Jewelry – Page 2 – Shine & Starfire

Messika Paris

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Messika Paris is a french jewelry brand founded about 12 years ago by Valeria Messika. Their signature design plays upon movable diamonds (Move). Other notable collections are their ‘skinny’ technology diamond pieces. These pieces are advertised to meld with all different body types.

Interested in the brand’s history? Attached here is a lovely article written by the New York Times : https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/fashion/jewelry-messika.html

Honest Confession: Messika has not been very high on my list.
When I first glimpsed at their trademark pieces a few years ago, I’ll admit I wasn’t very impressed. I tally-ed Messika in my list of jewelry brands to watch as it would be a hit or a miss. I will say that with time and the additions of new design pieces, Messika Paris is most definitely one to watch. Their modern take on jewelry fit the mark in luxury with the times. Attached below are are few pieces I especially love running my eyes over.
Furthermore, I can definitely see one of their bracelets sitting side by side the iconic Cartier Love bracelet in a lovely arm stack.

One small thing I will mention that continues to leave me perplexed is:
How on earth do you keep these jewelry pieces clean?
Closer inspection of the mechanics between movable pieces and main pieces include so many tiny little crevices... with which dead skin cells can linger and flourish… I mean… have you ever taken a multi stone pronged ring under a microscope and seen like grey/ brown stuff caked within the tiny little nooks and crannies ???

That aside, actually really obsessed with the new collaboration My Soul collection with Gigi Hadid.

Currently Listening to:
Zombie
By: The Cranberries

Kat Kim

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Threaders.
Pearls.
Put them together and you get the most gorgeous pearl ear threaders to adorn your lobes.
Kat Kim crafts something a little extra with her eye catching threaders that are both bold and demure.

Piercings have been making a comeback as recent trends show. Quite a few brands are picking up on the trend and creating their own body jewelry/ piercing lines (much needed and undersaturated to be quite honest). It is often extremely hard to find quality piercing jewelry (non stainless steel/ plastic). As someone who is allergic basically all the alloy metals with the exception of gold/ platinum, I find it refreshing to increasingly be able to find quality piercing jewelry from upcoming brands that display some artistic flare.

Kat Kim does three things for me.

Picks up and adds to the current modern pearl jewelry trend
Provides piercing jewelry pieces for those of us who are bored of the normal diamond studs
Meshes diamonds and metal lines in a beautiful minimalistic way
Pictures for proof:

Need I say more?
Price Range: $$$
Bespoke: Yes
Custom Metals/ Stones: Yes

Note:
First post of 2019! I’ve made it one of my New years resolution to post more. I’ve got quite a bit of brands/ things I would like to share.
I will change it up a bit; I’ve noticed how I basically rave about all the jewelers/ brands in posts which can get boring and repetitive.
NEW CONTENT SOON!

PollyWales

May 13, 2018May 13, 2018 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Poly Wales Polly Wales!
Keeping this post short and sweet ~ mostly self explanatory.
Mosaic of precious stones set in random display in solid gold.
Love the simple, elegant, and spontaneity in this haphazard design.
Price Scale: $$$$

Candace Covelli

January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Candace Covelli ~ company that designs luxury pill inspired jewelry.
A short but sweet little post. Because who doesn’t like pills?

14kt gold (all types) paved with the possibility of any and all types of precious jewels imaginable. Pricing is fitting for those with a Pharmacist salary 😉

Niche designs. Perfect for gifting (especially for those in the pharmaceutical industries).
Looking forward to more designs to come! (other pill types perhaps?)

Diaboli Kill

January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

New year, new post right? Right?

Anyways, I have been waiting to post about this particular brand as I only really like one piece and have been patiently waiting for the designer to produce more designs. Needless to say, patience paid off.
Introducing Diaboli Kill, a New York brand founded by New York born Egyptian- Dominican Angie Marei.

Diaboli Kill’s website boasts of designs as a ‘tie between sinister and sexy’, and this could not be closer to the truth.
I first fell in love the Damian Horn collection and lusted after their Damian Brevis Horn Ring in gold vermeil. Alas, my tiny hands would not do this baby justice as statement jewelry is designed for larger longer fingered statement hands… (that I do not possess~ tiny short baby hands is what I have).

Newer lines like the Isadora have also caught my eye; colorful stones cohesively aggregated together with precious gold metals to adorn the ears are my new eye-candy.

