Skylar Grey’s Necklace and New Song, and My Cher Memories

Gorgeous singer Skylar Grey was interviewed on the music channel Fuse TV last week, and I was thrilled to see she had on the special double-ax necklace I made for her last summer! You can see it in this screen cap. (P.S. Her new chest tattoo says “Woodrat.”)

Click to enlarge.

Here’s the whole interview.

I’ve written about this necklace before, but here’s the back story for those who don’t want to rummage around in my archives. When Skylar released her album Don’t Look Down last July, I was drawn to her double-ax logo.

Courtesy Skylar Grey News.

Specifically, I thought, “That would be a great necklace … and stud earrings would be cute, too!” I got to work and made an 18K gold double-ax necklace and matching earrings and delivered them to Skylar with help from a friend (Hi, Jay!). I was tempted to give them to her right after the concert I went to last year, but we decided it would be too hectic to be handling jewelry post-show. Instead, I wore the sample I made for the necklace and gave her a preview. I’m wearing it in this photo with Skylar.

“Hello, here’s your necklace, sorry you can’t keep it!”

I sent her the jewelry after her tour.

The size and style of the necklace and studs complement the letter necklaces and emoji earrings I make for my WENDYB by Wendy Brandes diffusion line.

A close-up of the necklace. This is the sample. Skylar’s version has a tiny diamond on each ax handle.

I designed the diffusion-line necklaces and earrings to be easy to wear on a daily basis. These pieces are petite, yet still noticeable. You can also layer longer chains over the necklaces and combine the studs with other earrings. Basically, I envisioned customers wearing the jewelry so often that the pieces would become a signature look. (Worked for me! When I’m seen without my IDGAF necklace, people ask where it is.)

Again, the sample earrings didn’t include Skylar’s diamonds.

Of course, it’s all very well for a designer to make something with a particular intention, but customers get to interpret jewelry and use it their own way. That’s why I’m so pleased to see Skylar still wearing her necklace six months later.
I should note that the crossed-ax designs aren’t for sale at this time — they’re for Skylar’s use only (well, I have a set too). But, if you want a similar lumberjack/woodrat vibe I’ve got single ax stud earrings in silver and gold.

It’s been a big January for Skylar. Early in the month, she was named Variety’s 2014 Breakthrough of the Year. Then, this Monday, “Shot Me Down” came out — a track from DJ/producer David Guetta, featuring Skylar’s vocals.

BUY “SHOT ME DOWN” HERE.

I had an “OH EM GEE!” moment when I listened to the song, because the hook is from Cher’s 1966 song “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” (Some of you might be more familiar with Nancy Sinatra’s cover of it, but it was written by Sonny Bono for Cher and it’s forever a Cher song to me.) Cher was a big part of my childhood. I can remember watching The Sonny & Cher Show in the ’70s — probably the second post-divorce series, rather than the earlier Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. Bob Mackie’s extravagant beaded and belly-baring costumes for Cher were a must-see. And I adored Cher’s songs about oppressed women, whether they were a “Half-Breed” — Cher has some Cherokee in her background — or betrayed by a “Dark Lady.” But the Cher song to end all Cher songs was “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves.” It came out in 1971, but it must have made a comeback five years later when Cher performed it on The Sonny & Cher Show. (She was pregnant with her son by her second husband, rocker Greg Allman, while working on that show with her ex, Sonny.)

Click the screen cap to see the video.

As a result, the song was used for a skit for a talent show at the day camp I reluctantly went to when I was around eight.  Parents were in attendance and some of them were momentarily alarmed by the choice of music. I remember my mother deciding it wasn’t too bad because “they [the kids] don’t know what it’s about.” I was like, “What is she talking about? It’s about a lady dancing and bad people are mean to her.” I’m not sure when I figured out the rest of it — that the 21-year-old “boy from south of Mobile” took advantage of the 16-year-old narrator and left her pregnant — but it was YEARS. Years! By the way, Mom said the same thing about lack of comprehension to my father when we went to see Evita on Broadway, and she was right about that too. As far as I was concerned, the only thing all those men were doing with Eva Peron was dancing and singing. Maybe that provides a little comfort to you parents who are worried about whether the line is “dancing with Miley” or “dancing with molly” in Miley Cyrus‘s “We Can’t Stop.”

Anyway, getting back to Skylar’s necklace, if you want a custom necklace of your own — initials or an animal or emoji or whatever — holla at me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com. Till then, I’ll leave you with Jack trying to out-Cher Cher in this 2000 episode of Will & Grace.