The Statement Making Non-statement Necklace

Yesterday I wrote about a chunky chain link bracelet, so while we are on the topic of jewelry, let's talk about dainty, delicate necklaces...

Source

I've been really into chunky statement necklaces lately because it's an easy way to be a little fashion forward, or throw a bright pop of color into an otherwise conservative / boring / safe outfit.  When I'm not dressing up my outfits with an in your face necklace, I like to opt for something delicate that can make as huge of a statement as something flashy.

They are great alone, or layered for a more bohemian look. My favorites are delicate but unique, and I've discovered that Etsy is a great source to find delicate gold (or gold coated) necklaces at extremely affordable prices.

I love this pyrite and gold leaf necklace.  The gold colored stone is so cool, and I love that you can customize the charm with your initials!  It would be cute as a gift for yourself, or as a personalized gift for a friend!

ZionShore does a lot of pieces with quartz, and I love the small smokey beads on some of the pieces as much as I love the larger single set stones... so pretty

How adorable is this little cold coral charm necklace?!  The length of the chain is a bit longer (20") so its perfect for layering with shorter chains.  I've also been on a coral kick this year after making my Sea Fan shadowbox DIY earlier this year...

This next one isn't gold, but I love the patina on it from the brass.  This one would make such a cute gift for a friend who just moved to another state, and it isn't just made for Californians (although it is one of the most iconically shaped states).

Finally, a simple necklace that is as pretty as they come.  You could wear this to an interview, your wedding, on vacation, and running errands - a necklace you'de never take off.  So perfect.

What do you think?  Are you a statement necklace girl, or do you go for the delicate charms?

Chain Link Bracelet via Cupcakes and Cashmere

Is anyone else a huge of a fan of Emily Schuman - author of the popular blog (and now book), Cupcakes and Cashmere??

For those of you unfamiliar, go check out her blog immediately - you'll learn that she is pretty much the modern day Martha Stewart.  Wait, scratch that... a gorgeous, utterly fashionable, modern day version of Martha Stewart.  From home decor to personal style, cooking, or hunting thrift stores, she's your gal!

Anyway, before I get too off topic singing her praises, I've noticed an adorable micro-pave chain link bracelet that she often wears.

                                            Up close:

                               From a Distance:

This bracelet can be dressed up or down, and is a funkier, more modern take on the classic gold chain bracelet.  It's more chunky, and the pave stones make it unique.   It's pretty much love.

After lusting over it for a while now, I did a little hunting, and I finally found it... at JCrew of all places!!  They certainly aren't giving it away at $125, but I really do love it.  

What do you think - is it worth the splurge??

Dream Engagement Ring

Isn't this ring stunning... I mean STUNNING?!  Love!

Clearly I've got rings on the mind.  It's odd - I go through phases where I don't think about it, and then this wave of engagement fever hits! What's a girl to do?!  Clearly, a girl is to indulge in her obsessions a bit.

Over the past year, my tastes in rings have changed, and changed again... and changed again, but I think I've reached a point where I've settled on two engagement ring types that I love:
    - Ideal #1: Classic...
    - Ideal #2: Classic... with a twist

Ideal #1: Classic
What could be more classic than a round solitaire?  A round diamond has several benefits - one, the way the facets are cut, round diamonds outshine all other diamond shapes, proving to be the most sparkly...  awesome... what else?  Round diamonds also offer the largest surface area per carat of all cuts.  Super awesome!  As a girl who loves everything that glitters, would I settle for a plain band?  Of course not - so there it is... round diamond on a micropave diamond band. Simple, elegant, timeless, and yet... it brings a wow factor that is hard to beat!

         Classic Round Solitaire with micropave band:

     

             

        

        

Ideal #2: Classic with a Twist
Ok, I might need another cup of coffee on this sleepy Monday morning, but I swear this is a category!  I am not talking contemporary settings.  On the contrary, this "classic with a twist" is actually a blend of contemporary diamond cutting and vintage styles (halo settings actually became popular in the 1920's and 30's when glamorous art-deco aesthetic dominated the day).  Becoming popular again, I have sort of fallen in love with the revamped micropave halo setting.  I love them to frame either a very symmetrical cushion cut diamond, or a round stone.  As opposed to the more ornate vintage styles, I am drawn to the cleaner more contemporary halo's, thus the classic... with a twist... ha!

         Round Micropave Halo:
         
         
         
         


Cushion Micropave Halo:
         
         
         
         


So there we have it... a bit of diamond porn to start your week off!  And for any men looking for engagement ring inspiration and / or advice, print out this post, take it to a jeweler and start pricing these babies out!

Engagement Ring Guide Part I: Sparkle

Marilyn Monroe sang, "diamonds are a girl's best friend", and lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about the most important diamond a girl will receive... an engagement ring.  Most recently, I have been noticing lots of really different but amazing rings on other women and in the window's of my neighborhood jewelers that are not what I have traditionally liked.  I've been thinking about, how to save money when buying a diamond, what makes it most sparkly, and what the priorities should be...


Deciding to do some research, I think I have narrowed it down to my top "engagement ring essentials".  Because there is so much to learn and think about when buying a diamond, I wanted to break out these essentials into a series of posts to avoid an overwhelming amount of information.  It's really interesting and really helpful in terms of understanding priorities when you are looking since there are SO MANY options, so many things to weigh, and of course since it's costing several month's salary.


1.  SPARKLE:  Bigger is not better if the diamond doesn't shine.  This is not to say that I don't want a big rock flashing about on my left hand, but recently I have seen some women with very large stones, that are dull, and not very pretty.  I've never been a diamond expert, but wanting to know what causes this dullness, lack of sparkle, and even cloudy appearance, I've done some research...  The factors that most affect a diamond's sparkliness are CUT, SYMMETRY, DEPTH, and TABLE. 

• CUT: This one is pretty easy to remember - the better the cut, the more light enters the diamond (meaning more sparkly).  This is probably the most important part to getting a sparkly diamond, so ALWAYS go for  the best cut possible (either ideal, or excellent).  Anything below that, and you will be losing significant sparkle. 

                    

• SYMMETRY: This refers to specific aspects of a diamond's cut; with poor symmetry, light can be lost as it enters and exits the diamond - a good rule of thumb, symmetry and cut go hand in hand, so if you stick to an ideal/excellent cut, you will end up with good symmetry.  This diagram gives a good idea about how this works and why poor symmetry can be a BIG problem:

                  

• DEPTH: This is really a matter of quality control - if the diamond is too shallow or too deep, light is lost and the diamond looks dull - something really interesting that I learned was that a too deep diamond adds carat weight without looking bigger - shady!  The best diamonds are considered to range in depth percentage from 58% - 64%.  Be sure you specify this when looking and you'll be good.
• TABLE: Similar to depth - this is all in the cutting of a diamond, and is more mathmatical than anything; the ratio of the table width to diamond diameter and affects how much a diamond sparkles - the best diamonds range in table percentage from 53%-64%.  Stick to this, and you'll be fine.

So much to learn, so little time!!!  Next up, the how to maximize the impact of your diamond!