modern – Shine & Starfire

Angie Crabtree

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

Taking a side street to post something slightly different today. Not entirely unrelated to jewelry, but also not jewelry at the same time.

Introducing the amazing artist AngieCrabtree.

An extraordinary oil canvas painter in her own right, she captures the very essence of the shiny things I am so very captivated by; that’s right, she paints diamonds.

Her website states:
Angie Crabtree’s work examines luxury, materialism, and humanity’s unique relationship with the commodification of nature.

My response : you are damn right she does.

I stumbled upon Angie Crabtree on instagram while scrolling through my feed. Tapped to view more, promptly followed her and the rest is history. Her work never ceases to amaze me.

Her paintings speak for themselves with a clear display of attention to detail and focus on all the things.

Upon discovery of Angie Crabtree and the idea of gemstone painters, I did a little bit of research. It turns out, there aren’t that many out there. There’s about a handful of gemstone painters out there and in my opinion Angie is the best.
No other gemstone painter that I have researched gets to that certain level of detail in painting. No other painter gets it looking that real. Like you can almost see and touch the gem as a real 3D (albeit 5ft tall) gem right in front of your face.

Bonus points as she sells phone cases of her paintings!
(sadly they are currently all SOLD OUT as of Dec 2019)

On another note, I certainly did not realize how many colors can go into painting a colorless diamond (her swatches include pinks, reds, and greens etc.)

View link below for a small video of the artist herself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upmtr8MhwGg
(Ignore the brand/branding featured and plastered in the vid)

Below is a link to a few other gem stone artists out there.
https://www.katerinaperez.com/articles/instagram-the-best-accounts-of-artists-who-paint-gemstones
Current Song:
Bleed
By: Hot Chelle Rae

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!

Mateo NYC

August 28, 2018 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

I recently lost one of my favorite rings at a Dave & Busters (literally tossed it off into the abyss as I was lobbing a basketball in one of those arcade games). Sent out a mobile phone flashlight party, but to no avail it is most definitely gone for good. And that is the reason why I’m back here. The hunt for a new shiny piece is on!

I’ve been pretty much MIA with life this summer. As the days grow shorter and the daylight wanes, I’m back to my usual online prowl for glimmering beauties.

MATEO NYC was introduced to me by the one and only Eva Chen (I’ve been an avid follower of her instagram and fashion pieces). Mateo NYC is headed by Matthew Harris an NYC implant of the ripe age of 16 from the sunny, sandy shores of Montego Bay, Jamaica. A self taught jeweler, he started with mens jewelry and later evolved his collections to include women’s jewelry. Love his simple designs.

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Absolutely adore some of his most recent pieces made for women. I’ve been recently very interested in mixed metals, diamonds, and pearls with modern shapes and designs. Something about the translucency and timelessness of pearls just makes we stop and stare. And while I don’t quite put myself at an age appropriate enough to dare are wear white pearl jewelry, one of Mateo pieces just might make me break that rule…
Most worth mentioning is the fact that some pieces are still pretty affordable as diamond/ gold goes… for now…
Get em while they’re hot! As any new upcoming jeweler is bound to sky rocket in fame, so are the prices!

Lelet NY

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 shineandstarfireLeave a comment

A little something straying from the norm today. I stumbled upon this gem of a brand ogling a piece worn by Emma Watson. Bringing forth Lelet NY; a luxury accessories brand focusing on baubles for the hair. Barrettes, scrunchies, hairclips, tiaras galore. If related to hair/ head pieces they probably have created something for it. Luxury hair accessory brand,

Lelet NY is headed by Sara Bieler Sasson. Her creativity stems from her architectural background; her many pieces reflect the elegance of lines and balance of geometry in reference to the flowing nature of hair.

Pieces range in price depending on style and size. Sasson uses Swarovski crystals in conjunction with mixed metals to create pieces that accentuate everyday looks or bridal parties.

A few of her star studded/ inspired pieces remind me of a recent trip to Vienna this year. In Vienna’s Sisi Museum which showcases the life of Austria’s beloved Empress Elisabeth ‘SiSi’ Amalie Eugenie, the museum described in great detail the beauty of this young reclusive empress. Among her many qualities (porcelain skin, red lips, athletic physique etc), her hair was emphasized to have been worthy of noting. The empress had long, cascading, thick, luxurious black hair that was worn well past her knees.
I distinctly remember seeing portraits of the empress and placards next to a display case with ‘Sisi’s Stars‘. These stars were crafted for Sisi by Kochert, the imperial court jeweler. Each star was 10 pointed diamond gilded with a single large pearl in the center. Sisi started quite the trend back in the day, enough so that it still lingers today!

I most definitely see the resemblance to historical royal jewels. None the less, Lelet NY takes the cake for tasteful, elegant, and well crafted hair accessories.