TEMPORARY HIATUS

I am currently going through a family/medical emergency and until everything settles down I will have to temporarily stop blogging.  Feature requests will be completed once I return.  I hope to return sooner rather than later.  

Thank you all for your support of the blog and for your comments. 

MICHELLE GUEST | MIJA JEWELRY

18-Karat Gold Vermeil Constellation
Cocktail Ring with White Sapphires

Located in Washington, D.C.’s National Mall stands the grand structure known as the Lincoln Memorial. 

The structure was designed by architect Henry Bacon and sculptor Daniel Chester French created the stunning marble statue of Abraham Lincoln that is flanked by 36 majestic columns.  

Washington, D.C. is also home to featured jewelry designer Michelle Guest.

ERICA PACEY and ALESSANDRA FEIO | NUGAARD DESIGNS

Coil Ring with Smoky Quartz

One of Brazil’s top attractions, located in Rio de Janeiro, is the quartz and granite monolith called Sugarloaf Mountain. 

Standing nearly 1300 feet the mountain obtained its name due to its resemblance to a pile of sugar.  Brazil is also the ancestral home to design team Erica Pacey and Alessandra Feio.

LINDA UHLEMANN JEWELLERY

Sterling Silver Medium
Fuchsia Pendant Necklace

An island located in Ireland’s County Kerry holds a towering rock formation known as Skellig Michael (or Michael’s Rock).  

 A centuries-old Celtic monastery sits near the rock’s summit and serves as a home to puffins, razorbills and petrels.  Ireland is also home to featured jewelry designer Linda Uhlemann.

CYNTHIA CHUANG and ERH-PING TSAI | JEWELRY 10

Porcelain Horse Brooch Pin
with  Crystal and Art Glass Beads

First colonized by Dutch settlers in the 17^th century, the city of Taipei, located in Taiwan, has a rich history. 

Over the course of many years Spain, China and Japan have each played a role in the city’s storied existence.  Taiwan is also the birthplace of husband-wife design duo Cynthia Chuang and Erh-Ping Tsai.

JANINA DIZON HOSCHKA

Multi-Colored Stingray Cuff Bracelets

The Philippines’ Chocolate Hills, located in the Central Visayas region, is an area consisting of nearly 2,000, naturally occurring hills and is one of the country’s most popular destinations. 

The mounds are widely believed to be a combination of marine limestone overlaid with clay and depending on the season they transform from green to brown.  The Philippines is also home to featured jewelry designer Janina Dizon Hoschka.

LORNA HENDERSON

Mini Cluster Flower Swirl Earrings

For nearly 1,000 years England’s Gothic church the Westminster Abbey has been the location for royal coronations. 

The church is also known for its stately organ created by British organ building company Harrison & Harrison.  England is also home to featured jewelry designer Lorna Henderson.

MARGERY HIRSCHEY FINE JEWELRY

18-Karat Gold Pendant Necklace
with Moonstone, Sapphires and Diamond

The Rocky Mountain National Park is the most renowned park in the state of Colorado. 

With an expanse of over 200,000 acres the park offers over 300 miles of hiking trails including the Trail Ridge Road; a road that allows visitors to view the state’s incredible mountain ranges. 

Colorado is also the current home of featured jewelry designer Margery Hirschey.

NATHALIE SEVIKIAN

18-Karat Yellow Gold Rose Pendant Necklace

A popular site of France’s Le Puy-en Velay, an archdiocese that has existed since the Middle Ages, is the Cathedrale Notre Dame. 

This revered cathedral is not only known for its striking Gothic architecture but the ominous structure is the setting for the fictional story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

France is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Nathalie Sevikian.

LISA NIKFARJAM | LISA NIK JEWELRY

18-Karat Gold Twisted Wire Pendant
Necklace with Black Leather Cord

The Central Bank of Iran holds the most spectacular display of ancient Iranian jewelry from the Safavid and Pahlavin dynasties.  Iran is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Lisa Nikfarjam.

PLANETTREASURES

Bright Green Lampwork Bead Bracelet

The Australian Outback is perhaps one of the more intimidating areas of the rugged continent Australia. 

One of the most arid regions in the world, the Outback is surprisingly the habitat of such creatures as the dingo, wild camels and kangaroos.  

Australia is also the home base of featured jewelry brand Planettreasures.

LANDON GUNN

14-Karat Gold Eagle Cuff Bracelet

Canada’s Old Quebec City is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites as it contains numerous attractions that are literal portals through time. 

Surrounded by a centuries-old stone wall, Old Quebec City offers to visitors the Plains of Abraham Battlefield Park, the Chateau Frontenac, and The Citadel.  Canada is also home to featured jewelry designer Landon Gunn.

