It’s not too late to get someone — or yourself — the perfect pair of holiday earrings. These platinum and rose gold diamond danglers have “Happy New Year” written all over them. Not literally, of course. I feel like I need to clarify that, because I do write on some of my jewelry. But these…
redesigns
Feeling Fancy at Wendy Brandes Jewelry
If you haven’t visited my online store in a minute, come on by! I’ve done a few renovations. My updated homepage now has a slideshow that explains each collection. The first slide is my gold collection. Gold always comes first with me — the first serious designs for my line were done in 18K yellow…
Year in Review: Jewels of the Month for 2019
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…
Wednesday’s Video: Phala’s Ring
I already blogged about February’s Jewel of the Month — Phala’s redesigned ring — but I now have better video showing the piece before, during, and after the process. More importantly, I have Phala’s own description of what led to her redesign project and what the ring symbolizes for her. Even though it’s a sad…
Jewel of the Month: Ring Redesign With Rubies
I was going to wait until we were further into February to reveal the Jewel of the Month, but I just put the finishing touches on it today and I can’t resist sharing! Gorgeous client Phala asked me to turn her classic ruby-accented engagement ring and wedding band into a nontraditional, single ring. For inspiration,…
Wednesday’s Video: Pearl Perfection After 20 Years
Talk about slow fashion! In November 2011, my Jewel of the Month was my redesign of a pearl pendant that I got in 1998. Late last year — seven years after that blog post — the same pendant suddenly became my favorite everyday necklace. How and why did this happen? Let’s go to the videotape,…
Transformation Tuesday: Redesigns Galore
I’ve written plenty about my love of redesigning old jewelry — including engagement rings. Once in a while, I’ll redesign clothes, which is how I wound up in a completely redesigned outfit last Saturday. I didn’t get to take a proper outfit photo due to an uncharged camera, so we’ll have to make due with…
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…
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…
Year in Review: Jewels of the Month for 2017
At the end of the year, I tend to feel like I didn’t do as many new designs as I wanted to … via GIPHY … so it’s good to take a look back and appreciate everything that has been accomplished! While my Jewel of the Month posts usually feature my newest designs, I also…