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…
Press
Throwback Thursday: Anna Nicole Smith and “Fame”
Back in the day, random folks like me were able to publish on the Huffington Post. We didn’t get any money for this, just exposure. Seeing as it’s hard to pay the phone bill with “exposure” it’s probably best that the arrangement came to an end. But every so often, I remember I have a…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry in Story Magazine
In my previous post, I thanked stylist and fashion journalist Marian Kwei for putting my Queen of Scots tiara on model/DJ Tolula Adeyemi for an Oscar party AND writing it all up for Story Magazine. Marian is a full-service operation! After the Oscars, Marian did so much more for me and turned my jewelry into…
Flashback From HuffPost: Kept Outta “Compton”
I’ve been republishing all my old Huffington Post pieces on this blog, because they could vanish at any moment from HuffPost. You never know about archives these days. This story is from four years ago, after the N.W.A. movie Straight Outta Compton came out. The movie depicted five group members — Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice…
The Thrill of the Chase, the Art of Kintsugi
Last week, I shared an interview that Isabella Santa Maria did with me. She asked me a lot of jewelry questions, of course, but I was especially excited to answer her question about slow fashion. This week, Isabella was interviewed by the BBC. She talks about the facial scarring she has from a childhood car…
Interviewed by Isabella of ISM
I discovered Isabella and her blog — which is called ISM — through Instagram earlier this year. I don’t know how I came across her feed, but I was immediately intrigued by her aesthetic … View this post on Instagram i am not symmetrical. — i am a cup with a chip, waiting to be…
Signet Rings for the Millennial Mama
Thank you to gorgeous jewelry and watch expert Barbara Palumbo for including the high-heel emoji version of my “Signet Rings for Rebel Women” in In Store Magazine’s gift guide for the Millennial Mama! CLICK TO READ THE GIFT GUIDE. I’ve got two silver shoe rings left — and, remember, I won’t be making any new…
Jewel of the Month, Part II: New Skull Earrings
Shout-out to Colleen Egan at 1stdibs.com for interviewing me about the enduring appeal of skull jewelry! I felt inspired when I did this interview, and I hope it gives you fresh insight into my designs. CLICK HERE TO READ MY 1STDIBS INTERVIEW After you’re done reading, you can shop for my jewelry on 1stdibs — and if…
Wednesday’s Video: Elsa Hosk, Basketball Queen
You’ve probably seen that the fashion magazines have unveiled their big September issues — and I’ll have more to say about those soon — but summer ain’t over yet! That means you can still pick up the summer issue of Paper Magazine and admire the photo of model Elsa Hosk playing basketball in my solid-gold…
Getting Introspective With 1stdibs
Thank you to writer Kareem Rashed for interviewing me for Introspective Magazine, the publication of online luxury marketplace 1stdibs! Kareem asked me and four other contemporary jewelry designers who sell on 1stdibs to pick a favorite antique piece from the site and talk about how that work inspires us. I chose this Art Nouveau tiara…