Amethyst is February’s birthstone and I’ve got a fresh pair of luscious amethyst cabochon studs in stock. The studs are featured on my website as a set with 18K gold FitzRoy the Cat earring jackets. To get the studs by themselves for $550, inquire at info at wendybrandes dot com. First come, first served —…
queens
I Agree With Pantone: Let’s Do Lapis!
This week, the color experts at Pantone released its picks for the 10 top colors for spring 2017. I’m most excited about Lapis Blue, because lapis lazuli is one of my favorite gems. I’ve loved lapis ever since I went to see the blockbuster King Tut museum exhibition in the 1970s and saw Tut’s solid-gold…
Jewels of the Month: Empress Matilda’s Swords
I often use my Jewel of the Month posts to introduce new designs, but sometimes I like to feature my classic jewelry. Right now, my Empress Matilda sword designs are on my mind. I’ve discontinued plenty of designs over the years, but the Matilda necklace and earrings have stayed in my collection since I introduced…
Happy Belated Birthday, Queen Liz!
I meant to wish Queen Elizabeth II a happy 90th birthday yesterday, but then we tragically lost another royal and I had other things on my mind. So happy belated, Liz! My jewelry line is inspired by powerful women, especially royals, and one of my very first major designs was my Gloriana necklace, adorned with…
For International Women’s Day …
My jewelry line is closely connected with my interest in bad-ass historical women. One of the earliest designs I did was my Gloriana necklace, inspired by Elizabeth I. There are so many things I love about Elizabeth I. I included a couple of my favorite stories in this post from 2007. Check it out. CLICK…
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #11 of 14
Here’s a jewelry design for Throwback Thursday that’s also ruby-red for Valentine’s Day: my Lady Jane necklace. The true story of Lady Jane Grey — the “Nine Day Queen” of Tudor times — inspired me to create this teardrop-shaped pendant in 2008. It was made from two pieces of custom-cut rock crystal, loose rubies, and…
Jewel of the Month: Dragon and Knight Maneater Ring
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen the seventh ring in my Maneater series: the Dragon and Knight. If you don’t follow me, first of all: follow me! Secondly, enjoy this little video of the piece, which is November’s Jewel of the Month. A video posted by Wendy Brandes Jewelry PR (@wendybrandesjewelry) on…
Princess Diana Style: Right for 2015
Elle put together a photo gallery called “Princess Diana’s Most Underrated Style Moments” and it’s pretty great. As Elle points out, many of her looks would be on-trend now, including her “boyfriend” sweater with a skirt. The only thing that hasn’t come back in a high-fashion way is that 1980s feathered hair. View image |…
Diana Heart Jewelry for a Royal Mother’s Day
So sweet! The name of Britain’s new royal princess has been revealed: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. I’m all choked up about it. I vividly remember getting up early to watch young Diana Spencer get married to Prince Charles in 1981 and now I’ve seen Princess Di’s first granddaughter arrive. Speaking of arrivals, did you see little…
Jewel of the Month: Boleyn Necklace for Wolf Hall Fans
Are all of you Anne Boleyn/Tudor history fans watching Wolf Hall on Masterpiece on PBS? I saw the excellent theatrical adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s historical novel Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, in London last summer. The books and adaptations are about the rise of Thomas Cromwell, who rose from poverty to…