UNIFORM studio strand necklace

bought one of these today
it'll make a nice gift, i think

hannah clark secrets necklace

went to nyc again yesterday with matthew and bought myself a necklace at hannah clark's shop and studio in the east village. when worn, the two hands clasp, concealing an embedded piece of bone. i love the length of the necklace and the way the two hands dangle. hannah was very approachable and friendly. her shop is tiny and filled with beautiful jewelry, ashley watson handbags (discovered via lena corwin), drawings, vintage watches, and a dog with the most adorable underbite.



these lion earrings are so sweet. they remind me of something henri rousseau would paint.



if i could redo my wedding set, i would have it done in this setting in rose gold with a matching band. i love the twig-like texture of the metal. considering how much work goes into these pieces, i was surprised by how reasonable her prices were.



a set of custom wedding bands.

fear of accessories

J Crew button down shirt--$59
Earnest Sewn Keaton--$80
Henry Cuir handbag--$600 (marked down from $1100 at Barneys summer sale last year)


(new painting from vietnam, finally framed)


i'm not one to accessorize. i have my watch and my rings. sometimes i wear my tagua nut necklace from ecuador. the pearls are too nice to be worn everyday. i also bought a chunky turquoise bracelet in vietnam. i have several scarves, but that's for the cold season. i even have several nice handbags, but i usually use a beat-up canvas tote bag. i have earrings, but what i really want is a nice simple pair of interesting gold or diamond studs.

so, this morning i decided to throw in a shot of one of my bags. but still, i feel like there's something missing. maybe i should find my necklace and put it on? i need some help in the accessories department. i don't want to buy a lot of fashion jewelry because i hate accumulating more things than i can wear. but surely there's some way to complete my outfit with a classic accessory that won't bore me in the long run?

emily of Emily Style is always so good at accessorizing. i love the variety of looks, but i need something that will work with pretty much everything i own. my gut instincts is to go with something from Tiffany's, maybe another piece from the Gehry collection? but i'd much rather support independent designers.

so, recently i discovered how wonderful hannah clark's jewelry is. she's a parson's grad who has a shop in the east village. her website is so uninformative, aside from a few tanatalizing images. she does custom work, and i really appreciate the 'handmade' look to her pieces, especially the snake ring.

kimono necklace, oxidized silver and 14K gold--$255 (all jewelry from www.thisisauto.com)



oxidized silver rosebud on 14K chain--$160


Ouroborus ring, 18K gold with diamonds--$500 (another unusual engagement ring/wedding band option).

i wish i knew more independent fine jewelry designers. it's very important that whatever i buy is gold, with the occasional melee diamond, and extremely well-made (i.e. close to heirloom quality). does anyone have a good recommendation?

wedding ring

i am the last person in the world who should be posting about jewelry. BUT, i think this is a wonderful wedding band/engagement ring option for people who are a bit whimsical. it's so hard to find a modern floral design.

Garden Ring, hand-fabricated in yellow or white gold (designer unknown, i saw it at Stuart Moore in Newport Beach) --$2400-3500, available from www.oldgoldjewelry.com

why some people don't deserve expensive jewelry

shit, did i chip this diamond? in two places? they are not, contrary to de beers, forever. and they do break, especially if there are inclusions or thin girdles that make the stone particularly vulnerable when struck against a piece of furniture.

i keep telling myself it isn't my fault. maybe i did hit the ring against the desk, but why is it chipped in two, possibly three, different places? how could one little person do so much damage? i hate you diamond.

in preparation for my vietnam trip

In about a week and a half, I will be in Hanoi. My travel plans are pretty flexible. I need to be in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City, or HCMC) by April 3 to return to Los Angeles. Needless to say, I'm a bit scared out of my wits, having never traveled alone, especially in a country where I can't speak the language or even fake it like in Ecuador. To make myself feel better, I bought a couple things in preparation for the trip.

Exhibit A:
Dace Molly Rain Jacket. The fabric seems like it might actually repel water. I wish the hood were detachable, but otherwise, I'm quite satisfied.




Exhibit B:
A wedding band by Gabriella Kiss, 14 kt rose-gold with the word "AMOR" engraved in a very spaced-out fashion. I'm not really into inscriptions on jewelry (although I do have a Tiffany silver heart charm bracelet with my name engraved on it. if you're going to be silly and own such a thing, you might as well go all the way). And I'm really not a heart person, either. But somehow it works for me. Plus, it fits perfectly and will be difficult to lose while traipsing about Saigon. Hopefully I won't be harassed or seen as a conspicuous pickpocket target. I don't think my wedding band and engagement ring are particularly eye-catching, but maybe in Vietnam they would be a liability.

new ring

Frank Gehry for Tiffany & Co. Brushed sterling silver, size 7 (you really do have to size up for these wider rings, that finger measures 6)

So I just happened to be in the Tiffany's at the Copley Mall a month ago and was wandering around chatting with the salespeople and admiring the remodeling job, which had doubled the floor space. I ended up trying on a bunch of different diamond rings. The Lucida was a bit of a disappointment size-wise, although the x-prong is really lovely and they nailed the proportions. But anyway, I tried on a ring (the diamond cut is called "Lucida" but is like a modified princess-cut), and thought it was around .75 carats. Wrong. It was actually 1.05 cts. I guess I'm so used to sizing differences in round brilliants and these square cuts are a completely different matter. I also tried on their antique cut solitaire, which was altogether too froo-froo for me, but I guess some people like that histrionic Edwardian stuff. All I can think about is "Titanic" and those heaving bosoms. Yikes. Anyway, I completely fell in love with their three-stone Lucida, which as side bezel-set diamonds, which I think really makes the ring. But, as we all know, Tiffany's is ridiculously overpriced and one could easily pirate the design and have it made elsewhere. Imitation as flattery or what? There are only so many possibilities in ring design, unless one ventures into bizarre territory, and I'm fairly content with mine in terms of style. But if I ever went for the three-stone thing (For your Past, Present, and Future, crappity-crap), I'd want something in the spirit of the Lucida, but maybe even more streamlined.

By the way, if you're in the market for diamonds, check out www.pricescope.com. I've spent too many hours on this site, learning about diamonds that I'll never be able to afford, and pondering the meanings behind this industry. I'm a convert, to be sure, but skeptical because I'm so poor.


Lucida three-stone ring--$40,000
Gehry ring--$240

To hide my shame because people like me shouldn't be trying on rings at places like Tiffany's, I bought the cheaper option. I'm much too easily swayed by stores like these, where the salespeople are extra-friendly and the selling happens without them lifting a finger.

Maybe in 30 years when I'm finally earning $80,000, I'll buy something nicer for myself. Until then, sterling silver designed by an architect is not too shabby.