The Bold and the Beautiful.

A ring is the most symbolic piece of jewelery there is. It is a sign of love, a token of commitment, a public display of personal heritage etc. Also, it is just damn good fun wearings rings; as fake as you wish and worn with glee on any finger you choose (except the thumb, unless you are Phoebe from Friends!)

If you have small-boned fingers, then I am sorry my friends but you are unable to take anything too bold. If you on the other hand (like me) have joints and knuckles that can floor a heavy weight boxer, then you can think BIG. Your true love will have to compete with Richard Burton, and size in this instance DOES matter !

If your knuckles and joints can black out Rocky, then you can carry off wonderful jewelery, that may cost next to nothing, but still be real “Bobby Dazzlers”.

Nowadays any stone goes at any time of day, but too many rings on a finger detract from their individual beauty, and a ring on every finger is exceptionally tacky (note to Javier Bardem’s mother!!!)
One stunner is better than eight mediocre bands.

Rings shown above can be bought/ordered from our boutique.


Images copyright© of Luxuria

Friday Jewellery Quotes

" You can turn an absolute whore into a lady by just putting pearls around her neck"-
(Donald Brooks)

Just think Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's! Need I say more?

Jewellery: I'm feeling blue

Blue sapphires are evaluated based upon the purity of their primary hue. Purple, violet and green are the most common secondary hues found in blue sapphires.Blue sapphires with any amount of green as a secondary hue are not considered to be of fine quality.

Here's some facts/trivia about sapphires:

*So strong is the power of a sapphire, it has been said that a venomous snake put in a vessel made of sapphire would quickly die. Sapphires therefore earned the reputation as an excellent all-purpose medicine and were ingested as an antidote to poison
* Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gemstone given for anniversaries of the 5th and 45th years
*Sapphires are favored in the western world because their coloring is so sympathetic to the complexions of northern women. Just think of Princess Diana and her HUGE sapphire engagement ring
*In the Middle and Far East a sapphire is thought to be either extremely lucky or unlucky. Inconveniently, it is not until you wear it that you know which!
*The 423 carats (85g) Logan sapphire in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC is one of the largest faceted gem-quality blue sapphires in existence. Ooooh! Wouldn't you like to get your hands on that beauty?

Friday Jewellery Quotes

Usually by Friday I am drained of inspiration and imagination. So I have decided that Friday's will be quotation day; any quotes relating to our niche.

"Jewellery takes people's mind off your wrinkles". (Sonja Henie)

Jewellery: Long neck? Lucky you!

OK, here's the follow on from the previous thread. In the last post we talked about how no neck = no necklace (in most cases).

Today, we are talking about those who are blessed with a lovely long neck.
If you are lucky enough to have a long giraffe-like neck, then you can really make a bold statement with your neck- wear

Long necks look weak if circled by a thin choker, whereas these work perfectly for our no-neck friends. Women with long necks can carry off something much grander and over the top (without looking over the top). Just don't wear all your statement pieces together i.e big earrings, statement necklace etc, otherwise you will start looking like a walking Christmas tree!

A long neck coming out of a round neck top looks fabulous with a big chunky necklace at the collarbone.

Flat chests are also wonderful boards on which to rest a huge show-stopping piece that can reach as low as your belly button.

However, don't get too bold and wear lots of gold chains together; unless you are a rap star!

Jewellery: The Power of the Necklace

The beauty of necklaces is that they don't need to be heirlooms to lift an outfit from the bottom step of mediocrity to the highest echelons of a Best Dresser. Just look at at Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O; they both understood the power of a plain dressed teamed with a fabulous necklace.

However, be warned. If you have a short neck, squat face or big boobs, then necklaces should be one of the lesser items in your repertoire. Unhappily short necks, especially those with a hint of a double chin look terrible in necklaces.

Here's my guide list:

* Look at your neckline of your top to decided whether you should wear a necklace. Slash neck styles are "barred" from necklaces, so go for earrings instead.

*Big boobs cannot do long and dangly as the necklace becomes distorted as it hits the chest.

* Short necks are best entwined by delicate pieces that won't take up too much space between the chin and the breast.

* Sloping shoulders are best suited to necklaces that are fine and filamented with small beads; angular, architectural necklaces need a good pair of coat-hanger shoulders to carry them off.

*A short neck can give the illusion of being longer either wearing a very long necklace or a wearing a lariat. The lariat (which has two dangling ends) gives the illusion of length. They have an overall slimming effect visually on your entire look.

Finally never allow a pendant to disappear into a cleavage ravine!

Next post will be all about what necklaces to wear if you have a long neck, and no boobs!

Do emeralds make you superstitious?

Emeralds are thought to be unlucky because green is associated with bad luck in many cultures. I know my Dad always told me never to buy a green car as it was unlucky (but I thought that was just his "personal" superstition). But in ancient Egypt they were used as a healing some and believe it has a re-balancing effect on the psyche, even promoting clairvoyancy.

I'm off to ask my psychic if it's true!!!!

What the hell is this?

In our jewellery boutique, many of the designs can be bought in both silver and in rhodium-plated. So this is a question that I am asked often, "what the hell is rhodium-plated?"

OK, so let me try and explain why in some instances I recommend buying rhodium-plated over silver, even though silver is more expensive (without going into the chemical compounds etc.)

Rhodium is a precious metal which is a member of the platinum family.Rhodium electroplating is used on many of our pieces because it provides a surface that will resist scratches. This can't be said for silver; silver fades with time, the shine goes quickly and because it is a much softer metal than silver, it scratches easily. This is the reason, when I am asked by a client (especially if the client is buying a ring)I recommend the rhodium-plated version rather than the silver version (even though the silver version is often more expensive).

Rhodium-plating doesn't last forever, and depends on the level of wear, but is something that can easily be "re-touched".

In many cases both silver and platinum pieces are rhodium-plated because it gives that extra shine that we all love. Whenever I buy silver or platinum pieces that are likely to get a lot of wear, I go and get it rhodium-plated first.My wedding ring is platinum, but I have since had it rhodium-plated. It now looks shinier than on my wedding day!

My girlfriends and clients are always asking me how I keep my pieces so shiny! So now my secrets out!