Elevate Difference

Reviews tagged jewelry

Freshwater Pearl and Blue Topaz Earrings

I’m going to my first Indian wedding this December, a celebration I am enormously excited about because of the sheer enormity of this type of event. Indian weddings are multi-day festivities filled with family, friends, fun, and (best of all) food. The wedding I will attend will be a particularly exciting culinary event; it is sure to include a sampler of delicacies from West Bengal, the Punjab, and Burma, a feast that is a reflection of the multiple and overlapping ethnicities of the bride and groom. Now, I’m not a wedding kind of gal.

A Case of Olive Jade Filigree Earrings

When I was in middle school, I became obsessed with all things macabre. From [R.L.

Lapis Birds with Malachite Earrings

I have to admit, I have a weakness for unconventional, handmade jewelry, so I was quite eager to own something from Black Rabbit Handmade Jewelry. The business is run by a mother-daughter team based in Vermont who have a passion for creating jewelry inspired by nature.

Resin Art Necklace

The oil-in-resin necklace from native Californian artist Michelle Stitz is a unique piece unlike anything I have come across. The pendant is in the shape of a cube measuring 1.5 by 1.5 inches. Inside the cube is an original painting made of layers of oils, paint, and resin. Mine resembles a conch shell colored with gold and a deep red, and outlined in black.

Mystical Orb Dangle Earrings

The sky dimmed and dark monsoon clouds began to roll in as I sat down to type out this review. I put on Bjork’s Vespertine to further capture what seems to my American sensibilities to be a melancholy mood.

Migration Earrings

Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you. —Karen Carpenter This is the song that first came to mind when I admired the Migration Earrings handcrafted by Sheryl Pang of Bohème Jewelry.

Stark Ring

I love simple. - Stacy Christopher The Seattle-based jewelry maker of Stacy Christopher Jewelry does indeed. The beautifully elegant and thoughtfully minimalist Stark Ring arrived in a simple brown, tuck-top box with the image of a crow hand-stamped on its face.

Little Black Rabbit Necklace

Black Rabbit Handmade Jewelry is a mother-daughter team with a combined background of jewelry design, fine and graphic art, photography, and textile arts with a shared love of art, design, culture, and beauty. The duo says that they “hope, more than anything, that our jewelry will bring joy to the wearer, and will enhance her own sense of personal beauty.” I especially appreciate that sentiment because for me, self-adornment is a creative ritual.

Lean and Sexy Stiletto Green Pearl Earrings

Most of the time pearls remind me of housewives circa 1950. Well, maybe into the '60s too. I just started watching the first season of Mad Men, and pearl jewelry seems to be a common gift guiltily given to the suburban, home-bound wife after returning from an afternoon in the city with the bohemian, Beat-loving mistress, or to the sexy secretary banged by the boss.

Brass Angel Bracelet

Full disclosure: I borrowed three bracelets from Belle Style to review, and subsequently requested two of them as gifts. This one, while definitely an interesting and well-made piece, was not one of them. Of the three bracelets, this was the most masculine and different from many of the other pieces on the company's website.

Glass Bird Pendent Necklace

I live in a city so overrun by crows that some days I am sure I'm stuck in some Hitchcockian nightmare. Every morning I wake up to the birds' cacophonous squawking, a sound that is now lodged in my psyche in the most obnoxious way. I don't have to set an alarm clock; by 6 a.m. I am sure to be awakened by the ubiquitous chorus of caw.

Found Object Necklace

Found object art first made an impression on me studying the Dada movement in a mixed media sculpture class.

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).

View From Above Earrings

I'm going to use a word that I detest. You know how there are some words that just grate on you nerves when you hear them? In the past decade the most popular obnoxiously overused word was probably nucular, the oft-repeated Bush botching of the word nuclear. But aside from mispronunciations, are there words that make you grind your teeth when they flow off someone's tongue? Perhaps what ticks you off is cursing, or hearing the anatomically correct words for one's "down there" junk.

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History Necklace

"Well-behaved women seldom make history," Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote in an article about Puritan funeral services. Feminists embraced the sentiment and now the phrase (as well as the misquote “well-behaved women rarely make history”) can be found on a vast array of consumer goods, from coffee mugs to t-shirts, bumper stickers to compact mirrors.

Silver Metal Cuff

I don't do dangly bracelets. Perhaps it's the residual punk rock girl of my youth who influences the aesthetics of what I wear around my wrists, but I just can't bring myself to get down with chains and charms and all of that froo-froo stuff when it comes to arm adornment. For me, it's cuffs, bangles, or bust. Tano Jewelry's Silver Metal Cuff ($14.99) is the epitome of what I look for in a bracelet. It's chunky, but not too heavy. Its design is interesting without being too busy.

Kilobyte Couture: Geek Chic Jewelry to Make From Easy-to-Find Computer Components

As someone who has recently begun making and designing jewelry using the standard materials—such as beads, chains, ribbons—I was impressed to see a book about jewelry made from computer parts. Yes, that’s right, computer parts. Written by former Etsy seller Brittany Forks, Kilobyte Couture touts itself as "geek chic", but I think many of the designs and styles are simply chic!

