Poetic - SGD 95 - Sold

The Poetic necklace is a sweet darling, made up of pastel-hued vintage enamel flowers (I'm low on/run out of some colours like the sky blues) stacked together with pearl centres. There is the littlest flying birdie, a heart charm with tiny pearls and a gorgeous blue topaz onion brio topped with moonstones and freshwater pearls. Sterling with the cutest wing motif toggle closure to the side. 

Marseilles - SGD 175 - Sold

Lovely, ambrosial floral necklace with a genuine crimson rose dipped in resin and cascading gems of amethyst, ruby, tanzanite, garnet, labradorite and rose quartz gems. 3 large gorgeous step cut awesomely clear pink amethyst oval stones, labradorite nuggets, a pale jade donut and an antique Fleur de Lis locket with paste stones that can be detached and worn on its own. 

:: Marseilles with locket ::

:: Marseilles sans locket ::

I had so many photos taken of picture-worthy Marseilles but here are a select few so you can see how it looks with and without the locket. Charming either way I say!

Petite Aile - SGD 55 - Sold

Lovely, ethereal simplicity... elegant seed pearls strung delicately with assorted charms - a little rose pink crystal winged charm, an angelic feathery wing, a tiny puffy heart, a "hope" tag charm and the tiniest vintage rhinestone drop. Necklace measures approx. 17" long with 14k gold-filled lobster clasp closure. 

* Don't be deceived by how low it hangs on the Miss Bessie! She is a rather petite lady. 

**Petite Aile is seen layered with a longer 32" creamy pearl and glittery CZ-encased oval links necklace which is also available upon request :)

Seraphim - SGD 76 - Sold

Gleaming moonstone and white topaz gems, a frosty little rhinestone-d bambi, a faux-pearl bow, the tiniest crystal baguette accents and a sweet cut-out angel charm that comes with its own detachable bail so you can wear it on its own. Necklace measures approx. 16.5" long with sterling components. Innocently radiant, celestial. 

Brittania necklace - SGD 150 - Sold

Inspired by the fascinating world of ancient Greco-Roman culture, here is a sumptuous show-stopper of a necklace lavished in classical elegance.

This amazing cameo brooch pin has the portrait of a regal Roman lady carved in hematite or its costume version (hematine). I sourced it along with some other cool finds at Port Adelaide's Antiques Market (the first thing the somewhat ancient granny behind the booth said to me was this was a very very old piece though she didn't specify how old!) The cameo is set in an ornate intricately filigreed frame with a high relief and is surrounded by turquoise and pearl accents. A stunning relic from the past!

AAA grade deep blue lapis lazuli with gold flecks and moonstone rondelles are hand-linked alongside gorgeous large fresh water pearls, petite black agate barrels and robin-blue faux turquoise nuggets. Lace rose motif in midnight noir, vintage medium vitrail crystal with moonstone briolettes and their brilliant flashes. The shortest strand measures approx. 19" long with the longest strand at 27". Toggle closure at side. 14k gold-filled components. 

Tigris Necklace - SGD 80 - Sold

Darling lavalier-style necklace, made texturally exciting with a 3D fluttering butterfly, sparkly rhinestone ring, stacked flowers, brassy ribbon bow, molded twig charm and faux-vintage-amber cabochon pendant (please pardon the dark shadows -- they are reflections from my camera). Hessonite, smoky quartz, swarovskis and medley of 14k goldfilled chains. Sweet little everyday piece.

Alexandria - SGD 75

Silent and strong like the walls of the Parthenon, Alexandria is a fine example of the classical influence emphais on symmetry, proportion and geometry. The large 18x13mm emerald cut aquamarine crystal focal is stunningly brilliant while gleaming deep oyster blue pearls balance out the dazzle. A tiny vintage locket as well as gemstones in pale blue (blue zircon faceted rounds) and subtle white (rainbow moonstone pear briolettes) complete this brassy antiquated ensemble.

Beauvoir - SGD 105 - Sold

Classic lines with a gorgeous vintage marcasite and pearl ribbon bow brooch and amazing 1920s silver necklace with intricate repousse floral links and prong-set turquoise stones (the settings have art deco etched details on the back!). Try a different look by wearing the brooch on the other side! Old-fashioned sophistication and elegance, anyone?

Crimean Swallow - SGD 130 - Sold

A luxurious showpiece featuring an Art Nouveau gilt pendant of a gold-flake lucite cabochon with tri-coloured leaves, vintage Damascene shield component with faux pearl, vintage clear czech heart crystal, Swarovski silvery starburst crystal in antiqued filigree setting, midnight noir lace rose motif, smoky quartz nugget, black agate barrel beads and black spinel rondelles. Opulent and delicate all at once.

