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Show me something more.

July 14, 2017

Dear jewelry industry,

We need to talk about your love of skinny white models.

Pretty much the only time I see someone my size modeling fine jewelry on the internet is when I take a selfie – unless, of course, someone’s doing a “look at this brave plus sized model!” feature where the cover girl happens to be wearing jewelry.

It took me years to start regularly sharing my picture online, mostly because I feel like my image doesn’t fit into what is generally acknowledged as preferable for public consumption. So many other women are made to feel the same way, whether it’s because of their size or skin color or hair or wrinkles or because they wear a headscarf or use a wheelchair.

This is bullshit and I’m tired of it.

I have a request for you, jewelry industry. The next time you’re trying to find the right skinny white 20 year old for your ad campaign, please think again. Be brave enough to ignore what everyone else is doing, and show us something more.

If your jewelry editorials offer something more than the usual harmful sameness – especially if you feature models of color, or models who are older or bigger or unretouched – please pitch me.

xoxo,
Becky

Highlights of JCK Las Vegas 2017.

July 6, 2017

That’s right – I have another Vegas recap post ready for you!! Today, we’re going to look at some of my favorite glittering sights from the mammoth JCK Las Vegas trade show.

JCK Las Vegas, if you’re not familiar with it, is one of the major trade shows that anchor Jewelry Market Week in Las Vegas. JCK is so vast, it’s almost more like a city of small trade shows than one big one. The show is divided into neighborhoods where exhibitors are organized in various ways, from the up and coming designers in the Rising Stars to the ultra glam of the Luxury section and a hundred more distinctions. I could have spent a whole week there and not seen everything.

That said: I did see quite a few things at JCK, and so many of them are worth sharing with you! Let’s dive in.

I was so excited to see what new treasures Omi Prive was showing at JCK Las Vegas that I showed up to my 4 pm appointment with them at 10 am. Because the Omi Prive team is wonderful, they rolled with it and handed over the goods even though I was a full 6 hours early.

Just look at these rings! You would have shown up 6 hours early, too.

Here’s a closer look at this glorious Omi Prive opal behemoth. Goodness gracious. I know I had it on my hand, but it still blows me away, even in photos.

It won’t shock you to learn that this beauty is an award-winner.

Rahaminov Diamonds was another JCK Las Vegas stop I was very excited to make. I’d been pining for these earrings, ever since I saw them on my friend Ben’s Instagram months earlier. I loved them so much I’d already featured them in Instore Magazine, even before seeing them in person.

What’s the big deal with these? They use carre cut diamonds, an unusual cut that you don’t see much in pieces like this. They don’t sparkle as aggressively as another cut of this size would, but I think their sharp angles and clean facets are irresistible, especially in these sleek bezel settings. I’m wearing two separate pairs here, one dangling trio of carre cuts and one three carat stud. I was expecting to love the dangles more, but I think those giant studs have my heart (video here).

The Rahaminov Diamonds necklace I have on is worth mentioning, too! What a stunner.

In addition to their exceptional stones, Rahaminov Diamonds is known for their flower designs. It’s not hard to understand why, while looking at this beauty.

Please consider that shower of light to be concrete evidence of these diamonds’ superlative quality. See it in action here.

From incomparable diamond classics to the cutting edge of design, we’re going to look next at one of my favorites from the Rising Stars section of JCK Las Vegas, which is dedicated to up and coming brands.

A lot of designers are doing interesting work, but little h is one whose ideas I would describe as truly innovative. She creates “pearl geodes” by cutting open pearls in various ways and setting their insides with diamonds, gems, or even smaller pearls. It creates an otherworldy effect that’s just not like anything else out there.

You can see a video of these rings on my Instagram.

I don’t care much about pearls in a general way: they just don’t get me excited. But I’d wear any piece of little h’s, anytime, anywhere. Just look at this bonanza of color and texture. You know you love it.

Say hello to Store 5a.

July 3, 2017

I hope you’re ready to add another website to your jewelry browsing rotation, my dears, because STORE 5a and its ever-expanding selection of pre-loved treasures is not to be missed.

STORE 5a is a vintage, overstock and pre-owned jewelry store that curates luxury items, restores them, and then offers these treasures to you spectacular prices.

They have a diverse selection of pieces ranging from under $50 to over $10,000, but where I think they really shine is in the category of everyday luxury. High quality pieces you can wear every day, made affordable by their pre-owned status but still fine enough to provide years of adornment for a new owner.

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You know me well enough by now to know my favorite of this trio is the one in the middle – but the two amethyst pendants are so lovely, too! They’re distinctive, but simple enough that they would go with almost anything.

When I worked in an office I had a rotation of go-to everyday necklaces that these would have fit into perfectly.

Unlike many stores that choose to dabble in pre-loved jewelry, STORE 5a’s ties to the jewelry industry are deep and strong: STORE 5a’s director Jesse Johnson’s family owns the highly-respected Ohio jewelry institution, the Diamond Cellar. When STORE 5a tells you about a piece of jewelry they’re offering, there’s major knowledge behind that description.

In fact, STORE 5a’s origin story is directly tied to Johnson’s experience at the Diamond Cellar. In his own words:

I was interning at my family’s jewelry store, the Diamond Cellar, [when] I noticed all of the vintage and pre-owned jewelry their customers were looking to sell. Many of these pieces were beautiful and had such a rich history. Pieces like this posed a real problem for many customers. They were too dangerous or difficult to sell on eBay but were worth more than just their weight in gold.

After looking into it, I asked if I could begin buying and selling this jewelry online. With Diamond Cellar’s expert watch and jewelry shop, appraisal team and buying staff, we had everything we needed to help customers buy and sell jewelry in a safe and trustworthy environment.”

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Because STORE 5a purchases each piece of jewelry outright rather than just serving as a third-party sales platform like eBay, they’re able to take advantage of their experienced workshop’s ability to clean and refurbish each piece thoroughly before offering it for sale.

You don’t have to worry about fakes, repros, or damaged pieces masquerading as ready-to-purchase stock here: the jewelry that STORE 5a offers is refreshed and ready for its new life in your jewelry box.

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