Layered Necklaces for the Non-Obsessed Part 2 (and news)

I can't really justify 2 separate postings, but I am very excited about the newly released fall jewelry!
I've been clicking away at my keyboard, and trying to figure out what exactly these look like in real life. You see, part of the issue is that jewelry doesn't photograph well. All those intricate facets...places for light to hide and reflect is so complex for our amazing eyes to pick up on those subtle nuances. The good news is that the kind photo editing dept at JBPL does not do lots of editing on the pictures. What this means to us is that we may not get the best picture in the catalog, but we will be blown away when the jewelry arrives on our doorstep! Would you rather be wowed when you buy, or receive? I'll go with receive (and wear, for that matter).

Watch for some fuuuuuun things coming up from this blog! You really ought to subscribe. :)

So, layering for the non-obsessed. If you recall in our last post we talked about layering with a black necklace we call "Fashion-able". It's one of the most versatile pieces you can have in your jewelry wardrobe. The 2 most versatile piece is "Shannel". Shannel is the same length as Fashion-able - about 48". Shannel comes in gold or silver tones (they are gold plated!), with faux pearls, in a tin-cup style necklace.

Pearls are classic. They are elegant. Pearls can be dressed up, or dressed down. If June Cleaver wore pearls while vacuuming, they are good enough for me. Actually, please don't wear your fine jewelry while doing any house work, unless of course it comes with an unconditional guarantee. Pearls look stunning on a woman of any age! You can't go wrong with pearls.

So we start with Shannel and Beloved (a trio of heart-shaped, cubic zirconias (not chintzy teenie bopper cz's - these are high quality cz's!)). Shannel is tripled, and frames Beloved.


See Beloved all by itself? There are sometimes a pendant needs to be solo, and sometimes it needs to be dressed up!
Please pardon the crazy pictures. I've been having some issues with my camera...
Remember Fashion-able? Pair it with Shannel for a very classic, and chic look!
Verona (the thick silver cable chain...doubled) + Shannel

Verona and Shannel again...Shannel is longer and staggered.


Here is a picture from a recent fair. You can see a few necklace combinations. It's not brain surgery to layer your necklaces.



And thrown in for good measure...Shannel as a bracelet!


A few tips to layering:
- Pick 1-2 colors to start with. Select your necklaces based on those 2 colors. Don't worry about texture. You can pick metal, or stone; either one is perfectly fine. Mixing metals has been 'in' for quite a few seasons now, and is no longer considered a faux pas. In this example, I selected two necklaces in the same color family: they both have silver metal. The "Nina" necklace has pearls and rose quartz. The stone combination lends itself to be more earthy in my opinion. I like the juxtaposition between the glitzy of "Heidi" (the quatrefoil necklace with Swarovski crystals) with "Nina" (please pardon the poor picture). I also like "Love Story" with "Nina" for a more earthy look.

- Juxtapose two necklaces. IE: pearls and turquoise. Turquoise, is one of the hottest stones and colors this season. Are you in heaven? I am! Turquoise can also be a tricky stone to layer because of it's hard, cool texture. Because of the cracks and crevasses, it is visually a harder stone, even if it's texturally a smooth stone. If you wanted to play it safe, layer turquoise with a textural silver chain. If you want to be daring, and edgy, pair turquoise with pearls, either freshwater or cultured are fine. In the picture below, you can see a fresh take on this perspective.
I hope you've enjoyed this mini boot jewelry boot camp (if you're this far, I'm assuming you've survived!) Go play with your jewelry; how else are you going to know what looks good together? When in doubt, carry yourself with confidence! You are a lovely woman of God; wear what you like! Be proud of yourself!!
I'd love to hear what you've put together. Please feel free to leave a comment below. The next posting will feature 3 necklaces. Whew! We'll get through this together! I promise to hold your hand the whole way. :)

"I don't wear jewelry" - Jewelry 101 (for the non-obsessed)

