Tag: diamonds

Tomasz Donocik

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Award-winning fine jewellery designer Tomasz Donocik creates unique pieces that blur the boundaries between art and jewellery. Born in Poland and raised in Austria, Tomasz now lives and works in London where he founded his eponymous brand in 2008. Tomasz graduated with a BA from Central Saint Martins in London, followed by an MA in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing and Jewellery Making from the Royal College of Art in London. Immersed in these culturally rich surroundings, Tomasz has developed a life-long passion for art, film and literature, which continuously inspire his award-winning designs.

Text above from Tomasz Donocik’s ‘About Me‘ section on his website

Lovely jeweler with even lovelier designs.
This post a long time coming; the lilypad ring is something of a marvel and something that keeps the eyes busy. Donocik does a great job playing with color and geometry of stone shapes.
Here are a few of his stunning pieces I particularly like. His styles range from sharp geometric to ethereal nature pieces.

Shaun Leane

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British designer hailed for his work while at Alexander McQueen has been on my list of folks to write about for a bit.
I’ve eyed his hook/ sabre lines for a while but never quite got to writing or getting remotely close to jumping the gun on purchasing a piece. I don’t think these statement earrings work well with my style!

Anyways, always happy to see his pieces evolve over time. His newest creations on stackable transformative interlocking pieces really caught my eye.


More pictures than words with this post.
I love a good stackable ring and even more when stackable rings aren’t symmetrical and can be flipped up and down to make a different look!
I especially love set rings that look good by themselves in addition to with their set pair. I pass by only a few engagement sets on social media that do this very well (without the engagement wedding band being the commonly seen eternity bands- quite boring in my opinion). If I ever get married, I’d wish for an eye catching set that is a feast for eyes separate and together.
Shaun Leane has one such example: Ariana set.

Ariana Wedding band
Ariana Engagement ring
Ariana set

Again as most of my posts go:
$$$ – expensive!
Mixed metals, mixed stones but also lots of love for these pieces!

Toi et Moi

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Toi et moi.
Translation: {French} You and me

Today’s post is a little different from the usual: hey look at this type post from this x jeweler.
New year coming up, new me. Thought I’d switch up my posts.
My obsession with shiny things have brought my attention to ring styles like the Toi et moi. This design first caught my attention when a famous style influencer I follow on instagram received one as an engagement ring.

So what exactly is a Toi et moi ring?

Napoleon’s Toi et Moi

The style rumored to come about in the Napoleon era. History (and a quick google search) reveals that the earliest mention of such a ring was a gift from Napolean in the 1700s to his love Joséphine. This particular ring sported 2 pear cut stones (diamond and sapphire) on a yellow gold band. A ring made of 2 stones touching each other in semblance of his love for her and of true love.


In today’s world toi et moi rings have evolved from from the side by side look to vertical touching, diagonal touching, and even open rings. Stones vary based on every color or size and shape precious gemstone under the sun. What’s classic and what I truly love about the style is that theres more than one shiny thing if you get my drift…
I love how each couple can build their own toi et moi ring based on what they like.
If a couple is all about equality : I can imagine 2 equal 1 carat diamonds side by side.
If a couple wanted to display their differences: I can image a pear shaped fancy colored diamond in a diagonal with a pink heart.
I’ve seen a few examples where the gold band takes on a fancy flair in the shape of the infinity sign around the 2 gems (I’m not particularly a fan of this but the sentiment is there). Skies the limit.
Some newer jewelry houses have a few pieces that give a heavy nod to toi et moi rings but with their own added modern flair. I’ll share a few pieces below.

Chanel, Coco Crush Toi et Moi
SKindCo, Modern Moganite Toi et Moi
Erie Basin, Modern Hearts Ring
Messika Paris, Toi et Moi modern take

My take on the toi et moi style: two souls united and intertwined with each other; a token and display of one another’s’ love for each other, shining brightly however dark it is.
I do love more antique toi et moi designs. Sometimes I feel like the modern edges just don’t capture the essence of the style. Jade Trau created a custom one which I did enjoy looking at….I’ll see if I can whip up a photo of that.
Over the years, I’ve had ideas of what type of engagement ring I would like and I think the toi et moi style is what I crave.
Now, all I need to do is find a nice fella to propose to me with it …hehehehe.

