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!

v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n!

ah, the dog days of august. congress is on vacation, and so are the rest of us. and maybe we're on vacation right here. aside from the excruciating heat and humidity, a dc-based staycation is actually great. there's no traffic – when else can you drive around dupont circle in less than 2 minutes? you can get into hard-to-get-into restaurants; you can find a parking spot in georgetown. life is good. but sometimes it is even better to be away. 

for fun, and to live a little vicariously, i decided to do a quick survey of the i. gorman staff to discover their favorite summer escapes. it was sort of the quintessential "back to school" assignment of "what i did on my summer vacation." (some got gold stars and some lost their homework!)

they traveled by plane, train and automobile to beaches, big cities and calm countrysides. they swam, they shopped, they dined, they slept. here's just a sampling; hope you had as much fun as we did!

ivan and i go to smith mountain lake. it is our favorite place on earth. we do nothing but eat, drink and relax. every evening we go out on the water and watch beautiful sunsets. you have to drag us kicking and screaming back to dc. - bonnie

this is a picture of steve and i at the beach.  we drove our big truck filled with lots of beach stuff. we went with our two boys, gavin and levi. on my summer vacation, i plopped my bum on the soft sand and never wanted to get up! - nicole

one hour outside san francisco, oysters are pulled right out of tomales bay and served on decks with heavenly views. a true hidden gem. fantastic wines are served from sonoma and napa which are only about 50 miles away. - adam

on my summer vacation my girlfriends and I drove to the virginia state fair where we ate too much fried fair food, but that didn't stop me from ridding the zipper 3 times! i also discovered that my inner child loves fried oreos. - amelia

we chilled out in wisconsin. the highlights were kayaking, browsing wonderful art galleries, spending fun times with friends and eating artisan cheese. lots and lots of cheese. - me

antonio: the golden boy.

i swear, almost every piece i see by antonio bernardo has me speechless, with the possible exception of one word: genius. the fact that he trained as an engineer is explanatory, not surprising. the way his pieces twist and turn, frequently becoming something else...brilliant. (i love saying that. i really should have been born british.) how i would love to get inside his head, or at least into the toy box of ideas that is his studio.

take his 360° earrings (oh, if only i could!) definitely high on the "how'd he do that?" meter. gold wire forms circles that, well, are hard to explain but amazing to look at. round and round they go and where they stop, nobody...wait a minute, they don't stop!

a peek into his showroom in his rio de janeiro headquarters puts you face to face with a giant version of his vivo pendant and earrings. which came first? he's not telling. the sketch, we assume. 

ah, rio. the sun. the water. the absolutely gorgeous people. no wonder his work looks like it does. his minimalist pieces are right at home in this exotic urban locale. and the movement that is integral to so many of his designs mimics every bikini-clad hip on the beach. then there's the romance of the portuguese language itself – can you think of a sexier way to say "bracelet" than "pulseira"? didn't think so.

behind it all is the dashing, affable, man himself (pictured with nicole...she gets to go everywhere!) -- fun and friendly in spite of his well-deserved fame. which is the perfect segue to a very exclusive heads-up...antonio is coming to i. gorman, in actual, live person, in december. you don't want to miss it, but you will have to get in line behind me. it may finally be time to treat myself to antonio's ressonância earrings. then again, maybe i'll wait and see what he dreams up next!

i'll take manhattan.

not that i don't love DC, i do. and i have since i moved here long ago. but a stint in NYC for my first "real" job had me leaving there still loving it. so when an opportunity comes up for a weekend in "the city," i'm all over it. DC finally has great theatre and fantastic restaurants. But new york has broadway. and eleven madison park. 

eleven madison park redefines impeccable service. and innovative cuisine. and, and – well, everything you ever imagined about a top-line restaurant experience, especially when your more-than-generous host declares "we'll all have the tasting menu." omg. this includes a fantasy-fulfilling course served in the spotless kitchen: a made-to-order frozen cocktail for four. cheers.

new york also has the high line – a real gift to the city literally high above 10th avenue. you walk up the stairs on 20th street and can't believe what you see. originally built in the 1930's to move dangerous freight trains off the industrial-district streets, the high line is now a beautifully designed and twisting walkway bordered by lush landscaping with surprises at every turn. worth the trip all by itself.

and when you go into annisa in the village, and you're waiting at the oh-so-stylish bar for your table (that you somehow scored that morning over the phone) and anita lo, herself, walks out from the kitchen and starts chatting with you; you know that this is a special place. chef lo's cooking is as unique as expected, and your waiter pairs it with the perfect wine that is so good, you want to try to track it down later. not only are all the details carefully transcribed for you, but they're on a lovely, printed notecard. even his handwriting is stylish.

then there's broadway. you don't need a crystal ball, just great friends, with great taste in all things theatrical. so when your best theatre buddy says don't miss "once," you immediately obey and snag the tickets before the tony nominations are even announced. wow. a stunning show on so many levels. it deserved "best musical" and every single one of its seven other tonys. it probably deserved the few awards it didn't win. simply brilliant. 

shopping? of course. it's hard to believe the changes to the meatpacking district (awesome) and soho (a little sad.) museums? one should never, ever stop worshipping at the shrine of moma. thank you, new york, for a wonderful weekend. you're still a very, very nice place to visit.

petra in wonderland.

we all know the cheshire cat is smiling. i like to think it's because he imagines himself wearing a collar similar to a petra meiren necklace. bold and sassy – absolutely perfect paired with a big, toothy grin.

nicole discovered petra at inhorgenta this year -- her work has graced the pages of european magazines and the necks, wrists, and ears of characters in movies and models on runways. but this is not "serious" jewelry – petra's whole attitude and philosophy is that jewelry is fun for her to design and it should be just as fun for you to wear. so it's utterly playful, but creatively glam at the same time.

you look at her metal work and realize it is totally new. like when two stark pieces of silver join to become striking earrings that are jewelry lollipops. and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, metal threads are knitted into almost textile-like fine, woven ropes that she mixes up in all sorts of fanciful combinations.

her metals may be precious, but her other materials are, well, plastic. rubber. acrylic. pvc, even. and that's a good thing! because they're sturdy but soft (comfy and lightweight) and they are the vehicle that transports the all-important colors -- bright, happy, gotta get 'em colors.

petra designs for self-confident women who flaunt their own style and wear whatever they please. they wear their petra meiren pieces as if they were headed to the mad hatter's tea party, embracing the wonderland concept of "curiouser and curiouser" with each statement-making step.

(with grateful appreciation for Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the fantastic imaginations it helped to create!)