Papillon - SGD 135 - Sold

Behold the darling Papillon!

One of my favourite creations to date -- I like the overlay of metals, colours and textures in this piece, and it is versatile as both a necklace and bracelet! A fluttery 3D butterfly, rhinestone wreath, little heart charm set with tiny pearls, petite etched silver tone locket complement the vintage enamel flowers in soft hues of pinks and creams. Gemstones used include smoky quartz cubes, moonstone briolettes in teardrop and onion shape and a pretty green amethyst drop briolette. 

The chain portion of the necklace is an interesting filigreed heart pattern sterling chain which can be detached to be used as a necklace with your own pendant.

The bracelet measures approx. 7" in length with a lobster clasp closure. A texturally visual piece!

Magnifique, non?

Because you asked ...

.... here are the "official" peeks into the latest collection :)

I am gonna call this the AW 11 Collection - Part Une cos seriously I still have got tons of ideas I can't translate into actual pieces fast enough. Reckon that means I can afford to come up with a Part Deux and a Part Trois perhaps. Not to mention a kind soul just recently reminded me about earrings! How could I have forgotten the earrings?!! So you see, a Part Deux is indispensable...

Still have loads more to do and if you noticed, the blog is undergoing a revamp as we speak. It is far from finished but I am so sick of staring at the screen and my fingers are screaming, enough!!! I am now going to take a nice cold shower, have some corn pops with coffee milk and then play with the baby girl. I hope you enjoy the gloriously sweltering day today too!

Antiquarian is a beautiful word

an·ti·quar·i·an/ˌantiˈkwe(ə)rēən/
Adjective: Relating to or dealing in antiques or rare books.
Noun: One who studies or collects antiques or antiquities.

_________________________________________

So now you know! The theme for this AW 11 collection is "Antiquarian".

Apart from very old jewellery, my other great love is very old books. Or specifically reading about collecting and dealing in old, rare, antiquarian books. The love affair began many moons ago while working as a bookseller.

Like every college student then, I was keen to find a holiday job for extra cash. I loved reading so I knew I wanted to work in a bookshop. The biggest two at that time were the now-defunct Borders at Wheelock Place or Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City. The remuneration was comparable, but Kinokuniya required the wear of a uniform (which a 18 year old me considered stuffy) so the choice was easy.

Though it was a very short stint, I think having had a foretaste of the intricate workings of the back room, having to actually know the genres and content of the books I was selling, seeing and smelling the crisp printed pages of new arrivals everyday -- the experience left such an indelible impression on me.

Some books I picked up then have impacted me over the years (and influenced my creative mood this season!) and these are 2 of them:

I am not a student of literature so David Denby's adventures of his encounters with Columbia University's famous "Great Books" course as an older student left me curious about the classics of western civilisation written essentially by what is termed "dead white males" (funny!). A fascinating novel take on the great books canon but oh so heavy.

Thankfully this book is much lighter:

The book is a collection of letters chronicling the 20 year correspondence between Helene Hanff, a gregarious irreverent American writer, and Frank Doel, a British antiquarian bookseller (mighty fine example of the typical reticent staid English gentleman if I may add). It is witty, sarcastic, sweet, sad and nostalgic all at once. One of my favourite reads ever!

If you have never read 84 Charing Cross before, please please please pick up a copy somewhere and read it. Find a cosy corner, have a cuppa tea and spend the afternoon relishing the story of a charming, old-fashioned friendship in a much simpler time.... xo

Behind the scenes

:: A few behind the scenes shots ::

Love the sun today! I finally got down to doing the photo-shoot for the new AW 11 collection that I've been hard at work on. Only minor editing to the lighting was needed, and the pictures turned out soft and dreamy with a somewhat languid feel. I like!

A photography buff/expert I am not, so I know nuts about "photo boxes", "light tents" and the like. My camera is a point and shoot Canon Ixus and the daytime sun is my best friend. I double up the wooden bench next to our shoe cupboard as my photo-shoot table top along with rustic white washed drawers/display cabinet and paper flowers as props. It really is quite fun playing decorate, creating little vignettes of jewels as product shots. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

All I have to do now is choose the prettiest and most defining photos as well as come up with the copy (promotional text, not duplicate) for each of the pieces and then they will be ready for listing. Give me another few days or so?