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…
necklaces
Jewels of the Month, Part 3: “Gothic Chic” Skulls
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…
Jewels of the Month, Part 1: For the Whistleblower
A real patriot puts country over party or president. I’m thankful to the whistleblower who recorded, in a memo, a White House official’s view that “… the President had clearly committed a criminal act by urging a foreign power to investigate a U.S. person for the purposes of advancing his own reelection bid in 2020”…
Recommended Reading: Anne Thériault’s Queens of Infamy
I’ve been scolding myself for nearly a decade (seriously!) for giving up my Thursday Book Club posts, most of which focused on the bad-ass historical women who inspire my jewelry designs. The last book-club post was the finale of my three-parter on A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman’s book about the 14th century, which I posted…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry X The Style Crone, Part 6
Here’s the sixth look from my “Immortal Style” brand campaign starring 76-year-old model Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone. These photos feature my Carpe Diem black-diamond skull medallion and matching earrings. Here’s a closer look at the necklace … … and the earrings. These one-of-a-kind designs are not onyx! Each skull shape is cut from…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry X The Style Crone, Part 5
Here’s the fifth look from my “Immortal Style” brand campaign starring 76-year-old model Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone. She’s modeling my Queen of Scots snake necklace and earrings. Shout-out to my stylist Shannon Stokes for putting Judith in this blue sweater — it really brings out her beautiful eyes. Plus, I’m allllll about the…
Jewel of the Month: Throwback Thursday Necklace
Every so often, I get an email with “Is this your design?” in the subject line. When I look at the attached photo, I usually find that the jewelry in question is just a common style, like a safety-pin earring, or something that only looks like my work from a distance. That said, I’ve been…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry X the Style Crone, Part 3
The rollout of my Immortal Style campaign continues! In this third image, 76-year-old model Judith Boyd — aka the Style Crone — wears the full suite of my Mary Queen of Scots snake designs: necklace, earrings, ring, and tiara. This collection was inspired by the term that the advisors of Elizabeth I used for Mary:…
Easter Egg Jewelry
Believe it or not, charm bracelets have existed for millennia! While I’m normally obsessed with ancient artifacts, my favorite charms are of more recent vintage — generally the 20th century, when a lot of clever mechanical pieces were produced. I love designing mechanical jewelry myself, and I was once inspired by an old charm, though…
Carpe Diem: Black Diamond Skull Designs
Did you do your homework and watch yesterday’s video about my black diamond “Carpe Diem” skull designs? If not, you should do it now … and don’t forget to leave a comment for extra credit! I promised nice still shots of the three-piece mini collection today. Actually, I’ve already shared plenty of photos of the…