jewelry rocks

In London, the Art Rocks exhibit now on at Shizaru Gallery showcases some masterful jewelry, dark and light hearted.  It seems like London is way ahead of every other city in its embrace of jewelry as an art.

indian festival

While everyone else was presenting their pragmatically named pre-fall collections, Chanel made a grand show of its honorific Métiers d’Art collection, highlighting the exquisite work of the Lesage and Desrues ateliers (maisons of embroidery and jewelry respectively).

The Paris-Bombay show, as Karl called it, borrowed heavily from traditional Indian jewelry and clothing, with a nod to the counter-cultural impact India has had on the West, and an implied big handshake on the emerging global significance culturally-rich country.

images courtesy of Please! Magazine and Vogue.com

Definitely the best appropriation of Indian swag was for the guys.  There's something wonderful about seeing a man draped in jewelry.


You can get a taste of the labor-intensive craftsmanship behind these pieces in this sweet video:

saddlemaker turns jeweler

For the first joaillerie collection from the ultra-luxury brand Hermès, Parisian wunderkind Pierre Hardy has created a series of pieces based on the house's equestrian roots.

Rings and necklaces feature sculptural horse hooves cut from stones such as black jade, and a singular lariat necklace takes the form of whip encrusted with 3,669 diamonds.

The collection is currently making appearances in the capitals of Europe and Asia, touring like an exclusive group of rock stars, and ending finally in New York.  Like any good couture, you can have the piece you order customized.  So which one will it be?

panther x gold x christmas

Cartier has put out a new Christmas mini-film that's actually rather enchanting.

It stars none other than the Cartier mascot as the live panther pacing about a beautifully created, jewelry-studded winter wonderland.

diamonds of the grand diva

Only a couple of days left to stroll into Christie's New York gallery and get a close-up look at the haute joaillerie that spangled the life of Elizabeth Taylor.

Some are beautiful, some are just too much, but all are gem-encrusted masterpieces of craftsmanship, as demanded by Liz truly.

The best part?  You can try on everything.

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