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A lady with a love for literature and shiny things discusses books & bling.

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Slithering romance from Anthony Lent.

It’s not unusual for Anthony Lent‘s designs to be on my mind around Halloween. That dark fairy tale feeling of endless possibility that is my favorite part of the season is the same thing I love about so many of Lent’s pieces.

I know I’ve already done one Halloween post this year…but these are too perfect not to share with you and I can’t help that it happens to still be October.

Two stunning one of a kind snake rings by Anthony Lent.How gorgeous are these two new snake rings?

They’re true wearable art: wonderfully substantial, charismatic, bold, and irresistibly beautiful.  They’re big enough to be worth rocking as a right hand statement piece, or they’d curl gorgeously around a left ring finger for just the right bride or groom.

Anthony Lent Bespoke Twin Serpent ring with a pink Mahenge garnet and diamonds in 18k yellow gold.This beauty is the Anthony Lent bespoke twin serpent ring with a pink Mahenge garnet and diamonds in 18k yellow gold. Look at that texture, the warm, soulful contrast of garnet, gold and diamond! I could stare at this all day.

If you read my post from last year on snake jewelry, you know that these sinuous slitherers are pure romance when it comes to the symbolism. This garnet ring in particular would be almost unbearably romantic as a proposal piece for just the right love story.

Anthony Lent's Bespoke Fighting Vipers Ring in Platinum and 18k yellow gold with diamonds. A beautiful statement piece or engagement ring!If the garnet ring was too subtle for you…how about this one?  Look at the drama of this piece: can you feel the energy of those two intertwined serpents? It’s called the “Fighting Vipers” ring, but I’m not convinced that the passion between these two snakes is adversarial.

I’ve had the honor of trying on this piece, and let me tell you – those glorious snakes are 18K yellow gold and platinum, and they feel incredible on the finger. That huge, sparkling diamond doesn’t hurt either. A major power piece.

Images via Anthony Lent.

 Anthony Lent's Bespoke Fighting Vipers Ring in Platinum and 18k yellow gold with diamonds. Anthony Lent Bespoke Twin Serpent ring with Mahenge Garnet and diamonds in 18k yellow gold.

Influencers 101: how to work with jewelry bloggers.

If you’re a jewelry designer, store, or brand looking for extra publicity, getting attention from jewelry bloggers can be a great boost for your online presence. But how do you get jewelry bloggers to feature you?

There are no surefire ways to make sure that Influencers will want to spotlight your brand, but there are definitely some things you can do to increase your chances of being featured and to making sure you’ll be thrilled with those features when they go live.

Influencers 101 - How to work with jewelry bloggers.

Reach out.

Jewelry bloggers get tons of pitches every day from people looking to be featured. This kind of cold calling often goes nowhere…but sometimes it pays off, and when it pays off it can pay off big. If you think your designs are a good fit for a certain jewelry blogger’s audience, reach out and tell them so. It can’t hurt, and it just might work.

Make it easy.

If you’re doing an email intro, be sure to include at least a link to your website and/or Instagram if not actual photos, lookbooks, or Dropbox links to photos. If a blogger has to reply to your email and say “Okay, but what is the name of your brand?” there’s a 99.9% chance they’ll just hit delete instead.

Jewelry bloggers always need content. If you make your materials accessible, you’re halfway in the door already.

Invest time and/or money in photography.

Online Influencer content is a visual medium. If you don’t have attractive, professional looking photos at the ready, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Be organized.

There’s no better way to send images than with a link to a well-organized Dropbox folder. WeTransfers expire, zip files are unwiedly, and there’s nothing worse than getting a big batch of photos one attachment at a time in a big flood of individual emails.

Include a PDF in your Dropbox with identifying information on the pieces pictured and you’ll be every blogger’s dream come true.

Label everything clearly.

Do you know what I have in my Dropbox? Dozens and dozens of folders called “Diamonds in the Library.”

85% or more of the brands who send me images use my name or the name of my blog for the name of the folder.

I totally understand the logic here. You’re packaging up photos for me, why not label it with my name? But it makes it really hard for me to find your photos later if they’re just another one of my 62 or so folders called “Diamonds in the Library.”

I can’t say this enough times: the easier you make it for a jewelry blogger to feature you, the more likely they are to do so.

How to work with jewelry bloggers.Read More

VicenzaOro show recap: my Italian jewelry adventures!

Okay, my darlings. I’ve been home from Europe for a couple of weeks, which means I’ve caught up on sleep, unpacked my suitcase (sort of) and, most importantly, finished preparing my photos from the VicenzaOro show!!

This was my third VicenzaOro show, which means I was twice as excited to go back as I would have been if I didn’t know what was in store. From the luxurious, colorful velvet couches of the Roberto Coin boutique to the custom chocolate truffle flight I was offered by Casato and the ever-present glasses of prosecco, the Italian trade show experience definitely involves some pampering.

And then, of course, there’s the jewelry.

This handful of pure joy is the work of Casato, a new-to-me Italian brand who really impressed with me, both with their warm welcome (which involved chocolate) and their creative, gorgeously constructed jewelry.

I loved this line for its unusual color combinations and its perfect scale: larger than most just-for-fun stacking rings, but smaller than cocktail styles. I loved looking at these rings and their coordinating earrings. Such happy, fun designs.

Beautiful handmade earrings by Anna e Alex. Enamel with fabric. Last year at the VicenzaOro show, I fell in love with a carved lava dragon necklace by Italian brand Anna E Alex. This year, it was their statement earrings that knocked my socks off.

These bold beauties feature materials like silk and enamel and they’re specially made to be light as a feather, despite their size. They’re also a great price point, especially for how fabulous they are: a pair like this will set you back around $400.

I'm totally blown away by this brooch from Italian jewelry brand Carlo Berberis! Gemstone flowers with carved hardstone details and a tourmaline stem.Italian brand Carlo Barberis is one of the meetings I was the most excited about at this year’s VicenzaOro show, and they did not disappoint.

Can you believe this brooch??? The initial visual effect is stunning, but it gets more impressive the closer you look: the gently curving branches of this floral design are carved tourmaline, and the halo around the center of each bloom is carved hardstone. An exquisite, refreshingly creative design, gorgeously executed.

Two beautiful swan rings by Palmerio! Discovered at VicenzaOro.How about some swans? These two glamorous birdies are the work of Palmerio, a brand I’ve seen the VicenzaOro show but never had a chance to visit before.

I can’t look at these rings without thinking of Odette and Odile from Swan Lake. Neither of them struck me as particularly evil, but you never know.

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