Art For Interiors

Two Super Rare Chairs currently for sale. Contact me for details!

2012-03-20T02:43:00.001-07:00

Two paintings I like the look of in the upcoming HK Art Fair

2012-03-20T02:37:00.000-07:00

Favorite violet earrings by JAR

2012-03-12T20:01:00.002-07:00

www.skinnerinc.com, today 13 March 2012

2012-03-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

My idea for a floral necklace

2012-03-07T01:46:00.000-08:00

Tzeng Yong Ning, Chinese Contemporary Artist

2012-03-07T00:21:00.001-08:00

Xing Danwen

2012-03-07T00:21:00.000-08:00

Li Huayi

2012-03-07T00:16:00.003-08:00

Ans Westra, Pleasure Garden

2012-03-07T00:11:00.001-08:00

Cai Zhisong

2012-03-07T00:09:00.000-08:00

Gao Yuan, 12 Moons

2012-03-07T00:07:00.000-08:00

Amethyst necklaces: two originals for sale

2012-03-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

I have these two original necklaces for sale.
The largest one is pale amethyst, 36cm long. I believe the setting is silver. Two of the stones have occlusions or are fractured inside (see stone #3 on the left from centre), but the stones themselves are whole. $500

The smaller necklace is a darker/brighter amethyst colour and is in a gold coloured setting. $250
Please let me know if you are interested.

Good night Hong Kong

2012-03-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

How gorgeous are these 1960's rugs?

2012-03-02T02:37:00.003-08:00

A beautiful necklace from 1stDibs, Rebecca Koven

2012-02-27T00:11:00.000-08:00

http://jewelry.1stdibs.com/jewelry_search.php?stype=1&sm=HKS&i_keyword=rebecca

A Fascination for Snakes (and patterns in nature) continues

2012-02-27T00:05:00.001-08:00

Marian Maguire, fantastic New Zealand printmaker

2012-02-27T00:02:00.002-08:00

Beautiful Photo of Water Reflections by William Furniss

2012-02-27T00:00:00.001-08:00

What I just bought in the sale at Swedish Hasbeens

2012-02-26T23:58:00.001-08:00

Magnetic Clasps! I've been looking for one of these....

2012-02-26T23:24:00.001-08:00

I love this magnetic clasp I found - its so easy to put on, with no fiddling about with tiny clasps. The only problem is that apparently you shouldn't wear magnets if you have a pacemaker, or hang out with someone who does. There always seems to be a downside to even the most perfect things these days.....!

I just bought this beautiful New Zealand oil painting

2012-02-26T22:41:00.001-08:00

Sandor floral jewellery

2012-02-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

My new passion: enamel flower jewelry from the 50's-70's. This one is on sale at www.rubylane.com!

OXFORD JEWEL

2012-02-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

In case anyone is interested, on ebay there is a seller called "Oxfordjewel" who often has really nice vintage pieces, for very reasonable prices! Here is something that is on offer right now:

http://vi.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&sd=3&item=130648578909&bv=safari&t=1329423677000&vct=1&nv=2&js=-1&ssid=0&category=164946&ds=0&seller=oxfordjewel&caz.html#

A holiday in NZ, three weddings, two funerals

2012-02-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

We have been away for a long time, hence the delays in posting on this blog. I hope a happy new year has been started by all! A lot has happenend while we've been away, but just to say I'm now back in HK and answering emails!

The full moon and then the moon shining on the water in NZ. Also, a hammerhead shark that our neighbours caught. So awful, gruesome, sad and Starwars like to look at.

OK, a slight cheat admitted. This was taken on an iphone through a telescope. It was still an enormous moon to the naked eye however!

A very soft launch...www.duchessajewels.com

2011-12-12T01:47:00.000-08:00

In this soft launch testing phase, please email us if there are any problems! www.duchessajewels.com

Pohutukawa - The New Zealand Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T01:47:00.000-08:00

A Great Mix

2011-12-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

My neck

2011-12-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

I thought this photo was quite Hitchcockian and mysterious! What is coming out of the door.....

