Sunday, August 14, 2011
Today is my gorgeous sister Terri Berry‘s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERRI BERRY! Yesterday, TerriB’s husband, Tim Berry, presented her with a custom ring I designed. TerriB was in on the plan. Earlier this year, when gold was at a then-record-high of $1330 an ounce, I started taking the stones out of old jewelry and selling [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Terri Berry’s Birthday Ring
Monday, July 18, 2011
Because of the soaring prices of gold and silver, many jewelers are using less metal in their work. That means a knuckleduster-size ring feels surprisingly light considering how big it looks. My jewelry has always been about heft, because I like the feel — not just the appearance — of luxury. I have pieces that [...]
Continue reading about New Jewelry Collection: Memento Mori Skulls in 18K Gold
Friday, July 1, 2011
Are you #addictedtoTwitter? Show your love by wearing my sterling-silver hashtag ring. Originally, the hashtag ring was only available as part of my four-ring swear-ring set, but due to popular demand, I’ve given it a solo role. (Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @WendyBrandes.) The swear-ring set previously led to two other designs: [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Hashtag Ring for #peoplewhotweet
Monday, June 6, 2011
In 2007, I proved that Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII, was a damn genius. Geniuses are very inspiring, so I created an 18K gold and onyx necklace in Anne’s honor. The necklace features a swan because Anne was born in Schwanenburg (Swan Castle). I was so taken with my Cleves swan [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Cleves Swan-Wing Earrings
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
In the spirit of “April showers bring May flowers,” the Jewel of the Month is the poppy ring I created for my designing friend Zang Toi’s 2007 spring runway show. I also designed a matching bracelet, choker and giant belt buckle — all in gold-plated silver. With Zang’s approval, I wore the ring myself with [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: May Flower, Customized for Christine
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
I’m sometimes surprised by the jewelry designs that take off. When I originally designed my Siobhan perma-stacked stacking ring, I didn’t envision it evolving into an engagement ring. But evolve it did! First, gorgeous blogger Susan of Une femme d’un certain age asked me to redesign her original engagement ring, Siobhan style. I never expected [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Heather’s Engagement Ring
Monday, March 14, 2011
One of my favorite wicked royal ladies is the 7th century’s Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China. She became known as Empress Wu after her death, but she ruled under a name she chose for herself — Emperor Shensheng. I wrote about her in 2007: Empress Wu, Part I Empress Wu, Part II [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Empress Wu Dragon Ring
Friday, February 4, 2011
Right on time for Valentine’s Day, here is my latest design, the emoticon heart ring. Don’t know how to make an emoticon heart? Just put a less-than sign and a 3 together, and voilà! A heart. Like my swear rings and asterisk ring, the emoticon heart ring is solid sterling silver. The band starts at [...]
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Saturday, January 22, 2011
Phew! January’s Jewel of the Month sneaked in just under the wire. Fine jewelry, like the cheese in Cheez-Its, can’t be rushed into maturity. A jewelry designer without her own factory must work with other people’s schedules. Last year, I wrote about lost-wax casting, a process in which a design is carved in hard wax. [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Black Swan Ring
Monday, December 6, 2010
December’s Jewel of the Month had two inspirations. I first blogged about it in October, when I mentioned that I was working on a ring that was partly a tribute to this photo of Yoko Ono. This issue of Rolling Stone came out in October 1981. I was always attracted to the solemnity of this [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Heart-Shaped-Diamond Ring
