Tiffany & Co Designer: Paloma Picasso

Paloma Picasso is the youngest daughter of 20th-century artist, Pablo Picasso and painter/writer Françoise Gilot. Her own artistic career began in 1968 when she became a costume designer in Paris. After her rhinestone necklace designs, crafted out of inexpensive flea market finds, gained recognition and admiration from critics, she enlisted in jewelry classes to hone her skills. Soon Yves Saint Laurent tapped her to design accessories for his collection. By 1971 Paloma was working for the Greek jewelry company Zolotas.

John Loring, senior vice-president of Tiffany & Company, noticed Paloma’s talent for lavish, bold pieces, and asked her to create a line for the company. Paloma had always wanted to design for the American firm and quickly accepted, eager to have a venue that appealed to a wider audience. Paloma told the New York Times, “I went into all the great jewelry shops of Paris.

They are so grand, the salespeople seem to look down on you. As a customer you feel threatened. Tiffany is a great place because all kinds of people come in, just like Woolworth's.” Her pieces for Tiffany & Co. priced from just over $100 to $500,000 were meant to appeal to a variety of shoppers. Her designs mixed color and varying gemstones incorporated into bold designs. The dove symbol, and the color red have become Picasso’s signature look. Loring said of her designs “Paloma has taken the gaudiness out of jewelry but kept the glitter.” Tiffany & Co.’s President, Henry B. Platt, noted the legendary aspect of the Picasso name, “for the first time, people can hold a Picasso in their hands and try it on.”

Paloma strives to create jewelry with longevity and timelessness more permanent than the quickly changing “superficial” trends of fashion. Her own sense of personal style, flare for glamour, and unabashedly lavish scale gained her instant recognition as jewelry’s newest star. Picasso’s early collections spotlighted her love of vibrant colors and bold design, using fiery orange opals and pink tourmalines as well as “Scribbles,” “Graffiti,” and “X’s” in her designs.

In 1980 Picasso began designing jewelry for Tiffany & Co. of New York,UK Tiffany .Her early creations mixed color and varying gemstones in bold designs. She had long used the dove symbol and the color red as signatures of her work which she exploited throughout her career.People are crazy about her designs tiffany rings ,necklace ,etc.

Soon Picasso branched into new areas of design when in 1984 she began experimenting with fragrance, creating the very successful “Paloma” perfume for L’Oréal. Her husband, Lopez-Cambil, developed the visual image for the perfume with red and black packaging and shaped bottle. In the New York Post Picasso described it as intended for “strong women like herself”. A cosmetics and bath line including body lotion, powder, shower gel, and soap were produced in the same year.

In 1987, she created her own color, Mon Rouge, for L’Oréal. Encased in a gold-colored cylinder, the lipstick was a shiny icon of the era’s big-shoulder-pad glamour and became a top-seller in Europe. Mon Rouge is no longer manufactured, and Picasso’s stockpile, which she stores in her refrigerator (and refuses to let out of her sight, ergo no photo), is slowly dwindling.

In 2000, Picasso, known for her bold colors and books, took her home accessories in a new direction. The once bright primary colors gave way to gray, gold, and tan. This shift was also reflected in Picasso’s personal appearance since she dispensed with the fire truck-engine-red lipstick favored by her since the age of 17.

Picasso briefly lost interest in designing following the death of her father in 1973, at which time she played Countess Erzsébet Báthory in Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk’s erotic film, Immoral Tales (1974), receiving praise from the critics for her beauty. She has not acted since.

The breathtaking beauty and stunning originality of Tiffany jewelry have long captivated the world. Worn by movie stars, fashion models, musicians, athletes and women of achievement, these spectacular designs add glamour and elegance to red carpet events as only Tiffany can.

Angelina Jolie in a Calife ring by Paloma Picasso® at the L.A. premiere of “The Tree of Life.”

Dior jewelry designer Victoire de Castellane

I first became aware of Victoire de Castellane's amazing jewelry when I saw Katie Grand wearing a set of Dior flower rings made from bright and flourescent colored enamel and gems.  I thought they were incredible, I'd never seen anything quite like them.

Victoire de Castellane was Chanel's costume jewelry designer for fourteen years working with Karl Lagerfeld "It was an incredible experience.  I learnt that it's important to have your own personality, to be yourself, not to be serious.  Working at Chanel was fun.  I was very happy and Karl showed me how to create with total freedom".  Victoire was seduced away from Chanel by the President of LVMH by Bernard Arnault and became the designer and Creative Director for Dior's new Fine Jewelry department in 1999.  They allowed her to create her own daring and dramatic style that shook up the staid Place Vendome.

Born into an aristocratic Parisian family, Victoire's first experience with making jewelry was when she dismantled her Grandmother's (Sylvia Hennessy from the Cognac family) priceless charm bracelet and made it into a pair of earrings, much to her mother's horror.  Her grandmother's best friend was heiress Barbara Hutton and the two women's love for enormous gems began Victoire's lifelong passion for jewelry.

