Bastille Day was last Saturday, but I was home in New York, much to my chagrin. MrB and I spent the holiday in Paris in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and I still feel like Paris is where I’m supposed to be on Le Quatorze Juillet. For Throwback Thursday, here’s what I wore on my three…
my designs
Jewel of the Month: New Signet Ring Style
I’ve been designing signet rings since 2016, when I introduced my big “No Class” ring style. In 2017, I added smaller signet rings “for rebel women.” The little signets were designed to be worn as pinkie rings, but you can order them in any size through my website. A signet for every mood, for every…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry in Paper Magazine
Paper Magazine’s summer publication is its first-ever “Sports” issue, and I’m so excited to see one of my pieces in it! Interestingly, the design is NOT my solid gold Virginia Woolf Whistle. Stylist Shannon Stokes went a less literal route — which I like! — and used my 18K gold Queen of Scots snake tiara…
Jewel of the Month: Black Diamond Skull
If you follow my Instagram accounts — business and/or personal — you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at June’s Jewel of the Month. For the rest of you, behold my “Carpe Diem” medallion set with a skull-shaped black diamond! I debuted this piece at the Couture jewelry show in Las Vegas last week, where Grace…
What Wendy Wore: Abigail & Max Got Married
It’s fun when I get to make the engagement ring and wedding bands for a couple and then attend the wedding. That’s happened a few times. (Whenever you hear someone stage-whisper, “THANK GOD!” when a wedding band smoothly goes on a finger, you know there’s a jewelry designer among the guests.) Last weekend, I had…
I’m a JCK Jewelers’ Choice Awards Finalist!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the judges of JCK’s Jewelers’ Choice Awards for selecting my toi et moi ring for ANZA Gems as a finalist in the category of colored stone jewelry over $10,000. The JCK editorial team also got to choose five personal favorites, so a special thank you goes out to…
Wednesday’s Videos: Jewelry That Moves
When I went into the jewelry business, poison rings (aka locket rings) were among my first designs. Then came locket pendants. For a while, so many of my pieces had moving parts that my friends would grab any new jewelry and try to pry it open. However, not all of my mechanical designs have a…
Wednesday’s Video: Engagement Ring How-To
People frequently ask me how to pick the right engagement ring. In this week’s video, I offer my expert advice, based not only on my 13 years in the jewelry business, but also on my own personal engagement-ring story. Don’t forget to check out the related links in the video description on YouTube for some…
The Week in Review
In case you missed it, here’s what was on the blog this week. Tuesday, May 1: Snakeskin is back, and I have to dig up a photo of my shiny snake-pattern pants from the late 1990s. Wednesday, May 2: In this week’s YouTube video, I talked about how I changed my career and what you…
Two ANZA Rings Are Even Better Than One
Image consultant and jewelry expert Amy Roseveare interviewed ANZA Gems founder Monica Stephenson about what inspired Monica to launch her company in 2014. Because I work with ANZA gemstones, I’ve described ANZA’s mission a number of times, but I think you’ll be interested in how Monica herself tells the story. CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERVIEW….