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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

A Willing Time Traveller
Harry Potter Time Turner Necklace


I recently came across an article, "Collecting Is About More Than Just Stuff" that answered a big question for me: WHY am I a Collector?

Many of us collect something...and for me, it's Jewelry (big surprise!), especially jewelry with a vintage date :).  Bits of the article really resonate with me and shed light on why I have been collecting Jewelry all of my life. Well, I learned I am basically Preserving Memories. For What? I assume, when my brain (which is already overloaded with everything from the ins and outs of being a wife, mother to a spirited three year old, and a business owner) fails me in the memory department, I can count on something to instantly transport me back in time. Watching my toddler grow in leaps and bounds right before my eyes has made me more aware of Time than ever, and, believe me, I am a willing Time Traveller!

I credit my parents, who presented me with my first "real" piece of Jewelry for my 6th Grade Graduation, as the originators of my love for collecting Jewelry. It was a delicate, sparkling turquoise Blue Topaz ring set in gold. Two small, heart-shaped stones and two small diamonds. I have still never seen another color like it to this day. I cherished that ring, I was proud of it...proud that I was now responsible enough to be trusted to take care of something nice. Which only lasted a few years when my precious ring found its way to the Ocean Floor in the Florida Panhandle. It's been 20+ years and I am still not over losing it! The memory of this ring being my first, but also my first loss. The stinging memory (that keeps me aware and careful of what I am wearing to this very day!) is as clear now as it was all those years ago...
          I am diving under the shallow waves, frantically feeling deep into the sand, uncovering seashells...but not my Ring. The pit in my stomach. The helplessness I feel as I realize I am no match for the Tide, burying my precious treasure on its floor with all of the others. Why, why did I think it was a good idea to switch the ring to my other hand in the middle of the Ocean?! The security of it being on the other finger, which it fit more snugly on, that's Why. But, then that rogue wave hits me, and the ring falls from my fingertips just as I am transferring it to the safety of my larger finger...gone. Where's a Metal Detector when you need one?!

Like a song, Jewelry transports me through the years. I am instantly "there". Just touching the pearl choker necklace in my jewelry box, it's suddenly 1995 and I am excitedly opening its velvet gray box with my parents looking on, just before we jump in the car to my High School graduation...                                                                   My first real set of Pearls! I am overjoyed. This means I am an adult, at last, right? My dress is a soft off-white silk with a ruffle at the bottom that hits just above my knee. My strappy patent leather sandals are uncomfortable, but I can mush through since they are luckily not high heels. I can't stand it when my feet hurt, and since I'll be on them for hours, no staggering heels for me! My hair is long down my back and I am not, I repeat, not excited about putting on that generic navy blue cap and gown with its gold tassel hanging in my face! Uggg. A Uniform. An absolute death sentence for Creatives....

Ok, I am sure by the length of this post (if you are still reading this!), you definitely get the point! Wow, that was a fun trip down memory lane, thanks for humoring me and coming along. I think I could use one of those Harry Potter Time Turner necklaces pictured above!

How about you? What transports you through time?
xox- Laura

p.s: click here for the article that I mentioned at the top of this post

photo: Harry Potter #TimeTurner Necklace