Georgian / Victorian Coral: longstanding passion

2011-12-01T01:08:00.000-08:00

Aquamarine Now In!

2011-12-01T01:07:00.000-08:00

These iphoto snaps don't really do the necklaces justice! The aquamarine is really cool: gold for an elegant summery feel; gunmetal for subversive and edgy!

I am actually quite tempted by this

2011-11-25T00:25:00.000-08:00

Oil on Velvet by Charles MacPhee, Forthcoming auction, International Art Centre, Auckland New Zealand

I'm not just saying this but these earrings are really nice

2011-11-25T00:22:00.000-08:00

Taken on my iPhone which has made it a bit grainy and green for some reason.

Count the similarities (there's only one!)

2011-11-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

My Tiger Mother Childrens Scrap Book project

2011-11-25T00:11:00.000-08:00

You don't need to tell me this is ridiculous, but I spent hours on this a few years ago and it hasn't seen the light of day since. So here it is...........a history of Chinese ceramics through the dynasties!
And the good news is that there is also a jewellery one!

Girandole Earrings

2011-11-24T00:50:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Blues

2011-11-08T01:25:00.000-08:00

Bottega Veneta - we have unwittingly produced similar necklaces!

2011-11-08T01:20:00.000-08:00

Trevi Fountain ready!

2011-11-08T01:16:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Brides

2011-11-08T01:10:00.000-08:00

Red Carpet Ready - Oscar Party Ready!

2011-11-08T01:03:00.000-08:00

Clip on drop earrings, Swarovski Crystal: USD 120
Swarovski 'diamond necklace', gold mount: USD 170

Jewels Arriving and in Stock!

2011-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased to let you know that the jewels are two days away from being in stock!
Therefore, if you have placed an order I will invoice you in the next two days so that we can dispatch them straight away!
Thank you for your interest - some styles are now sold out but others are lovely and will be great for Christmas! Please contact me or Dianne (dianneseerden@gmail.com) to order!

Kind regards, Nerida

Scenes from England Last Week Beginning with B

2011-10-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Bodleian, Bath, a Roman Bottom (amazing!), Blenheim Palace, Blenheim Palace maze, Buckingham Palace and a Barge on the Thames!

Further Inspiration

2011-10-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Check out this lovely work by Annysa Ng, a HK artist, who mixes ideas from China's Imperial and England's Empirical past. A source of future inspiration!

Beetle Earrings

2011-09-15T02:37:00.000-07:00

These aren't real earrings, because I just fashioned them out of dead beetles I found on the way to school! They are beautifully iridescent though!

And there's a blue chalcedony one too!

2011-09-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

NB the 'chalcedony' is glass paste - and very pretty!

PRICING FOR JEWELRY

2011-09-15T02:35:00.000-07:00

For 2011 the prices of the jewels illustrated are as follows:

Oval necklace (topaz, aquamarine): $180

Round necklace (opal, pinky/red, blue chalcedony): $175

Diamond Riviere in both gold and gunmetal coloured mounts (aka Nicole necklace): $170

Girandole earrings in both gold and gunmetal mounts: $275

Shepherds Hook earrings in both gold and gunmetal mounts: $70

Crystal Drops in both gold and gunmetal mounts: $120

Postage costs $20 for the first piece, $10 for the second and is gratis thereafter. We have 25 of each style/colour. Please order or reserve now for Christmas to avoid disappointment!

DUCHESSA!

2011-09-15T02:29:00.001-07:00

We are about to launch our new website Duchessa!
Here are a few of the new things that will be on the site, including the most fantastic girandole earrings! (Truly, they are great and far exceeded my expectations). There's also a wonderful opal necklace (which will be available in a round stone) and a hottish pink one, for livening things up.

Jewels in Action!

2011-09-15T02:29:00.000-07:00

View from the Peak

2011-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

And now for something totally different - the beautiful view from the Peak this month. Long may it last.

