Multicolored sapphires from Reinstein/Ross.

Recent developments among friends have got me thinking about weddings.  (You know who you are!)  Being the jewelry fiend that I am, this of course leads me to thinking about jewelry for the ceremony.  Engagement rings, well, every woman seems to have her own opinion on the subject, but the options don’t end there.  Not everyone wants a lot of bling, but for those who just want to stick with a band, there’s no need for the band to be completely plain either.  While big statement rings are the fashion of the day, there are a lot of beautiful low-key diamond and gemstone bands out there too.  Some of these also make great little personal indulgences by themselves or stacked.  So, here’s a little eye candy and something to consider for those with a wedding in view and slightly non-traditional tastes.

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We all know I’m a jewelry hound.  While I have several places I love for investment pieces, I’ve always been a fan of places like Kenneth Cole or Banana Republic for on-trend costume jewelry to keep things up to date.  A recent look through Banana Republic’s website, however, has made me wonder about where they’re trying to go with their jewelry and accessories lines.

After seeing a necklace I liked in Lucky, I perused their jewelry holdings this week.  As I expected, they have several very wearable pieces, most of which are offered at a price that’s reasonable for what they are.  Their 51″ framed jewel chain necklace at $45, fine.  Their glam bib necklace in smoke gray at $69, fine.  It was this piece that really jarred me:

Banana Republic, $198.00.

Don’t get me wrong, I like this necklace a lot.  So much so, in fact that I considered buying it… until I saw the price. $198?  Really?

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Kimberly McDonald at Twist

This week’s installment in our online shopping roundup brings us to jewelry. This, admittedly, is one of my big weaknesses.  I looove jewelry, and I particularly love interesting design.  The online stores I’m going to share with you today aren’t the place that you go to for a pair of nice diamond studs.  Yes, they’re classics, but that doesn’t require a store to have an eye for design, just a jeweler with an understanding of the four C’s and a good source for diamonds.  If you’re looking for that kind of thing, you can get it readily enough at Blue Nile or one of the other obvious vendors.  What I’m talking about here is places that will have jewelry that’s interesting, that not only will look good on you, but may be a conversation piece at a cocktail party (and not that “Wow, that stone is huge!” conversation we’ve all heard after someone gets engaged), and that frankly, is enjoyable to look at for its own merits. After the jump, some of the best places to look.

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The NYC Whole Bead Show

This weekend was the spring New York City Whole Bead Show. Admittedly, to most people this is probably a weird if possibly interesting sidenote to life in the city.  To someone like me, on the other hand?  You know, someone ever-so-slightly obsessed with precious and semiprecious gemstones?  It’s the best playground I’ve hit since that time I got tossed out of La Maison du Chocolat for disorderly behavior.  (The milk chocolate thing wasn’t my fault, I swear.)  As these things go, the Whole Bead Show is small beans as compared to the Tucson Gem Show, which is where the really serious gem sales take place, but the bead show is still huge fun and kindly brings the sparkly to New York not once but twice a year in the spring and fall.

The offerings?  Beads, jewelry findings, and even some loose stones.  The beads on offer include precious and semi-precious gemstones, gold and silver, pearls, shell, wood, and the full range of manmade beads from dichroic glass to Swarovski crystals. Still wondering why this appeals to me so much?  Maybe this shot of one of my favorite tables will give you an idea:

A little amethyst... topaz, citrine, garnet, peridot, sapphire, lemon quartz...

While I only made a quick pass through the show,I still managed to do, well, more damage to my bank account than I’m entirely happy with.  As eye candy, a few shots of my haul after the jump.

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Tourmaline and diamond cuff by Laurie Kaiser

This morning, a little eye candy for you all from one of my favorite jewelry designers: Laurie Kaiser.  Kaiser’s opulent gold and gemstone pieces aren’t cheap, but they make a gorgeous special occasion splurge.  These are the kinds of investment pieces that are striking enough to make an outfit without being so over the top that you couldn’t wear them on any regular day.

My current obsession is the green tourmaline cuff above, but more great jewels follow after the jump.

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As Lily mentioned, in the interests of bringing you all the best news, we recently sacrificed our bodies to science by making a pilgrimage into the city to sample the eateries at the Chelsea Market.  Somehow this turned into a shopping expedition as well.  If this surprises anyone, well, you don’t know the two of us nearly well enough yet!

Now, the idea was originally that we were going to grab lunch and not shop, but Lily wanted to take a stroll down 14th Street past the stores between 9th and 10th Avenues on the way. This is possibly the most dangerous stretch of the Meatpacking District for the susceptible.  Frankly, very few of those stores are at all affordable, but drooling through the windows at the Alexander McQueen and Hugo Boss never hurt a girl, did it?

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Alexander Calder bracelet, circa 1948.

New Yorkers looking for a little culture this weekend might want to consider grabbing this last chance to check out the Calder Jewelry exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which closes March 1.   Although Calder is generally known for his mobiles and larger stabiles (including, for New Yorkers, his sculpture “Saurien,” which occupies the corner of 57th Street and Madison Avenue), he was apparently well known during his lifetime for his output of wearable art, a total of approximately 1800 pieces of jewelry in brass, silver, and gold.  Jewelry-obsessed as I am, I checked it out a few weeks ago, and it’s well worth a look.

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Citrine and peridot.

As will become clear in the months to come, I am an entirely unabashed jewelry hound, high and low.  To christen our run into the fabulous world of gemstones, I’d like to highlight some lovely, slightly Byzantine pieces from Cathy Waterman.  Waterman has a beautifully delicate design touch; her jewels, while pricey, add a gorgeous touch of refinement to any jewelry wardrobe.

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