Come join us as we welcome designer, Shana Aldrich, of The Ropes. Featured on Elle.com, Atlantic Pacific, and coveted by fashionistas everywhere, The Ropes is a nautical-themed jewelry collection designed in Maine. This is your chance to snag one of these perfect summer bracelets and enjoy some of Moria and Megan’s favorite Maine treats.

Thursday, June 14th, 2012, from 6-8pm at the M. Flynn store,
40 Waltham Street in Boston’s South End.

See you there!

Morgan & Milo
46 Waltham Street, Suite 201
www.morganandmilo.com
This adorable children’s shoe and clothing company holds a sample sale of their adorable line. I love to stock up on shoes for my two boys and they also make perfect gifts!

Emily Gallardo
46 Waltham Street, Studio 307
www.gallardoworks.com
Emily’s studio is always full of surprises. She is best known for her adorable greeting cards and custom invitations but she is also one of those creative types who always has a new art project to show off. I love her paper flowers and her crocheted pins.

PatchNYC
46 Waltham Street, COURTYARD
www.patchnyc.com
Patch is a great addition to the artist studios, and perfect for those who are looking to discover something unique in Boston. You may recognize some of their designs from Anthropologie and West Elm.

Simplemente Blanco
460 Harrison Avenue Building B #15
http://simplemente-blanco.blogspot.com/
Fernanda’s neutral aesthetic is amazing. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

Charles Tersolo
450 Harrison Ave, Studio 307
http://www.charlestersolo.com
Fabulous oil on canvas artist. Megan and I both have some of his Boston landscapes hanging in our homes.

One of our favorite recent projects is a very special engagement ring we designed for a customer who came in with lots of ideas and lots of family heirlooms. When he first came in, he brought his grandmother’s engagement ring, along with an assortment of old rings from his mother that he wanted to put together into a modern engagement ring. When he shared his intentions with his girlfriend’s family, they enthusiastically gave him diamonds from within their family to include in the new ring. This piece was shaping up to be a pretty amazing symbol of two people and two families coming together, but it wasn’t complete without one more special touch — The couple had met while sailing, and so the client wanted to incorporate a nautical rope design into the ring.

Pretty amazing, right? Talk about team work! Here’s a picture of the final ring. Our photography does not do it justice but it was the story that was important to tell.

It got me thinking about what an important staple hoop earrings are. I wear my hoop earrings a lot, and when you find the right size, weight and style, they’re perfect to wear alone or pair with anything. They are a little more fun, relaxed, or bohemian than a simple diamond stud or pearl.

Here is a great basic pair that we make in gold-filled and sterling silver:

We carry these from Alexis Bittar:

Here’s a new custom project that we recently finished. They are prong set diamond and rose gold:

What kind of hoop earrings do you like?

A few weeks ago we headed down to New York City for the Accessorie Circuit show to do some of our buying for spring. Accessorie Circuit is a big trade show where designers from around the world show their collections to buyers from around the world, so it’s a pretty good place for scouting out upcoming trends.

We’ve written before about our love of bracelet stacking, and it looks like that won’t be changing for Spring. We saw tons of fun bracelets made of everything from chain, cord, and rope, to resin, beads and even gimp. Lots of combinations and styles that will be very easy to mix and match to fit into your everyday wardrobe. We’ll be picking up a few new designers this season to add to our bracelet selection, so be sure to keep a look out for more info on those.

Another thing we noticed was the importance of color, particularly very bright shades and neons. Now’s your chance to spice up your jewelry collection with pinks, reds, oranges and neon yellows. We like to think of it as bringing back a bit of the ’80s in a modern way. We have some Ropes bracelets in the store right now that are perfect for this.

Heavier chains were a popular material we saw on everything from necklaces and bracelets, to belts and bags. Delicate chains and charms never go out of style, but there is a definite movement toward larger, chunkier statement pieces that really make an impact.

As a whole, what we saw was jewelry becoming an increasingly important way to express yourself. Everything is larger and more colorful this season, which is amazing news for jewelry fanatics like us! Stay tuned for more on the new things we’ll have in the store for Spring.

Are there any trends you guys have noticed that you’re excited about?

We thought you might like to take a peek at a recent custom project. We’ve seen a lot of alternatives to the traditional wedding and engagement rings lately and it has been very exciting working with clients on them.

This ring has it all: a beautiful natural pearl flanked with marquis sapphires and pear diamonds. I love the use of the different diamond shapes … that was the client’s idea and it really worked.

Check out our computer mock-up of the design, side by side with the finished product. Cool, right?

La peregrina Pearl

Pearls are organic gemstones that are vulnerable to acid, alkaline and extreme humidity. As with most jewelry, you should put on your pearl jewelry after you’ve finished applying make-up, hair products, cremes and perfumes. The luster of your pearls can be harmed by these products, as well as by perspiration, so it’s a good idea to wipe them down with a soft cloth after you’ve finished wearing them.

Pearls are delicate and can easily be scratched by sharp objects or other gemstones. I know we just spent lots of time preaching the cause of proper jewelry storage in our last entry, but in this case, it’s also relevant. Pearls should be stored away from other jewelry to prevent scratching. Our M. Flynn pouches and boxes are actually great storage tools for pearls. The soft pouch keeps the piece together, while the box is sturdy enough protect pearls from damage while in a drawer or during traveling.

A few no-nos: Never use a plastic bag. If you store your pearls in a safety deposit box, fill a small shot glass with a bit of water to prevent “crazing” or small fractures on pearls caused by dry conditions. Never hang your pearl strands because it will cause stress on the string.

As a pearl strand owner, you should expect to have your piece restrung every two to three years and more frequently if you wear them weekly. We hand-knot many of our pearl strands, but some less expensive freshwater strands are on wire. The traditional hand-knot versions are usually a bit more expensive but if the strand breaks, you will only lose a few instead of all of the pearls in the subway.

Pearls can be gently cleaned with a mixture of a bit of ivory soap and warm water with a soft towel. After using the soap, dip in cool water and let the piece completely air dry on a soft towel.

Don’t worry, none of this is as daunting as it sounds. Pearls are a classic and timeless jewelry staple, and like most things in life, they just require a little bit of TLC.

Here’s a picture of one of my most-recent purchases:

See our previous jewelry care post here.

- Never hang beaded necklaces because it causes stress on the cord.

- Pearls are fragile. They should never be stored in plastic, nor in close quarters with other pieces that may scratch them.

- Some gemstones can fade in sunlight.

Many of us probably substitute bowls, boxes, trays, etc. for proper jewelry storage because it’s an easy, quick fix. That’s why a proper jewelry box could be a beautiful gift that’s also quite useful. Check out a few nice ones we found below: