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…
Jewelry
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”…
F@#! Yes, You Should Buy These Earrings
Fuck yeah, I’ve been waiting for these stud earrings to be finished! These are 18K rose gold and sold as singles. One stud is already spoken for, but the other is still available for $400. The rose gold version not on my website, so holla at me at info@wendybrandes.com if you want it! (For yellow…
The Final Friday the 13th Earrings!
Friday the 13th is always my excuse to post this gif of my silver hockey mask and chainsaw earrings, created by the once-hyped shopping app Spring. Alas, Spring is no more … and my earrings will be gone as well once my last four pairs are sold. Whether you’re a horror-movie fan, an Eminem fan,…
Customer of the Day: Elena From Chicago
Shout-out to the lovely people from Amdur Productions for including me in two Chicago-area art festivals this summer — one in Glencoe, Ill., in July, and one in Oak Brook this weekend. Not only did I meet great new people at both events, but I also met a gorgeous longtime customer for the first time!…
Wedding Wednesday: Brown Diamond for a Dude
Two years ago, I shared this photo of a brown-diamond engagement ring that I custom-made for a man to wear. (It’s shown next to one of my own platinum styles.) View this post on Instagram Man's 18K gold yellow ring with brown diamond, shown next to my own platinum thumb ring. Custom-made for a gorgeous…
Jewels of the Month: The Maneater Collection, Revisited
Throwback Thursday is a good time for me to wish a belated happy anniversary to JCK, the bible of the jewelry trade, which has been celebrating its 150th year in business throughout 2019. Yes, you read that number right! It’s been 150 years since the American Horological Journal — the watch-oriented progenitor of today’s sleek…
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 Style Crone on CBS
Congrats to 76-year-old fashion influencer Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone, for this wonderful feature on CBS Denver! I’ve known Judith since 2010 through blogging and, just this year, I developed an entire brand campaign around her called “Immortal Style.” I’ve been rolling out all the images on the blog for weeks. I’m beyond thrilled…
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…