A million thanks to Brecken Branstrator of National Jeweler for selecting my two-finger ring design for ANZA Gems as one of her American Gem Trade Association’s Spectrum Award favorites! National Jeweler had already posted my ring on Instagram last week, but today Brecken included it in her Academy Awards-style blog post on her personal winners,…
The Week in Review
In case you missed it, here’s what was on the blog this week. Monday: My two-finger ring for ANZA Gems is getting a lot of love. Tuesday: Spinel is a new birthstone for August, and it comes in lots of colors. Wednesday: My JCK Las Vegas style. Thursday: I realized that a quadrille is a…
Jewels of the Month, Part II: More Punk Platinum
When I started in the fine-jewelry business in 2005, a punk-inspired safety-pin earring or brooch was on the top of my to-do list. I’d seen plenty of costume-jewelry versions, but, as a customer, I hadn’t come across any gold or platinum pieces that I liked. It seems strange now that I couldn’t find something that…
Throwback Thursday: Non-Lobster Quadrille in Vienna
For Throwback Thursday, I’m not going too far back … just to June, when MrB and I visited Vienna. On our last night in the city, we went to the Concordia Ball, which has been held every June for 150 years by Press Club Concordia, an organization of Austrian journalists and writers. The dress code…
My JCK Las Vegas Street Style
It’s like the June JCK LUXURY trade show never ends: I didn’t see myself in JCK Magazine’s “JCK Las Vegas Street Style” feature until recently. I laughed out loud when I realized I was the only one of the 12 people interviewed who mentioned cocktail hour as a highlight. In the photo, I’m wearing a…
Spinel Is a New August Birthstone
Well, hello spinel! Earlier this summer, two fine-jewelry trade groups — American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America — announced that spinel would join peridot as a birthstone for August. I love the vibrant yellow-green hue of peridot. I used it in my Susan chandelier-earring design. But peridot is always some shade of green,…
Instagram Love for the Jewel of the Month
August’s Jewel of the Month — the two-finger ring I designed for ANZA Gems — has gotten some more love on Instagram, thanks to its appearance at last Monday’s press preview for the American Gem Trade Association’s Spectrum Awards. Benjamin Guttery of Third Coast Gems chose it as a personal favorite. My personal "editors choice"…
The Week in Review
In case you missed it, here’s what was on the blog this week: Monday: Is it shorts? Is it a skirt? I don’t know, but it’s definitely Gareth Pugh. Tuesday: Hillary Clinton makes history. Wednesday: The Women’s Jewelry Associations Awards of Excellence. Thursday: My new double-finger ring design for ANZA Gems. Saturday: Shattering the glass…
Madeleine Albright’s New Hillary Brooch?
I’ve always meant to write about Madeleine Albright’s Read My Pins book. Albright — the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State (from 1997 to 2001) — is known for cleverly matching her large collection of brooches to important occasions. The book explains that it all started in 1994, after Albright, then the…
Jewel of the Month: Double-Finger Ring for ANZA Gems
Can’t take the heat? Then you should have tuned into Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas in July” programming earlier this month. Why wait till December to “Catch your favorite holiday Hallmark Channel Original movies!” when you can enjoy them in the summer, right?* I’m feeling a little like Hallmark right now because this is an “August in…