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

What I’m reading: Vol. 89.

What I'm reading

What I’m reading:

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. I don’t often like contemporary romance novels, but I think I’ve just been reading the wrong ones. This book rocks.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. I just read one short story from this compilation after a friend sent me this article. The one story is incredible: haunting and eerie and deeply true. It made me want to read the whole rest of the book.

Internets:

There’s some good advice in here: How to Deal With Sexual Harassment WHILE It’s Happening.

Tiny, cameo-style portraits of monsters. This is as amazing as it sounds.

Audrey Hepburn’s tiara has been sold at Christie’s.

Pomelllato’s 50 year anniversary collection spotlights hard stones, and I’m all about it.

Look At Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren Killing It At Paris Fashion Week.

Jewelry worn by ‘the real Lady Chatterley’ comes to auction.

Thanks to JCK Magazine for spotlighting me in their roundup of favorite Instagrams from VicenzaOro 2017!


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Spooky cool ghoul jewels by Sofia Zakia

When I was younger, I loved October because that meant it was time for my favorite seasonal accessories: the super cheep, utterly cheesy, plastic Halloween jewelry I’d buy from Claire’s at my local mall. I dreamed of someday owning a different pair of Halloween earrings for each day of October.

I know a little more about jewelry now, but I still love Halloween just as much and I’ve never found a fine jewelry equivalent of those silly, delightfully silly Halloween baubles from Claire’s.  At least, https://diamondsinthelibrary.com/tag/sofia-zakia/not until Sofia Zakia released her limited edition Halloween jewelry collection a couple of weeks ago.

Sofia Zakia's ghost necklace in yellow gold with diamond eyes!! Too cute.These pieces embody everything I love about Halloween. They’re whimsical, clever, adorable, glamorous, and just a little bit magical.

The knife, the ghostie, and the ghoul from Sofia Zakia's Halloween Horror fine jewelry collection.

The little zombie – the “Ghoul with a Heart of Gold” is one of the most original tiny pieces of jewelry I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how he manages to be so adorable. What a perfect gift for any horror fan.

The creepy and beautiful sutures ear climber and ring from Sofia Zakia's limited edition Halloween horror collection.These are the sutures ear climber and ring: inspired by the way that surgical stitches look in the human body.  Creepy? Maybe. But it’s impossible to deny how cool they look.

Precious ghouls and ghosties from the Sofia Zakia Halloween Horror collection.

I love them all!! I think the first ghost is my favorite…I’ve actually decorated the tree in my front yard with something similar (although they don’t have diamond eyes).

The majority of Sofia Zakia’s Halloween Horror collection are limited edition – they’re only available until Halloween itself, October 31st. So if you love these as much as I love them, you should buy them immediately.

Photos c/o Sofia Zakia.

The spooky and beautiful sutures ring from Sofia Zakia's limited edition Halloween horror collection. This piece is inspired by stitches. Ruby with diamonds in yellow gold. The spooky and beautiful sutures ring from Sofia Zakia's limited edition Halloween horror collection. This piece is inspired by stitches. Ruby and diamonds in yellow gold. The spooky and beautiful sutures ring from Sofia Zakia's limited edition Halloween horror collection. Ruby with diamonds in yellow gold. The only thing that's spooky about this yellow gold Ghostie ear stud frm Sofia Zakia's Halloween Horror collection is how adorable it is! The Ghoul with a Heart of Gold charm from Sofia Zakia's Halloween Horror collection! Yellow gold with rubies. This is the cutest zombie necklace I've ever seen. Sofia Zakia's ghost necklace in yellow gold with diamond eyes!! Too cute. The bloody knife pendant from Sofia Zakia's Halloween Horror collection.Yellow gold with red enamel. The creepy and cool sutures ear climber from Sofia Zakia's limited edition Halloween horror collection. This is spooky glam at its finest!

Happy 40th anniversary to Hunt Country Jewelers!!

Please join me in wishing a happy 40th anniversary to one of my very favorite family owned jewelry stores, Hunt Country Jewelers!

Why Hunt Country’s 40th matters to you:

  1. They’re delightful and it’s heartwarming.
  2. They’re celebrating by having an ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE SALE of their gorgeous handmade jewelry.

What you’re seeing in the window is part of Carolyn of Hunt Country’s famous Halloween decorations: they’re always Harry Potter-inspired and a source of great local pride. (Carolyn and Logan are the second generation of Cutshalls to run the store, although founding couple Ed and Claire are still very involved, both in the business and production side.)

Seeing that Halloween window for myself is part of why I decided to drive an hour into Virginia’s picturesque wine country to take these pictures myself, even though I had just come home from Paris and Carolyn offered to save me the trip by sending me images.

The biggest reason, though? I love being there.

Hunt Country Jewelers in beautiful Purcellville, VA.HCJ itself is a beautiful, open-hearted sanctuary of a place. Big, bright windows, elegant displays, and the nicest people you will ever meet.

Half of the customers who stopped by were greeted by name and the other half were treated just as warmly. It is everything that is wonderful about small businesses.

Ed of Hunt Country Jewelers carving wax for a large custom project 1979.

Part of what makes Hunt Country Jewelers so special is that they really do handle every aspect of their production themselves: they import their gemstones directly from a contact in South Africa, cut the gems in house, carve original designs from wax, and every other step up to and including the final polishing. (See one of their custom pieces come to life in video here.)

The image above shows Ed, half of the original founding Hunt Country couple, carving a large block of wax for a custom project in 1979. Hunt Country Jewelers still uses the same techniques as they did in the 1970’s – and in some cases, the exact same equipment.

Hunt Country’s designs have won multiple AGTA Spectrum Awards and placed in the International Pearl Competition; they’ve even patented a new gemstone cut.

Loudoun County, VA, is known for its wineries today, but it has historically been a center of the region’s fox hunting tradition. Hunt Country Jewelers offers a variety of fox-inspired pieces for those who may love the romance of fox hunting culture but don’t want to hunt anything alive.

This gorgeously crafted fox brooch is one of my favorites. There are also simpler (and very affordable) pieces that use the motif of the fox’s head as a pendant or stud earrings.

The best part about a jewelry store that’s owned by a family of gem-importing lapidaries is, of course, the gemstones. Even a modest piece of rough becomes extraordinary when it’s cut by someone with as much experience as the Cutshalls.

When you take those stunning stones and put them in Hunt Country’s signature settings, the airy but substantial goldwork elevates these individual parts into wholes that are truly exceptional.

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