BAFTA's 2015 Jewellery

The 2015 BAFTAs were a wee bit disappointing in the jewellery stakes.... it was nice to see some pearls on the red carpet, ostensibly because Yoko of London was a sponsor of the night, but there was the typical slide back into diamonds for any jewellery of note.   Here are some of the highlights...

Above, to start our diamond love fest is the elegant Julianne Moore in Chopard diamonds.

And below.... Alice Eve in a long line of diamonds and Charlotte Riley wearing an opal, diamond and Tahitian pearl ring by Yoko of London and Edith Bowman wearing Yoko London's South Sea Pearl drop earrings:

Felicity Jones wearing one of the rare spots of colour - ruby and diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels and Holliday Grainger in one of the few necklaces on the night, albeit diamonds:

Julie Walters looking divine - I will forgive diamonds with her sparkling silver dress!    Pearl bracelets by Yoko London on Kara Tointon ... and Kristen Scott-Thomas made up for the lack of colour with size!:

Monica Belluci and Patricia Arquette in yet more diamonds... and Romola Garai in more South Sea Pearls by Yoko London:  

Rosamund Pike in Bulgari - emerald and diamonds and a diamond bracelet, Sophie Hunter in ... you guessed it ... diamonds... and in a rare spot of bright colour, Sunrise Coigney who donned green peridot earrings:

Any favourites?

Academy Awards are only just over a week away, anything you're hoping to see down that red carpet?

Till next,
Annette :)

Red Carpet Jewellery from the Golden Globes

Given my recent post on jewellery trends for 2015, I was looking forward to seeing the jewels down the red carpet at the first Awards ceremony this year - the Golden Globes.

The Globes tends to be a slightly less dressy affair than say the Oscars or Cannes, so I wasn't expecting amazing things, but I really must say to the stylists responsible... PLEASE get out of the diamond stud/single drop diamond frame of mind.  It is time to move ON!!

That being said, there were some lovely jewels amongst the boring....and without further ado I will start with the woman many say was the best dressed down the red carpet - Emily Blunt (pic at top).  With her simple almost Grecian style chiffon dress that fell effortlessly around her, the beautiful blue paraiba tourmaline and diamond floral earrings (and bracelet) by Lorraine Schwartz (worth over $2million!) were a welcome spot of colour.

Also following the nature trend were these rather fabulous diamond feather earrings by Boucheron, worn by Salma Hayek.  (Although personally I would have foregone the floral headpiece).

Kate Gorney went with these massive diamond encrusted leaves for earrings - they look so heavy though!

And Catherine Zeta Jones and Diane Kruger had floral inspired diamond earrings (Catherine's earrings by H. Stern and Diane's by Kwait).

On the wrap/serpentine trend the most photographed necklace on the night must have been Naomi Watt's Bulgari necklace.

And a more subtle variation on the serpentine theme, was Amy Poehler's red carpet necklace of diamond and pearl by Beladora.

Inspired by the Pantone colour of the year and its associated tonal shades...

Winner of the Globe of the night, Joanna Froggatt wore ruby and diamond rose gold earrings by Italian jewellers Casato.

Anna Kendrick in her Fred Leighton ruby and diamond earrings.... (do you think they look like raspberries, or is it just me!?) ....

And Helen Mirren in 9 carats of ruby and 3 carats of diamonds in her earrings by Chopard

On the vintage trend were Sienna Miller's diamond earrings by Tiffany ...

Lorde's Neil Lane collar,

...and Jennifer Aniston's Neil Lane earrings in black and gold

Looking for the yellow gold trend we have Miss Golden Globes for 2015, Greer Grammer, in diamond and gold earrings by Neil Lane, although white gold, platinum and silver far outweighed its yellow counterpart this night.

Geometric themes showed up in the ears of Julia Louis-Dreyfus (by Irene Neuwirth), 

and Anna Farris in her Lorraine Schwartz white diamond fold earrings.

