Like with everything in fashion, there are always seasonal trends for jewelry. This years' tendency is to forgo too much jewelry, and to go for bold pieces in warm materials (such as wood) instead.  To complement the rich textures of the heavier clothes, designers showed their wares mostly with one daring piece.   So yes, less is more, but the pieces are BIG.  Hope you like them!

1. The big necklace is back as a statement piece.

Doo.Ri Fall 2011

Marc Jacobs

Tracy Reese Fall 2011

2. Cuff bracelets are hot.  One of my favorites trends this season.

Doo.Ri Fall 2011

Derek Lam Fall 2011

3.  Big gold earrings, even complementing the menswear look.

The Row Fall 2011

4.  Black chokers bring a dash of biker chic to otherwise delicate looks.

BCBG Fall 2011

Erin Featherston Fall 2011

5. Ladylike looks also went very bold this year.

DKNY Fall 2011

Bibhu Mohapatra Fall 2011

6.  VPL showed us oversized chunky bracelets in neutral colors.




7. Classy Badgley Mishka mixed all the trends.


8.  But as always, diamonds will always be a girls best friend.

Preen Fall 2011

Badgley Mishka

Cheers!
Dani K

Summer Palace gardens ready for White Nights.

Celebrating the summer season, when the sun is out till the evening, White Nights brings together the best of Russian and international ballet, opera, and classical music.  Performances take place in the famous Mariinski Theater every night at seven.  The event culminates with the Scarlet Sails, or Alye Parusa festivities, marking the end of the Russian school-year with an awesome display of fireworks.


Last summer, when I was doing research abroad for one of my collections, I was able to meet my family in Russia for White Nights.  Even though it was for a few short days, we were able to pack a lot in, and see everything St Petersburg has to offer.

With my family outside the Czar's tomb. Very intense!

Gorgeous details, inside the Czars' tomb. Simply breathtaking.

I was particularly impressed with the grandeur that Russia does things.  Aside from all the palaces that we visited, every infrastructure, like the Metro for example, was richly decorated to the last detail.  They had huge, modern highways, and a very vibrant cityscape.

A view of the gardens at Peterhof.

I have to say that my favorite activity during my trip was visiting the Faberge collection at the Hermitage and Kremlin museums.  Faberge eggs have been long considered masterpieces of the jeweler's art, and therefore of incredible interest to me. The jeweled and decorated eggs were made by the House of Faberge between 1885 and 1917, with its most famous eggs being commissioned by the Russian Royals.

At the Hermitage museum, one of my top ten museums for sure!

Entering the Kremlin Museum; last picture I took there since cameras are strictly prohibited.

The story begins when Tsar Alexander III gives his wife, the Empress Maria Federovna, a Faberge egg as an Easter present, and anniversary present.  He had appointed Peter Carl Faberge, a young jeweler, whose work had recently interested his wife.  On Easter morning he delivered what looked like a simple egg painted in white enamel.  Upon closer inspection, the Empress became delighted to find what was inside:   a diamond miniature of the royal crown and a tiny ruby egg, all within a beautifully crafted golden hen.  Simply fascinating!



Unfortunately this egg did not survive, but it did begin a tradition for the Romanovs.  After this the Czar commissioned eggs for Easter every year, Mr Faberge brought to life many aspects of royal life in his creations.  Year by year, the eggs reached new heights in inventiveness and creativity.

Jewel encrusted Faberge egg, my favorite of course!

During the time of political unrest, the eggs were pillaged and sold.  The biggest collection of eggs belonged to millionaire Malcom Forbes, but when Forbes died, the eggs "returned" to Russia.  They were bought by Viktor Valkersberg (he paid over $90 million for the collection) and are now part of a travelling exhibition.  Lucky for me I was I was able to view the marvelous pieces while I was in St Petersburg.   Talk about divine inspiration!

Cheers!
Dani K

Hi everyone!  I just got back from one of the biggest fine jewelry and gem trade-shows in the U.S., and even though I'm still exhausted, I'm also exhilarated and full of great ideas.


Being this one of the most important jewelry shows on the planet, I had a lot of preparations to do before I went.  Before I plan every collection, I have already decided what gemstones are going to be the protagonists.  This year, even though I'm still using the classic gemstones that have been predominant in my designs, I am leaning more towards unlikely stones.  For my next collection I like turquoise, jade, lapis lazuli, onyx, amber, and coral, used in unusual combinations with the classic stones like diamonds, rubies and sapphires.


After deciding on the stones and their combinations, I set out to sketch out my actual designs.   I took these sketches with me to Vegas in order to communicate my vision to my manufacturers, who come all the way from Italy. This is a lot of work because I have a LOT of people to meet with, each specializing in a different area. They use my sketches to plug the designs into a program called CADCAM in order to be able to order the raw materials and make the wax and silver molds. These molds are used to make the final piece.



When I leave Miami the collections are pre-designed.  It is at the actual trade-show where the ideas and designs are polished.  Here, I meet with craftsmen and the gem dealers, and  I discuss with them my designs and the possibilities to actually make them happen.  At the show I sit down personally with all my sources and discuss whether I can find the right stones to suit a specific design, or if that design has to change according to the materials available.



There is a lot of hard work, from many talented people that go into a particular piece, and more so if I'm planning an entire collection.  This particular show was 5 days of hard work.   Lucky for me (or maybe not!) the show is in Vegas, where there are beautiful things to enjoy.  This year I saw the Phantom of the Opera, and the Beatles: Love.  What great shows!

Wing Lei at the Wynn.

Delmonico's at the Venetian.

Flowers have been present in my life since I can remember.  Growing up in Ecuador it was hard not to be around nature.  Anyone who ever visited or lived in Guayaquil can attest to the incredible flora that surrounds you; it's everywhere you go.  And if this is not your experience, let me tell you, you need to get out more!

As a child, I distinctly remember sitting in the car on my way to a friends house and becoming entangled in a street scene near downtown, where the artisans are hard at work creating their colorful and intoxicating bouquets.

Flowers were indoors too.  My mother always had fresh cut arrangements at our home and her jewelry store.  I can still see myself running around, and stopping to catch that whiff of a gorgeous rose or lily on my way to French class.

Now, as an adult living in Miami, I get my flower fix by visiting flower shows, going to Vizcaya or the Morikami Gardens (Boca Raton), or just browsing in the flower section in the supermarket.  Inspiration is wherever you find it.

Morikami Museum and Gardens, Boca Raton

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami

Flowers are tough and delicate at the same time: two qualities that to me represent a modern woman.  When I look at elements in nature, I see the same iridescence and colors that I see in my gemstones.  Sometimes this correlation is very obvious in my work, like for example my very popular rings that are shaped like flowers, and sometimes it's more subtle, like when I use a color or a shape from nature.

Cheers!
Dani K