Lauren Manoogian

I love Lauren Manoogian's African-inspired jewellery. Colour and geometric forms are essential in the work of this designer that started to do jewels almost accidentaly. The experiment has turned out really well because she's gaining followers by the minute and she has even started to develop her own knitwear line.

You can find her knitwear at LN-CC.

Pics: Elle, Lauren Manoogian

Species by the thousands

With such an appealing title as 'cave', is easy to assume where Erica's inspiration for her latest Species by the thousands' collection came from. Going back to the most pure primitivism, she goes into the cavern and, as in Plato's myth, approaches the world of the sense which she captures in a bunch of pieces executed with great taste.

¡Qué manía!

After gold's long reign it seems oversized semi-precious stones are taking its place in jewellery. ManiaMania's new collection follows this line. As the designers Melanie Kamsler and Tamila Purivs explain, these pieces are inspired by David Bowie and his fascination for the ancient Egypt. Black tourmalines and turquoises are set in bronze or silver, giving the jewels a primitive and even mystical air.

Después de un largo reinado del metal oro parece que estamos presenciando un giro a favor de las piedras semi-preciosas en joyería. En esta línea se sitúa la nueva colección de ManiaMania. Como explican sus diseñadoras Melanie Kamsler y Tamila Purvis, estas piezas están inspiradas en David Bowie y su fascinación por el antiguo Egipto. Turmalinas negras o aguamarinas se engastan en bronce o plata, insuflándoles un aire primitivo e incluso místico.

Erica Weiner

Last week, during my blog absence, a much-awaited package arrived from New York: my Erica Weiner necklace. It's inspired by "JT LeRoy's literary depiction of his hero bedecked in a racoon penis bone necklace". Believe it or not, some mammals, like foxes or lynxes, "have penis bones that are disproportionally large to their body sizes."

La semana pasada, durante mi ausencia bloguera, llegó desde Nueva York un paquete muy esperado; mi colgante de Erica Weiner. Está inspirado por la "descripción literaria que JT LeRoy hizo de su héroe al que adornó con un collar de báculo de mapache". Y es que, lo creaís o no, algunos mamíferos, como zorros o linces, tienen un hueso en el pene que es desproporcionadamente grande al tamaño de su cuerpo.

MACHA

There is a sort of unwritten rule in matters of style that says accessories can make or ruin a look. Jewels play an important role in all this because they add a personal and unique touch, especially if linked to memories. That's why I like the jewelry Bernice makes under the name of Macha so much. The designer herself confesses "I love to make each piece feel like it has a sense of history. Inspiration comes in some many ways, but I guess old things inspire me a lot. I spend a lot of time in antique stores wondering where everything came from."

Hay una especie de regla no escrita en cuestiones de estilo que dice que los accesorios pueden construir o arruinar un look por completo. Las joyas juegan un papel muy importante en todo esto porque consiguen añadir un toque personal y único, especialmente si llevan asociado algún recuerdo. Por eso me gustan tanto las joyas que Bernice hace bajo el nombre de Macha. La diseñadora confiesa que "una de sus prioridades es hacer sentir que cada pieza tiene una historia. De hecho, hay un montón de cosas que me inspiran pero las antiguas especialmente. Paso mucho tiempo en tiendas de antigüedades preguntándome de donde viene todo."

Everything is handmade by Bernice herself who "love the idea that each piece has a human connection and is therefore not perfect." Her jewels are a balance between rough and delicate, "I love to make modern things feel old. That contrast can represent so many things, old vs. new, rich vs. poor, organic vs. geometric, so it inspires many shapes."

Todo está hecho a mano por la propia Bernice a la que "le encanta pensar que todo tiene una conexión humana y, por tanto, no es perfecto." Sus joyas son el equilibrio entre lo rudo y lo delicado, "me encantan las cosas nuevas que tengan un toque viejo. Ese contraste puede representar muchas cosas: viejo vs. nuevo, rico vs. pobre, orgánico vs. geométrico y por eso inspira muchas de mis formas."

As a last confession the designer points "I love to see yellow gold with black diamonds, this reminds me of my mother's engagement ring, with that classic 60's-70's vibe. That's the kind of thing I like to wear myself."

Como última confesión la diseñadora apunta "me encanta la mezcla del oro amarillo con diamantes negros ya que me recuerda al anillo de compromiso de mi madre y ese el tipo de cosas que me gusta llevar."

