Tagged: rose gold

January 16, 2013

Charitable Diamonds

I may not be saving lives or inventing something that will change the world. I recognize that beauty is a privilege and that I am in the business of luxury, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all find ways do some good. Jean & Alex has always tried to contribute in our own little way–by donating pieces of jewelry to help raise funds for charitable causes close to our hearts. Usually, those charitable organizations are ones that I am personally involved in, but not always. This year, I’m happy to say that one of the organizations that we will be donating a piece to is very dear to me indeed, the Junior League of Seattle–”an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.”

If you’ve never heard of the Junior League, know this–it’s like the mob, we’re everywhere. The organization was founded in 1901 by Mary Harriman (a fellow Barnard alum) and has had a hand in everything from the creation of the Red Cross to women’s right to vote. The first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Conner, is a Junior League member. Four first ladies were Junior League members. Ten members of the House of Representatives and two members of the U.S. Senate–Junior League members. Julia Childs. . .a Junior League member. And that is only domestically, we’re an international organization!

As a provisional member this year, the Junior League has already given me so much. I met my posse here in the Pacific North Worst–a group of brilliant, accomplished, open-minded women who speak their minds and look gorgeous whether they’re digging up blueberry bushes to help create urban farms or speaking out against violence against women. In six months, I’ve been exposed to docent training, urban farming, financial planning and leadership training. I enjoy it so much because it is the single most active non-profit organization I have ever been a part of; everyone is accountable and everyone is expected to shoulder responsibility.

As such, it is only appropriate that the pair of earrings that I designed and will donate to be raffled off at the Premier Event this year is called the “Doyenne.” The Doyenne earrings will be made in rose gold and be set with over one carat of pave white diamonds. After all, every doyenne deserves diamonds.

“Doyenne” earrings

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

June 13, 2012

Summer Color Combo: Mint and Rose Gold

I was enjoying a mint chocolate cookie ice cream yesterday during an after-dinner walk and a big ol’ chunk fell onto my rose gold rings and I had an epiphany! Mint and rose gold is a GORGEOUS color combo. SWOON! I have long eschewed mint as a color for clothing because it seems so non-committal and well, pastel. In my 20′s I didn’t “do” pastels. As an Asian girl you’re just asking to be put in the sweet submissive cover my face and laugh tee-hee category. However, now that I’m ~~older~~ wiser and wiser I realize that it’s not about the color itself, it’s about the color COMBO. Ta-da! You want to wear pastel pink? Fine, pair it with a funky dark grey. Mint with Rose gold my DMD darlings, it’s a revelation!

Try pairing a rose gold necklace with a mint or robin’s egg blue top. I am dreaming up a ring with aquamarine set in rose gold. . .

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

April 16, 2012

Tiffany’s RUBEDO, a New Precious Metal or Marketing Ploy?

I know I am going to get a slap on the wrist for this post. It is never wise as a fledgling to offend the Gods, but alas, I am opinionated and I shall write what I believe. I’ll be damned if I let possible sponsorship or advertising opportunities dictate the content of my blog. Now. . .

Tiffany & Co. introduced a new metal in February of this year called RUBEDO. The name comes from the medieval philosophy of alchemy, it was the title given for the very highest achievement. According to the Tiffany’s press release, such a title was given, “when matter and spirit fused to create something of rare beauty.” What is the metal in reality? It is a mixture of gold, silver and copper. Those of us who have been following the prices of precious metals know that the price of gold has been astronomical lately. However, combine a little bit of gold with cheaper metals of silver and copper and BAM! suddenly you’ve made your costs much lower. Surprising though that jewelry made out of RUBEDO is priced so high regardless. So this begs the question, is this just a clever way for Tiffany’s to lower its costs and increase revenue?

Tiffanys RUBEDO, a New Precious Metal or Marketing Ploy? — Tiffany 1837™ interlocking circles bangle in silver and RUBEDO. Retails at $4,200. WHAT are you smoking?!?!?!

Methinks it is. If there is one thing Tiffany’s has perfected is its marketing. The company has managed to parlay its little blue box into massive sales of cutesy silver trinkets at ~~rip-off~~ very high margins. It is dollar-for-dollar the most expensive paper box you could ever buy. The jewelry? Meh.

The metal itself is quite pretty, the color is just slightly deeper than the color of rose gold but given the price point and the rather ~~boring~~ conservative designs of the pieces made of RUBEDO, I will have to give it a pass. No swoons from me here. If this RUBEDO thing works for Tiffany’s, I am going to commission my own team of metallurgists to invent a metal called STARK-RAVING-MENTAL and I’m going to make a bagillion bucks too.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

March 28, 2012

Buying One’s First Diamond Earrings

Good morning-ish my darlings!

