Newsworthy: Jewelry Brands Revamping Collections, Tiffany Lawsuit Fails, Resort's Best Neckaces

WWD || Accessory and jewelry brands such as CA&LOU, Damiani, and Biern are revamping their businesses to cater to younger clientele and, in Biern's case, extending the brand into the jewelry market.

ABC News || Supreme Court rejects Tiffany & Co.'s lawsuit against eBay for trademark infringement. Fail.

Elle || Check out the best necklaces from the resort collections. Time to break out my piggy bank!

Telegraph's How To Guide on Buying Jewelry

Alison Skeates, the owner of the jewelery shop EC One, doles out useful tips and practical advice all while wearing a chic Shourouk necklace. And yes, EC One offers international shipping to the states. 

Newsworthy: WWD Loves Jewelry

Monday's WWD is all over new jewelry launches and Kate Middleton's sparkly engagement ring. Looks like the jewelry biz is all abuzz.

WWD || Copies of Kate Middleton's engagement ring are flying off jewelry shelves, boosting jewelry sales, and creating a trend for blue sapphires.

WWD || New fine jewelry brand, Le Buisson, is changing the way the wearer looks at jewelry - literally. The brand uses ethically sourced stones by Thailand and prices range from $656 to $11,166.

WWD || Celia Weinstock's debut collection of eclectic jewelry, called Lyme Fine Jewelry, is out this month at Mallet on Madison Avenue. There are diamond and pearl bracelets inspired by the last Czarina of Russia, sapphire rings and diamond chokers from the Edwardian era, and even jade bracelets from the Far East. Prices range from $4,918 to $52,969.

Designer Spotlight: Evin Robinson

Evin Robinson, a junior communication and rhetorical studies major here at SU, proves that learning can also take place outside of the classroom. Robinson is the founder of InspiRing, a youth empowerment and business venture. He is partnering with Tiffany Bender, a senior communication and rhetorical studies major, to fund the Scholarship Showcase, a $1,000 textbook scholarship that is awarded to five graduating high school seniors from Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

Check out my exclusive Q&A with Robinson and the video Robinson has created to learn more about InspiRing.

Q: What made you start inspiRing? 

A: I started InspRing with the sole purpose of giving back, and to make my mother proud . What I didn’t initially see was the big impact that InspiRing could have on my community. I live by the quote “I plan to be a product of my environment but a product in which my community will be proud,” and that’s exactly what InspiRing has allowed me to be. InspiRing is all about social change and empowerment for everyone.

Q: What are the materials you use for your rings?

A: InspiRing makes right-handed rings that symbolize female empowerment. Each ring is handcrafted and can be made with 14k gold, gold-filled wire, or sterling silver wire along with a Swarovski crystal or hand blown glass bead. Each ring comes with an inspirational quote.

Q: How many rings have you sold?

A: The rings sell for $25 and InspiRing has sold 426 InspiRing units to date.

Q: Who are you inspired by?

A: I get my aspiration from other social entrepreneurs. My role model is Russell Simmons.

Q: Where do you see the company in five years?

A: In five years, I see InspiRing being one of the top leading empowerment businesses in the world. Our main quote is “Empower yourself by InspiRing others” which means boosting the confidence of others by being role models for change within your respectable community.

I Die: Spring 2011 Jewelry Slideshow

Style.com found the best way to cure the Monday blues - a preview of next spring's hautest jewelry - pun intended. Most of the pieces are insanely expensive and I can guarantee it'll be credited as "price upon request" in the mags.

Though all the pieces are for the spring 2011 collection, I love that designers have developed a signature look or design and find a way to incorporate it into their next collection. Even as I was looking at the teeny tiny thumbnails, I could name some of the designers and jewelry houses.

Designers like Pamela Love, Kara Ross, Dana Lorenz of Fenton/Fallon, and jewelry houses like Mawi, have stuck to their jewelry design aesthetics season after season but still manage to keep it feeling exciting and new. One of my absolute favs is Mawi, the company has kept the same gun-barrel and big colored jewel element in each collection but manages to work in new styles.

