The collier de chien, or CDC, bracelet by Hermes is one of the house’s iconic designs. I have always loved the way it looks – chic, edgy, rocker chick. Generally, it is made of leather with the metal studs and closure.
When they came out with an all sterling version last spring, I was in love. Couldn’t wait to see it and try it on. Alas, when the day came, it did not love me back. For one thing, even the leather cuffs just looked bad on me. I have small wrists but it turned my forearm to my hand into one thick line. Not pretty. And the silver one wasn’t any better, and was quite fiddly to get on and off.
It isn’t for me, alas. But I still love the way it looks. On other people. (I borrowed this pic from one of my favourite blogs, www.luxuryobsessed.com, who took it from www.hermes.com.)
I love Schlumberger’s work – it’s lavish and rich and slightly over the top in the way that some of the best jewellery was in the middle of the last century. It makes me think of Lilly Pulitzer-clad ladies lounging by Florida pools and a woman in a turban and sleek ski pants in Gstaad.
This is perhaps one of the designer’s most famous pieces, an 18k and platinum ring with 16 diamonds interspersed with X’s for love. Sold through Tiffany, this model sells currently for Cdn $7,900. The ring is also available in all platinum, and with blue or pink sapphires. The diamond total carat weight of 1.18 stays the same no matter the ring size. I asked about that; in the smaller rings, the X’s are made fatter; in the larger ones, smaller – but the diamond weight stays the same.
Interestingly, there seem to be only three other designers Tiffany has allowed to sign their work: Paloma Picasso, Frank Gehry, and Elsa Peretti.
Even though this necklace has seen better days, I still think it is wonderful. Some of the stones have yellowed but the design still shines. Love the rectangular links of the chain, and the severe lines of the paste.
If I could find stones from the same period to replace the damaged one, at some point I would. But that’s unlikely and for now, it’s lovely just the way it is, age spots and all.
I am sure this necklace will give some people the creeps – I love it. It is the skeletal hands of a monkey cast in sterling silver. The site, goreydetails.net, has a variety of goth inspired jewelry (the curse of Ezekial pewter bracelet reminds me of the much, much more expensive Delfina Delletrez pieces I also like). Some a whimsical and fun and some are much darker.
I wish the site was a bit better organized (everything is organized by theme intead of purpose) but it’s fun to wander through it and see what’s there. A bit like a Halloween fun house. The necklace is a special order and $245; available at www.goreydetails.net
I am a big fan of the Hector Aguilar for Coro sterling jewelry. Many of his taller’s designs were used, with the Coro Made in Mexico circular stamp instead of the HA mark.
I love this lillies pin. I have not seen in person the same design with an Aguilar mark, but I would find it difficult to believe there are any differences. And the Coro one is available for much less than the Aguilar version. I have also seen these designs gilded (as with the flower I posted about previously).
Faberge is perhaps best known as a supplier to the Russian imperial family – amazing jewelry, semi-precious animals, picture frames, snuff boxes and of course, the well known Easter eggs that were a traditional annual family gift.
Came across this bracelet on the Sotheby’s site. It’s described as a “hinged bangle applied with floral and foliate motifs set with variously shaped gemstones including opals, emeralds, sapphires, pearls, rubies, turquoise, highlighted at intervals with rose-cut diamonds, to a matt gold ground, inner circumference 160mm, 56 Zolotnik mark, St Petersburg, work masters mark AH.”
Original auction estimate was 10,000-15,000 GBP; it sold for 16,875 GBP March 19, 2009. Photo is from Sotheyby’s.
Strictly speaking, not a jewel, but an incredibly luxe way to transport them. These handcrafted bags used to be de rigeur for wealthy ladies on the go. The top half functions like a purse and the bottom snaps open to reveal a velvet lined tray for carrying precious baubles. This one is made of fine box calf with gold plated fittings and a lock and key for the top and bottom sections. I believe it dates from the late 1950s. It is still possible to find them in excellent condition at auctions and through high end vintage dealers. They were also made by other manufacturers as train cases, or jewel cases.
I can just picture the original owner in a chic fitted suit and matching gloves and hat, hurrying to catch a train or plane somewhere, with her most important jewels in tow.
I read that Alicia Keys has collaborated with a jewellery designer on a new line, called The Barber’s Daughters. Opened up on the splash page to see this necklace and thought …. hmmmm. Pretty. But it immediately reminded me of very similar work by Jeanine Payer, who also uses sterling silver, hand engraving of poems and semi-precious stones.
Clicked on the description of this necklace to find that Alicia and company had also copied an oft used verse by Rumi that appears on a lot of Jeanine Payer’s jewellery. Suddenly, I’m not liking the Barber’s Daughters at all. Surely they could have come up with their own way of making these designs unique instead of stealing both the words and the look of an established, successful competitor.
You can argue that there is a lot of “inspired by” in fashion and that many designers engrave their pieces similarly, but to me, this is outright theft of an idea and a distinctive design look. Too bad. The Barber’s Daughters piece is shown below. For Jeanine Payer’s work, click on a link on the right. What do you think?
I love how sculptural this piece is and the use of mixed media of sterling silver and cord (Goretex, according to the web site). This is by artist Jill Platner and is available at Barneys New York for $2100. See more of her jewellery at www.barneys.com.
If I ever win the lottery, I’d like to have this (is that so wrong)? I frequently “window shop” the goodies at Dover Jewelry and this ring has long caught my eye. They describe it as , “this platinum Art Deco bypass ring features two stunning Asscher cut diamonds graded H color/ VS clarity weighing an estimated 2.25ct each, 5.50ct total. Either shoulder is channel set with five diamond baguettes graded G color/ VS clarity weighing an estimated 0.50ct total.”
And it’s even my size – ring finger, that is. At $32,000, my bank balance? Not so much. But if it fits your bank balance, it’s available at www.doverjewelry.com.
