a big IF...

so hello, the sale is almost here again. the once-a-year-go-for-broke-because-it-won't-be-back-for-a-good-long-while sale. just for fun, i decided to pose this question to myself: "self, if it were to go on sale for 70% off, what one piece of jewelry would i have to buy, even if it's a bit of a splurge?" 

well, i thought about it for about a nanosecond and came up with the answer. i want, want, want the antonio bernardo earrings that magically appeared during his recent event in the store. i might have opted for the gorgeous ones i borrowed for my wedding (see post below), but these actually call to me more. they're also quartz, and yellow gold, but i think there's something in the geometry of the marquise shape that makes their allure so powerful. 

if those don't rate a 70% off mark, i think i'll rush to the alishan case for that long necklace that i've toyed with off and on for a long time. oxidized sterling links, tahitian pearls, red gold and that funky, arty alishan touch -- who could want more? plus, as much as i admire his work, i don't own a single piece by him...yet. 

and if the discount on the necklace doesn't make it quite approachable enough? not a problem! this girl can cope. besides, what am i doing pining for yellow gold and dark silver when i'm a bright sterling girl at heart? and there's that chunky, crazy handcrafted silver bracelet margoni left behind after the designer show. the one with the nuggets of aquamarine and blue topaz. i have added a lot of blue to my wardrobe lately...

reality check? fine. i may be crazy to even begin to expect deep discounts on these killer, popular pieces. but that's really ok. because i know that when i walk in friday morning, there will be a pleasant surprise waiting for me. and then i'll have my little splurge on a piece i can't imagine now, but i know i will have to have it the moment i see it. 

unless you beat me to it. 

i'm getting married in...

wisconsin? yep! and in truth, i got married – in september – but couldn't resist using the title. humor me. it's been a little busy since then.

anyway, i was the last person on earth to ever want to have a "destination" wedding. but, for family reasons, that's exactly what it became. and since our destination was a family cottage in door county, wisconsin, that seemed kind of cool instead of excessive. in a handful of weeks, we threw together a sweet and simple family ceremony on the lawn overlooking green bay, followed by a small reception to which we invited a few close, local friends. it was a lovely, if windy, day. 

everything was perfect, including our totally special todd reed rings and my "something borrowed" i. gorman jewelry: deceivingly simple but oh-so-stunning earrings from antonio bernardo and a to-die-for bracelet by majoral. i took a big gulp of faith with the tsa folks at the airport; i've never taken anything that valuable through security! 

our great day with the photographer took us, with my bouquet of perfect garden roses in tow, from our favorite art gallery to the beach. maybe not picture perfect, but perfect all the same. 

it was very, um, "grown up" in a classy, totally fun, far-from-stuffy kind of way. we made our own playlist on an ipad, burned a cd and played it on a boom box (seriously!) with a very long extension cord. jeff beck, holly cole and sinatra never sounded better. 

the reception overlooked the bay as well, and our wonderful guests were great sports when we had to move indoors because the wind off the water only increased with time. they happily enjoyed the cherry-champagne cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres and an awesome selection of local artisan cheeses served on beautiful pottery made by friends. even if they hadn't left room for the best cherry pie ever (who wants cake?), they made it! the gorgeous flowers were totally simple, natural and rustic – no need to add a lot of fuss and flash in a lovely place like this.

it was a memorable evening of laughter and love, which is pretty much all we wanted. the amazing sunset over the bay was a beautiful bonus. 

a special thank you to karl boettcher of visual image photography for his spectacular shots and the permission to use them here!

we couldn't have done it without the help of incredible local friends and businesses; if you find yourself lucky enough to be planning a door county wedding, i encourage you to look them up and promise that you'll meet some of the greatest people on earth:

delicious rehearsal dinner at parador  –  www.paradorwisconsin.com, fab photos taken in the wonderful sculpture garden at edgewood orchard galleries – www.edgewoodorchard.com, photos by karl boettcher, visual image photography – www.vipis.com, a perfect reception at horseshoe bay beach club – www.horseshoebaygolfclub.net, wisconsin's best cheeses from schoolhouse artisan cheese – www.schoolhouseartisancheese.com, my lovely bouquet and flowers by the talented helene at flora – www.doorcountyflowers.com, very special handmade platters created by clay bay pottery – www.claybaypottery.net, and the best cherry pies in door county from schartner's farm market – who are so wonderfully local, they don't have a website!  

the pinterest whisperer.

