what is it about a sale?

four little letters. so innocent. so compelling. so seductive. the strongest women i know are reduced to well, you know. perhaps because by changing just one of those four little letters, we find another equally seductive word: save. ah. 10%, 20%. possible to resist, perhaps. but 50, 60, 70%? there is no power in the universe, short of kryptonite, to keep me from caving to 70%. you?

the real beauty of i. gorman's annual sale is the beauty you get to take home with you. the sale lets you finally get those earrings you've longed for but just couldn't justify at full price. or it lets you explore a secret side of you -- giving you a pass to toy with something that isn't necessarily "you" as you have been, but you as you could be.

last year's sale ended with me owning my first piece of gellner, but not what you might expect. the necklace is a little rocker-chic; an oxidized chain clasped with a tahitian pearl. i. love. it. it goes with anything and everything and i swear that when i put it on i feel just a little bit edgier than i did a second before.

this year's sale isn't over, but i already know that the antonio bernardo "open cage" earrings (i name jewelry...why not?) will finally, finally, finally be in my ears instead of in i. gorman's case.

two amazing bargains. two beautiful pieces to love. color me happy.

ps. the sale only lasts through valentine's day. don't say i didn't warn you.

art is where you find it.

lucky me...i recently found myself in milwaukee in the middle of a snowstorm. we were racing to get someone to a plane (that did, miraculously, take off) and decided we could take a short detour to the Milwaukee Art Museum. i'd been there before, and seen the exhibits, but i thought i'd see what new discoveries i could make. if you've never been there, it's hard to imagine, but the place has wings. deservedly so -- the architecture alone is magical. (visit www.mam.org)

Santiago Calatrava's Quadraccio Pavilion is celebrating its tenth anniversary, but it definitely takes you to the future. when you enter, you're tempted to look straight ahead at Lake Michigan, but don't forget to look up. the building is as much a work of art as the fabulous Chihuly sculpture that greets you.

why talk about a museum in a jewelry store's blog? so much of our work is so modern, and architectural, i can't help but see the parallels. i see shapes that remind me of Germany's Step by Step and Brazil's Antonio Bernardo. Chihuly's twisty glass reminds me of Majoral's more unconventional work and the bold color combinations the Margonis put together. and a trip into the museum store leads me to... a future blog post!

trend report 2012 -- says who?

whom, might i ask, has the final say for all these "top jewelry trends" that are hitting my inbox? (that will teach me to sign up for google alerts for "jewelry trends." go figure.) everyone and their sister has an opinion. the spring runways were ages ago, and we're definitely in-between the big red carpet moments, so does celebrity bling even count right now? yet terms like "yellow gold" and "chandeliers" are popping up on blogs and in magazines all over. even colors get claimed: one person's "tangerine" is another's "orangeade." what if you're in the mood for something a little more "cantaloupe?" will others snicker behind your back?

when it comes to jewelry, i tend to trend to practical -- not having a celeb's budget, i have to love a piece and be able to picture myself wearing it with oh so many looks for oh so many years. if it happens to be super-current, that's a happy bonus. we're talking gems and jewels here and it's harder, for me anyway, to justify the dollars on a sassy necklace that may feel dated two years from now than on an impulse purchase of skinny jeans, designer or not.

oh, and when, sometime later this year, i start going on and on about pearls because they're hot, hot, hot, please don't give me grief about not giving in to trends. sometimes a girl's just gotta go for it.

gift certificates – not a cop-out!

time is running out, people. check the calendar! you have just 3-1/2 shopping days before christmas (and a lucky bonus day this year if you're celebrating hanukah.)

well, i'm here to save you. can't find the perfect thing in your favorite jewelry shop? i say a lovely gift certificate is just the ticket. you're worried that you're asking her or him to S-H-O-P for themselves, like that's a bad thing? it's not. trust me. you're actually presenting a totally personal gift that says "i get you - and i know you might pick out something i wouldn't and i want you to have the best gift ever." and when the lucky recipient is presented with a cool gift certificate, packaged, wrapped and presented like an actual gift (see little black bag post below,) that is one awesome thing to unwrap.

fear not and come on in. tick, tick, tick.

all i want for christmas (and hanukah) is...

that little black bag. the one that makes bells jingle in my head even before i open it. (ok, not exactly.) it's quite mysterious, actually – all this blackness – bag, tissue, ribbon. why so dark? perhaps to best contrast with what sparkles within? that must be it.

and then there's the split of champagne, also black, of course. how cool is that? just perfect for a spontaneous mimosa!

so what's inside this year? those absolutely sleek and architectural earrings i tried on at the designer show? ( i swear, whoever invented wish lists was a GENIUS!)

here's hoping we all get the little black bag of our dreams this year...