One of the good things about being a jewelry designer is that I always have the appropriate accessories for any occasion, such as today’s official release of Shady XV, the double album celebrating 15 years of Eminem’s Shady Records label. Let me take a selfie …. That photo was inspired by my gorgeous rapper friend…
necklaces
Where’s the Romance, Oxford Dictionaries?
The Oxford Dictionaries announced on Monday that the verb “vape” is its word of the year. Vape’s meaning: “to inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.” I’m disappointed that the noun”bae” — described oh-so-seriously as “a term of endearment for one’s romantic partner” — missed out. I thought all…
Inspired by Mourning Jewelry: My Acorn and Squirrel Locket
There must be something in the air — maybe it’s the new Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit called “Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire” — but a number of people have asked me when the silver version of my 18K-gold acorn-and-squirrel locket will be back in stock. Here is the gold locket they’re…
What Wendy Wore: Sky Heavens at the Standard Hotel
Gorgeous Sky Heavens has sung backup vocals for Eminem and Nicki Minaj, but I had never seen one of her solo performances until last night. She did an acoustic set of songs from her upcoming EP, Luz, at the Standard Hotel in New York City. She also treated us to a little bit of what…
A Book to Go With My Fucking Jewelry
Esquire ran an excerpt from a book called F**k: An Irreverent History of the F-Word by Rufus Lodge. The magazine’s glossary of 69 fucks includes Mr. Big’s favorite, “abso-fucking-lutely” … … “fuckball,” as delivered by Harvey Keitel in the movie Get Shorty … … and the likes of “fuckboy,” the 1950s term “fuck-dust,” and the…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry in New York’s Story
If you lived in New York City in the 1980s, you might be familiar with a nightclub called Area. From 1983 to 1987, Area transformed itself every six weeks or so to express different themes, which included Night, Gnarly, Surrealism and Suburbia. (I went there just once while I was in college and I felt…
Concert Adventure, Part I: Waiting for the Monster Tour
In March, when Rihanna and Eminem announced the dates for their joint, three-city Monster Tour, I wasn’t sure what tickets to get. It would be practical to get seated tickets, but in huge venues like New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which has over 80,000 seats, even the best seats are fairly far away from the stage….
Jewel of the Month: Literally, a Necklace
How I decide when to add a new word necklace to my line? This is how I explained it last year. ” … the overuse of a word/acronym tells me when the time is right to add that word/acronym to my pop-culture-inspired WENDY by Wendy Brandes diffusion line. An expression has reached critical mass when…
What Wendy Wore: Ossie Clark and Chains at WJA
As I mentioned, the Women’s Jewelry Association Gala took place Monday night at Pier 60 in New York. The WJA describes itself as “a networking organization dedicated to enriching and advancing the professional lives of the women in the jewelry and watch industries.” I call it a great opportunity for me to meet up with…
Jewel of the Month: The Chicken on Nest Necklace Is Back
My Chicken on Nest necklace has been Jewel of the Month before. You might remember the smaller-than-a-dime, sterling-silver chicken … … that opened up to reveal three gold-plated eggs. If you’ve always wondered, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I have the answer. My egg locket came first, inspired by a work I…