adam gorman told me a great story the other day. a man came in, wanting to get something special for his wife. the man was very sweet and incredibly enthusiastic, but not very specific when describing the woman he loved. adam needed a bit more information than her stature, age, career, etc. to help this wonderful husband select the perfect piece of jewelry for her.

the veritable lightbulb went off. "does she have a pinterest page?" adam asked oh-so-nonchalantly. indeed she did. and success was born. it turned out that adam could tell a great deal about this lucky woman's taste in jewelry from her pinterest page.

it's true! we had some fun testing him on random pages and we all agreed with his selections of jewelry to match the mystery women behind the pages. (mind you, this was a TOTALLY unscientific experiment and we are hardly unbiased judges, but, still...)

for even more entertainment, i showed him all the photos i've attached here (with apologies to pinterest) and asked him to select a piece of jewelry for the woman who might have created this particular page. here's his critical analysis: "she obviously loves art, leaning toward things that are hand-crafted, graphic and unusual. i also think she's probably a foodie who loves quirky cafes as much as beautifully presented plates in fine dining surroundings. there's an appreciation for organic, simple things. she's bold and leans fashion-forward more than trendy. and she either owns or likes one of the cutest dogs i've ever seen."

after all that, he looked carefully through the cases and offered up these incredible, brand new earrings by Alishan; they're hand-crafted, unusual, organic, totally stunning and make a very bold statement. what do you think? i think he nailed it :)  seriously – don't the golden curls remind you of the dog?

all this is just to say that if you are in need of a fabulous piece of jewelry for a holiday gift for a special someone, and you aren't terribly eloquent with descriptions, get access to her pinterest page and talk to adam. see what magic he can work for you.

a promise is a promise.

if you think about it, most jewelry purchases are for a promise of some sort. not only the obvious implied promise of engagement and wedding rings, but almost every piece of jewelry is given to someone else as a promise of love, or gratitude or friendship. and let's not forget the equally important promise of self-love! 

so i. gorman offers a promise of our own, that comes, in writing, with every purchase. it's what's on that silvery card poking out of every shopping bag: if any piece of jewelry purchased from us ever needs repair – regardless of fault – i. gorman will repair or replace it at no charge. forever. (yes, it's really in bold italics.) 

that promise has been in place for every day of the 31 years – and counting – since we first opened our doors. it's very simple. it's what we believe. it's what we practice. and it's all a part of why every customer somehow becomes a customer for life. 

it will be unfortunate, but if a clasp breaks, a stone falls out or anything else happens, bring it in. we'll fix it. or replace it if we can't. forever. pinky swear.  

with these rings...

let's get wed! i just did and i highly recommend it, especially if you get incredible todd reed rings like ours! (more about that in a future post.) the important thing is now you can have them, too, because it's time for another ultimate ring event – those magical two days when i. gorman brings the designers to you for some serious bridal playtime. 

ten fabulous designers from around the world are coming and bringing stacks and stacks of bands and engagement rings – you'll definitely want a glass of the champagne that will be flowing just to help you get through it all. mark your calendars for friday and saturday, september 21-22, and show up either day between 11am and 6pm.

here's a little heads up so you can manage your game plan:

alishan is back! his delicious intricate carvings make every ring he creates super-special.

chris ploof is out of this world. seriously. he'll be bringing his meteorite bands (i wasn't kidding) – perfect for the guy who wants something different (and styles for her, too.)  

gebruder schaffrath's incredible floating diamond has some beautiful new company in the rest of his always-sleek collection.

if diamonds are your girl's best friend (next to you, we hope) meet precision set... lovely, sparkly and fit for a princess.

coge's bands are always popular, and they have some incredible new styles to share.

omi privé rules in the universe of colored stones. gorgeous settings. knockout gems. 'nuff said.

even bez ambar's simplest pavé pieces turn heads – they can't help it. and wait 'til you see what else he's bringing!

we've missed the ultra-modern niessing folks for a couple of recent events and are thrilled that they could make it this time. their latest designs introduce ombre hues and texture in brand new ways.

lovely, sleek, totally current sholdt is back with their sensuous, luxurious sparklers.

and, finally, todd reed. tamer of raw diamonds. todd and his work will always have a special place in my heart, and i'm not alone. true story: the day after our wedding, we were showing our rings to a friend in an art gallery, and a woman walked by just as i said "todd reed" and she turned abruptly, repeated "todd reed!" and i swear she swooned (understandably.) but as i said before, more about that later! before then, there's a fabulous event to get to...

hope to see you next weekend!