Header image by Natalie Rapoport. Antoni Gaudi. Sagrada Familia. Barcelona.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Summer Jewelry


The spring is here. It means more light and colorful clothes, daring prints, fashionable and bold jewelry, beautiful scarves, bright and big bags and …vacation plans.

Whether it’ll be urban travel or a seaside paradise pack light is essential: less things but  more lightweight and versatile accessories to spice up the look.
Valuables and heirlooms aren’t known as the best travel companions.
 The details about this architectural piece here
As for me I prefer contemporary statement pieces being lightweight. Can’t stand to wear heavy necklace or bracelet for long hours and in hot summer weather. And I like glitter and spark in moderation, especially on a sunny day when too much brightness is already enough. I have to admit: Swarovski never was among my favorites.

A couple of my favorite stores Zara and Anthropologie came up with interesting and affordable summer jewelry collections. Z is even better than A in pricing and style.

Ropes, fabric, brass, acrylic beads are in vogue now for mass production. They bring contemporary look. As David Yurman’s collections are beautiful classics but hardly affordable for a mainstream consumer.
 The details here
Bib or collar necklaces are very trendy, but  when it’s hot  and all you can think is what else you can get rid of ( given shirt and capris stay) it’s tiresome and hardly enjoyable at least for me.

As far as jewelry concerned it’s not only about design and materials , it is about the right scale.
Tall and corpulent women can’t wear tiny pieces and have to choose more accurately so not to look funny emphasizing the size.
Medium and petite ladies on contrary can wear everything: bold and big pieces will look just fine if work with the overall style. 
 The details for this chain here
Recently I came up with a solution: bold and weightless rubber cord jewelry.
Reclaimed materials, locally handmade ceramic beads, subtle palette.
I like that I barely notice it’s there and yet it’s not a tiny pieces, quite the contrary.
Soft on touch, flexible and a limited edition.

Whenever I design something  I go out in a pilot sample to see the reaction and seeking a feedback.  So far it has been positive so I decided to share with you my readers to see what you think.

What type of jewelry do you prefer for summer, for vocation?
Your comments will be truly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

All images © Natalie Rapoport