AngelBang

It's little wonder Belle Style's funky yet dainty jewelry has made cameos in films and television shows—like The Watchmen and Brothers and Sisters—and have been featured in magazines like Teen People, L.A. Confidential, and Tiger Beat.

Eliza Redford Necklace

The Eliza Redford Necklace from Paper Treasure is definitely unique. It was named after a ship that wrecked in a storm on Lake Ontario on November 16, 1893. The necklace it makes you think about the ship that wrecked and the people on it. It takes you back to a far off place and time and makes you wonder about what happened on that day. The necklace has a round, gold locket that opens, allowing the wearer to keep a picture of a loved one close to your heart. Both the face of the locket and the inside can hold a photo.

White Elephant Necklace / Raspberry Earrings / Pig Earrings

I am so thankful that my fabulously dainty ‘white elephant’ necklace does not live up to its name. Neither a possession of disproportionate upkeep costs, or a regift from a bad party game, the newest tiny charm on a chain comes courtesy of Cornyness, a delightful online jewelry shop. Cornyness, run by a super nice gal named Danwei, offers a variety of handmade accessories to suit just about anyone with a taste for the quirky and cute.

Imperia Necklace

Have you ever heard a peacock scream? While I was visiting Kolkata's Marble Palace during last summer's monsoon, I happened across the mansion's hodgepodge collection of animals, which I am hesitant to call a "zoo" despite that being what it is. My friends and I were buying time since our trek across town to the museum was through knee-deep water, and we wanted the level to fall a bit before heading back on to the street.

Turquoise & Gray earrings

There is something about Scandinavian design that is at once incredibly stylish and timeless. It seems that the further north you get, the more beautiful things are. Norwegian jewelry maker Hilde is an artisan whose work captures the exquisite beauty of the northern Nordic states. In addition to some of her more subtle pieces I now own, Hilde makes a lot of her jewelry from pearls and crystal. Her creations are elegant but reserved, and based on the earrings I posses, I have no doubt about her crafts(wo)manship and style.

Chestnut and blue bracelet and matching earrings

Amanda Yu—who runs several Etsy shops under her own name and the Exotic Flavour moniker and blogs about her latest creations—has an incredible eye for fun color combinations and visually intricate but simply made jewelry. All of Yu’s Exotic Flavour accessories have a similar look, but the pieces don’t lack their own special charm.

Bleeding Chanel Necklace and Microphone Earrings

What do a straightedge vegetarian German jewelry maker and I have in common? Besides our love of a drug-free lifestyle and animal-free eating, we like the punk-rock aesthetic—and if I do say so myself, a delightful mix of the ideals. PorcelinaZERO, an online boutique run by an exceptionally friendly woman named Tanja, is filled with cute charms, funky rings, brightly colored cameo necklaces, and hip earrings. As I type, lightweight miniature microphones dangle from my earlobes.

Crimsonheart Ring

I found another beautiful piece of jewelry on Etsy. I was looking at member profiles on We Make Zines and found a link to a fellow zinester’s Etsy shop. I like seeing cool things other imaginative folks have made, so I decided to take a look at what she was creating and selling. Wow! BrightCircle has absolutely gorgeous handcrafted jewelry in her shop.

Pearl Earrings with Mother of Pearl Accent

One of the best fashion tips that I’ve ever received is: "Don’t waste money on real pearls. They are easily destroyed by perfume and makeup and the average person can’t tell the difference between fakes and the real thing." That’s one of the reasons that I selected a pair of inexpensive, handmade pearl drop earrings crafted by Designs by K.

Anatomical Heart Necklace

I was messing around on [Etsy.com](http://etsy.com/" target="_blank) when I stumbled upon this lovely and unusual [anatomical heart necklace](http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15164609" target="_blank). I’m not much of a consumer, so I thought my desire would prove to be nothing but a passing fancy. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about this piece and didn’t stop wanting it.

Cupcake Charm

My six-year-old girl stole this charm out of the envelope before I got a good look at it.

Secrado Corazon Necklace

Having reviewed a shoulder bag and wallet from Chic Cosas, I wanted to check out more of their goodies. I normally don't wear bright or large jewelry, but I absolutely adored the color and crafts(wo)manship of this necklace. At a very reasonable price of $28, the porcelain pendant of the Secrado Corazon "focuses on the heart, metaphorically, and the emotional, moral life, and love for humanity," according to Chic Cosas owner Deborah Maciel. It's a frequent and significant symbol in Mexican art, which I also happen to love.

Crochet Jewelry: 35 Fantastic Pieces of Jewelry to Make and Wear

“This is not your grandmother's crochet!” Indeed it is not. Sophie Britten's big, glossy book of DIY jewelry features pieces that exude charm, youth, and even grown-up glamour. For those of you who cannot think “crochet” without immediately thinking “granny squares” this book may change your mind. As a wannabe DIY-er whose crafts are generally restricted to making my own birthday cards, after poring over Britten's book, I may just dig up those crochet hooks I've got in the back of my sewing box and get back at it. Britten is wise to us, of course.
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