TESSA GRAZZINI | ASSYA JEWELLERY

18-Karat Gold Vermeil Short Necklace
with Circle Flower Motifs

The 16^th century Academia Gallery, located in Florence, Italy, houses Michelangelo’s famed Statue of David. 

The academy is considered one of the world’s oldest museums.  Italy is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Tessa Grazzini.

QUOTABLE GEMS | BRAD PITT

I believe you make your day. You make your life. 

So much of it is all perception, and this is the form that I built for myself. I have to accept it and work within those compounds, and it's up to me.

JENÉ DESPAIN

14-Karat Gold-Filled Bryant Park
Pendant Necklace with Green Onyx Briolette

Located on the southern end of Brooklyn, New York smack dab along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean is Coney Island. 

The name Coney is believed to be a derivative of the Dutch word “Conyne” which means rabbit. 

The settlement was originally inhabited by a large variety of rabbits but industrialization claimed their habitats.  New York is also home to featured jewelry designer Jené DeSpain.

TEMEL BAHADIR | TEMEL'S METALWORK

Mixed Metal Ring with Copper, Bronze, Brass
Alpaca and Titanium

You can take your pick of exploring either mountain ranges or exotic beaches within Antalya, Turkey. 

Walking along the beaches of Antalya provides a precursor to water activities including wind surfing, sailing and water skiing.  Turkey is also home to featured jewelry designer Temel Bahadir.

HANS MEEVIS

Housing nearly fifty thousand pieces of rare paintings and sculptures the Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum is a haven for historical information on the country but it is also a place to find exquisite artifacts collected from the Far East and Southeast Asia.  The Netherlands is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Hans Meevis.

14-Karat Gold and Titanium Amethyst Bangle Bracelet

So far the Netherlands has been the premier location to find the unexpected in jewelry design.

MELINA WOLRD JEWELLERY

18-Karat Gold Concho Shell Charm

Meteora, Greece is the location of some of the country’s incredible landmarks: numerous monasteries poised atop rock formations. 

Many of these religious establishments house treasures and relics and the Megalo Meteoro monastery sits on top of the tallest rock formation in Meteora.  Greece is also the home base of featured jewelry brand Melina WorldJewellery.

NARAYANI



Lapis Lazuli Natural Sophistication Torsade Bracelet

Pilgrimages to India’s Girnar Temples occur annually.  Considered as an “anthology of mountains,” eight thousand steps lead to stunning architecture amidst the backup of spectacular mountain ranges.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Narayani.

STEPHEN EINHORN

Sterling Silver and 9 Karat Gold
Ourmite Jar Pendant Necklace

For ninety-one years England’s Imperial War Museum has provided visitors with historical information and memorabilia of WWI and WWII. 

Letters, full-size military vehciles, and ammunition are a portion of the attractions within its walls.  England is also home to featured jewelry designer Stephen Einhorn.

ALEXANDRA BETH DESIGNS

14-Karat Gold Plated Fan Ring

Just over 100 years old New York’s Flatiron Building, located in Manhattan, is a unique structure designed by Daniel Burnham. 

The building is patterned after Greek columns as it sits on a “triangular block with Beaux-Arts styling.”  New York is also home to featured jewelry designer Alexandra Beth Samit.

ANUSARA KONKAM

Pearl and Rose Quartz
Sweet Spirit Choker Necklace

There is plenty of gorgeous scenery to take in when visiting Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands including picturesque beaches, stunning coral reefs, and “limestone lookouts”.  Thailand is also home to featured jewelry designer Anusara Konkam.

KIRSTI DOUKAS

Sterling Silver and Porcelain
Blooming Earrings

The town of Ivalo, located in Finland, harbors a wealth of activities to take part in including a canoe ride down Ivalojoki River, fishing, mountain hiking and even panning for gold.  Finland is also home to featured jewelry designer Kirsti Doukas.

VIV & INGRID JEWELRY

14-Karat Gold-Filled Amazonite
Skinny Wrap Hoop Earrings

Tourists frequently opt to take cable cars or hiking trails to see the incredible scenery of China’s Huangshan Mountain Range. 

China is also the ancestral home of the design team for featured jewelry brand Viv & Ingrid Jewelry.

GILDA VEGA

.950 Silver Angel Glow Pendant Necklace

Formed by the powerful Urubamba River, Peru’s Urubamba Valley was highly revered by the Incas for its wealth of precious minerals and fertile soil.  Peru is also home to featured jewelry designer Gilda Vega.

ESTYN HULBERT

White Pearl Constellation Necklace

The 13^th century Eilean Donan Castle, located in Scotland, has served as a stunning backdrop in many feature films including Highlander. 

