Whitney Houston dresses, jewelry to be auctioned

Whitney Houston has been laid to rest as of this past weekend. Her legacy will continue to live on, however, as some of her most iconic belongings will be auctioned off. A Black Velvet Dress that belonged to Whitney Houston and a pair of Earrings she wore in The Bodyguard will be sold to the highest bidder next month. Celebrity auctioneer, Darren Julien acquired the singer’s possessions soon after her death on Feb 11th, and will include the items in the Hollywood legend’s auction which is going to take place on 31st March and 1st April.

Pearl drop earrings used by the star in the 1992 hit movie are expected to fetch between $600 and $800, while a floral vest she wore is estimated to sell for up to $800, Julien’s Auctions said. Though these are the initial valuations, the price is likely to go higher once the bidding starts. A floor-length velvet gown and accessories from Houston’s appearances in other films and concerts will also be in next month’s auction, which is part of Julien’s Hollywood Legends sale.

Taylor Swift – Eliza Doolittle meets HeeHaw.

Taylor Swift looking amazing

Poor Taylor Swift.

Her designers must either love her or hate her. She was absolutely stunning at this past Sunday’s Grammy’s.

Look how she radiates in the golden glittering cheongsam-inspired gown. The high neck cut and caplet sleeves, the sequined train, the perfect gold earrings — she looks like Eliza Doolittle about to take to the dance floor with Professor Higgens.

Poor Taylor! What fresh hell is this?!

Alas, as if midnight struck and Cinderella’s ballgown had turned to rags, Taylor changed her outfit to perform. Even Ms. Swift’s natural beauty can’t make up for the fact that the vintage floral dress with peekaboo petticoat made her look like a cast extra from HeeHaw. Our precious belle-of-the-ball transformed back into Eliza the flower girl. I understand that she was trying to emulate a bluegrass band look, but I think I would have rather had her start the evening in this frock and then have her evolve to a rags-to-riches look.

However you slice it, she is an amazing young talent. I am hoping to see her bring a sense of glamor to music that seems to be missing these days.

Related articles

• Taylor Swift Goes For the Gold on Her Big Grammys Night (popsugar.com)

Happy Valentine’s Day – In Bed.

This is Hong Kong. This is where I should be right now – with a dear friend, exploring the shops where I purchase pearls, enjoying the local delicacies, and studying ancient jewelry.

Instead. I am in bed. With a cold.

Hong Kong will have to wait. Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day

Who Would I Like as Clients? Susan Wojcicki, SVP Google

Susan Wojcicki - Before

I’m often asked who I design for as if you could only design for one type of client. If you watch any of the current design-themed reality shows (e.g. Project Runway), you see that designers are challenged to create looks for a wide variety of client ages, styles and needs.

For this reason, I am going to start a new feature of my blog, “Who Would I Like As Clients?” I will choose women whom I believe  has a characteristic that makes them unique. I will ask my web guy to give them a quick makeover with a piece or two of my jewelry. It’s like playing dress-up with beautiful women.

Disclaimer: The women I have chosen should not be interpreted as any type of endorsement of their politics or beliefs; I only look at the woman for her unique feminine nature.

This week, Susan Wojcicki, Senior Vice President, Google.

Susan has a beautiful, warm skin tone. Her beautiful blue eyes and soft features make her absolutely approachable. Her jewelry is understated and she has a perfectly appropriate day-time look.

But what if we played “Glam Dress Up”?

Susan Wojcicki - After

In our 5-minute Photoshop makeover, we put Ms. Wojcicki in a basic black dress to make her eyes pop. To add sparkle and to make a bold statement when she walks into a room, I added a pearl coin necklace that is embedded with diamonds and I gave her my diamond embedded pearl earrings. Because my web guy is partial to redheads, we added a little more color to her hair which really makes her eyes stand out.

 

 

Related articles

• Before Google, the Wojcicki girls learned from Mom (postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com)

Victorian Jewelry, The Industrial Revolution and Hair Jewelry

Victorian Hair Snake

The Victorian Era of the1800’s brought some amazing changes not only to industry, but to jewelry as well.