The coloured stone trend made an appearance too, noticeably in the form of ....

the Chopard earrings of briolette cut amethysts (30cts), cushion shaped peridots (8cts) and brilliants (3cts) set in 18k white gold, worn by Lupita Nyong'o,

the sapphire earrings by Harry Winston, worn by Cindy Crawford,

the lapis lazuli earrings worn by Maura Tierney,

the hematite and diamond earrings by Dove by Doron Paloma,  worn by Melissa McCarthy,

the emerald slice earrings by Kimberly McDonald worn by Leslie Mann,

AND the amazing labradorite ensemble by Irene Neuwirth, worn by Amy Poehler while presenting.

Whilst the linear earring is not a predicted trend, quite a few pairs appeared on the red carpet.

Jessica Chastain in Piaget...

Kate Beckinsdale in Lorraine Schwartz blackened gold and champagne diamonds...

Amal Almuddin in Harry Winston...

And Jennifer Lopez in Lorraine Schwartz platinum mesh earrings.

In the "classics" section belong Jane Fonda in Bulgari and Lily Tomlin in their diamonds (my goodness, what genes Jane Fonda must have to look that fantastic!!)

Laura Prepon in Jacob and Co diamonds.

Zosia Mamet in a simple strand of Harry Winston diamonds.

And finally, Juliana Marguiles looking regal in her Bulgari diamonds.

So, what do you think.... what was your favourite down the red carpet?

Annette :)

2015 Jewellery Trend Predictions

Clockwise from top left.... examples of - rainbow and geometric (multi sapphire earrings) , layered necklace (lapis, Peruvian amazonite & iolite necklace) , wrap bracelet (prehnite, rose quartz and pearl wrap bracelet), geometric (onyx frame earrings), coloured stone and slim rings (peridot ring),  multistrand necklace (hematite necklace), vintage inspired and geometric clasp on a multistrand red hued necklace (red coral and garnet necklace), geometric, yellow gold and pink hues (rose quartz earrings).

Professional jewellery organisations around the world have been full of chatter about what will be “in” in 2015….to save you the time, I’ve summarised the most  predicted trends for you…

Statement necklaces -   whilst earrings once again reigned supreme in 2014, necklaces will finally take back their spot as a statement piece for 2015.   Yay! Don’t be held back by fashion rules for necklaces … if you like it, wear it!

Necklaces that you can layer – either multistrand necklaces that give you the layered look instantly – or multiple single necklaces worn together.  

Wrap bracelets for that layered look – with an emphasis on charms, gemstone, metal and leather. 

Statement cuffs – particularly embellished metals.

Rings that stack – the layering look continues to the hand – particularly multiple slim styles creating a big ring look.

Coloured stones – whilst coloured diamonds are the province of the rich and famous, coloured gemstones of all type will appeal to those whose wallets aren’t quite that large!

Motifs from the 1960s and 70s.   With the runways heavily inspired by these two decades, accessories featuring geometric shapes (circles, squares, zigzags) and bohemian themes (owls, beads, feathers, fringes) will go with these fashions.

Rainbows – a personal favourite of mine, rainbows will continue to be popular this year with  colourful patterns, trios of hues and multiple colours with one particular colour brought to the forefront.

Vintage designs.  Whilst they don’t have to be vintage themselves, designs that are inspired by vintage themes and shapes will continue to be popular in new jewellery.

Yellow Gold – with a drop in price (somewhat!) making the metal more affordable over the last year or so, and a trend on the runways for yellow… this mellow metal is set to become more popular in 2015.  

Pantone’s colour of the year, Marsala, is a kind of soft wine gravy colour … not that inspiring for jewellery lol, however on the colour wheel, the colours surrounding Marsala are appealing – think soft pinks, lavenders, purples and reds.  

Are you looking forward to any of these trends making an appearance?

A trunk show and a new handmade market at Scone

After a couple of months away from the face to face of shows while I concentrated on new stock and designs, I’m back in the midst of it all and loving it!

I had a home trunk show a week ago with a group of ladies who had only previously seen my jewellery on the hostess. They weren't shy though and snapped up many items – even having issues over the ownership of one bracelet! This sort of show is so much fun with ladies trying things on, comparing them on each other, having a chat and a glass of something bubbly!

Yesterday I attended the inaugural Scone Homegrown + Handmade market. It had great plans of being a stylish outdoor event at the Kerv Café, but the weather gods had other ideas!