The fortress also makes the perfect setting for a wedding.  Scotland is the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Estyn Hulbert.

SARAH ELLIOTT JEWELRY

Aquamarine Bracelet with Sterling Silver

Known to some as the Grand Canyon’s smaller cousin, Arizona’s Oak Creek Canyon is just as well known. 

With its unusual and colorful rock formations, clear swimming holes, and Native American handicrafts it is a location that satisfies the craving for an assortment of beauty. 

Arizona is also home to featured jewelry designer Sarah Elliott.

QUOTABLE GEMS | LENA HORNE

You have to be taught to be second-class; you're not born that way.

AYAKA NISHI

Model Wears 18-Karat Gold Plated
Honeycomb Necklace, Earrings, Rings
and Cuff Bracelet

Erected to honor the Japanese goddess Amaterasu Omikami, the Ise Shrine, located in Japan’s Mie prefecture, is a complex compound of hundreds of Shinto shrines. 

According to custom, the shrines are “rebuilt every twenty years” so that architectural styles are not mimicked.  Japan is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Ayaka Nishi.

BASTIAN INVERUN

14-Karat Gold Plated Sterling Silver
Circle Necklace

Dresden, Germany is the location of the 18^th century fortress Zwinger Palace.

Built over the course of eighteen years, this structure holds a museum with a collection of paintings by Raphael.  Germany is also home to featured jewelry brand Bastian Inverun.

THE SCOOP ON 2011 JEWELRY TRENDS

If keeping up with jewelry trends is not your thing it may become rather overwhelming.   However, if you enjoy making sure your jewelry collection contains an eclectic mix of styles and materials then you my friend are a die-hard fashionista!

While I have touched on various jewelry trends in blog posts over the last two years (and in many cases without knowing it) for this Splendor Sidebar you will learn some of what is abuzz for jewelry trends in 2011.

ANNA RUTH HENRIQUES

Oxidized Sterling Silver Nugget
Holon Pendant Necklace

 The Daily News Building in New York was once the location of The New York Daily News for roughly seventy years.  

With its crisp Art Deco architecture it is said to have been the model for the fictional Daily Planet.  New York is also home to featured jewelry designer Anna Ruth Henriques.

MONALISA OKOJIE | NEHITA JEWELRY

14-Karat Gold Pendant Necklace
with Purple Jade

Anambra is a tiny city located near Africa’s River Niger.  One of the city’s top attractions is its Omaba festival but the city is also known for its variety of artworks.  Africa is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Monalisa Okojie.

PHILIPPA HOLLAND

Oxidized Sterling Silver Scorpion
Pendant Necklace with Tsavorite Eyes

Holding an array of modern art dating back to 1900 is London, England’s Tate Modern gallery.

Eclectic art spanning the work of Claude Monet to Andy Warhol is exhibited on separate levels of the building.  England is also home to featured jewelry designer Philippa Holland.

MICHELE and WHITNEY HENDERSON | HENDERSON DESIGN

Abalone Shell and Gold Vermeil
Teardrop Earrings

Though small in size the Village Creek State Park, located in Lumberton, Texas, is known as “The American Ark” due to its wide variety of wildlife.  Texas is also home to featured jewelry brand Henderson Design.

MONIQUE PÉAN FINE JEWELRY

Woolly Mammoth Ivory Diamond Necklace

Opened to the public just seven years ago is the U.S. National World War II Memorial.  Located in Washington, D.C.’s National Mall it is described by some as “evocative of federal architecture during the New Deal Period.” 

The site boasts majestic pillars with arches that encompass a plaza and fountain.  Washington, D.C. is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Monique Péan. 

BARRY WILSON

Sterling Silver Killerwhale Pendant Necklace
with Abalone and Turquoise Inlay

Let’s take a trip along the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec, Canada to see the island known as Percé Rock. 

A hulking mass of lime stones at over 1,000 feet long and nearly 300 feet wide it is one of the world’s largest natural arches.  Canada is also home to featured jewelry designer Barry Wilson.

LEEORA CATALAN | nOir JEWELRY

Gold-Plated Brass Wonder Woman Ring with
Cubic Zirconia

A fixture in Columbia County, New York for nearly three hundred years, the Clermont State Historic Site is where the former estate of the influential Livingston family is located.  New York is also home to featured jewelry designer Leeora Catalan.

ANNA-KARIN HALLSTRÖM | BLACK DAISY DESIGNS

Copper and Rock Crystal Like a Dragonfly Bracelet

The City of Roses is the nickname of Visby, Sweden and it houses some of the world’s most stunning medieval architecture including the Historical Museum of Gotland and the Dominican Monastery of St. Nicholas.  Sweden is also home to featured jewelry designer Anna-Karin Hallström.

