Throwback Thursday: My SATC Earrings

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of Sex and the City‘s debut on HBO, and there are tributes and think pieces everywhere. This isn’t one of them, because when it comes to SATC, my heart belongs not to the original television series but to 2010’s Sex and the City 2 movie.  SATC 2 was widely panned, but I didn’t care, because uber-stylist Patricia Field choose my Cleopatra earrings for the movie …

My Cleopatra earrings in gold with diamonds.

… and actress Kim Cattrall was wearing the Cleos when she — in the character of Samantha Jones — spoke the immortal words, “Lawrence of my labia” during a desert scene. Oh, yes she did.

“Samantha” wearing the Cleo earrings.

Thanks to that moment, my shoulder-dusting earrings were mentioned in the New York Times and on InStyle.com and blogs galore. In celebration, I made 10 pairs of silver Cleopatras for my friends to wear when we went to the movie’s opening night at the glamorous Ziegfeld Theater in New York.

All my supportive friends! Click for original post.

I saved the gold pair for myself that night.

Me with my Cleos. Click to see my entire outfit.

I categorize the Cleopatra earrings and matching necklace as “limited edition” designs. My way of doing limited-edition design is a bit different than some other brands, so I’ll explain it.

The Cleopatra necklace on model Tina J. Click to purchase.

At huge retail chains, a limited-edition product run of t-shirts might be 10,000 units as opposed to the usual 50,000+ units. In contrast, luxury companies might produce 100 (or far fewer) unusual purses as part of a small-batch limited edition.  Meanwhile, I don’t make a batch at all when adding to my 18K gold collection. Even if I’m envisioning making five of a particular style someday, I make one at a time. When that first piece sells, I make another one, until I’ve created five. (This applies to my signature gold collection only. Silver pieces are usually made in batches of 10 and the platinum designs vary.)

This means that there’s only one pair of gold Cleopatra earrings for purchase right now. It isn’t the original pair worn by Kim Cattrall; that sold long ago. I’m on 18K gold Cleo pair #3, and it’s exclusively available at the fabulous Mayfair Rocks jewelry store in East Hampton, N.Y.  If you’re in the Hamptons this summer, you can stop by the store to buy the Cleos in person.  You can also contact the store to make a purchase if you’re not in the area. Tell them I sent you!

People still send me DMs on Twitter and Instagram when they see my earrings on TV! I love that.

I also sold the original 10 silver Cleos from the SATC 2 premiere years ago, but I do occasionally make those upon request. (In fact, I made a pair earlier this year.) The silver costs $400 for the pair, or $200 for a single statement earring. Email me at info at wendybrandes dot com to inquire.

My gorgeous friend Tina wearing the Cleopatra earrings in silver at the movie premiere in 2010. She’s also wearing two of my necklace designs.

Gold pieces that are on my website or in my 1stdibs.com storefront are labeled either limited-edition or one-of-a-kind. Just be aware that sometimes a limited-edition design turns into a one-of-a-kind design because, after the first piece sells, I’m more interested in a new concept. In other words, I haven’t sworn an oath to continue producing any particular design, so if you have your eye on a limited-edition piece for a future purchase, reach out to me at the info at wendybrandes dot com email to get a sense of how likely I am to remake it. I don’t like to disappoint a customer, but for every thing there is a season!