Venice & the Biennale

2011-07-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

Walking over a canal

Marzipan fish

View from San Marco

The New Zealand Exhibition on the Grand Canal

View from the Gritti Palace

The Korean Exhibition 'camoflage' photograph

Someone's hair in the queue in front of me!

Vertical Garden Trafalgar Square

2011-07-17T00:40:00.000-07:00

Ai Wei Wei's Fountain

2011-07-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute picture from Somerset House!

New Earrings

2011-05-31T04:27:00.000-07:00

These just came back and will be available to buy hopefully in July.

Jonathan Adler be Jealous

2011-05-31T04:24:00.000-07:00

Dianne took me to a silk store in Hong Kong that is like a preserved museum. They stopped producing it seems like in the 1960's, and now they've re-opened to sell their remaining stock. Even the receipt book is circa 1960. A lot of me feels like the whole place should be bought by a local museum.
Here is one pattern (of hundreds) of thick woven silk. It looks very up-to-date doesn't it? I bought 1 yard (its not cheap) and would love to make this into a cushion.

Calling all Redheads....and Royalists

2011-05-31T04:03:00.000-07:00

I finally got the necklace back that was inspired by the one Nicole Kidman wore at the Oscars. It's true, I think it would look great with a white dress and red hair.

Also, for all you Royal followers out there, here is a grouping of all the necklace styles we now have in oxidized silver. The one at the top is a new sample that's actually made of metal. The other two are silver.

Dinosaurs in the Room Downstairs

2011-05-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

Apologies for being absent

2011-05-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know where the time has gone, but last month was all about the Hong Kong Art Fair (May 26-29th). It was time consuming but very interesting and rewarding. My colleague Sue and I were able to see many beautiful new things, so please contact us if you would like some Contemporary Asian Art advice!

Random buys

2011-04-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

I bought a few quirky things on Lauritz this week: number 1 being this knitted fish for our beach house. Don't ask me why it appealed - it's over a metre long and I guess it was knitted by someone famous in Greenland because the estimate was quite high - but, perhaps needless to add, bidding was not fierce.

On the other hand I missed out on these lovely French Faience plates which I would have loved. Too many others did too. I love this yellow and was going to hang them on the wall next to our other cheery, sunny paintings by Makinti Napanangka.

Sad to say that a friend in Australia told me that Makinti died in January this year. We have a few of her paintings and their general bright, yellow, sunniness really cheers up the house and makes me think she must have been a lovely person. I think her paintings are responsible for steering me on this course of loving yellow things!

Finally, I bought a few more cheap flowery plates to add to my collection. I've been inspired to collect them in case I one day can have a breakfast room like the one on the cover of Vogue Living. I'm afraid my taste might change by the time those decades pass, but just in case!

Cognitive Leaps

2011-03-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel very slow....Last year I was obsessed with the 2nd hand Danish furniture on www.Lauritz.com. I bought a shipment (with generally positive results), and in so doing feel I learnt a lot about Danish design. Some of it needs re-covering and, after a bit of research, I discovered http://www.svenskttenn.se with fabrics by Josef Frank, which I love but can ill afford. Check out their marbelised velvet and the wonderful printed linen in their online shop!

Anyway, I dropped into Ikea last week and found they'd been on to this for years! Not only do they seem to have completely Svenstk Tenn inspired fabrics, but their furniture is obviously often based on classic Danish design. Yes I know its obvious, but I didn't appreciate it was THAT obvious if you know what I mean. I'd love to get some Svenstk Tenn fabric but seeing as I can get 10 yards at Ikea for the price of 1 at Svenstk Tenn I'm afraid I'm having to go that cheaper route. Tant pis for me. (Svenstk Tenn on left, Ikea all on right)

Lauritz vs. Ikea

2011-03-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

ie. old Scandinavian furniture (left) vs new Scandinavian furniture ie Ikea (right)

Bookcases

2011-03-16T01:22:00.000-07:00

And finally, here's something I wish Ikea could copy. In my quest for a good bookcase (an initial web search suggests this is something people get obsessive about) I found and bought this one from Tee Books (www.teebooks.com) - one 'floating shelf' of this one! Its great but the trouble is it's so expensive and seemingly so simple....

