gold

Designs Inc Jewelry

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

For all the traveling I’ve done in India, I haven’t yet managed to make it to Goa. The Southeast coast of the country was colonized by the Portuguese (and the Dutch and the French), and—from the architecture of massive churches to the spice blends in the cuisine—that influence is still felt in South India today. Goa is a hotspot for travelers who want a reprieve from ‘traditional India’. When brown skin, masala cha, and conservative dress begin to lose their exotic appeal, folks inevitably find their way to the tourist-laden beaches where one can strut in a bathing suit while sipping an iced latte in the familiar company of other pastey foreigners. Once the sun goes down, the debauchery goes up, as sex, drugs, dancing, and sci-trance make their way out from the sand. The blendedness of this space also makes Goa a comfortable place for entrepreneurial folks to settle and set up shop, which is what Karen-Ann Lobo has done.

Despite its location, the aesthetic of Designs Inc reminds me more of a doll collection than a bundle of incense sticks. In the States, I imagine Designs Inc’s offerings would fit in quite well at a Claire’s Boutique and make many a middle school girl giddy. The styles incorporate a sensibility akin to a little girl playing dress up with her mother’s costume jewelry; the flash and craftwork is more casual than high end.

The Tahiti Nights necklace captures this hodgepodge wonderfully; a single Tahitian grey mother of pearl flower hangs at the center of a silver toned, chunky, linked chain. Attached to the bottom of the flower are two inches of blingy mishmash (Swarovski crystal pearls, blue crystals of various shapes and sizes, and circular rhinestone rungs) that settle just above the bosoms. The necklace comes with a perfectly matching, simple set of silver-toned pearl earrings that can also be worn on their own.

Similarly chockablock is the girly Eros bracelet. The silver plated chain holds a glut of weighty feminine charms in perfectly sculpted order: roundish white quartz; teardrop-shaped, pink, Czech briolettes; fire polished, translucent, Swarovski crystal cubes; and tiny, mauve Swarovski crystals. Someone with small ankles could even wear it closer to the ground, harkening back to the company’s locale.

A hint of India can also be seen in the Summer Wine and Juno earrings. The former made of sterling silver and the latter of gold (12K plate and 14K fill), both have lovely, dangling components. Juno is a cluster of Swarovski crystal pearls that hover just above a Carnelian bead while Summer Wine has small, round pearls and blue goldstone (which give off a fascinating twinkle) hanging from two interlocking circles that also holds a medium-sized, mauve trumpet crystal. Throw on some taffeta, and you’re off to the ball.

The piece that suits this aesthetic the least, and therefore, stands out the most is the French knitted Jet bracelet. The woven wire mesh is lightly sprinkled with polished chips of Black onyx, and a half-dozen extra pieces are situated on either side of the clasp. The bracelet is unique in that it gives a sense of artistry and offsets the other designs’ kitsch appeal. It also suggests that Lobo has something more up her sleeve. I guess I’ll have to go to Goa to find out.

Juno and Eros pictured here

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, March 3rd 2010

Zosterops Jewelry Shop

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:01:00 +0000

By Zosterops

Zosterops' Jessie Cheng is a doll. Not an empty-headed plaything, like Barbie or Bratz, but the kind crooner Frank Sinatra used as a term of endearment. Jessie is the kind of gal who's so lovely and sincere that you immediately want do nice things for her. Lucky for me, Jessie's long-honed raw talent make that compulsion all too easy for this so-called objective reviewess to carry out.

The beauty of Zosterops is that it's a shop that caters to a broad range of aesthetic sensibilities—so much so, in fact, that Jessie's mantra is "creation to meet anyone's content." From sunflower earrings to a heart-shaped locket and cut-out bird designs to crystal hearts, there really is something here for everyone, and Jessie is constantly adding more to the mix. She handcrafts the jewelry from items she picks up at places her journeys take her, which gives each piece a matchless quality.

The five-piece sampling Jessie sent me from Hong Kong is diversely sublime, and my two favorites are the Little Red Penguin Earrings and Turquoise Necklace. Although the latter is no longer available, the former is a pair of sterling silver hook earwires holding tiny red and silver bird charms that are absolutely adorable for children and adults alike. And speaking of adorable birds, the Gold Buddy Birdie Necklace is that as well. The gold-plated, nickle-free charm and chain add a smidgen of childhood hipster glamor to a plain tee and jeans day. Although you may get folks asking if you're simply really into Twitter now that the rapidly growing company's logo has co-opted our feathered friends. (Too bad for a company who is named after a winged species.)

The picture of the Crystal Heart Earrings doesn't do their blinding bling justice. The Swarovski crystal that comprises the heart-shaped beads is made to catch the light and reflect it in all directions, causing an über-shimmer effect I happen to be partial to. The beads hang from a sterling silver hook earwire, which makes the earrings dangly and nearly weightless.

The last item I received is the Cream White Pearl Heart Locket Love Necklace. The mouthful of name leaves something to be desired, but the piece itself is quite simple and sweet. As soon as I saw it, I knew my sister would love it. Her nine-month-old son might have given her the greatest gift ever (he said his first word—"mommy"—on Christmas Day) for 2009, but I've now got her 2010 birthday present in the bag. Pop a picture of the little one in there, and I'm golden—which is somewhat paradoxical since it's a silver locket, no?

Born in the late 1960s, Jessie started making jewelry after quitting her job and the most exciting part of her day is getting an email notification of a sale. The gist of her Zosterops' story is this: kind artisan + beautiful, well-constructed jewelry = tru luv 4eva (4now). You don't have to be a white-eyed bird to see that.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, February 1st 2010

Emerald and Pearl Earrings

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:22:00 +0000

By Patch First Shop

I just got back from Bangkok, Thailand. My partner and I spent the holidays there, as we were both in need of an escape from the chaos and grime of Kolkata. If you've been to Bangkok then you might be raising your eyebrows right about now thinking, "an escape from chaos and grime?" Yeah, it's all about perspective.

The Emerald and Pearl Earrings from Udon Thani-based Patch First Shop, well, aren't _really _made of emerald. They're made from green Swarovski crystals nestled against silver diamante rondelles and white pearls, which are held together by a tiny 18K gold-plated stud so that the earring dangles barely a half inch away from the ear lobe. The finished product is inexpensively elegant—not the cheapy hippie-cum-hipster-traveler kind of thing you'd see in the tourist ghettos of the Thai capital city. (Although mine did arrive in a very cute purple velvet bag with a pink snowflake embroidered on the side.)

I'm usually pretty averse to cookie cutter tourist spots, but a year and a half of Kolkata had me craving Mexican food and Guinness, so Khao San Road hit the spot after the two and a half hour flight to Bangkok. A few drinks into dinner, my partner and I started to ponder the success of the Thai economy, the second biggest in Southeast Asia. Tourism is an obvious, and increasing, source of upping the GDP, but Thailand's export-dependent system is at the center of automotive and electronic goods manufacturing. The Thai economic stability acts as an anchor for its developing neighbors—Laos, Burma, and Cambodia.

Patch First Shop may not be rapidly growing the Thai GDP, but it is fulfilling one woman's passion to support herself through her creative endeavors. She envisions your wearing her jewelry at your wedding, but I'm more a fan of wearing it on the day to day. Prices are low ($10) and shipping is free (!), so take advantage of global capitalism via Etsy, folks.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, January 25th 2010