Victoire is inspired by the exuberance of technicolour, using the finest quality enamel with gems and semi precious stones like amethyst, citrine, tourmaline, periodots, beryl and aquamarine combined with hard stones (onyx and coral) and couture satin and velvet.  "I prefer huge colored stones instead of diamonds.  And I like to wear and design things that look fake; like costume jewelry, but real."

What are the fascinating architecture but also the imaginary enrolled in a small volume. Figurative side, we have the eyes to Chimene creations signed Victoire de Castellane at Dior. The creator of the entire cluster jewelry and jewelry continues to invent fantastic stories. His taste and talent for setting volume allow several levels of reading. 

It resembles a gri-gri familiar as this snake scales rubies. He darts his head gently and languidly around a sapphire 60 or 80 carat ring Gracious Collection Incredibles and Wonderful. Gracious but certainly most impressive! On the Set of Victory, another collection another mind coiled shells, flowers, frogs, seahorses, climb all their sapphires to attack creations to vigorous tones.

Again, nothing but a cruel world where fun Victoire de Castellane marries wonderfully with turquoise and crimson, skies and green neon. How does she create these improbable harmonies without any dissonance? Mystery. His impressive effects on the miniature world of fauna and flora are remarkable pieces and very endearing.

The jewelry that glittered down the Christian Dior Fall runway was fit for royalty - just look at the size of those gems! Dior fine jewelry designer Victoire de Castellane has some serious talent - what I wouldn't give to have a piece of her work. Someday maybe, but until then, there's a cheaper solution; I can get the same style of costume jewelry for a much more affordable price!

Pamela Love: Lovin’ it!

You've seen Pamela Love everywhere. Her jewelry at least. Her eagle-claw cuff is an editorial mainstay, and the Times hearts her bird-skull necklace. But the painter-drummer-designer, who's collaborating with Marchesa for their upcoming fashion show (along with fellow jewelry designer Eddie Borgo) has become the go-to girl for cool, amazingly chic, giant pieces.

When Pamela Love was in middle school, she used to make bracelets out of toothbrushes. She’d heat up a pot of water, submerge the brushes in the boiling liquid, and then use pliers to bend the softened plastic into a cuff-like shape. “I had a turquoise one, a purple glitter one. This was before toothbrushes looked like spaceships, you know?” says the designer, who turned 30 this year.

Love’s taste in accessories has evolved considerably since she was a kid. Now she’s fond of talons, crosses, and ornate geometric shapes cast in gold, silver, brass, and bronze. She’s made bracelets shaped like cobwebs and earrings that look like spiders. But one thing hasn’t changed: “I still have an obsession with jewelry,” she says.

Thanks to Love’s growing notoriety—her pieces are featured regularly in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Lucky—sales of her jewelry are likely to keep growing. But while she says she is committed to creating jobs, she’s also open to outside investors or even an acquisition, as long as she can retain creative control of her line. That would free her up to focus on what she loves most: making the unforgettable jewelry that got her noticed in the first place.

Amidst the flowing gowns, draped skirts, fluid silhouettes, and bright bold colors of New York Fashion Week, there is Pamela Love, edgy jewelry designer and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nominee. On Sunday, Love presented her Spring 2011 collection—a mash-up of blue war paint, wildly messy hair, and tribal-inspired jewelry—to an admiring audience. Stand-out pieces include oversized stone necklaces, chunky three-finger rings, spiked cuffs, jumbo star-shaped bracelets, skull beads, and long disc necklaces—all inspired by “the mixing of the alchemical elements of earth, wind, fire, water and air.” Of course, a collection as wild as this has an equally fierce audience, which explains the presence of Kate Lanphear, Carine Roitfeld, Devendra Banhart, and Olivier Zahm, to name a few.

When it comes to men’s jewelry, I subscribe to the K.I.S.S. principle: “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” That’s why I was surprised when I saw the decidedly un-minimalist men’s jewelry designed by Pamela Love as worn by the decidedly cool and stylish Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld. And I loved it.

Leave it to Vladimir to carry off a bold pendant necklace without looking like some cheesy Flavor Flav wannabe. How does he do it? Let’s look past the fact that Vlad is young, hot, and linked with a serious babe, stylist extraordinaire, Ms. Giovanna Battaglia. Vlad, with his curator's eye, knows good jewelry when he sees it. Pamela Love’s crow skull pendants, talon cuffs, and bold cross rings are a departure from the minimalist adornment typically considered de rigueur for men, but the strength and masculinity of her designs cannot be denied.

Green Glamour

Green jewelry is jewelry made in a more sustainable manner than most jewelry available. The market for sustainable jewelry has grown over the past few years as people pay more attention to where what they’re buying has come from.

