Hello again, my dears!
I’ve got a fun one for you today – a recent(ish) find that I’ve been keeping to myself because I’ve been having too much fun wearing it to remember to take it off and write about it. I’d like you to meet my new favorite versatile statement necklace, the Éclat necklace in cobalt by JY Jewels.
The beauty of this piece is that it’s so bright and transformative: I’ve layered it with a chunky gold mesh collar for a night out and I’ve lent it to my sister to wear for a job interview with a conservative skirt and blouse. The bright crystals, carefully set in rhodium-plated settings, reflect light in a brilliant but not garish way.
Now, colored crystal rivière necklaces certainly aren’t something that’s never been seen before, but the quality that sets JY Jewels’ pieces apart. Each crystal is bright, clean, and precisely set. The construction of these necklace – which shows careful planning – ensures that the drape of the piece is consistent, keeping it in an arc no matter what, and ensuring that the crystals are placed for maximum sparkle and visibility no matter how you move as you wear it.
It’s been a fabulous addition to my personal jewelry wardrobe.
The JY Jewels Éclat necklace is available in a variety of colors and metals. I chose cobalt crystal in gold for mine, and now I want to collect them all to make glittering layered rainbows on myself. It actually reminds me a bit of Anna Wintour’s signature style of layering Georgian rivière necklaces, a style recently worn to great effect by Lupita Nyong’o in Fred Leighton jewels.
A Brandt and Son had one of the best in-store selections of midrange Art Deco engagement rings I’ve seen anywhere. The kind that the majority of people will actually be able to afford: bigger than a twinkle but smaller than a boulder, and with plenty of knee-weakening detail. But I admit I’m biased; 
One of my favorite things about A Brandt and Son is that they really did have excellent examples of pieces from all categories, from the most accessible – classic Art Deco engagement rings – to the unusual, like this Victorian skeleton key pendant.
One of the best man-in-the-moon rings I’ve ever seen!
My very favorite part – which I love even more than the small marquise stones on the sides and the stunning 4.72 carat center stone – is the perfect, diamond-set ribbonlike design of the shank, culminating in the perfect criss cross on the bottom. This kind of dynamic, static design that feels like it’s in motion is a signature look for Sterlé.