Sunflowers: my attempt

2011-03-06T01:30:00.000-08:00

I posted two weeks ago about the jewels I saw in World of Interiors by Lina Baretti - particularly the sunflower. Here's my own version (alright, I haven't sewn it up yet!) + one I found ready made at the HK jewellery fair made of amber. The chains are actually bamboo - very cool harvest-time + South of France-in-the-1920's feel to that!

2011-03-06T01:29:00.000-08:00

Today I went out in this lovely smog to attend the HK jewellery fair at the convention centre - seen to the right of the picture. I tried to find a few interesting pieces and took photos with my iphone - which is why they're a bit dull and grainy - sorry. Here follows the results.

Amber Part II

2011-03-06T01:20:00.000-08:00

Amber has never been my favourite, but perhaps the time has come. The HK jewellery fair had a few stands selling Baltic amber, including these pieces.

Carved Coral

2011-03-06T01:10:00.000-08:00

I don't condone this but did buy two tiny things. I'm posting them up because they look so pretty but won't be buying it again.

Amazing Titanium Necklace Cord

2011-03-06T01:09:00.001-08:00

These cool necklace strings were from the Ed Hardy stall. They are apparently made of titanium which you can tease out (like bottom pic) or roll back into a narrow cord. Available in heaps of colours, I have finally found a solution for these navy and white old Indonesian beads that I've had for so long and never worn.

Pendants for sale

2011-03-06T01:09:00.000-08:00

Pendants for sale and again, featured on the Ed Hardy titanium cord!
Black Agate or Onyx cartouche shape
Gold plated leaf (gold leaf- ha ha)
'Shark tooth' (shell) with 9ct gold cap.

Pyrite: new passion

2011-03-06T01:08:00.000-08:00

I really liked this pyrite in 2mm beads. I'm going to make it into a bracelet. And I liked the fact it looked like Chinese calligraphy!

Onyx Pendants

2011-03-05T01:20:00.000-08:00

Thought these looked cool. For the record they cost USD 4 each - so if you see something like them in Tiffany's or elsewhere you will understand the enormous markup!

Zip It!

2011-02-26T23:00:00.001-08:00

I was lucky (?) enough to have almost been given one of these, twice! The first was at auction (went too high) and the second was at VCA when someone else bought it while we were thinking about it. They were both old original pieces. This is my all time favourite jewel. It can be worn as a bracelet or a necklace and is very subtle, so you could wear it during the day and possibly no one would notice it enough to remark on it - unless they knew!
It has the hallmark of a truly great jewel - super comfy and silky to wear, it could be made of fabric rather than metal. I was told to always look at the back of a piece as much as the front, as that is where the craftmanship and artistry is most evident.
I don't suppose I'll ever be lucky enough to own one now as they're too expensive, but it remains one of my favourite things. That's why for fun I tried to have it made by Chinese knotting (ok, macrame!) I was so impressed by how clever the knotters were. Couldn't get it quite right (and who would ever wear it?!) but it was a fun experiment.

Two of my favourite DoW necklaces

2011-02-26T23:00:00.000-08:00

DoW: Summary of Findings

2011-02-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

My blogging friend Jill of everythingjustso.blogspot.com asked me what I knew about the Duchess of Windsors jewels, which I used to be very interested in - bordering on the obsessed - as I explored ways of reproducing their 'haute'-ness in cheap innovative materials like Chinese knotting. Don't ask me why! In the process I fell in love with the jewels by Suzanne Belperron and Rene Boivin which the Duchess used to wear. I also learned the following:

The Duke of Windsor was a stickler for precise dressing (after all the ceremonial uniforms he wore before, during and post war) and very interested in fashion. It's from him we get the Windsor Knot and Prince of Wales Check. His eye for art, beauty and craftmanship was formed growing up surrounded by the Royal Collection, and he thus brought a highly discerning fastidiousness to the table when he collaborated with the famous jewelers of the day in designing jewelry for his wife.

