Today is Earth Day, marking the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. I do love a theme, so let’s contemplate my Empress Wu dragon ring with its spinning lapis lazuli globe. I created the Empress Wu ring as a symbol of a powerful woman, as I explained in this old…
rings
Valentine’s Jewelry: Toi et Moi Rings
I’ve been obsessed with “toi et moi” rings since 2013, when the diamond and sapphire engagement ring that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to Josephine de Beauharnais went up for auction. Embed from Getty Images But even before then, I liked the double takes that two-stone rings get, no pun intended. In fact, one of my earliest…
Welcome to the Year of the Tiger
Happy Lunar New Year! The Year of the Tiger calls for a throwback to a custom tiger ring I created years ago for gorgeous client Christine. I would love to make a new tiger ring for the Tiger Year — with some changes, of course, so that Christine’s ring would remain uniquely hers. It would…
Happy August!
Looking for a birthday gift … for yourself, maybe? My customers and I are all about self-gifting! For August birthday wimmins, I’ve got a stunning example of the month’s birthstone, peridot, in the form of diamond chandelier earrings on sale on 1stdibs. And let’s not forget birth signs. What Leo wouldn’t love this lion pendant?…
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…
Feeling Fancy at Wendy Brandes Jewelry
If you haven’t visited my online store in a minute, come on by! I’ve done a few renovations. My updated homepage now has a slideshow that explains each collection. The first slide is my gold collection. Gold always comes first with me — the first serious designs for my line were done in 18K yellow…
Throwback Thursday: Arrowhead Jewelry on 1stDibs
Remember when I used to blog about jewelry? Those were the days! I used to create new designs on the regular too. Here is evidence: The wax model of an arrowhead ring I never made. This ring would have been part of my mini-collection of arrowhead designs, all cast from an arrowhead found in my backyard…
Easter-Egg-Gagement-Versary
Ten years ago, to celebrate Easter, somebunny named John Muggenborg gave his gorgeous girlfriend Olivia an egg-gagement ring. I love the egg-hunt story, which John shared in a comment on an Instagram post I did last year. Happy egg-gagement-versary, John and Olivia! By the way, this the only time I agreed to do a temporary…
Follow Me on Instagram for a Silver Surprise
Follow my business Instagram, Wendy Brandes Jewelry, because I’ll be giving away some sterling-silver statement rings via IG stories! I started doing this last week with the remnants of my silver collection. I figured people need some cheering up during the coronavirus quarantine, and if somehow my jewelry business — and the jewelry industry in…
Take Off Your Rings and Wash Your Hands
In December, when actress Emma Stone showed off the pearl engagement ring given to her by writer/director Dave McCary, my first thought was, “I have to write that ‘Pearl engagement rings are bad‘ blog post AGAIN? Nah … I’m not gonna.” A few weeks later, actress Michelle Williams was spotted wearing what looked like a…