Luxurious jewelry for the rich and famous. Like most my posts, way too expensive for a mere working girl like me to afford. Best to stare with awe and wonder in my eyes from afar… like way way far. Their Garnet Isadora ear cuff in 18k will set you back $6.6k. The infamous Damien Onyx Horn Ring in various vermeil/ silver / gold ranges from $395- $7,500 USD.

Pricey.

Daniela Villegas

September 19, 2017September 19, 2017 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Deep diving into one of a kind beauties in the world of fine jewelry. One artist of quite notable mention is Daniela Villegas.

This Los Angeles based designer uses only the best materials to create one of a kind works of art. Each piece stems from a love and appreciation of nature.

I’m not usually a fan of symbolic and close renditions of animals, but the sheer craftsmanship and attention to detail Villegas puts into her work is nothing but breathtaking.

However, don’t be too tempted to pour your soul out to own one of these beauties. Each piece is literally one of a kind with a sky high price tag.
(This gorgeous Alpaca ring on the left retails for about $25,000+ USD!) This particular piece on the comes from her Peru collection inspired by the colors and culture of historical Machu Picchu. Handcrafted in 18k rose gold with a string of roughly 5 carats worth of multicolored sapphires, this ring sure is a sparkly stunner.
Incredible prices for incredible pieces. I think I’ll just look from a far… by that I mean really really far… definitely jewelry made for the luxurious.

Currently: work, work, working hard ~ but not on jewelry things….
Music: Too Good at Goodbyes by Sam Smith

Tasaki Intl.

August 16, 2017August 16, 2017 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Back tracking to a few of my recent favorites. Always a love for Japanese brands, this is no exception. I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite sometime but wanted to gather a bit more research on company background.
Introducing Tasaki Intl. a subsidiary of the infamous DeBeers company head quartered in Japan. Tasaki Intl. is a luxury Japanese brand with new and innovative designs adhering to old school materials such as the classic pearl.

With pearls making a bold resurgence; design head Thakoon Panichgul creates fresh new ideas to showcase the elegance of pearls. And quite frankly, I’m a fan.

Small background on Thakoon Panichgul: he is Thailand born, Omaha Nebraska raised, and currently NYC based designer. Truly brilliant designer who brings new ideas to his creations. I have nothing but respect for him. Panichgul’s work like many but few have graces the presence of many a famous celebrity (including the Obamas!).

As always I digress.

With a flare for elegance, modernity, the Tasaki branded jewelry never feels clunky or too much. Feast for the eyes to follow. Each line of jewelry is distinct in design (and designer) as each line is created in collaboration with different jewelry designers such as Melanie Georgacopoulous, Mare-Helene de Taillac etc. Collaborations with these designers generate new styles while keeping the beauty and elegance of the materials quality still at 100%.

SIDE BAR // I’ve recently found myself gravitating to pearls. A personal favorite brand, Vita Fede has been showcasing pearls in a classic yet modern and elegant way. In general I’ve found more and more jewelry companies designing pieces in pearl or with pearl accents. I’ve also seen younger girls accessorize with pearly pieces (real or otherwise). To be honest, I’ve always believed pearls would be for… lets say… mature women (ok fine, old people). But seeing trends and I, myself owning a pair of black pearls; they’re not that bad at all; I do not think pearls age me as much as I feared they would. But then again… does that make me more mature/ old now?

David Yurman

April 5, 2017April 6, 2017 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Let me be quite honest. I am not and never was an avid fan of David Yurman and his signature cable designs. Something about it being sterling silver and pretty much done just never appealed to me.
But here I am, writing a post about David Yurman. Fancy. That.
Anyways, I digress. This post comes about me stumbling across a fellow soba lover while at date night with my significant other. My keen eyes always pick up on unique jewelry/ bags/ accessories when crossing paths with a person of good taste.
Here goes a little something different; prose and story behind this gem of a find designed by David Yurman.