For shame. I get that not everyone stops dead in their tracks when passing a jewelry store in the mall. I constantly hear my husband, who's suddenly 15 feet in front of me, while I'm gawking at something sparkly (usually pearls - in my top five favorite stones, or rubies, or whatever. Not watches though...). This is followed by rolling of eyes, and "What are you looking at now?" Which is then followed by me sputtering out something about, "Do you see that ring?! OHMYGOODNESS!!!" Then, "Come on, Rachael." :) Yep I get it. In my defense (do I have any justifications left? no? oh ok.), it was taught. Not by my mom, but by playing with jewelry for 8 hours...my first retail job was for a chain jewelry store. We had to know how it felt, what looked good...

What I didn't understand was layering. This is not really something that is taught in high-end jewelry stores. After all, people are coming in to buy 1 piece (a necklace, for example), and sometimes we could encourage them to purchase the matching earrings, and then sometimes the customer would buy the matching bracelet. Ensembles. I get that. Layering? Nope, that was lost on me. So, this is my layering guide for the non-obsessed. For people who 'don't get it', or who just plain don't wear jewelry :) Come on, you can wear more than just the pearl studs. In fact these looks will look great with the pearl studs.

Now, raise your right hand and repeat after me, "I _________________ (this is where you put your name), promise I will not freak out. And I promise to try at least one of these looks in the near future." I'm your jewelry guide...I will not lead you astray. Remember, we also have an unbelievable customer sale - it will serve you well and you can get 80% off! Contact me for more details!


We'll start with Fashion-able. It's this black one. 48" long. Very simple, with faceted black beads. It's shown tripled here. This is a great piece to wear super long (long necklaces will make a shorter woman look taller than she is, and a heavier set woman look thinner - yes you can wear more than one at a time!!). You could also double this necklace, to make it a bit longer than it's shown here. Or you can triple it.

Keep this image in the back of your mind...we're going to pair 2 different necklaces with a few others to create completely separate looks. Hint - you can wear them with the pearl earrings you love, or that pendant you never take off. I can guarantee you that by adding something else to the mix, people will notice that pendant, rather than by wearing it alone. Crazy, huh?! Follow me on this one!!




Breathe....see that wasn't so hard, was it? By adding your favorite pendant (yes, the one you have on right now), and staggering the long black one (Fashion-able), you're adding more mileage to your jewelry wardrobe, changing it up a little bit, and updating your great look! :) You are already beautiful, you don't need to change that...just your jewelry ;)

The heart necklace is Love Story - it's a designer inspired (ahem...Brighton) piece...Mother of pearl heart surrounded by marcasites. A very simple and elegant, though not too over the top, look!

This is an opportune time to mention that ALL of Park Lane's jewelry is backed by a 100% unconditional guarantee. That means that regardless of when, how or where it breaks, your jewelry will be replaced free of charge. Even if you break it on the high chair. Even if your beloved child yanks it. And, yes, even if the dog eats it. Send back what you have, and voila a brand new piece will arrive to you in the mail!

Congratulations! You haven't withered away! See! You can do this!!!

Rather than giving you more pieces you can wear with Fashion-able, and run the risk of overwhelming you, I'd much rather you come back and read my next post (invite your friends too!). I promise to make it really simple. Cross my heart.

So for this look on the side...it's so simple, hold one end of the necklace, and wrap and wrap and wrap until it's tight, but not too tight...it should fit like a normal bracelet. Then clasp the two ends together. Presto! A long necklace becomes a bracelet! HINT: you can do this with almost any long necklace. Heck, you might just need to buy 2 long necklaces; one to wear as a necklace, and one to wear as a bracelet!!!

