Friday Favorites: Anything to Make You Smile*

7Naturally Blue Diamond Shake Necklace by Renee Lewis, $11,440



Art Deco Style Sapphire Dinner Ring, $645



Sterling Silver and Blue Crystal Celtic Necklace, $55
(I've always had an affinity for Celtic design, so much so that my first tattoo is a Celtic knot.)


c. 1925 Diamond and Faux Sapphire Brooch, $1,270.75

Vintage Pearl, Diamond Pave and Sapphire earrings, $1,845


*From my new obsession, listening to a million times in a row song:
Band of Horses: No One's Gonna Love You
(I was told that this album is the result of a break up so bad that the singer had to leave Seattle, Wa and move back home to South Carolina. It's really lovely and so heartbreaking.)

Christmas Present!

I'm waiting for a co-worker to leave so I can crank the volume on my computer and immerse myself in disc four of House. Yesterday, in one of the episodes, some girl had a 25 foot long tapeworm in her intestine.

It was so cool.

Anyhow, I wanted to give an update on my Christmas present drama, thoroughly detailed on throughout this here blog. After finally receiving the return money from the Sabrina Dalhoff necklace, I decided on an antique ring from Gem: A Jewelry Boutique. Of course, I took three hours too long to decide, and when I went to go make the purchase, the one-of-a-kind ring had been sold. I moved onto the Phoenix Roze ring I had been lusting after. Of course, it wasn't in the store. Double of course: the jeweler/ owner was away and wouldn't be back for ten days. After all the suspense, I finally picked it up on Tuesday and am a very happy girl.

I'm going to pick up two sterling silver stacking rings to put on the top and bottom. Also, I feel the need to apologize for the (gross) cuts on my hand. My psycho cat struck again.

Me, calling my BF on the phone: "I just indoctrinated the ring!"
BF: "WHAT?"
Me, sensing incorrect word usage: "I, uh, what's the word? With the fraternities? Rush! I rushed the ring!"
BF: "What the hell are you talking about?"
Me: "It's really mine now, because I just got chocolate frosting all over it! Part of the family, etc. Actually, I think there's chocolate frosting stuck inside it..."
(Trailing off as I try to lick the chocolate frosting fr0m inside the emerald.)


P.S. The ring was fairly affordable at $185, so, Queen Jeweler Wendy, please don't burst my bubble re what the quality of the emeralds must be!

Vampire Weekend + Jewelry=Awesome

I've been a bad blogger! Since laziness, catching up on season three of House and buying jeans don't really seem like valid excuses, let's just say I've been really, uh, busy. At, um, work. That's it! Work. Oh, honey, you have no idea. Work, work, work.

Anyhow, tonight we are going to see Vampire Weekend, a band which I like very much.
Here's the myspace page: Vampire Weekend. Go listen! Then come back, because we have jewelry to discuss.

Oh, wait! I totally forgot to tell you about this awesome thing I read on Yahoo! last week. Apparently, this guy in the UK built a castle and then hid it behind a giant wall of hay bales because it violated zoning restrictions (ya think?), and there were some comments from various spokespeople peppered throughout the article, but my favorite had to be:
"It looks like a mock-Tudor house from the front and it's got two turrets at the back," the spokeswoman said. "I understand there is also a cannon."
It's almost unfair that such a profound sentence gets said so rarely.

I guess let's do African themed jewelry as Vampire Weekend has a major Afro influence thing happening. (Thanks, BF, for the idea.)
Taurag Silver Bracelet made in Niger, $9.90



Glass and Amber necklace from Ghana, $75



Recycled Plastic Bangles from Burkina Fhaso, $2.50-$3.50

Okay, folks. Finding African jewelry is a bit harder than I expected. I've decided to also include Vampire jewelry in the mix!
Baby Vamp Rings, $350 from Catbird
(If I'm not mistaken, I think Jen of Sleep Deprivation and Stories of my Bullshit Youth just received a similar ring when her fella proposed. Congratulations!)


Vampretta Vampire Fang Necklace by Alchemy Gothic, $40
(Huh.)

One year for Halloween, I was a slutty vampire (what other kind is there?), and since my mom works in the dental field, I had a pair of custom fangs made.
That's the whole story!

I've decided that I will limit my updating to at least twice a week, but no more of this every day business! Friday Favorites will resume this week.

Thank you.

