Yayoi Forest

Flowers, of course, get all the glory, but they come and go too quickly. Which is why all women know that good looks only take you so far, and that it is better to have unwavering strength that can carry you through absolutely anything and everything. Like a tree branch weathering the heat of summer, the cold of winter, the rains of spring. Like a tree branch that remains standing after the colorful leaves and scented flowers have all fallen to the ground.

Jewelry line Yayoi Forest understands the unparalleled beauty of the tree branch, using its meandering form throughout its collection. A blackened silver twig necklace, spiral vine earrings, a gold branch pendant brandishing the word “love”. Naturally, other earthly creatures find their way into the designs, from owls etched into silver pendants to tiny gold birds dangling within a birdcage comprised of twisted silver branches.

To view styles visit the designer’s Web site. To purchase, visit YLANG 23.

Andrea Moore

Your home may be filled with antique lamps and furniture, and you sleep in a four-poster bed piled high with beaded pillows, but that's Black Sabbath on your stereo, not Devendra Banhart. You're an individual, thank you very much, and so your philosophy is to never buy into a whole package of anything, but rather pick scattered pieces that bristle with fusion, inspiration, and originality.

Austin designer Andrea Moore knows a thing or two about fusion, blending tough chick leather and chain mail with earth mother elements like wood and turquoise. Each selection from her Gypsy Born Designs line has a free spirit vibe, but she knows restraint, so nothing seems overdone. Many of the selections feature organic shapes, but we adore the whimsical owl pendant necklace brightened with turquoise and contrasted with a textured chain body…the perfect summer adornment.

To view styles and purchase visit the designer’s Web site.

Analogous Jewelry

You’re all grown up now, but deep down you will always be the bad girl willing to try just about anything. Because it wasn’t so long ago that you retired your motorcycle jacket and Doc Martin boots, and realized that musicians make horrible boyfriends. However, that doesn’t mean that your successful, professional self doesn’t still know how to cut loose. In fact, older and wiser counts for a whole lot, as now you know exactly who you are, what you want, and how to get it without giving too much of yourself away.

Slightly sinister, but definitely feminine, Judith Hoetker’s jewelry pieces are cast from vintage brass jewelry findings, carved wax models, and toy parts. Her signature razor blade necklace from her Analogous line has been a long time favorite, but her vintage lockets, hung from oxidized sterling silver chains and adorned with insects, are just the right blend of old and new in one cool package.

To view styles visit the designers’s Web site. To purchase visit Rare Device.

Lauren Wolf

A living, breathing embodiment of Mary MacGregor’s 1977 hit song Torn Between Two Lovers, your soul craves the tranquil comforts of a calm beach and soothing sea, while your heart aches for the pulsating city filled with grittiness and adventure. But there is room in your life for two great love affairs, even if they are geographically and contextually divergent.

Lauren Wolf, who studied jewelry design in coastal Mexico and now calls Brooklyn home, presents the best of both worlds with her sea collection, an urban-spiced tribute to nature’s most breathtaking compositions. A blackened silver nautilus pendant is paired with a green gold centerpiece textured with a sting ray pattern. Silver Amazona bones dangle from yellow gold chains. A spiked green gold bracelet, textured with a sting ray pattern, is studded with sparkling diamonds. Indeed, the beach has never looked so high-end and refined, yet equally edgy.

To view styles and a store list, visit the Lauren Wolf Web site.

Urban Dencity

You may like your men gritty and rough, but deep down you are a lady, who has little interest in looking scummy. And while there is something infinitely pleasing about having your hair freshly cut, legs smoothly shaved, and toes pedicured, you’re no snob hung up on achieving the picture of perfection. Treasuring sophistication after all is a completely different animal than simply keeping up with appearances. Light, elegant, clean…these are words that resonate with you, and infiltrate your decisions on everything from dining to décor, and certainly wardrobe.

With her Urban Dencity line, jewelry designer Kim Shephard creates decadent pendant necklaces that will make you feel every inch a beautiful woman. Richly colored leather is used as a backdrop to sterling silver and gold-filled pendants, some filigree with an antique vibe, and others intricately cut with modern designs. Hung on vintage-looking chains, the two-toned medallions are detailed with colored beads and stones that add just the right touch (not too much, not too little).

To view styles and purchase, visit the Urban Dencity Web site.

Dirty Librarian Chains

In kindergarten, you were the sweet-cheeked girl who, despite explicitly instructed not to, still boldly colored outside the lines. Because even way back then you insightfully knew a life with everything neat and perfect was as dull as dishwater. But that doesn’t mean that you were, or grew up to be, a mistress of mess. Nope, you’re neither disorganized or a scatterbrain…just someone who isn’t hung up on mirroring others, but rather resolutely focused on dressing their home and body in adoring fashion with unexpected details.

Designer Susan Domelsmith’s jewelry line Dirty Librarian, is filled with nimble chain pieces that flaunt unpredictable drapes and out-of-the-ordinary vintage notions, such as metal jewelry tags and necklace clasps. Even a straightforward charm necklace, looks effortlessly distinctive with a pendant cluster of maker’s mark tags. Each selection from the collection has a winking reference to the stacks – from the Card Catalog necklace to the Annex earrings. Shown right is the media bracelet, a chunky piece with delicate chains woven through the links that serves up a draped fringe when worn.


To view styles and purchase, visit the Dirty Librarian Chains Web site.

Arielle de Pinto

It may sound like an easy quest, to find a piece of jewelry that ably straddles both the feminine and tough-chick course, but then again, it's always difficult to lay your hands on the real deal no matter what the search entails. Something that isn't too in-your-face, yet doesn't fade into the background...a piece that can worn each and every day as your personal statement, however never seems redundant...an adornment that reaffirms your grown-up status, but also sends the message that a cut-loose lifestyle still resides deep in your heart.

Designer Arielle de Pinto’s hand crocheted necklaces are exactly those kind of perfect jewelry selections. The collection, crafted from sterling silver and gold vermeil metals, is filled with ethereal pieces that flaunt a delicate and fine appearance, but are unmistakably bold in tone. Utilizing an experimental oxidation process that colors the metal, de Pinto offers two-toned inlayed collar necklaces, and her trademark Web necklaces in a variety of shades.

Visit the designer’s Web site to see styles and a list of stores to purchase.