For her part, Wallis Simpson was highly interested in cutting edge fashion. She was never photographed wearing antique jewellery and many of her pieces (like her purple and turquoise bib necklace) were avante garde and still influencing design 10 years later. Her outfits were often chosen to showcase the jewel she was wearing. She was one of the first women to wear yellow gold again after the trend for platinum of the 1930's.

Normally, jewellery history is easy to study because it follows fashion trends rather than setting them. Owners are conservative when it comes to redesigning precious gems. Not so the Windsor's who were that rarity: a couple keen to push design, fashion and craftmanship to the limit, with the funds to realise their ambitions - and with no inhibitions about breaking old pieces up to make new ones. A quick trawl through any of their photographs shows how the trends they set are still being copied today, from their Goyard luggage to the British flag furnishings (now available through www.JonathanAdler.com).

I was always given to understand that, as a couple, they were pretty vile. They did however love their dogs, which has to be a good thing. This famous photo was taken just after the photographer intentionally tricked them (to get a good shot) by telling them he had run over a dog on his way over.

In honour of my past, slightly crazy efforts, I will now illustrate my two favourite pieces, as realised by me, as well as how they are still being copied by other designers!

Inspiration: woo hoo!

2011-02-20T03:24:00.001-08:00

I finally found something I'm really into: the jewellery of Lina Baretti which I read about in this months World of Interiors magazine. Here is a picture of her sunflower necklace. I'd love to try and have a version of this made in HK. Will try....

New Round Shape Necklace

2011-02-20T03:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a new style:

Gold plated silver setting with clear crystal stones: $365.00

On a stripey cushion. I made many many of these a few years ago!

Do your own Dutch Still Life

2011-02-20T03:16:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while as I had all the 'ingredients'. The plates wrong and I need a persian carpet, grapes, dead bird and a few tulips - but here are the bare bones! NB. the lobster is plastic. x

More types

2011-02-20T01:10:00.000-08:00

Sterling silver, oxidized (in a plain mount): $365.00 NB the same necklace in Bottega Veneta in a murky green cubic zirconia (which is a cheaper stone than Swarovski) is over GBP 1,100!!

Gold coloured metal (available in a beaded mount only): $165.00

Swarovski Colour Chart

2011-02-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder of all the colours available to be chosen for the necklaces:

And more

2011-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Gold plated silver ('tooled' and 'mixed size stone' illustrated): $365.00

Gold plated silver (plain mount): $365.00

Wilson Shieh: Super Mama

2011-02-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

How I sometimes feel.x

Lovely art to look at

2011-02-11T03:48:00.000-08:00

Kung Hei Fat Choy

2011-02-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

Change in Zeitgeist?

2011-02-11T01:40:00.000-08:00

Excuse me for the long absence. After a month of summer in NZ I had a two week flurry of activity in HK followed by 2 weeks of bed-ridden pneumonia. However, the main reason for not posting has been lack of inspiration!!! Normally I'm an idea a minute so I'm not sure whats gone wrong - I just feel flat. It may be due to a change in zeitgeist - away from clutter and stuff - which is my comfort zone - towards a new hard edged minimalism. Which could be why I found myself gravitating towards this white plastic blow up sofa, for the apartment of the future! A no clutter, easy to clean, white space. In honor of this perceived (on my part) change in the temp of things, here are some things that are gently kindling my fire.

Fond memories of the 1980's

2011-02-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

This was my favourite issue of Vogue. For some reason I thought Talisa Soto was the best thing ever! And - courtesy of Dianne - I now know you can buy the updated look (via this dress) by Erdem on Net-a-porter!

