Guest Blogger: Shannon Adducci, Departures Accessories Editor
One of the most knowledgable people out there about the world of fine jewelry is my dear friend Shannon Adducci, Jewelry Editor at Departures magazine. I asked her to be our guest blogger for Black Friday, the start of the holiday shopping season, and pick out the pieces on Charm & Chain that are most reminiscent of pieces from her favorite fine jewelry designers. Read on for Shannon’s suggestions to get the luxe fine jewelry look for (a lot) less at Charm & Chain.
As the associate editor of jewelry and accessories for Departures magazine, I have the opportunity to preview the best of fine contemporary and high jewelry – everything from classic Tiffany & Co. silver pieces and the outrageous designs of Italian house De Grisogono to the jaw dropping couture pieces from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. And with my family also in the business (we own an estate and fine jewelry auction house, Joseph DuMouchelle), I get to see both new and old designs. But unless you have your own vault and an armed guard, some fine jewelry is not for everyday wear, which is why costume pieces are a necessity for every woman (one Park Avenue dame once referred to it as “subway jewelry”). Here are my Charm & Chain picks for channeling the real stuff.
1. Wear Kendra Scott to channel Irene Neuwirth
Irene’s designs are always bright and colorful, with lots of bold shapes. She uses a lot of turquoise, lapis, chrysophrase and coral, but Kendra Scott’s gold-plated version in colored Green Onyx, Lapis, and Turquoise Magnesite works just as well for everyday wear.
2. Wear Kenneth Jay Lane to channel David Webb
Kenneth Jay Lane is truly the master of reworking high jewelry designs into affordable costume, but it’s his animal bangles and cocktail rings reminiscent of seventies jeweler David Webb that I like most. This elephant cuff in crystal and enamel channels Webb’s iconic pieces, which he has done in everything from tigers to fish, elephants and giraffes in enamel, carved coral and emeralds and rubies. Both versions are true statement pieces!
3. Wear House of Harlow to channel Repossi
Both of these brands are on any It Girl’s list, but this gunmetal House of Harlow ring is an easy alternative to Repossi’s blackened gold Maure ring. I like how Nicole Richie has offset the toughness of her ring with gold colored crystals.
4. Wear Wendy Mink to channel Noor Fares
I discovered Noor Fares’s ebony-wood-and-diamond creations last year, and I’ve been keeping my eye on her ever since. The Lebanese designer is known for creating long necklaces that are meant to be worn against the back and bead bracelets that cover the hand like a fingerless glove. This wood bead bracelet from Wendy Mink has the same look – all that’s missing is the diamonds.
5. Wear Ben-Amun to channel Verdura
Fulco di Verdura is one of my all-time favorite jewelers because of his creativity, his star power and above all his versatility – the vintage pieces look like contemporary designs and the new designs remain true to the brand’s heritage. Ben-Amun seems to be following that same path with his costume and semi-precious pieces, incorporating innovative designs into an already-classic collection. Until I can buy my own one-of-a-kind Verdura cuff (someday!), this Ben Amun version in Swarovski crystal will do.
6. Wear Frangos to channel De Grisogono
Geneva-based jeweler De Grisogono is known for its outrageous designs with a decidedly European high-jewelry aesthetic (the brand is also the life of the party at the annual Baselworld watch and jewelry show held in Basel, Switzerland). This Frangos cocktail ring with Swarovski crystals has a pave effect and mixes colors the same way De Grisogono does.
7. Wear Dara Ettinger to channel Nina Runsdorf
Sliced stones are everywhere now, but Fifth Avenue jeweler Nina Runsdorf was one of the first fine jewelers to do it, first working with sliced diamonds. Dara Ettinger’s sliced agate and druzy earrings have the same raw look that I love in Nina’s pieces.
8. Wear Mawi to channel Jack Vartanian
Brazilian jeweler Jack Vartanian is one of the most interesting jewelers on Madison Avenue today; his collection is a mix of bold rock-and-roll pieces and respectable precious stones. I have been obsessed with any tassel pieces as of late, and these Mawi earrings remind me of Jack Vartanian’s version in yellow or black gold.
9. Wear Lizzie Fortunato to channel Wilfredo Rosado
One of the coolest new fine jewelers is a designer named Wilfredo Rosado. His background is in fashion (he designed for Armani for years), but he’s been a hit in the jewelry world since he debuted his first collection earlier this year. His big draw is being able to successfully use feathers with diamonds and other fine materials (Gwyneth Paltrow wore his diamond and electric-pink-feather earrings to the Grammy’s). Lizzie Fortunato’s feather necklace reminds me of a Wilfredo Rosado cuff with peach feathers that we shot for the magazine earlier this year.
10. Wear Badgley Mischka to channel Harry Winston
There really is no comparison to Harry Winston’s iconic diamond earrings, but Badgley Mischka crystal earrings have the same cluster shape and are much easier to wear every day. Harry Winston’s current collection of clusters includes a pair with 50.83 carats of diamonds (worth $2.8 million!), which we shot for our current November/December issue.
