Now that I’m done preparing for/being at/recovering from the Couture jewelry show in Las Vegas, I’m getting back to posing weekly videos. It make sense to kick things off with a video from Couture, seeing as that’s what I’ve been preoccupied with. Before getting to the video, though, I want to share this written interview…
Jewelry
Jewel of the Month: Black Diamond Skull
If you follow my Instagram accounts — business and/or personal — you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at June’s Jewel of the Month. For the rest of you, behold my “Carpe Diem” medallion set with a skull-shaped black diamond! I debuted this piece at the Couture jewelry show in Las Vegas last week, where Grace…
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,…
Greetings From Las Vegas!
My right-hand woman Eryn and I just wrapped up our first appearance at the five-day Couture jewelry show in Las Vegas. We were part of Salon 137, the Contemporary Jewelry Design Group booth, with five other fabulous fine-jewelry brands: Ananda Khalsa, Anthony Lent, Baiyang Qiu, Dana Bronfman, and my longtime jewelry-biz friend Erika Winters. I’m…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry at Couture (and in WWD)
If you’re in the jewelry industry visiting Las Vegas for the big trade shows, come to Couture at the Wynn and say hello to me at Salon 137, the Contemporary Jewelry Design Group booth, in the Lafite Ballroom. My right-hand woman Eryn and I will be happy to show you the full collection and explain…
What Wendy Wore: Abigail & Max Got Married
It’s fun when I get to make the engagement ring and wedding bands for a couple and then attend the wedding. That’s happened a few times. (Whenever you hear someone stage-whisper, “THANK GOD!” when a wedding band smoothly goes on a finger, you know there’s a jewelry designer among the guests.) Last weekend, I had…
Wednesday’s Video: Hatshepsut Locket in Action
When I did last week‘s YouTube playlist of my mechanical jewelry designs, I realized I was missing one of my classic pieces — the deceptively simple-looking Hatshepsut locket. I made this locket after an afternoon spent among the Hatshepsut artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hatshepsut was an Egyptian queen who apparently proclaimed herself…
I’m a JCK Jewelers’ Choice Awards Finalist!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the judges of JCK’s Jewelers’ Choice Awards for selecting my toi et moi ring for ANZA Gems as a finalist in the category of colored stone jewelry over $10,000. The JCK editorial team also got to choose five personal favorites, so a special thank you goes out to…
Wednesday’s Videos: Jewelry That Moves
When I went into the jewelry business, poison rings (aka locket rings) were among my first designs. Then came locket pendants. For a while, so many of my pieces had moving parts that my friends would grab any new jewelry and try to pry it open. However, not all of my mechanical designs have a…
Wednesday’s Video: Engagement Ring How-To
People frequently ask me how to pick the right engagement ring. In this week’s video, I offer my expert advice, based not only on my 13 years in the jewelry business, but also on my own personal engagement-ring story. Don’t forget to check out the related links in the video description on YouTube for some…