Stack Them High

Stacking bands…we love them!  These bands are a wonderful accessory. Today it seems like every manufacturer from the lesser known to the very high end are making bands that can be worn together in a multitude of combinations.

Some of the more playful bands are manufactured by Hidalgo, who has created enamel bands with every motif imaginable!  Whether you have pugs or want to show off the names of your four children, they make the bands for you.  Bands are also available in nonfigurative designs or in solid colors that can be dropped into plain or diamond-set jackets, or spaced by unadorned bands or various eternity bands.

Tiffany & Company also has an extraordinary collection of diamond and gem-set bands in many sizes and shapes and settings.  These bands make great gifts.  Collect them and stack them up to commemorate the birth of a child, an anniversary or birthday.

Alex Sepkus (shown here), Martin Katz, Penny Preville and Cartier also produce some of our favorite lines of stackable bands, which incorporate fine detail and color options for everyone!

Charmed (Bracelets), I am sure

Charm bracelets are back. Whether you have spent years collecting one charm at a time or buy a bracelet loaded with charms, these bracelets are a fashionable piece of jewelry that is also a great narrative.

Bracelets where the owner has painstakingly added one charm at a time can tell the story of a woman’s life: commemorating milestones, achievements,  foreign travel and favorite places. Many older bracelets include gold silhouettes of children with names and dates, a gold Eiffel tower or gondola, and a Phi Beta Kappa key. In addition to these traditional charms, which are still available, today we can have fun adding some hip charms from just about any theme imaginable.

Charms can also be exchanged or rotated. Just recently, I removed all of the charms of my “youth” from my bracelet and put on one over sized charm that is a real seashell with gold wire accents and cabochon citrine end caps. Some of the smaller charms were put on a necklace, some given to nieces and others put away until I tire of my seashell or decide I miss the familiar melodic chimes coming from my bracelet.

David Webb: American Jeweler

In 1948 on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue, the doors opened to the flagship store of one of America’s greatest jewelry manufacturers: David Webb. Webb’s designs are distinguished by his bold use of color, dimension, and meticulous attention to detail.

David Webb is possibly best known for his enamel jewelry of animal themes, where frogs look like they could jump off of the wearer’s cuffs or lapels, and bangles host zebras, crocodiles or intertwining dragons. These pieces have been beloved by socialites and Hollywood for more than sixty years.  Webb’s designs also include carved crystal, abstract enamel designs, mixed with an

eye catching combination of diamonds and semi-precious stones. David Webb Inc. has a factory where it produces all of its own jewelry, maintaining a careful control on quality.

Mr. David Webb died in 1975, leaving behind an archived filled with bold, original designs that would continue to be produced following his death. The company remains in the sole ownership of the Silberstein Family, one of the original founders of the company, who sadly filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the end of June 2009. David Webb Inc. has remained true to its original designer and will leave behind one of the greatest legacies in American jewelry.

Rubies: The Color of July

Ruby is the birth stone for the month of July.  This month when we think of red we recall boiled lobsters, strawberries and the Red Sox! Red is, however, a very emotionally charged color. It is the color of fire, but also of love and passion. Rubies have every bit of the allure as the color they bear.

Rubies are a variety of the corundum species, the same as sapphire, so they are relatively durable, scoring a 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness (diamond scores a 10). Rubies are red, ranging in color from an orangy-red to a purplish-red. The very finest rubies come from Burma. In September of 2008 the US government placed an embargo on these stones.  These are the stones that earned the now outdated, but descriptive, term “Pigeon Blood Red”. Rubies are also found in Thailand, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and parts of Africa.

Throughout history Kings, Queens and even the King of Diamonds, Harry Winston, have sought to assemble and exhibit the finest color rubies. Red has long symbolized courage, which is why it is present in many national flags; and energy, which are the pure emotions drawn from the color itself. Red jewelry is very vibrant and attracts attention. Rubies “pop” right out of a piece when put next to diamonds.

Happy 4th of July!