Gem Dior / Netali Nissim ; Chiara Ferragni

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Long time no post; and short post today.
Wanted to share a delectable piece I’ve been eyeing recently sported by the stunning Chiara Ferragni.
Those who don’t know who she is, look her up. In short, Italian entrepreneur who married singer Fedez (Federico Leonardo Lucia) with currently with two gorgeous children. Her road to infamy originated from her fashion blog https://theblondesalad.com/, known for her edgy street wear and street styling. The rest is history! She now has her own brand and partnerships with a multitude of luxury brands etc.

But I digress; back to the topic at hand. So as an avid follower of Chiara (and the Ferragni’s in general- their kids are so cute!) and with an eye for shiny things (of which Chiara is never sparse with), I’ve noticed a bracelet she’s been wearing that seemed vaguely familiar.
A gold cuff with diamonds in rectangular parallel pattern. I couldn’t quite place it, but knew I’ve seen it before while window shopping luxury brand bracelets. I remember when seeing it, my first impression was “edgy, chic, not everyone can pull off”. On Chiara however, it looks wonderful as a companion to all the other bracelets she wears and yet also a statement.
So I decided to find out just where to get this bracelet in the off chance its slightly affordable- though who am I kidding, I don’t think I’d purchase it anyways.
I make my morning latte, open my laptop to Google and open up tabs for all the luxury brands that I know sell fine jewelry pieces.

Gem Dior Bracelet/ WG & Diamonds

When I do find it on the Dior site, I nearly spit out my coffee at the price.
It’s $30,600 USD. Yes. You read right, thirty thousand dollars (and change). Let that fact marinate for a moment. That’s the price of a car…
Anyways, thought I would share that tiny tidbit.
I love Chiara and her style but can only dream of owning, and wearing such a piece on a daily basis.

My next feat is to search up where she got another bracelet from. Its similar to Cartier‘s bejeweled diamond LOVE bracelet but its not… it has emerald eye motifs. Dazzling to say the least. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a custom piece.

Netali Nissim/ YG, Diamonds, Emeralds

Update: 30mins later. I found the eye/love bracelet!
Brand/Jeweler: Netali Nissim
Their USA online boutique doesn’t have that exact one for sale (or a pave version) so I mused at this being a custom piece. However some more digging pointed me to another site that did carry the exact piece.
This Italian website sells the exact one that Chiara sports, so it looks like this isn’t a custom piece. Still gorgeous at a mind boggling 15,000 EUROS (~ $18,300 USD)
I coughed at the price, but barely. Pave is expensive… that much I know and this brand is not well known luxury brand.
Netali Nissim: on the brand as a whole features colorful gemstones with eye motifs. Def cute!

Eva Fehren

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I’ve had my eye on this particular jeweler for quite a while. Words escape me every time I try to write about her work. Something about her brand aesthetic just captivates me. Hailing from my very own city of New York is Eva Fehren.


Her designs speak a mixture of minimalism, geometric, high shine and glam. Simply complex yet stunning in equal parts precision craftsmanship, all pieces are a joy to online browse.

This from her website:


EVA DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE CITY’S GEOMETRIC URBAN PATTERNS AND ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS, LIKE THE CHRYSLER BUILDING, THE CRISSCROSSING OF POWER LINES AND THE INTRICATE PATTERNS OF CRACKED SIDEWALKS.

EvaFehren.com

Her style and aesthetics are simply gorgeous. I can’t wait to own one of her pieces in the future. I just love how she plays with black/ white and shadow colors. Fahren also makes use of uncommon diamond shapes to celebrate their uniqueness; each piece a showstopper on their own.

Fehren’s got an amazing new ‘Nova’ line based off nova stars. A lovely collection that gives a head nod to the stars we see in Chanel’s COMÈTE line, though absolutely 100% different. Fehren’s Nova line showcases stars as glowing triangular diamonds arranged in the most artistic way.
At a whopping $39.75k, you can have you very own nova star earrings.