I’m about 1 hour and 40 minutes drive west of Scone and was not overjoyed to hear rain at around 2am, particularly when I realised it wasn’t a storm and didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Nevertheless I got up at 4.30am checked the radar and saw that Scone was indeed dry however the rain band was heading there. With my trusty helper Trista aboard we set off around 5.30am into the rain and bound for Scone. The rain got heavier and I hoped that some wet weather alternative may have been made – otherwise all we’d be up for was a well deserved coffee and a long drive home!

The rain continued steadily – not sheeting down, but not exactly drizzling either. On arrival at around 7am there was a bunch of slightly bedraggled and tired stall holders wondering what to do. The organiser, the lovely Amelia from The Event Storeroom offered those with non-food products a small space inside the Café which I gratefully accepted. We all appeared to be set up by around 8.30am and it was certainly “cosy”!

Amazingly, people braved the weather and came to see us all (even those who decided to shelter with their goods under the cover in the outdoor area) and buy.

Being cosy was actually fun (apart from needing to dodge around everyone) as it gave the stallholders an opportunity to network, admire and buy each other’s items which you often don’t have time for at a regular show.

I had the chance to chat to my close neighbours - the warm and talented Emma of Elliepants who is making my girls some endless scarves for winter, the outgoing Tracy from Lilibits & Pieces who I got to chat about jewellery with and the vivacious Bec from Audrey Anne who was experiencing her first market and I know she’ll do well ... even Trista and I couldn’t help ourselves and bought something of hers!

I managed to taste some of Hunter Belle’s fantastic cheese, the delicious Lincoln Red Beef Direct (the best “burger” I’ve had in years!) the lighter than light macarons from Sweet Project and the tasty hot chocolate of the Kerv Café all whilst admiring the beautiful flowers from Stem. (Living in the country often means that the only fresh flowers you see are the ones you’ve grown – so in my house its roses or nothing).

There were many other stallholders and I was very impressed with the amount of talented people that Amelia had located and brought together for the event. Given fair weather I have high hopes for the next Homegrown + Handmade in June!

Next weekend I have the Dunedoo Show (24th March), the following weekend is the Mendooran Show (31st March) and then Easter Saturday (7th April) is the Mudgee Makers Market, so you see its all go, go, go!

Photo at top is pair of sterling, tourmaline and peridot earrings that sold at the trunk show last week.

A busy November...

OK, how did it get so busy all of a sudden. There I was, in post-holiday glow, enjoying slowly getting back in to things and then BAM all of a sudden I have so much on, bespoke orders and pieces to rejuvinate into something else and am surrounded by gems, pearls and all things gorgeous. (Of course, I cope admirably with being surrounded by all the pretties!)

I haven't forgotten about the Italian diaries - I just haven't had time to refine them, but I'll get there eventually :)

The show at Muswellbrook was great fun. It was a manageable drive over there (even if we got home after midnight) there were many other stall holders with different items and the organisers were lovely. A few ladies were thrilled with some new jewels for summer and I think I will be warmly welcomed back in that district.

The "Balabudgee" garden weekend was extraordinary - sublime weather, a garden that all at once made me feel inspired and depressed (inspired because it looks achievable... and depressed because I just know that I won't do it!!), and such genial hosts. It was busy with people both days and lots of lovely ladies got to take home quite a bit of new jewellery with them!

I had planned to attend TAS last weekend (The Armidale School's Spring Fair) but unfortunately one of my girls came down with high temps and a headache the evening before and it just wasn't possible to leave her with someone else the next day when she felt like that. Hubby was off at the NSW Aerobatic Championships in Temora so couldn't be on dad duty. But that's what happens I guess. On a high note, hearty congratulations to my hubby who is now the NSW Aerobatic Champion! Woohoo :D

I have a busy show schedule for November - the Dunedoo Central School is holding its ladies shopping night on Friday, 11 November from 5-8pm. Enquiries to the school. The Tamworth Christmas Fair is on Saturday, 19th November at Tamworth Racecourse from 9.30am-4pm and then I have my annual summer show in Coolah on the 25th November.