I received a question yesterday from a reader that I thought was absolutely brilliant and I feel it is my moral obligation to address it in a post. The question was, “At what age should I have my first diamonds and what should my first piece of fine jewelry be?” Brava my dear! Excellent question.

You should have your first diamonds when you can afford to buy them for yourself! Now, I have no problem with accepting gifts if a certain wonderful friend, boy, or family member decides to bestow you with diamonds. By all means accept them graciously and write a thank you note. However, barring the above situation, you should buy your first diamonds when you’ve been earning a steady income, have no credit card debt and are able to put a bit aside for savings AND save up for a pair of diamonds (thank you Suze Orman). My darlings, one should be decadent and fabulous but lets all keep in mind that we should, above-all, be self-sufficient and responsible so that as we get older we can become MORE decadent and MORE irreverent. Cheers!

Next, what piece of jewelry should you invest in? Oh, a pair of diamond stud earrings of course! Here is the reasoning. You don’t want to buy yourself a solitaire diamond ring because if you’re single you don’t want to scare away the boys; and if you’re already engaged or married then you already have a solitaire and you should be looking for something with a bit more character. Diamond studs are a very elegant staple piece. They are also the perfect low-maintenance accessory–I sleep in my diamond studs so if I ever forget, or am too lazy to change earrings, my ears are adorned by default.

How big/how much/what color/clarity? GASP! So much to decide. For diamond earrings, here is how the thought process should play out:

1. Are you a size or substance girl? If push comes to shove do you care more about how big (i.e. carats) or clarity? Decide and use that as your jumping off point to set your budget.

2. What’s your budget? Keep in mind that one wouldn’t want one’s earrings to be bigger than one’s engagement ring until after one is engaged. Why? Don’t intimidate the poor boy! If he has a heart attack every time you wear your 2 carat studs how, much longer is it going to take him to propose?!?! Yeah, thought so. You’re welcome. After you’re already engaged then you don’t have to worry. Although I would say that even then, if your studs are bigger than your engagement ring, something went wrong. My DMD darlings know that if one is faced with a decision to either upgrade one’s diamond earrings or one’s engagement ring, we always upgrade your engagement ring first because then you can match your old stone from the engagement ring with another and make a pair of studs! It’s a sneaky way to upgrade both.

3. Clarity is not as important as size or color when it comes to earrings! No one is going to have their nose against your ear staring at your diamonds! When looking at quality considerations for earrings, here is the order of importance: color, then cut, then size, then clarity. What does that mean? It means that you get the best color that fits into your budget and then see what clarity your budget allows for. The end result is that you have a pair of white sparkly gorgeousness that are large, impressive and within your budget.

4. Don’t fret if your first pair is small. You can accessorize them or use the diamonds for something else when you upgrade them in a couple of years. What you probably don’t know (yet) is that you have a lot of room to work with diamond studs. Using a basic pair as a jumping-off point, you can later go to a jeweler and have him/her make jackets for your studs. What is a jacket pray tell? A jacket is a little accessory that you slip around your diamond studs to dress them up. Jewelers can custom-make them (and they must be custom-made in order to fit around your particular pair of studs because every diamond is different) in all shapes, colors, stones. I have a pair of rose gold jackets with pink diamonds that go around my white diamond studs. It changes the look, gives you more accessories to play with and stretches your budget until you’re ready for your next upgrade.

Buying Ones First Diamond Earrings — These are my rose gold and pink diamond jackets that fit around my diamond studs. The post goes into the center hole you see there.

As always, feel free to click on the “Ask JZP” button on the right if you have questions. Until the next one my lovelies.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

March 26, 2012

Monday Morning What to Wear: Knuckle Dusters

Is there anything more badass than a well placed knuckle duster? I think not. Lets be clear, I would never use any of these as weapons or for unprovoked violence, but it is nice to know that if I my Monday morning goes sour I could theoretically “cut a bitch” with my McQueen knuckle duster clutch, my Jean & Alex pink, yellow and white diamond bubble rings or my Knucklecase for iPhone. Granted wearing all three together may be overkill but a combo of any two of the above with a deconstructed Maison Martin Margiela blazer and jeans or with Junya Watanabe’s cotton cape for S/S/2012 and The Row white stretch leather pants would be DIVINE! Gets you out of bed on a Monday morning just a little faster doesn’t it?