Kim Mee Hye

Long time no post! I figured I’d write a post while I’m good and tipsy on a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc after a long work week. My boss has been out of the office and certain things have come to light, so I have been working hard… or hardly working? You get the gist; that is all I’ll delve into.

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Now onto the topic at hand. Introducing Kim Mee Hye: Korean jeweler based in Antwerp, Belgium.
By integrating extraordinary sophisticated and invisible mechanisms into her pieces, Kim Mee Hye creates jewellery that includes more than one single message.  The variable geometry shapes can either be worn casually or in more sophisticated ways. Kim Mee Hye create pieces with hidden messages, implying they can be shown or simply not.”
Very beautifully stated (taken from the profile section of her website). I just love jewelers who create works of art in precious metals/gems to convey different meanings!


bijoux-537x350What caught my eye for the most part was Kim Mee Hye’s handcuff series! The handcuff
engagement ring and bracelet are ironic and very much speaks to those who embrace the comedic and often joked about locked- downness (pretty sure that’s not a real word) to marriage and their significant other! Definitely tongue in cheek!

The new trends focus on rotating and customization of jewelry. I actually really love this idea and the mechanisms jewelers are coming up with in executing various different types of look using hinge plus locking methods in single pieced jewelry. Kim Mee Hye isn’t the first I’ve seen using the hinge method and I’m not sure who came up with it first- recent jewelry from Vita Fede also features hinged rings studded with crystals for various different looks and feels. My only teeny tiny problem with this is cleanliness! You can never stop the dirt and grime from acquiring in hinges. Kim Mee Hye’s jewelry are produced in various different materials; rose gold, white gold, diamonds, black diamond etc. Needless to say: this jewelry is for individuals with a fine source of income. Her pieces are available online in select suppliers. As her pieces seem to be made of solid gold, prices range in the 4digits! 

Signing off: Tipsy with no regrets. (I’m so sorry liver!!)

 

 

Miansai

This particular post was one that I was going to post later on… but upon close inspection and recent findings, I thought why not now.

10852829_753277468084786_1292066568_nI first heard about Miansai through popular fashion blogger Chriselle Lim of thechrisellefactor.com.  I was introduced not via her blog but through instagram on her 2014 Christmas Giveaway post. Needless to say, I entered and didn’t win but it was to win a pair of rose gold colored cuffs (yes I enter all these contests because I’m a sucker for jewelry). I’m not particularly a fan of their ever popular Screw cuff bracelet (see below) because the design honestly reminds me of a pair of shackles.

Please see the following images and continue to read:

10865015_1663479077228905_1412987324_n.jpgDo these designs look familiar to you? Hint: Nautical themed, nuts and bolts, nautical cord? Hello James Barts anyone? Tell me they do not look alike! Okay, okay some of you might be saying the nautical theme is free for all and I get it. But at the same time, personally I like to find unique designs and credit/ buy them from the masterminds. I hop on to their website and click on their ‘About Me’ section- all I find is a generic description of Miansai being made in America and a store in NY, nothing about when it was established and by who. (Later findings found this Q&A on racked.com)

My  only question is, who had the idea first. I have yet to receive 924060_740963412639529_550173921_nmy James Barts bracelet in the mail but looking at pictures, I’d say Swedish quality looks better… (or do they just have better packaging?) Would it be too bold to say Miansai copied James Barts? Suffice to say, there are some very clear similarities in these designs and in my opinion James Barts takes the cake.
Pricing on Miansai’s bracelets are also a little on the pricey side $55+ USD. Options include rose gold plated, gold plated, silver plated, sterling silver, and full 14k gold (alongside various colored cords and leathers).

I am most definitely not a fan of the ‘D’ shape that are Miansai’s most famous screw cuff bracelets. In addition, their leather and cords look a little thin. There only one design I truly adore but it does not help that my expensive eyes dart immediately towards the $2.5k solid rose gold fish hook cuff bracelet.

Playing on Repeat:
Cheap Thrills
By: Sia