I'm already thinking of things that I can sell so I can afford one of their pieces, which means I also have to pick an ultimate favorite! Ahhh!

Mawi, Spring 2011 

Friday Flick: Kara Ross NY Fall Winter 2010 Photoshoot

One my favorite brands - that I can't afford obviously :(

I Die: nOir and Disney Collaboration!!!

Usually I'm in the know about new jewelry collabs, so I've literally no idea how this didn't come across my radar. nOir just released their Disney collection, and good lord, I ... die. (cue Rachel Zoe voice)

I'm tempted to chop off my hand and sell it on the black market for any one of the pieces, particularly the Pegasus ring and the cuffs - but that'd make wearing them hard.

Dinosaur Bones Cuff, only $450 :( 

Friday Flick: Fenton/Fallon

Cheap Finds: 5 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Worthy Jewels

The November chill is creeping in and all I want to do is drink some hot coffee and eat fudge-y brownies in bed, but for Victoria's Secret curvaceous and bodacious models, that's a major no-no. Good thing I'm not a VS model!

On November 30, VS Angels like Adriana Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Chanel Iman, and Bar Rafaeli will strut down a (probably bling-ed out) runway in lingerie and drenched in jewels - all while making the guys drool even more, and us girls hating ourselves more. LA's Racked  nabbed a few pictures of the bazillion dollar jewels that the models will be wearing. Apparently, the only way to accessorize a push-up bra is a pendant necklace that falls perfectly on the bust..trend, anyone?

Here are some options that'll fall perfectly on your cleavage - and well within your budget.

Forever 21, $8.80

Givenchy, $36

Eliot Danori, $150

Lee Angel, $75

J.Crew, $50

Newsworthy: Funding Fancy-Colored Diamonds, New Cartier and Post-Halloween Gems

WWD || A new fund is supporting fancy-colored diamonds, apparently the rarest and most expensive diamonds on earth. On bad days, I tell myself that I'm a diamond.. can I get some financial support and investment too?


Fashionista || Cartier's making more bank on revamping its successful LOVE line. The company hosted a fancy dinner and previewed the pieces, which feature earrings, necklaces, and rings in rose gold, pink sapphire, and black ceramic. I haven't bought pieces from their previous LOVE collections, and they're already shilling out new ones?? The insanity!


Elle || Halloween may be over but check out these scarily beautiful (and pricey) baubles. DIY by swiping that plastic spider you used to decorate your door and glue on some crystals from the bookstore's decoration section! 

Newsworthy: Solange Expands, Syz Returns to NYC, and Dominic Turns to Clothes

WWD || Solange Azagury-Patridge's London shop has moved after 15 years from Westbourne Grove to Bond Street. But that's not all - Azagury-Patridge has plans to open shops in LA and Singapore. What'll cost more - a gorgeous Solange jewel or a round trip to London? ..actually, who cares?? Both would be worth every penny!

WWD || Geneva-based jeweler Suzanne Syz has returned back to her 80's roots and has come back to NYC to present an exhibition aptly titled “City Lights” at the Marianne Boesky Gallery on East 64th Street. Time to book a bus ticket back to NYC. (Is it just me or is WWD having a field day with jewelry shops and exhibits in cities that I am incredibly far from?) 

Style.com || Jeweler designer, Dominic Jones, is now designing clothes and shooting them badass Brit model, Alice Dellal. Seriously, where's my ticket to London?

Cheap Finds: Handmade Jewelry on Esty

One of my favorite thing about browsing markets is finding (and buying) one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. Alas, Syracuse isn't a mecca for markets but I've recently discovered Etsy.com, a site where you can buy anything and everything handmade.

Here are some of my favorites -

Paper and wire, $70

Old watch parts, $30

Flatware, $17.77

Tips on shopping for handmade jewelry on-line:

- Do your homework: Scrounge the web for similar items, and if you spot something similar, ask yourself - what makes this pieces different? Handmade jewelry shouldn't look like you bought it from J.Crew - look for truly unique pieces that speak to you.

- Be careful of anything stretchy or elastic: These usually break pretty quickly and the last thing you want to do is contact the buyer for a refund or exchange.

