Basics of Jewelry Strategy

On principle, I do not believe in a list of items that make one’s personal jewelry collection complete. Jewelry is a decorative art, and therefore should be judged by the eye of the wearer. I do, however, have a few suggestions:

1. Wear what makes you happy.

2. Invest in special pieces. Invest in traditional not trendy pieces. It is lovely to have jewels that only come out on special occasions.

3. Do not be afraid to wear color, gemstones are nature’s creation and come in a rainbow of fabulous, surprising and flattering colors. Color jewelry can be trendy; and is a great way to incorporate the color that everyone is wearing this season into your wardrobe. You canread my brief on “red” and check The Jewelry Brief for other color briefs coming soon.

4. Do differentiate between day and evening jewelry, especially regarding lady’s watches. When dressing for your evening out, remember less is usually more.

Bravo Bulgari

125 years after its inception, and still under the leadership of the Bulgari family, Bulgari jewels continue to awe and excite the jewelry lover.  While Bulgari remains a manufacturer of the wearable, signature lines that became so popular in the 1980s, the long tradition of beautiful, artistic designs set with colorful gemstones carries on into several of the collections that can be seen in the many Bulgari stores world wide today.

The Elisia and Allegra collections are rich in design and exquisite colored gemstones.  The jewelry in the Elisia collection is composed of pave-set diamond elliptical shapes accented with either cabochon or faceted oval colored sapphires and emeralds.  The basic elliptical element is repeated in many different combinations of colors and connected at various angles creating a very wide-ranging group of jewelry. Allegra is a very feminine and fun collection composed of many different colors and cut styles of gemstones.  The collection features pearls, amethyst, blue topaz, citrine, pink and green tourmaline and diamonds, set in fabulous contrasting positions.  Don’t be fooled, this is a very sophisticated design.  It takes a true lover of gemstones and someone who understands traditional design to recognize how out of the box this concept is…gorgeous!

Bulgari has also expanded into many various luxury goods.  The evening bags, however, are like jewels themselves.  The clutches, which feature vintage fabric, are embellished with beads of all shapes, sizes and colors, and the gold plated, enamel closures are really spectacular.

For more information and a Bulgari Boutique near you, visit www.Bulgari.com

Off to the Shows

Antique jewelry shows are a wonderful way to expand your knowledge about jewelry by viewing a large assortment of antique and estate jewelry at one time. You can learn a great deal by looking, comparing and asking questions; most of the dealers will be friendly and informative. Jewelry and watch shows take place all around the country; look for one happening this weekend in your area.

Bring a loupe, which you have already taken the time to learn how to use. 10x is appropriate for viewing jewelry. Use your loupe to make sure the piece has not been altered from its original design and is not damaged. Ask the professionals questions about period, quality, craftsmanship and anything else that you can think of before you make a purchase. Ask if the piece has a provenance. The provenance is like a pedigree, who has owned the piece, which can often be the clincher to a sale if you can connect with a jewel on an emotional level.

I do not recommend making any type of large impulse purchases away from you local jeweler, which they might later have to repair or help you with in some way. It is okay, and prudent, to check up on a dealer before making a purchase. This can be as simple as asking another exhibitor that you have had a good experience with if they know the dealer or if they might look at the piece for you.

Happy Hunting! For show listings check The Jewelry Brief Calendar, your local paper or www.dmgantiqueshows.com for larger shows on the east coast and Las Vegas.

Weekend Bonus Brief: For Rock Hounds and Jewelry Lovers

If you are headed out to comb your local flea markets or to a larger antique market this weekend, keep your eyes out for some Scottish agate jewelry.

The silver and agate-inlay jewelry is most commonly found in circular form brooches that were used to hold a shoulder wrap of traditional Highland costume in place or in a miniature dirk, a knife-like shape. Bracelets, bar pins and pendants are also found incorporating hearts, buckles, shields, snakes and knot motifs.

Agate is a variety of quartz, in the same family as amethyst and citrine, but it has a different crystal structure.  While amethyst and citrine have well formed crystals, in agate microscopic individual layer of crystals have arranged themselves in layers with various transparencies of rich earthy tones, bright white and black. This produces fabulous multi-color patterns.

This type of jewelry was a favorite of the Victorians. Queen Victoria loved jewelry: she also loved Scotland, the Highlands and everything Scottish. In 1847 she built Balmoral Castle, where the British Royal Family still spends holidays. Then, as well as today, you could see the Royal Family dressed in Highland costume: jewelry plays an essential part in this costume. You can add a bit of Highland tradition to your jewelry collection. These pieces can regularly be found at antique shops and markets.  They are fabulous to hold scarves, adorn jackets or anywhere that the rich earth tones compliment.

Remounting Your Diamond

Engagement rings are the ultimate in sentimental jewelry! Remounting the original diamond that your love picked for you is a great option for keeping a ring that you wear everyday up to date. And if that big anniversary is approaching this year, it is also a more economical way to up-grade your diamond ring. While a solitaire might never fall from fashion, many other styles will come and go. Today, a multitude of different styles of ring mountings exist, and one will be perfect for your dress and lifestyle. A new mounting may let you display a level of sophistication that was not there at the time of your nuptials, one that was not a financial option, or one that is comfortable to golf in.

I would never recommend altering an heirloom or antique ring, or re-cutting a diamond that falls into the same category. But if your engagement ring gives away your anniversary, try looking at the new trends in micro pavé mountings, colored diamonds or simply adding side stones to your original ring.