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life.

"The idea behind Bittersweets NY is making something exquisite out of the everyday objects and designs that are taken for granted." I just love people who find beauty in the ordinary. The extraordinary is especial and beautiful in itself; the true challenge is to see the good in the simple things.

"La idea detrás de Bittersweets NY es hacer algo exquisito de los objetos cotidianos y diseños que se dan por sentados." Y a mi simplemente me encanta la gente capaz de encontrar lo bonito en lo rutinario. Lo extraordinario ya es de por sí especial y bello; lo realmente difícil es ver lo bueno en las cosas sencillas.

Montres

I've been looking for a watch for quite a long time, however the ones I liked were out of my reach. While in Paris, I saw a couple of girls wearing this gold plated Casio watch. Surely it may appear crude in the picture but in reality it's quite the contrary, because the watch is actually very thin and tiny. Furthermore, the price is very reasonable and it goes with my style as I usually carry gold jewelry.

Hace ya un tiempo que busco un reloj y lo cierto es que hasta el momento todos los que me gustaban estaban fuera de mi alcance. Pero mientras estaba en París, vi a un par de chicas llevando relojes Casio dorados. Seguramente en la foto os parezca algo tosco, pero en realidad es más bien al contrario, es un reloj muy fino y pequeño. Además es muy adsequible y pega con mi estilo ya que a menudo llevo joyas de oro amarillo.

Vice & Vanity

I'm not used to wear statement jewellery because I prefer to be more daring with the rest of my outfit. But I'd happily do an exception with this Vice & Vanity necklace. It will look good paired with a simple AA Tri-blend t-shirt in athletic grey. But no, I can't, I must restrain myself from buying anything until October (I've already bought 3 dresses this month!).

Normalmente no suelo llevar joyas muy contundentes porqué prefiero ser más osada con el resto de mi ropa. Pero fácilmente haría una excepción con este collar de Vice & Vanity. Quedaría muy bien con una camiseta gris de AA. Pero no, no puedo, tengo que contenerme de comprar nada por lo menos hasta octubre (ya me he comprado tres vestidos solo este mes!).

Innocent and vain - Nico

Wounds of sorrow, words of joy

At first, one thinks perverse and sweet doesn't match very well. But, Lochers wants to prove the contrary with its latest jewellery collection. To get what I mean, look at the piece below: It's called the Kate necklace.

The Paris-based Swiss designer has put together irony with embroidery resulting in a bunch of necklaces that will add a different twist to any outfit.

I am the Walrus - The Beatles

Scosha

My favourites jewels aren't necessarily valuable, but they all have a special meaning for me as I inherited most of them from my grandmother.

That's why I'm glad to discover new designers, like Scosha, who give a lot of importance to the story behind the jewels. For instance, the Caravan collection is a homage to the classical friendship bracelet and the experiences of travelling around the world.

Scosha proposes fresh and unique alternatives inspired in different cultures, mixing precious stones with materials such as leather or linen.

*All pics from Scosha

Can't buy me love - The Beatles

Diamonds are a girl's best friend?

If you followed Sex and the City, you might remember that in the last two seasons Pat Field put an extra effort to make Carrie look incredibly stylish all the time. We knew it was surrealistic for a woman whose only income was a newspaper salary, to own various Kelly bags, diamond necklaces and hundreds of designers shoes. But it was all the same, because we enjoyed seeing her looking fab. So, when I saw the fantastic Tom Binns Dumont* collection the first image that came to mind was Carrie wearing a diamond necklace with a simple grey t-shirt.

Tom Binns was the winner of a CFDA award in 2006 and he's also famous for collaborating with Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren with "Punk Couture".

If like me, you are broke and you still like this kind of necklaces, search for rhinestone on e-bay and you'll find nice alternatives for a mere $2,99.

*The Dumont collection is made with crystals not diamonds.

Song: Can't buy me love - The Beatles

Sabrina Dehoff

The Berlin based designer Sabrina Dehoff makes fun and wearable jewellery for the everyday. Sabrina studied fashion womenswear at the royal collage of art in London, and worked for Lanvin and Guy Laroche. However, in 2005 she took the plunge and started her own jewellery label.

Is not only the pieces what I love, but also the way they are presented. Great photos joined with great words by people like Emily Dickinson or Yeats.


Song: Maybe tomorrow - Stereophonics