A Review of Park Lane Jewelry by a Friend

Have I mentioned recently how much I love Facebook. It is because of FB that I neglect my blog (I haven't posted in 4 months?! SHAME!), or housework (who needs a clean house anyhow). Well one of the biggest reasons I heart FB is it has allowed me to reconnect with good friends. You know the kind that you remember you were such good friends, and went your separate ways and through social media you have found each other. She is an aspiring published author. She has written a few novels, which I must say she has quite the knack for writing. If I recall, as kids she was always m
entioning what she had written over the weekend. In fact, we got the brilliant idea to enter a contest to win tickets to a trip for something, and Amanda was the one who wrote the play, and I was the sorry actress to play counter her. Oh the memories!

Anyhow, an aspiring published author writes about, what else, writing! Makes sense to me! On one such occasion she kindly offered to review a few pieces of Park Lane jewelry :) (Thanks, Amanda!). Please do me a personal favor and hop on over to her site and follow her as well! You'll be glad you did!

"...You know how it goes with starting a business. She agreed for me to review something I go “yeah, and the first time I’m tryin’ to get a rusty bolt off an engine that piece is gonna snap.” (The things we are reduced to in today’s economy to try and make a living.) According to Rachael, my response is supposed to be “Wow! That is gorgeous! Where can I find something like that?” Or “What can I pair with this necklace? How many rings and bracelets can I wear together? Do these necklaces go together?” Heck, I don’t even wear my wedding ring, much less other rings! According to her, if I break one of these jewelry pieces while working on my car I can get it replaced. Something about this unconditional guarantee that comes with the receipt; no questions no money to replace the piece. I just gotta remember where in the filing cabinet the receipt is. Rachael claims this is a no-brainer. I’m still pretty sure I’m supposed to not break the jewelry. That might make my husband miffed, and I’d like not to do that.

But, for the sake of a friend I shall try to review a recent purchase. (Yes, I do purchase jewelry from Rachael even though I don’t wear it on a regular basis because that is what friends do. People do tend to comment on the jewelry when I wear it out. Rachael has picked out everything I own, except the Evenstar. The only problem I have is women tend to think I should know how to respond to a compliment about my bracelet. Um, say something about my pups, my truck or my rifle and I just might know what to say.) Rachael owns a business in cooperation owns a business with Jewels by Park Lane.

Like I said before, it’s like Tupperware when we were kids. Rachael finds someone with friends (obviously not me) and has that girl (I am assuming these are girls) host a party. Since I have never been to one of these parties, I am just going to assume there is some sort of girly drink and girly foods. You know, like those little tea sandwiches that are paper thin and have some weird stuff smeared between the thin sheets of bread and maybe one of those mixed drinks with Champagne they serve at bridal showers. (You can tell how often I go to those.) I can just imagine the small talk about clothing and shoes. (Rachael’s always loved shoes, clothing, jewelry and gossip. I don’t get any of it. Yeah, our moms have no clue how we got to be friends, either. She was doing my hair in different styles while I was studying the doll furniture her father made so I could replicate it.) Then Rachael most likely goes in to some spill about how cool jewelry is, and she brings out the pieces which then get “ooh” and “awe” as a response from the gathered crowd sipping on their girly drinks and eating girly snacks. Rachael does her thing, and people buy said bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings. Then she places the order with Jewels by Park Lane. A couple weeks later, Rachael gives out the jewelry to more “oohs” and “awes”. Or at least, that is how it goes in my mind.

On to the main attraction; the review of the jewelry. For the sake of this review, please remember I am not a jewelry person, or a paid spokesperson. In fact, I bought the jewelry I am reviewing.

I purchased the Graceful Necklace (Item 8276) and the Cabaret Bracelet (Item 8703). The Graceful Necklace is 16” long with a built in 3” extender. I am not sure what I think of the extender, but I love the rest of the chain. It is a delicate chain that twists as it moves up the neck, creating almost a rope like look without actually being a rope. The cross itself is a small gothic pattern. The loop that holds the cross to the chain is in a heart shape. (You have to look close to see it.) From top to bottom the cross measures .75”. It has four circle embellishments running down the cross and two on the arms. If you are looking for a subtle cross necklace to wear to church on Sunday, or the gothic club Saturday night, I think this works.

