Ballchain Ruby Bracelet

This lightweight, 7.5" bracelet features an Italian sterling silver ball chain and three charms. The trio starts with a sterling silver heart that's anything but girly—it has a raised, medieval-looking cross in the center. In the middle, a rough-cut ruby-colored Swarovski crystal looks like a bit of pirate's booty. Rounding out these funky charms is as small, round silver charm features a picture from Rafael's "Angels" painting.

The effect is a cross of punk and dainty (e.g., I am feminine, hear me roar). It's pretty enough to wear with a dress or suit on an evening out, but versatile enough to wear to work or on more casual outings.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hard on the stuff I wear. If a bracelet or necklace is fragile enough that a catch or a snag is going to send it to the floor in pieces, I won't wear it. While I wouldn't recommend you wear this to the gym, this bracelet makes the grade for day-to-day activities. While it's not at all clunky, the chain and charms are sturdily made.

At $79, it may seem a bit overpriced, but then, Belle Style's pieces are all a bit on the high end for nonprecious metals. That said, the originality of the designs and the quality of the materials makes it worth the investment. The fact that their jewelry has been featured in movies and on TV series probably ups the demand a bit.

Based in Los Angeles, Belle Style uses semi-precious stones, crystals, pearls, and vintage jewels for their pieces, which are sold in stores in Australia, Japan, South Africa and the U.S. At the right price, one can even become a "private client." Short of that, if you don't live near one of their stores, you can order just about anything online.

•