The Little Black Dress

Many women love to wear a little black dress for the holiday parties. And why not? Black cocktail and party dresses are always in style. Men always love women who wear black, because black is sexy. Black usually makes us look thinner as well. So the question now becomes, not what to wear, but what to wear with it. How do you make the little black dress "yours". Once you have found the little black dress you must accessorize! New life can be given to the old little black dress with current trendy jewelry. Class and sophistication can be given to the tight and sleezy black dress with a simple string of pearls. Finding the right piece of jewelry to your dress will add the subtle sensuality of your mood. Pictured on our blog are some women that have ROCKED the little black dress Emma Stone looks smashing in this little black dress.

Bountiful Harvest

Soon our Thanksgiving turkey will be in the oven, filling the air with the fragrance of anticipation. Past down recipes of stuffing, apple pie, and cranberry chutney make my mouth water. Getting ready to set my table, my heart gratefully remembers the legacy of  love and tradition represented in the laundered linens, sparking crystal and gleaming china. The candles will glow and the flowers will smile at us with their beauty. Family, cherished friends, good food and tradition are the bountiful harvest of Thanksgiving.

This year we would like to share a few of our favorite fellow bloggers, cherished recipes, and other festive, creative ideas for the holidays.

Cheers,  Okrzyki, Salud, Skal, Sante, Salud, Prost, Kanpai!

The Girls With Pearls

No one can deny that pearls are the epitome of style and elegance. Style icons such as Coco Chanel, Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn knew the versatility and the sophistication of  pearls.

The history of pearls goes back more than 6,000 years.  Coveted by many during the roman empire, only high society were permitted to wear them.  Once owned only by royal families and aristocrats, pearls have become an affordable commodity, thanks to Mikimoto Kodichi.  In the early 1900s Mikimoto was the first person to cultivate completely spherical pearls that were indistinguishable from the highest quality natural ones.  Mikimoto perfected the secret of inserting a piece of oyster membrane with a nucleus of shell. This foreign object caused the oyster to form a pearl sack, which produces nacre, thus creating a pearl.

Either salt water or fresh, almost all pearls today are cultivated, which means they are grown on a pearl farm.  Salt water pearls take 2 to 3 years to produce a pearl.  Because of this longevity, they have a deeper luster and are normally completely spherical.  Fresh water pearls are cultivated slightly differently, do not take as long to cultivate, and produce many more pearls per oyster. Because of this, their luster is not as deep.  Pearls may be bleached to increase their whiteness or dyed an assortment of colors.  Many different types of pearls are cultivated throughout the world, and each type has its own special qualities.

Akoya, Tahitian or Biwa pearls, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Above is the single strand of Mikimoto pearls given by Joe DiMaggio to  Marilyn Monroe.

Check out our pearl collection on www.twogirlsgems.etsy.com, as we pay homage to one of nature's most miraculous creations.

Back to School with my Chatelaine

We have started our new collection (three is a collection..right?) of chatelaines. Our pencil necklace chatelaines are just the thing for heading back to school. This antique one we found is sterling silver with onyx. We have put it on an oxidized sterling silver chain with vintage buttons  The pencil part is removable with a small mighty magnet clasp for ease of writing (necklace available on our site http://www.twogirlsgems.etsy.com/).

Chatelaine is a french term meaning  "lady of the castle"(and aren't we all?) . They were either belts or necklaces worn by women that held useful household objects such as scissors, thimbles, watch, keys and boot lacers to name just a few.   They were popular in the 19th century and I think they should become popular again.  Form and Function.

 Two of our gold filled chatelaines are shown here.

Chatelaines have also been shown quite a few times on MAD MEN, worn by Joan Holloway.  Check out the images below.

Scotland in September

Two Girls Gems Scottish Royalty Charm Bracelet

Fall came early this year when I visited Scotland last week.  Somehow my Minnesotan-turned-Californian cousin found and married a lovely Scottish lass.  The wedding, which took place in the Royal Burgh of Dornoch in the Highlands of Scotland on 9.10.11, was one of the most amazing events I've ever attended.  In fact, our entire vacation to this cool, misty, history drenched country was a fantastic experience.

I love everything old, so Scotland with its amazingly old cities and farms, ancient castles and rich traditions definitely met my definition of remarkable.  Being a color junkie, I loved the rich pastoral greens of the Highlands, the infinite greys of the stone walls that run throughout the countryside, and the varied jewel tones of the country's famous tartans.  And for the wedding, the bride chose the most lovely color for her bride's maids' dresses.  They were the perfect shade of ballet shoe pink.

It was the brilliant jewel-toned tartans and the bright colors of the Scottish flag that inspired our latest charm bracelet, the Scottish Royalty Charm Bracelet, pictured here.

The bracelet combines rich ruby red, vibrant lapis blue and creamy white pearls, all connected by a brilliant 14K gold filled chain.  In fact, I think I've been seeing those same jewel tones in all the fashion magazines this fall as well.  Like minds...

Copy this link in your browser to see a treasury we collected of lovely Scottish wedding related items for sale on Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI4NTQ3NzR8NzE5NjU1NjM0/scottish-nuptials?ref=pr_treasury

Nantucket, charming as ever.

Just returned from a week in Nantucket, and it remains charming as ever. We stayed at the White Elephant which is a first class act with a great location. The uniformity of the gray cedar shingle homes with the various shades of the purple hydrangea fills your soul with a gentle peacefulness. The Nantucketers have kept their little island unique and protected from the homogenized towns throughout the U.S.. You will not see a Starbucks, an AT&T store, a Subway, or any type of chain stores.Shopping was a delight because you did not know what to expect before you walked in. One of my favorite jewelry designers on the island was Victoria Greenwood. Unique shaped gem stones in beautiful settings. Her website was disappointing but I was told her facebook page will be updated more frequently. http://www.victoriagreenhood.com/ The coastal charms from  http://www.bluebeetlenantucket.com/ were very cool. As far as the custome jewelry in all the store is was very repeatitive and disappointing. They all seemed to be carrying expensive copies of Ippoilata (by the way who I LOVE) and Van Cleef  & Arpel's "Alhambra" collection (haven't we moved on yet). I hate to own the real thing because the copies are getting pretty darn good.

Randolph Street Antique Market

Just spent Saturday at the Randolph Street Market http://www.randolphstreetmarket.com/ great finds of unusual and vintage things. Next market Aug. 27th Found some great charms to start new bracelet and Sarah found beautiful vintage trays.