The Cabaret Bracelet is two triangles on one side of a hexagon and two more triangles on the other side. The triangles meet at their points, forming a frame for the hexagon. There are fourteen hexagons. Each pair of triangles is attached to one side of the hexagon by a pole running from one triangle’s corner through the hexagon to the other triangle’s corner. The bracelet is ridged to a point, but moves freely because of its design. I have to admit I do tend to slip on the Cabaret if I think about it before I leave the house..." excerpt from Amanda's blog. Kindly used with permission.

Where did I put that?

As a mom of two, I find that I am CONSTANTLY running late (or feeling that way, at least). I've come up with some systems that help keep me organized...jewelry wise that is!
I'll start with my favorite! When I worked for jewelers years ago, the common theme was "Open fast, get the customers in. Close fast. Repeat" We used wooden trays with velvet flocked plastic liners. Every jewelry store uses them. Most artisan jewelers use them as well.
They are handy and inexpensive (nilecorp.com is a great company, but it took a bit longer than I would have liked for my order to be shipped). They are not good for traveling, however. But since I don't live in an RV - it works for me!
I have everything organized, which took a little while for me to do so, but was well worth the time. Here is the way I've chosen to organize mine (color is easier for me than style...although I've done that too). Pearls first - they are my favorite, and I have the most of them. Since the vast majority are white-ish neutrals, I'd start there. Then pinks (think rose quartz, pink pearls). I would put Topaz next. Since this is an orange/brown color move within that theme. Gold pieces also fit in this section. If you have necklaces that are copper or rose gold, I would put these here. Then gray. Vintage or antiqued pendants and chains would go in this section.
Your blue necklaces go next - sapphires, aquamarine, turquoise, etc. Black follows.
Finishing with silver, which inevitably you've come full circle.

Confused?
Pearls/White
Pink
Topaz/Red/Orange/Bronze/Brown/Gold
Gray/Vintage/Antique
Blues
Black
Silver

The next storage box I've used is a divided box with a latching lid. I like it more than a huge jewelry armoire, less than the trays above. HOWEVER, it's great for traveling because it closes.
The problem I've found is that I'm not able to store my chunkier necklaces, or my brooches, or bangles without the lid being left open. And this defeats the purpose of a lid! The bottom and side also seemed like it'd scratch my delicate pearls. Before laying pieces in the slots, I cut pieces of paper towel to lay between the dividers.
This box is an inexpensive (I think a dollar or two) way to organize jewelry on a small scale.


I don't know about you, but the sock monster seems to take my earrings too!! This is a clever trick for keeping your earrings together (not really organizing them). Slip the post or the hook through one of the button holes, and fasten on the other side. Nicer shirts and pants come with extra buttons (Thanks Ann Taylor!!). If you save them (or "save" them...as the case may be) you'll have instant earring holders.

I Love Jewelry

Oh my! I LOVE jewelry. Less than I love my kids, husband, and God, but it's right up there! Pearls, gems, fashion jewelry, gemstone jewelry. If you can wear it, I love it. How about you?

I worked for a chain jewelry store several years ago. I had a customer who was looking for something to "catch his eye". Dude, I wanted to tell him (we said that then, not to the customers obviously), you're standing in the middle of a diamond store - everything is sparkly. I realized at that moment, that I love the glitter of jewelry. Who cares that some things are ostentatious? Who cares that you might be wearing a 'bit much'? When a woman wears jewelry, it gives her an automatic confidence, makes her feel loved, adored by the giver. It allows woman to play dress-up. There's nothing wrong with being Fancy Nancy everyday! :)

It's no small wonder that I own my a jewelry business. I love blessing women with jewelry. I love helping them feel empowered and confident. A pair of earrings or a necklace can make a gal's day!

Isn't it interesting that we call nuggets of wisdom "pearls of wisdom". In the book of Job (in the Bible pearls, gold, silver, onyx, sapphire, etc are all compared to wisdom (which wisdom is WAY better than all those). I wholeheartedly agree!