Green jewelry can be just about any type of jewelry–necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, anklets and more. So what exactly is green jewelry? Metals used in green jewelry are not mined destructively as jewelry made with new gold, silver and other precious metals is. The metals are repurposed from other uses, refined and forged into a form a jeweler can work with.

Green jewelry doesn’t just refer to gemstones such as emeralds and jade. Green jewelry reuses gemstones and precious metals to create jewelry that is environmentally and budget friendly. The term “green jewelry” is a recent name for an age-old practice–melting down precious metals and reusing already-mined and cut gemstones to make new jewelry pieces. Any type of jewelry can be green jewelry, from precious metal bracelets to gemstone rings to earrings and necklaces.

Green jewelry prevents further environmental damage incurred in mining precious metals and gemstones by instead using materials that have already been mined and refined. Green jewelry is not only better for the environment, but it is also more economical. By eliminating the costs of mining and refining precious metals and gemstones, green jewelry becomes more affordable. And then as Primestyle.com is a factory all of the savings get passed on to you.

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner we are all feeling a little Irish and loving all the green around us. Which also means, what better time to join the fun and add some green accessories to your style?

And of course with green jewelry come emeralds! Emeralds are rare gems that are best known for their rich green color. You can find about any type of jewelry with emeralds, such as rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. They are always a fun choice during this time if you find the right jewelry piece.

Many celebrities have stopped the world with their over the top green accessories. In recent news, Oscar nominee, Viola Davis, styled her already green gala dress with large but classy teardrop emerald earrings.

Elizabeth Taylor continues to mesmerize the world with her gorgeous princess like jewelry. Among her iconic jewelry collection guess what we found… diamond and green, emerald earrings!

Our favorite Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham, wore a large emerald, cocktail ring to the Oscar’s after party. This accessory was the right color pop to her pale grey dress. Ladies learn from this fashion icon and add some color to your even more discrete outfits.

Taylor, who turns 22 this December, won three awards last night: Favorite Female Country Artist, Favorite Country Album, and biggest of all, Entertainer of the Year (beating out Adele, Lady Gage, Lil Wayne and Katy Perry!). We’d like to award Taylor one more – Best Jewelry of the Night.

Big-screen goddess, Angelina Jolie, stole the show at the 2009 Oscars when she sauntered down the red carpet in a super simple black Elie Saab gown and oversized Lorraine Schwartz emerald earrings. The teardrop emerald stunners are worth a reported $2.5 million. The publicity Jolie received from her show of red carpet perfection was priceless.

This month try your luck and add green emerald jewelry found at George Press Jewelers.   Talk to one of our staff members about finding the right green jewelry piece for you and ask about our lovely green gem ring set!

Titanium jewelry invaded The Oscars and Baseball Team

Oscar night is one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. For the elite in the movie industry this is not only the night where they award their own for excellence in cinema, but also show off their outfits and jewelry to their world.

At the Oscars men show off their look with exclusive tuxedos and subtle- well, usually at least- jewelry which adorn their hands, necks and, sometimes, ears.
During this time, Jeremy Renner was wearing one of those titanium rings which I've seen gaining in popularity in recent years. Renner's ring seemed pretty standard with its simple shape, and subtle design. Frankly, the only reason I probably noticed it was that one of my friend's husband's wears one as his wedding band. Renner is not married nor engaged so I'm guessing it's purely a style thing.

I've really become a fan of these titanium rings. At first I thought maybe it was a bit too "industrial" for something like a wedding band, but as time has gone on they have really started to grow on me. I've actually started looking into them for one of my friends who is getting married. She asked me what I thought she should get for the men's wedding band and I was happy to give her my opinion. She looked into it and was really impressed at what she found.

Phiten titanium necklaces, a new accessory trend, popular among some Major League Baseball players, may help to avoid fatigue and sore muscles. The necklaces are reputed to regulate the flow of energy throughout a body.

This efficient use of a body’s energy helps athletes tire less and recover quicker from strenuous exercise, according to the Phiten USA store’s Web site.

“Baseball players buy them like they are going out of style,” said Chris Miller, assistant manager of the West Side Hibbett’s Sports store. Hibbett’s sells necklaces, bracelets and shooting sleeves infused with titanium. The items range in price from $12 to $35.

Products with a higher concentration of titanium are available, but can become as expensive as $100 for a necklace. Many professional baseball players swear by them according to Phiten USA’s Web site, even though both doctors and scientists alike claim there is no proof.

The necklaces have garnered attention during the playoffs, as they've been worn by New York Yankees A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher and Joba Chamberlain, among others.

Unlike other metal accessories with reported similar properties, titanium works not with magnets, but ions. Negative ions are believed to enhance mood and help battle depression, according to Web MD site.

Miller compared the sensation after wearing the necklace as similar to having vapor rub on your skin.

“It’s a very subtle difference, you’ll notice it more when you’re not wearing it,” Miller said.