Stanley Wong: Heaven on Earth

2011-02-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

Where Art meets Fashion: sadly

2010-11-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been attracted to anything black & white (a harbinger of the return of '80's style?) and so was excited to finally buy (I had it on hold for a year) this photo by Fiona Pardington from the extremely patient and nice Two Rooms Gallery in Auckland.

It's called Shabby Huia & is from a series of photos Fiona Pardington took of objects, largely taxidermied birds, in the Canterbury Museum. In this way she revives stories from the forgotten past such as the sad tale of the Huia bird, which is now extinct.

Live Huia's were last spotted in NZ in the early 20th century but were driven to extinction by the demand for their feathers for Maori ornamentation, their bodies for taxidermy in Europe and by the Duchess of York - the 19th century one - who was presented with a feather on a trip to NZ and thus sparked a fashion for them back home in England. They were apparently cheeky, forward, approachable birds and so were easy to tame and catch - their downfall. Their feathers are still hugely sought after: one fetched a record at Webbs auction house in NZ this year when it sold for $8,400.

Christmas Baubles!

2010-11-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

Yet Another Great New Venture: Art Asia Advisory!

2010-11-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

I have also been very busy with another new venture my great friend Susan Acret and I have established: Art Asia Advisory!
When we first came to Asia 10 years ago it was exciting to learn about - and then sometimes acquire - works by then little known mainly Chinese artists. Ten years on and that market is very expensive, and quite daunting. Our self-imposed challenge is to find interesting and equally valid works by emerging artists throughout the Asia Pacific region that won't break the bank but will give you years of visual enjoyment. We are happy to find just that one special work for the wall, or alternatively a birthday present. And if you're a big shooter, who'd like to start a collection, we'd obviously love to hear from you too!
Here is a work for example, by a Pakistani artist that we like: Muhammad Zeeshan. It is a pencil drawing on a large sheet of sand paper which changes colour when it reflects the light - very beautiful!

November Art Events

2010-11-21T00:02:00.000-08:00

November is quite an exciting month for the Asian Art world with several big events happening in Hong Kong not least this weekend the preview at Sotheby's for the Asia Art Archives fundraising auction. Here is one of the works that we love (at right) by Hong Kong artist Tsang Kin-Wah. Don't look too closely because, while at first glance this looks like a panel of flowery wallpaper, the patter is actually made up of scrolling expletives!

Launch of Shop and other Exciting News!

2010-11-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while due to a range of 'happenings', but am finally very happy to announce the launch of an online shop. I am doing this with my great friend and now business partner Dianne (who has in fact substantial fashion and design experience) but in these initial days we are very much feeling our way!

The core business is initially to make and deliver 'the necklace' to a high standard so, apart from trying out our online store [check out the widget above!] (which I hope will be a smooth, easy experience!), please get in touch directly if you have any questions or wish to make a special order!

Here is one of my favourite necklaces in Amethyst (which I'm wearing at the top on the right). And the one below is the ever popular TOPAZ!

Big Game Hunting in Europe, and the one that got away

2010-09-12T02:50:00.000-07:00

So, over the past year I have hunted down a few pieces that I hope will prove good long term investments in the furniture world. I think I've got some great items, including an Arne Vodder credenza like this one - even the back is veneered! However, always blighted by 'the one that got away' I can tell you that I had a beautiful chaise longue by Hans Harti on hold for a month or two until I pursued something else and let it get away. I now see it's going to be in the movie Money Never Sleeps! The asking price (if you can find one) has now jumped from USD 2,500 to USD 12,000, apparently. Oh well, there is always next time.

New Opal Eye Rings in Gold and Silver

2010-09-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

New Zealand bound

2010-09-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

New project! Transforming this old beach house into a semblance of 1950's chic-ness as inspired by back issues of Architectural Digest, Spanish version and Billy Joel's old Hamptons beach house.

