, 2021 by WendyB

Whether you love Valentine’s Day or loathe it, the days immediately following the holiday are kind of awesome. First of all, the big Whitman’s Sampler chocolate assortments are on sale in all the drugstores to make room for the Easter candy. If you’re buying for me, I do prefer Whitman’s Samplers to Russell Stover boxes,…

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Filed Under: featured jewel, holidays, jewel of the month, Jewelry, my designs, necklaces, sale, sales, Special Occasions, Valentine's Day Tagged With: emoji jewelry, kiss jewelry, lip emoji jewelry

Jewels of the Month: Bye, Don! Welcome 46 & 47!

January 19, 2021 by WendyB

I don’t know if I should call this the dawn of a new era or a return to form. After years of Jewel of the Month posts, I had ZERO last year because fascism and the pandemic had me that distracted from what I love to do. But now that would-be dictator Donald Trump has…

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Filed Under: activism, earrings, featured jewel, Good Causes, In the News, jewel of the month, Jewelry, necklaces, politics, silver, stud earrings Tagged With: run for something

Year in Review: Jewels of the Month for 2019

December 30, 2019 by WendyB

The highlight of 2019 for Wendy Brandes Jewelry was a gem of a person! I am still madly in love with the photo shoot I did with Judith Boyd, aka Style Crone, because I’m always trying to show that jewelry is for everyone. When I did appearances this year, I decorated my booth/case with photos…

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Filed Under: birthstone, Custom work, diamonds, earrings, featured jewel, gems, gold, gorgeous clients, jewel of the month, Jewelry, jewelry designer, lockets, maneater collection, my designs, necklaces, redesigns, skulls, year in review Tagged With: custom jewelry, custom ring, judith boyd, redesigned jewelry, skull jewelry, style crone, widow jewelry, widow's ring

Jewel of the Month: Padparadscha & Paraiba for ANZA

December 23, 2019 by WendyB

I wanted to save this ring’s blog debut until I had its official portrait taken, but the piece was whisked off to the Kristen Farrell Gallery before I could get it to a photographer! So here is a casual snapshot of my latest creation for ANZA Gems. This one-of-a-kind 18K rose gold ring features a…

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Filed Under: featured jewel, gems, jewel of the month, Jewelry, my designs, rings Tagged With: anza gems, lost-wax casting

Jewel of the Month: Inspired by Empress Eugenie

November 13, 2019 by WendyB

Thank you to Brecken Branstrator of National Jeweler for alerting me that on Nov. 27, Christie’s in London is auctioning jewelry that once belonged to Eugenie, who was the last empress of France via her marriage to Napoleon III. I appreciate that the auction house has the full provenance of the jewels listed: Provenance is…

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Filed Under: featured jewel, History, jewel of the month, Jewelry, lockets, necklaces, queens Tagged With: christie's, empress eugenie, empress josephine, jewelry auction, juana la loca

Jewels of the Month, Part 3: “Gothic Chic” Skulls

October 14, 2019 by WendyB

This month, I’ve highlighted jewelry that connects to current events, as well as jewelry designed around perennial themes. My final Jewel of the Month post gives you both qualities. Of course, skulls are always right for the month of Halloween, but the bonus is that the Wall Street Journal has declared this to be a…

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Filed Under: diamonds, earrings, featured jewel, jewel of the month, Jewelry, my designs, necklaces, skulls Tagged With: black diamond skull jewelry, black diamonds, carpe diem jewelry, skull jewelry

Jewels of the Month, Part 2: October Birthstone

October 10, 2019 by WendyB

Tourmaline and opal are October’s two birthstones. I’ve shared the double-tourmaline ring that I created for ANZA Gems before, but ANZA’s recent Instagram post of it has inspired me to feature the ring again. I love how this post shows the different phases the gems went through: uncut rough; faceted but loose gems; and finally…

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Filed Under: birthstone, earrings, featured jewel, gems, jewel of the month, Jewelry, rings, Shopping, stud earrings Tagged With: october birthstone, tourmaline

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MEET WENDY BRANDES

Award-winning designer of fine jewelry inspired by women's history and pop culture. A former journalist who writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, news, feminism, dogs, cats and whatever else is on her mind. Blogging since 2007.
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Original jewelry designs, photos and text are © Wendy Brandes 2007-2016. All rights reserved.

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