GIORGO DAMASKOS

18-Karat Gold Black Cuff Bracelet
with Sapphires and Diamonds

With gorgeous landscapes and the incandescent glow of golden sand the beauty of Corfu, Greece lends itself perfectly to a tranquil, relaxed mindset.

Corfu is also a great place to brush up on history within the walls of its many museums.  Greece is also home to featured jewelry designer Giorgo Damaskos.

PATRICIA JARA

Sterling Silver Florid Finesse Collar Pearl Necklace

There is a plethora of sun-drenched beaches to see in northern Peru.  

Among these is Mancora Beach; a touch of heaven on Earth where the sun shines nearly every day and the color of the sea transforms from emerald green to blue.  Peru is also home to featured jewelry designer Patricia Jara.

ILEANA ROJAS-BENNETT | MALEKU JEWELRY DESIGNS

Sterling Silver Pod Pearl Earrings

If you are a daring sort and like the ferocious beauty of volcanic activity, then Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano National Park is for you. 

With an ever present stream of glowing lava, the Arenal Volcano has become a tourist attraction where park rangers take visitors through safe, lava-free trails.  Costa Rica is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett.

BREDA HAUGH

18-Karat Gold and Sterling Silver Pendant Necklaces
from Desert Leaves Collection

A historical site shrouded in lore the Rock of Cashel, located in the Irish province of Munster, is an area touted as one of Europe’s “most remarkable collections of medieval architecture”.  Ireland is also home to featured jewelry designer Breda Haugh.

QUOTABLE GEMS | GEORGE CLOONEY

After doing One Fine Day and playing a pediatrician on ER, I'll never have kids. I'm going to have a vasectomy.

ARUN BOHRA | ARUNASHI

22-Karat Gold Aquamarine
Pendant Necklace

Located in southern India, in the state of Tamilnadu, is the 11^th century structure known as the Brihadeeswarar Temple.

Flanked by two “guardian statues,” the temple’s interior contains small shrines, a tower, and a columned hall.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Arun Bohra.

VANESSA MIMRAN | NESSA JEWELRY

18-Karat Yellow Gold and Diamond
Bang Bang Pendant Necklace 

One of the largest cities in Morocco is perhaps its most famous.  The city of Casablanca is more than the romantic, exotic setting depicted in the film of the same name. 

It is Morocco’s economic capital yet the city is also known for the world’s largest mosque, Hassan II Mosque.  Morocco is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Vanessa Mimran.

ORLANDO ORLANDINI

18-Karat Yellow Gold and Diamond
Open Work Ring

A great way to see the Italian coastline is to drive along the beautiful yet crowded route known as Amalfi Drive.

 Located in Sorrento, Italy Amalfi Drive is a one-way stretch of road that allows for glimpses of mountains and picturesque villages. Italy is also home to featured jewelry designer Orlando Orlandini.

KATIE DECKER

18-Karat White Gold Tulip Pendant Necklace
with White Pearl

Built during the late 19^th century, the Old World grandeur of The Bishop’s Palace, located in Galveston, Texas, is a stunning display of Victorian architecture.

It is listed in the American Institute of Architects “as one of the 100 most significant buildings in the United States”.  Texas is also home to featured jewelry designer Katie Decker.

YUMI CHEN DESIGNS

24-Karat Gold Foil and Chocolate Brown Venetian Glass
Heart Pendant Necklace

The Great Wall of China is a centuries-old tourist attraction that is among the Seven Wonders of the World.  

Built by three Chinese dynasties over the course of more than 1,000 years it stretches across grasslands, rivers and desserts.  China is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Yumi Chen.

MAI SATO FLORES

14-Karat Gold Filled Rising Sun Necklace w/Garnet and Moonstone

The Kasuga Grand Shrine, located in Nara, Japan, is an 8^th century temple built by one of the country’s most powerful families, the Fujimaras.  

The Shinto temple is characterized by stunning bronze and stone lanterns.  Japan is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Mai Sato Flores.

JULES KIM | BIJULES

14-Karat Gold Bone Crusher Head Band

At nearly 130-years-old New York’s Brooklyn Bridge continues to be an iconic element of the state’s skyline.

After its construction in 1883, it held the title of the world’s longest suspension bridge for twenty years.  New York is also home to featured jewelry designer Jules Kim.

ANUSH MOVESIAN AVEJIC



Blue Eye Bead Bracelet with Swarovski Crystals and Amber Beads

In Dilizhan, Armenia tucked away within the cluster of mountain woods is the Agarstin Monastery; a complex consisting of one 11^th and two 13^th century churches.  Armenia is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Anush Movsesian Avejic.