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These Are A Few of My Favorite Things
Favorite Jewelry Staples from Laura James Jewelry
Over the years, I have found that one of the main questions I am most asked is..."what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?"
For me, this is a hard one to answer! Pretty much each piece of jewelry that I own is special to me for its own reason. It marks certain occasions like birthdays or graduations, or the giver was special to me...or it may have marked a time of success in my life and I purchased it to reward myself.
Whatever the reason, each piece has its own special story.
This photo above shows a few of my current faves...the pieces I pretty much rarely take off these days.
The channel set diamond band was a very special gift from my husband to celebrate the birth of our daughter, Lila Lewellyn three years ago... I love that it keeps her near me all day long and I wear it next to my wedding band.
This delicate, rose gold necklace with the bezel set solitaire stone is something I recently created and added to my jewelry line as an answer to an everyday necklace you could wear from the Yoga studio to the Pool. A piece with a little sparkle that you could layer with your other necklaces...and not have to take it off for any reason. As a result, I rarely am without mine!
And, of course, this framed photo as we exited our wedding reception nearly 12 years ago. Not an actual piece of jewelry, though the frame is so pretty it should be! A wonderful reminder of the excitement we felt, the elation of being with all of our loved ones that came so far to see us wed, and the anticipation of what lay before us in the new life we would be building together.
Like a song, photographs and jewelry are closely tied together for me. They are my memory markers that I can always rely on whenever I want to take that trek down Memory Lane.
What are your jewelry staples and why?
xox-Laura
Vacation State of Mind

Photography by Laura James of Laura James Jewelry

photo taken by Laura James

 

Nothing refreshes me quite like a visit to the Ocean. Specifically, a very clear blue Ocean with sugar white sand! I frequent our family Florida retreat as much as I can, soaking up the relaxation and inspiration so that I can emerge fresh, renewed, and ready to tackle what's next. It's really the only way for me! 

I loved pulling out my camera to capture this shot at Sunrise this morning. The mix of colors was just what I was hoping for. I am continually inspired by the Ocean and the Beach! It was also fun to vary from my normal Product photography to Landscape photography. It's always nice to try a new route :)...I am already counting down the minutes till the Harvest Moon tonight to see what I can capture!

Where's your Vacation State of Mind?

Jewelry Trends from the Runway at Fashion Week

"Statement necklaces, arm cuffs, art school earrings and raw stones all made an impact on the runway this Fashion Week." Vogue

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It's always interesting to me to see how a Jewelry Trend starts on the Runway as a fantasy and emerges later as a staple!  Trends may come and go, but they often do find their way down the chain, eventually, and I am going to have fun seeing where these Jewelry trends pop up this year...

 
MINERAL JEWELRY 
Agates, Druzy, Stalagmite Crystals...a Mineral Jewelry moment is my favorite trend! I have been juxtaposing shiny objects with a touch of these rough, organic minerals in my own jewelry collections since the beginning:

Mineral Jewelry Trend on the Laura James Jewelry Blog

 
ARTY EARRINGS
Do you also love a big, bold statement earring?! This trend gives added leeway, so you can go out on a limb without a worry:
Arty Statement Earring Jewelry Trends on the Laura James Jewelry Blog

 
DELICATE CHOKERS
Finally, we're downsizing those 3" chokers of yesteryear and trading Goth for Glam with these wispy, delicate options:
Delicate Chokers Jewelry Trend on the Laura James Jewelry Blog

 
STATEMENT NECKLACES
They're here (did they ever leave?!) and they pack a punch...especially with their Pendants:

Runway Trends and Statement Necklaces on the Laura James Jewelry Blog

Now, I can't leave out the UFO Jewelry trend! That's right, there is such a thing. Think TOTAL FANTASY when you see this extremely Avant-Garde jewelry:

Fantasy Jewelry Trends from Fashion Week on the Laura James Jewelry Blog


That's a wrap for today! Now, quick, go through your own jewelry collection and see what's trending...or pick up a new piece or two. :)

xox-Laura James 

 

photos courtesy of Vogue Magazine

Carried Away

Laura James Painting

Hi Guys! How is everyone's Summer going?!


I cannot believe we are already here into August...I don't remember when Time flew so fast in my life. However, that is likely due to the fact that so much has changed work-wise for me these past couple of months...

Since moving out of my physical storefront this past June where I have operated Laura James Jewelry the past 7 of the 11 years I have been in business, (I have missed seeing your faces so much!) I have truly enjoyed this bit of a "Break" that I have been on...by the way, this totally dates me, but I can still hear Ross yelling at Rachel "We were on a B R E A K!" at the very mention of the word!

ANYwho, this Break for me has been both amazing and hard at the same time. I didn't realize until now just how programmed I was to Work, Work, Work. It shouldn't really be that much of a surprise to me, seeing as I have spent all of my days since 2005 building Laura James Jewelry from the ground up. I have found it's actually quite tough to dramatically switch gears when you've been doing something a certain way the past 7 years!


As soon as my traveling all over the place slowed down - literally, if you had called me and said, "Laura get in the car/plane/train and come visit", I would have been there! Traveling to see family and friends during the Summers is something I wanted to do for so long- finding the momentum to switch into this next Online and Pop Up phase for Laura James Jewelry has been daunting, to say the least! 

First of all, it has taken me weeks since I have been home to stop the voices in my head pushing me to Make Jewelry, Build The Business, constantly Post on Social Media, etc. etc., I am finally in a space where I am taking a real breath, finding new inspiration, and relying on my instinct to Listen to myself instead of Telling myself. 

So, to jolt the Creativity in me, I have decided a little Painting might be in order these days... 

Painting Mess


Painting. It is something that has always alluded me.

My Aunt Lewellyn (Lou Jordan) is a very gifted Painter in Charlottesville, and those artistic veins run thick through my Father's side of the family. I have never "figured out how to Paint", and that has always bothered me! I watch my daughter, Lila, who was born with an Abstract brush stroke that I would give anything for (!), effortlessly move her pre-school hands around a canvas. She even tried to teach me now to move my brush "the way she was", believe it or not. She's Three! Sigh.

So, today was my first real attempt at this whole Paint game. Well, I found it is MUCH harder (and messier!), than I could have imagined. But, it was...Fun. I am happy to say, I got that "carried away" feeling I have always had making Jewelry. No clue what time it is, just having a good time in the moment. This small 9x12" piece took me much longer that I would have imagined, but I thoroughly enjoyed the process...and learned that my fingers work much better in paint than trying to use a brush!

Laura James Jewelry painting


Thanks for sticking with me this far down this post...you're a real trooper for spending your time with me today! And yes, I definitely DO have a BIG online Jewelry SALE in the works SOON, so stay tuned (or you can add yourself to the list to be notified ahead of time when it begins here: http://bit.ly/1t7BQa2).


Till next time!
xox-Laura

 

#arty #creativeprocess #painting #creativelifehappylife