Bad Car

I've had some car troubles recently. Actually, they aren't so recent: about three or so years ago, the City of New York had the audacity to ticket me for a plethora of reasons. Parking, standing, inspection---I just couldn't make them happy! Since moving to the 'burbs, I've managed to avoid any further indiscretions, but the city wouldn't just take a wash on ancient history. Oh no, the CoNY had to threaten me with the inability to renew my registration. They had to play hardball by suspending my license! The brutality.

Anyhow, I have since paid off my debt to society (to the tune of around $800), and am now just trying to clear my name. The DMV has been pawning me off on every other agency in town until today, when I made it to the New York City Finance Offices on John Street. And guess what? It was a pretty awesome experience. My number was called one second after I sat down, the woman was super nice, and the whole thing took less than seven minutes. Way to go finance dept.!

Here are some pieces from Etsy, the overwhelming, maze-like website which reminds me a lot of the DMV and also happens the best place to buy from truly independent artists...


Lavender Stacking Dot Rings by TreAnelli, $65 (for all three)





14K Rutilated Quartz Earrings by MaryaJewelry, $340




Unpreppy Plaid Ring with Garnet by Stellasilver, $60




Oxidized Sterling and Aquamarine Necklace by KrisCross Designs, $95




Hidden Valentine Heart Ring (Rutilated Quartz) by Nina Dinoff, $120
(SO cute!)

EDITED TO ADD:
Keen eyed Molly of Ashcan Rantings was so OTM about my cat. Molly said, "haha your cat = posh spice in the marc jacobs ads. actually your cat > lady becks in the MJ ads" and Blue Floppy Hat of Nonsense on Stilettos concurred. Ladies, on behalf of Fatso Fatterson (er, the cat), thank you!
A comparison:



Vic pics from Chic Stories

Cinematic

Regular posting to resume shortly. I'm busy plotting how to spend my tax refund...

Scenes from a Weekend



Brown bagging the cat


I get fidgety when I'm not driving and end up taking a lot of phone pictures and videos. It's amazing we haven't gotten into an accident. (I have this thing and it's weird, but I know it's weird: I make these little movies on my phone, or camera, and tell bf, "This'll make me really sad if you die unexpectedly. Or it'll make you really sad if I do." They're stupid little 15 second things, like me blowing a kiss or him waving hello, but that thing has been so deeply ingrained in the culture--in cinema--that you can't help but think it'll be playing at a funeral. He goes along with me. Does he really even have a choice?)


The view just around a curve on the way home (we live by the water, so everything is.... expansive).

Also, have you all been reading the Daniel Clowes comic, Mr. Wonderful, in the New York Times? It's just getting good.

Rare Form

I don't really post about fashion often, but these were too lovely not to share...



Pages scanned from the February 2008 issue of Interview Magazine.

Wendy Brandes

Our favorite local blog queen, the immensely talented jeweler Wendy Brandes, has suffered a blow at the hands of blogger!

She received the following notice from Blogger, and is therefore unable to post....
This is a message from the Blogger team.

"Your blog, at http://wbjewelry.blogspot.com/, has been identified as a potential spam blog. For an explanation of what spam blogs are, please see Blogger Help: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42577
You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not a spam blog. To request a review, please fill out the form found here: http://www.blogger.com/unlock-blog.g?lockedBlogID=2660258807099414939
We will take a look at your blog and unlock it within four business days. Please note that if we do not hear from you within 20 days, we will remove your blog. If this blog does not belong to you, then you do not have to do anything. Any other blogs you may have will not be affected.
Since you are an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not spam. We find spam by using an automated classifier. Automatic spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and occasionally a blog is flagged incorrectly. We sincerely apologize for this erroneous result. By using this kind of system, however, we can dedicate more storage, bandwidth, and engineering resources to users like you instead of to spammers. Thank you for your understanding and for your help in our spam-fighting efforts.
Sincerely,

The Blogger Team"

Wendy can be found at Wendy Hates Blogger, as she waits for the Blogger team to realize their error. We stand behind you, Wendy!

In a Box

I've found [German jeweler] Anne Gericke's designs captivating since I first saw them almost a year ago. It's not often that a jeweler uses a piece to literally tell a story... Here are some works from her "Snapshot" series.

Young Couple on a Bench Pendant, $405



Old Couple on a Bench Pendant, $456



Bathing Women Necklace, $504




Three Men and a Woman Necklace, $505

And some more from her website:

*************************************************************************************
Today's Jewelry features a tired girl with a much-loved Hammer Bubble Necklace bought for $10 at Urban Outfitters.