Maison Legeron

2010-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I just found this extremely pretty handmade rose corsage brooch on the website Couture Lab (www.couturelab.com) which is backed by the same people as Net-a-Porter (ie. think high-end fashion). I think it has the same ethos as I'm striving for in my frangipani piece, though it's probably much more exquisite.

Frangipani multi jewel

2010-08-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of the things I'm working on: a multi-purpose jewel (bracelet, necklace or headpiece) made from shell in the form of frangipanis. I was inspired mainly by the shell petals, but also by this photo that I found by Cecil Beaton (or so it says on the back!). It seems to me that 100 years ago, all you needed to be beautiful was youth, health and joie de vivre! Put that together with a pretty floaty dress and flowers in your hair and you were by default attractive, girlish and beautiful. I wish it was a bit more like that these days as I fail to struggle into my burberry slashed leather micro-sized black leggings!

New Jewels

2010-08-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

These have been a long time coming, but finally some of my necklaces in the new molds and metals have started to arrive. I am happy to 'launch' them on this day, the 1st of September, and there will be a few more styles and colours coming out over the next few weeks. Here is a picture of all I have now; some have metal mounts and some are gold plated silver. There are two new features that all the necklaces share:

1. smaller links

2. a slightly flatter mount

3. an extender chain at the back so that the necklace can be 16.5 - 18.5 inches in length (for some styles)

I have found these to be very wearable, whether it's out at night or with a t-shirt during the day. With the new extender chain they can be worn a variety of lengths and, best of all, with other necklaces for a sparkly effect!

Sources of Inspiration

2010-08-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

I've decided to call my jewellery line "Vicomtesse" and have multiple sources of inspiration for it, including the eyes of this lady, Vicomtesse Angélique-Louise de Vence en Vestale by the artist Louis Rene Vialy (1751) which I borrowed from this beautiful blog: http://olharfeliz.typepad.com

Then there is the great book on Georgian jewellery by Ginny Dawes and Olivia Collings which I actually came upon after I took all the pictures for my blog.

Then there is Anna Wintour who wore presumably original Georgian necklaces in the movie about Vogue magazine: The September Issue. Rumour has it hers came from S.J.Phillips in London.

And finally there is Balenciaga who does necklaces like this under the stewardship of Nicolas Ghesquiere (this is a picture of model Lara Stone in the 2010 September issue of Vogue):

Beaded Snake with Metal Clasp Mouth

2010-08-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is another Victorian-esque jewel I'm working on: a beaded snake necklace/bracelet. I just got the preliminary sample back which needs a bit of work, proper eyes and 'spice' but the technique is there, and it's very fun to play with. My three year old son loves it!

I also have the metal clasp mouths available if anyone is making their own snake and needs the teeth!

If you like Anish Kapoor....

2010-07-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

..then you might like this guy, Danny Lee, a prolific Hong Kong sculptor. Visitors to HK note, there are no fewer than 7 huge works by Danny at the airport alone. We went to visit his studio a couple of weeks ago and it was very cool.

Ah, Beautiful Thailand

2010-07-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

We were on holiday in Koh Samui last week. Even though I live in an Asian city near the tropics I forget how different and relaxing true Southeast Asia is. There is the bad of course; strips of streets lined with tawdry open fronted concrete boxes selling.....all the tacky junk from southern China; bunches of power lines trailing all along said streets; pong patches of 'eau de toilette' (if you get my drift) and a kind of aimlessness about everyone, stray dogs included. The good, of course, is the relaxed atmosphere, the sunsets and sunrises, the ability to never feel cold which therefore seems to make your bones relax even further. The food, the people who are always so nice etc. etc. All I can guess is that if you turned back the clock 100 years before the developers arrived, it must have been heaven.

Goodbye Kangaroo Valley

2010-07-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

Kangaroo Valley, NSW was the place of my dreams that I couldn't live without. Unfortunately, sods law or the deepest irony meant that I became highly allergic to SOMETHING THERE (the Sheokes??) Now it has been sold so farewell to all that.....and on to hopefully somewhere equally beautiful somewhere else.