The last couple of years I have held my show at the local dance studio, but have been offered to hold it the air-conditioned comfort of Noni B's Giftware this year - given the heat we've experienced in past years, I'm looking forward to a comfortable temperature this year! I will have a special preview the day before (24th November) for clients and will be sending invitations out to people in the Coolah area - if you're outside the district and would like to come, do let me know and I will pop off an invite to you!

I am trying to get to the website this week to update with some new stock - a few technical things are holding me back that will hopefully be resolved soon!

Today's photo is of a stunning pair of amethyst and mixed gemstone (blue topaz, pink topaz and peridot) earrings.

Till next :)
Annette

Shows - the trials and tribulations

OK, I think I need to just stop. For a few minutes anyway.

This time of the year is unbelievable - even one of my girls last night asked when my next show was, and the next, and the next and the next.... Her eyes got bigger at each one I mentioned. Luckily they're kept busy at school and when they're home they're playing together, doing piano practice and reading. Lots of reading (I think I gave birth to book worms not children sometimes!). And I have a husband that is flexible enough to look after them (and if he is not available, then, thankfully, there is always Grandma!).

I love doing shows - I love getting out and about and meeting people, sharing my passion for gems and pearls and hopefully brightening people's day with some 'pretty' jewels. Even better when I can extend that happiness by having someone take something they love home.

I have another outing this afternoon - just a small one, in my neighbouring town, Dunedoo, about 45min drive away, for a 'ladies afternoon'.

Last weekend I wended my way to Armidale with my friend Trista in tow (to keep me awake as well as help me at the show) for the TAS fair. We had a wonderful time, met some lovely people and sold some jewels, but, as often happens, there was just too many people selling jewellery for any of us to do really well and the poor people attending the show had glazed eyes at the literally hundreds of strands of necklaces that must have been there. Of course the quality, material and styles varied immensely, but at first glance, all people saw was "more jewellery".

This, I must admit, is one of my pet peeves about doing shows. I realise that these shows are organised by time-poor volunteers, but as organisers they CAN and SHOULD dictate what people can sell. In the case of last week, two stall holders mentioned they sold jewellery amongst a myriad of other things (such as clothes, shoes, homewares etc.) but they displayed mostly jewellery. The result is that the show isn't as successful as it could be - the stall holders don't sell as much as they might if there were less of the same category there, and the attendees get limited variety and boredom sets in early.

Of course, some shows are very well organised in this department and they are usually very successful and enjoyed by everyone. These go on to run year after year and I'm fortunate to be a part of some of them. I noted on the Business Mums Blog a week or so ago that some of the markets/shows in Melbourne do great promotion for their participants too. Ah, sometimes I want to live in a city and get those sort of benefits. But then, I love my peace and quiet and rural life too much!

I also noted on the Busy Mum blog, that she's wishing for summer to hurry up and come. Given the cold weather we keep getting here, I'm wishing for a bit of summer too!

Well, I must dash and put my busy hat back on. I still have to finish packing for my outing this afternoon and I only have an hour and a half left before I leave! Today's photo is of pearls - I've felt a bit 'pearly' the last week or so, so made this strand up a few days ago. Rich dark brown pearls with a peacock sheen, enhanced by the addition of some rhodolite garnet, amethyst, iolite and peridot. Yum!

Till next :)
Annette

Gem Mineral Found on the Moon

Life has been hectic with children on holidays but relatively quiet on the jewellery scene - because of the children! We're still in the midst of a cold snap and the sunshine is watery at best. Good weather for reading a book near the fire!

To break up the monotony (hardly!) of the term break, I have a show on Sunday at the new Mudgee Upmarket, held quarterly at the Fairview Artspace. It will be my first outing there and I'm looking forward to it.

Even though I haven't had much time to play at my bench, I'm always on the lookout for new information on gemstones. And I was fascinated to read a report earlier this week that mentioned the mineral olivine - of which peridot (pictured above) is the gem member of the family - has been recently identified on the moon in a large impact basin. Amazingly, I went on to read, abundant quantities of olivine have been found on Mars and that olivine is also a constituent of comet dust. Olivine as well as peridot itself has been found in meteorites too!

I've never really thought of gems being found on other planets but if you let your imagination go, you can't but help consider the amazing and wonderful possibilities of new gems on new worlds! I'm imagining stunning colours, colour-change stones, incredible patterns... how about you!?