A cool wind swished through the restaurant, bringing sweet relief to warm diners in the quaint dimly lit noodle establishment. Mid height with long locks down to her waist, she hung up her jacket at the coat check and sashayed her way to the bar (the noodle bar to be exact – because thats how I roll on a Saturday night. Noodle Bars over BAR Bars).
She sat down at the stool next to R (my very significant other), accidentally elbowing him causing him to drop a mouthful of delicious soba back into the steaming bowl below him. As she propped her black Chanel bag on the counter, R glanced over to her with a death glare, and scooted his stool closer to me. As she raised her left hand in apology, thats when I saw it.
One left hand glint caught my eye, on her pointer finger was one hell of a unique ring.
Black onyx glinting and gleaming in the dim light encased in threads of twisted silver adorned by a string of bright diamonds.
Now that story time is over. You might wonder exactly how I wound up figuring out this was a David Yurman ring. The answer, of course was in the context clues. You see, typically when a person sports Chanel, or any other type of known brand they naturally would purchase other name brands. Luxury consumerism. To be honest, I thought this ring was one of a kind or atleast custom made given wire wrapped rings are mostly found on etsy. (I just thought this was a really well made one).

After literally creepily staring at this woman’s other accessory details, I grimaced at the sight of a stack of signature David Yurman bangles sighted on her left arm. Thats when a eureka moment hit- after an internal debate of whether or not David Yurman brand could produce two almost oppositely attractive things in my book. Theory in point: in a person buys a specific brand, most the time they would also buy other things within that brand. A quick search on my phone and handy dandy never fail Google image search engine produced the the results I was looking for: David Yurman’s black onyx petite cable wrapped ring.

David Yurman’s Black Onyx Petite Cable Wrapped ring is sadly only available in sterling silver (as white metal). Dainty and intricately intwined thin metal strands are crisscrossed around a hexagonal rock high set with a smattering of diamonds. Retail values will set you back roughly $500. Note the black onyx is no longer available on Yurman’s website, other colored stones are (amethyst etc). You can however find discounted worn onyx rings on ebay.

For those of you who love the design and have longer fingers, there is also the onyx cable wrapped ring in the same line. This ring however sports an elongated rectangular stone with thicker band. Yellow gold options available, an obviously price is elevated to match. In general I love Yurman’s Cable Wrapped Line.

So there it is. Look at her. Isn’t she a beauty? I almost want to say she is top of the list, but Chaumet’s Bee My Love ring set along with iconic Cartier are definitely top 2.

everette nyc

January 27, 2017January 27, 2017 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

I absolutely love dainty shiny things. Diamonds on thin bands display a certain subtle sparkle that simply light up my day. Everette nyc does just this with their delicate yet well crafted jewelry. From what I hear, if statement pieces aren’t in, its most definitely the tiny fortunes.

Everette nyc jewelry can be described as sort of hipster Brooklyn jewelry. Subtle, with a bright flash of diamond to depict a sort of hidden richness; not overly fancy just a tiny sparkle from a diamond here or there. Simply beautiful. To be quite honest, Everette reminds me of the brooklyn based Catbird.

Earlier in the year (more like late 2016) what initially caught my eye about Everett was their collaboration earring piece with ABLE cosmetics. Diamond stud earrings with whimsical cat eye/eyebrow earring jackets look absolutely adorable! Available in white, yellow, and rose gold a single earring (right or left) costs about $275.

10% of all proceeds are also stated on their website to be donated to The Seeing Eye, an organization with a mission to raise and train cute adorable puppies as seeing eye dogs.

In addition, looks like Everette is hosting a sample sale with markdowns on select pieces making pricing a tad more agreeable (peep the large starlight gold/diamond earrings at $300USD from $430USD; while not an absolute steal worth a gander). Sample sales are usually followed by new designs, those of which I look forward to seeing!

Fernando Jorge

September 28, 2016September 28, 2016 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Fernando Jorge is Brazilian born based in the UK jewelry designer to watch for. The following is an excerpt pulled from his website

“Fernando’s pieces are imbued with sensuality, energy and movement – his aesthetic is inherently Brazilian. He often uses locally sourced gemstones and minerals, giving them his signature finish, including unique cuts and the use of delicate gold snake chain. The result has a distinctly sculptural feel that is both elegant and modern.”
Very, very accurate and perfect description of his work. Hard metals, molten into fluid shapes both flexible and sculptural.

I’ve been recently eyeing fine jewelry that resemble art work. I’ve also been looking at artists’ designs on a whole. I particularly love Fernando Jorge as he plays with almost all the colored stones out there. He is unafraid to use and abuse all the colors of the rainbow to portray his work. In all of his past/current collections, all sorts of stones are used from diamonds to opals to chalcedony and rubies. And I just love that it speaks about where he comes from as a person with all splashes of color.
Furthermore, as a whole all his collection names are similar and yet different- all and adhering to mother nature and at the same time modern. fresh. new.