- Rings don't lie: If your fingers normally fit a ring PERFECTLY, and the ring you want to buy has a thick band,   chances are your finger won't fit. Unless you want everyone to think you have pudgy fingers, get a size up if it's available and take it to a jeweler to resize to ensure a correct fit.

Now, where's my credit card?

Newsworthy: Gold Soars, New Atelier Swarovski Jewels, October's Jewelry Diet

WWD || Gold prices are yet again on the rise - good thing I couldn't afford it in the first place. According to WWD, the price of gold has risen almost 23% this year. An ounce of the precious metal today costs a bit over $1,300, compared to $456 only five years ago. This means that jewelers either charge their customers steeper prices, or come up with innovative ways to use less gold in their designs. Told you the recession wasn't pretty.

Fashionista || Atelier Swarovski unveiled their one-of-a-kind jewelry collection for Spring 2011. The company commissioned fashion darlings Prabal Gurung, Mark Fast, Joseph Altuzarra, Michael Kaplan and Jenny Manik Mercian to create a dazzling bauble. Too bad the pieces aren't available until - you guessed it - Spring 2011. Now, where's my piggy bank?

Design Scene, Harper's Bazaar || Model Crystal Renn was shot by Terry Richardson for October's Vogue Paris bedazzled in jewels and feasting on squid, pasta and meat. Actress Christina Hendricks was also photographed by Richardson for Harper's Bazaar US, drenched and, taking it one step further, eating jewels. Which of their hands cost more? Sadly, not mine.

I Spy

Fakes are never in fashion, and those in fashion can always spot a fake. Fast fashion retailer, Forever21, is always on the hot seat for copying designs from designers - and the company is always caught. Like right now. Looks like the company doesn't care who it copies - from up and coming designer Lizzie Fortunato (who currently is partnering up with Madewell) to major fashion house, Chanel. 

Lizzie Fortunato for Madewell

Forever21

Chanel, Fall/Winter 2010

Forever21

Cheap Finds: 5 Top Fall Picks

You don't need to spend a fortune to wear this season's tough-lux jewelry. No matter how gorgeous it is, it's a bit outrageous to spend $445 for a gold chain necklace from Ben Amun. Here are my top 5 picks for fall's best jewelry on a two digit budget!

Madewell, $65

Ben Amun, $445

Topshop, $30

Pamela Love, Fall 2010 (no prices yet,
but Love's jewelry costs upwards of $400)

Forever21, $3.80

YSL, Fall 2010

Urban Outfitters, $28

Noir, $60 (on sale)

Topshop, $25

Pamela Love, Fall 2010

Jewelry Haul: Noir

Jewelry Deals on the Web

After my internship at a major woman’s fashion magazine, I developed an obsession with jewelry. I took pictures of pieces that I liked so I could buy it when it was on sale. I even created a list of designers and brands that I fell in love with so I could mark their sample sales on my calendar!

Though I’ve amassed most of my baubles from stores, I’ve begun to find a better selection and better deals on the web. The best deals are online shopping sites that offer flash sales, such as Gilt, Ideeli, HauteLook and RueLaLa. These sites are invitation-only and sell high-end brands for a fraction of the retail price. There are a lot of invitation codes on the web; I found mine via a painless Google search.

Gilt, Ideeli, HauteLook and RueLaLa offer daily sales that last up to 48 hours or when items are sold out. Gilt offers a bigger selection of high-end brands but items are still too expensive for my student budget so I visit Ideeli and RueLaLa more often. The discounts range so make sure the price tag is the lowest price on the web by searching on Google – a quick browse through the first few results would suffice.

My best deal to date was a multi-strand necklace of metal chains and black crystals from Ben Amun by Isaac Manevitz (pictured) that I bought recently from Ideeli. It sells for $295 retail, but I snagged it for only $65 – what a steal!

Below are my invitation codes for Gilt, Ideeli, RueLaLa and HauteLook. 

http://www.gilt.com/invite/jadawong

www.ideeli.com/invite/jadawong

http://www.ruelala.com/invite/jadawong

http://www.hautelook.com/invite/jwong

Happy shopping!