In 1985, I listened to British singer Belouis Some‘s song “Imagination” on repeat. Kids these days don’t appreciate the dedication it took to play a song obsessively back then! It was a delicate operation, what with lifting the turntable needle up from the vinyl record and moving it to that flat, grooveless space in between…
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Jewel of the Month: Black Diamond for Purrkoy
April’s birthstone is the diamond, so my procrastinating ass is going to squeeeeeeze in an April Jewel of the Month post at the last possible moment! Behold, the black-diamond version of my 2010 single-stone platinum Gravity band. This design was originally created as a unisex wedding ring, but I made the new ring as a…
Jewel of the Month: Inspired by Lil Nas X
In 2019, 19-year-old rapper Lil Nas X vaulted from TikTok meme maker lauded by Justin Bieber to record-breaking mainstream success with his country-rap song “Old Town Road,” and there are so many things I love about this story. First of all, this song appealed to every age group, from toddlers to their grandparents. If you…
Jewel of the Month: Lip Necklace in 18K Gold
Whether you love Valentine’s Day or loathe it, the days immediately following the holiday are kind of awesome. First of all, the big Whitman’s Sampler chocolate assortments are on sale in all the drugstores to make room for the Easter candy. If you’re buying for me, I do prefer Whitman’s Samplers to Russell Stover boxes,…
Jewels of the Month: Bye, Don! Welcome 46 & 47!
I don’t know if I should call this the dawn of a new era or a return to form. After years of Jewel of the Month posts, I had ZERO last year because fascism and the pandemic had me that distracted from what I love to do. But now that would-be dictator Donald Trump has…
Year in Review: Jewels of the Month for 2019
The highlight of 2019 for Wendy Brandes Jewelry was a gem of a person! I am still madly in love with the photo shoot I did with Judith Boyd, aka Style Crone, because I’m always trying to show that jewelry is for everyone. When I did appearances this year, I decorated my booth/case with photos…
Jewel of the Month: Padparadscha & Paraiba for ANZA
I wanted to save this ring’s blog debut until I had its official portrait taken, but the piece was whisked off to the Kristen Farrell Gallery before I could get it to a photographer! So here is a casual snapshot of my latest creation for ANZA Gems. This one-of-a-kind 18K rose gold ring features a…
Jewel of the Month: Inspired by Empress Eugenie
Thank you to Brecken Branstrator of National Jeweler for alerting me that on Nov. 27, Christie’s in London is auctioning jewelry that once belonged to Eugenie, who was the last empress of France via her marriage to Napoleon III. I appreciate that the auction house has the full provenance of the jewels listed: Provenance is…
Jewels of the Month, Part 3: “Gothic Chic” Skulls
This month, I’ve highlighted jewelry that connects to current events, as well as jewelry designed around perennial themes. My final Jewel of the Month post gives you both qualities. Of course, skulls are always right for the month of Halloween, but the bonus is that the Wall Street Journal has declared this to be a…
Jewels of the Month, Part 2: October Birthstone
Tourmaline and opal are October’s two birthstones. I’ve shared the double-tourmaline ring that I created for ANZA Gems before, but ANZA’s recent Instagram post of it has inspired me to feature the ring again. I love how this post shows the different phases the gems went through: uncut rough; faceted but loose gems; and finally…