Also, some shiny silver studs... I've had to buy more since a fair portion of my tiny earrings have been lost to the bathroom drain monster, who is presumably now very well accessorized.


(Monster pic from Bill Casselman's website. Earrings from Peggy Li, Refinery29, Madame Bijoux and Erie Basin.)

Like Advil, but Shinier

Stuff that is making my vile headache ease up a bit...



Tiny Chain Rings, $60 (at Catbird in Brooklyn, NY)



Jane Hollinger Freida Necklace, $330



Silicone Rubber Jewelry from Nervous System (totally digging that cuff), $55



My Obsession Garnet ring by Artisan Impact, $216
(January's Birthstone!)

Everything at Once

Okay, time to catch up around here.

First, the stunning WendyB tagged me for that purse content thing that's been going around like the flu. Here we go:

Black bag from H&M--my in between bag until I decide where I want to waste $200 on a purse. The Lucky bag is going back. I just don't love it. (Also, I have no idea what happened to the plant. It just started to go downhill.)


Inside you will find...
One or two books depending how far into the first I am (in this case I am just finishing up Beginner's Greek and will begin--re-read-- A Prayer for the Dying on my train ride home), sunglasses, keys, phone (more for Scrabble than phone calls), iPod, pen, Sweet Mint Orbit Gum (the only kind I will chew), Aveeno lotion, wallet, earmuffs (the big white cotton ball thing), glasses that I never wear (Prada), lil' brush, mittens, red cosmetic bag, and some assorted lip stuffs (Smith's Minted Rose balm, Neutrogena lipstick, etc.)


Next. Anna Maa Designs is having something of an awesome sale.

Green Flourite Cocktail Ring, $106

Green Amethyst Necklace, $89

Smooth Chalcedony Necklace, $62 (!)

On to number three... lovely reader Sharon (of the excellent blog The Back Story) left this comment the other day:
"Do you know Moss Mills? (I'm sure you do, I only just discovered it). I like their stuff, wondering if you know of any other designers in that price range who do similarly styled precious-y stuff -- I'm especially in love with the various heart necklaces. Please advise if you can! "
Now, since I fancy myself a sort of jewelry advice columnist, I am, of course, thrilled to assist. But I thought it might be useful info for quite a few of you.

Moss Mills is a rather trendy brand with simple gold and silver image jewelry--trees, hearts, birds and the like. The jewelry is unique in that it is fairly well-made, affordable, and interesting. Here a few more sites that offer some of the same (you will be able to find lovely and unique pieces for under $200 at all of these places):
Indie Shopper Stars and Infinite Darkness
Etsy (if you have patience, you will prevail--I promise!)
I've mentioned them before, but I love Pyrrha

(Sharon, I think Pyrrha is the closest to what you are looking for, in terms of similarity to Moss Mills style.)
Trunkt has a collection of great designers
Phoenix Roze varies in price, but they've got beautiful jewelry
Tina Tang has some ridiculously cute hearts, and bows, and flowers...
I really like Greener Grass Design for some modern pieces

I don't want to replicate my bookmarks page here, but I hope this gets some of you interested in worthwhile independent designers...

Lastly! We haven't done a Today's Jewelry in a bit, and I'm not actually wearing much jewelry today anyhow, but I wanted to show off my new Brooklyn Industries dress (on sale for $22!) worn with black bangle and black rhinestone studs:
*And really, truly last! I'm having a thing where I need to buy dresses. It isn't a new thing, but even less practical in winter. Here are my two most recent purchases:

Free People La Isla embroidered dress, $118 (And I have to say, this doesn't happen often, but the dress actually looks way better on me than this model. Too much stuff going on there. Anyhow, my birthday is in March, and I have talked my BF in to giving this to me then. I won't be able to wear it now anyhow.)


Vintage Peach Slip Dress from Bona Drag, $25

UPDATE: Was just informed that some other girl got to this dress about an hour before I did. Darn that Agathe and her gang of readers!

Phew.

Das Rheingold

I've lately become a little bit obsessed with Wagner's The Ring Cycle thanks to a kick-ass episode of Radio Lab. Rings, rings, everywhere...


Miss Bibi White Stiletto Ring, $196




Kasmir Ring by Tracy Matthews, $206




Princess Cut Ring by Day C, $159




Miss Rose by Line & Jo, $480