Find these amazing jewels here: https://evafehren.com/

Currently Listening to:
 第六感 / The Sixth Sense
By: Reol

Yvonne Leon

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lovoI’ve been on the prowl for some new earrings. Naturally, I do some online window shopping the the jewelry section on Net-a-porter. Found the cutest solid gold, multi color stone crab earring by french jeweler Yvonne Leon.
Little is known about Leon save for her quirky designs that breathe life into precious metals.
Her website displays a multitude of designs; from sea creatures like lobsters and manta-rays to more abstract geometric designs. She certainly creates something for any woman at every age.
I particularly love her creations focused on ears. Pictures to follow.


A bit on the pricy side. I do wish some of her pieces were smaller (the crocodile in particular looks like it would cause sagging earlobes if I wore them everyday!

Super cute! Hope to one day own a piece for myself.

Stephen Webster

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StephenWebsterLogoA current artistic jeweler favorite is Stephen Webster. Words can only do so much to describe the splendor and amazement his pieces invoke in me. World renowned British jewelry designer Stephen Webster spins masterful pieces from a multitude of sources and materials. Each piece tells a story like no other and is unique alone as statement pieces worthy of conversation at any event. I personally would love to own a piece!
Each piece is a show stopper.

Feast your eyes on a few of my personal favorites:

Hammerhead shark bangles in solid gold +/- colorful gems would look great coupled with the simpler Cartier Love bangle.

Jeweled long finger lobster rings or his cuckoo bee or two piece jitterbug rings would be perfect for cocktail parties.

Elegant thorn drop earrings & many more look amazing for red carpet events.

Price: $$$$+++ (way way out of my budget)
Would love if he created a separate mini sterling silver collection for those of us who aren’t gazillionaires!

Currently Listening to:
Johnny Run Away
By: Tones & I

Victoria Walker

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Here’s a post on something a little less well known.
First let’s introduce you all to a type of jewelry called ‘kinetic jewelry‘. To my understanding, kinetic jewelry is mostly artisan and hand made. Kinetic jewelry utilizes the kinetic movement of the wearer to transform or add some spice to the jewelry piece in different ways.
One common example of kinetic jewelry are spinner rings. These are rings that have rotating gears in which the user is able to move 2 connected pieces together.

VWlogo

I’ve been eying this jeweler for about a couple of years now and am super happy to introduce you all to her pieces!

Victoria Walker takes kinetic jewelry to a very refined and yet elegant level. Her pieces revolves around nature’s flowers and the little happinesses the result from blooming flowers. Each piece is thoughtfully hand crafted and uses a twisting movement of the base to unfurl metal petals. Made from a variety of metals, her collection has slowly been growing to incorporate increasing varieties of blooming flowers.


From sterling silver, rose gold, yellow gold, white gold and simple diamonds. Victoria Walker makes use of everything her admirers may wish for in her studio in Cornwall, UK.


PeonyOpen.jpg
I absolutely adore her peony locket pendant necklace. The details in the petals are just gorgeous.
Can’t wait to see what next pieces she has in store for us!

Current Craving:
Chicken Tikka Masala

Spinelli Killcollin

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SK LOGOA simple yet intriguing jeweler is Spinelli Killcollin. His works mesh the simplest of ideas with the finest of jewels. Quite literally rings on rings on rings!

This jeweler meshes different sized rings in interlocking patterns to create unique pieces. Simple edits of gemstones, diamonds, different interlocking ring sizes, metal color, metal grade, and quantity of ‘rings’ combine to generate endless possibilities while remaining similar in concept.


Pro: its all or nothing! If you wear these pieces on separate fingers, you probably won’t lose the ring or shall I say rings (?)
Con: these pieces probably won’t look flattering to those like myself who have small hands, short fingers, baby hands. It’ll just look lost!
Mix
Absolutely love and would like to own a piece in the future!

Cost: $$$

Messika Paris

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Messika LogoMessika 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