The Early Victorian period began in 1837, when Queen Victoria ascended the English throne., She reigned for 64 years, and during that time she witnessed the growth of cities and of the industrial revolution.  Factories were being built in record numbers, Goodyear patented the rubber making process in 1837, and a few years later, the California gold rush started in 1848.
The Jewelry industry benefited from mass production techniques.  Machines were developed to make stamping whole pieces of jewelry from thin sheets of metal. First applied commercially in the 1840’s, electroplating for jewelry was introduced.
With the introduction of faux stones (paste) and mass production making jewelry that imitated the pieces worn by the wealthy, people of all classes were now able to afford jewelry.
Queen Victoria loved jewelry and this harkened in the age of sentiment.  She brought the Cameo back in style as well as romantic jewelry, containing a lock of a loved ones hair.  It was not considered unnatural for Victoria to wear a bracelet made from her children’s baby teeth.
Hair-work jewelry was not only a decorative accessory; it was an outward expression of people’s innermost feelings and became an important part of the jewelry of this era.  Many ladies would buy kits to make everything from watch fobs to rings containing hair.
To prepare the hair required first boiling it in soda water for 15 minutes, and then dividing it into strands of 20 to 30 hairs each, by length.    You could even send your hair to companies that would make a wide variety of items out of it, for a fee ranging from $4.00 to $15.00.  This became the second largest jewelry industry at one time, making hair more valuable than silver per oz.

The exquisite photo is from: http://whitneybria.blogspot.com/2011/05/victorian-hair-jewelry.html

Related articles

• Every Piece of Jewelry Here Is Made of Human Hair (bellasugar.com)

Jewelers of America – 2012 CASE Awards

Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry retail marketplace, held its annual national retailer design competition at the JA New York Winter Show, January 22-24, 2012. The CASE Awards recognizes JA Retail Members who exhibit creativity, artistry, style and excellence in jewelry design. This year, the competition featured two new categories Entry Platinum and Palladium Jewelry, sponsored by Platinum Guild International and Palladium Alliance International, respectively.

There were 61 entries from JA Retail Members, the highest level of participation in the competition’s history. In addition to the Platinum and Palladium categories, JA Members could enter their pieces in: Women’s Jewelry Under $2000, $2000-$5000, Over $5000 (retail values); Men’s Jewelry; Silver Jewelry; and Alternative-Materials Jewelry. The winning pieces of the 2012 CASE Awards had intricate designs, many of which featured glamorous as the focal point.

This year, winners were determined by a judging panel of JA’s in-house experts and six additional industry experts who used their jewelry know-how to judge the entries in a specific area of concentration. Marketability was judged by Michelle Orman, owner of Last Word Communications. Quality of Manufacture was judged by Joel McFadden, award-winning bench jeweler and owner of Joel McFadden Designs. Practicality/Wearability was judged by jewelry marketing guru Cindy Edelstein, owner of the Jewelers Resource Bureau. Overall Design was judged by Malak Atut, designer and owner of Zaiken Jewelry. JA New York attendees determined Buyers’ Choice Awards with a separate ballot. The winners receive a trophy from JA.

“Jewelers of America’s retail design competition is the only national platform that showcases the craft and creativity of independent jewelers,” says JA COO Robert Headley. “The 61 jewelry pieces entered reflected the remarkable jewelry available from JA-Member stores nationwide.”

The CASE Awards is open only to JA Members and their employees. For more information about the competition and for complete competition guidelines, visit www.jewelers.org/caseawards

Lalique Jewelry Focus of Study at the Place Vendôme

Cuff by Rene Lalique

In 2008, I was invited to speak and showcase my work at the Cleveland Museum of Art‘s “Artistic Luxury” exhibit that featured the work of Tiffany, Faberge and Lalique. It was a priceless collection of fine jewelry that hadn’t been assembled together in over 100 years. I’ll let you read more about that exhibit by clicking here.

Here is a snippet of some exciting news about Lalique’s jewelry I just tripped across:

It is 100 years since the decadent poetry of René Lalique’s jewelry was abandoned by its creator in favor of sculpted crystal objects.

But this week the sleeping beauty of the Lalique world was woken with a new collection based on the love of nature and a fiery imagination that created mythical creatures from peacocks to dragonflies.

A focus on haute joaillerie, in tandem with the summer 2012 haute couture season last week, brought the Lalique pieces to a mansion in the Place Vendôme. The designer Quentin Obadia, saying “the big work was to understand the spirit of Lalique,” showed his reinterpretation of the phoenix, the dragonfly and Vesta, the Roman goddess of fire. He also offered more approachable pieces like rings and bracelets, spun off the major work.

Using the founder’s revolutionary mix of crystal with precious stones, the designer also infused the style with linear Art Deco shapes and even introduced a contemporary bridal collection, including the house’s signature lily of the valley.

To read the rest of the article, click here.