Coin pearl ring by Rene Escobar

Naomi Fujimoto — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:55:00 GMT

For me, the theme of this year's JA New York show was pearls. I saw pearls in finished jewelry like wirework necklaces and brooches, and I also bought several strands from Imperial and Lucky Gems.

When I saw Rene Escobar's designs, the first thing that caught my eye was a nickel-sized coin pearl set in a silver and amethyst ring. Here's an image of a model wearing the ring, to give you an idea of the scale. Rene and I chatted as I put the ring on, took it off, put it on again, took it off, put in on again. You get the picture. He also showed me another version, with peridot instead of amethyst. And then a vermeil version. For some reason, though, I couldn't let that pearl and amethyst ring go. I wanted to buy it on the spot, but he had to bring it to another show, so I placed an order.

Now that I have the ring, I can say that I love how the amethyst brings out the pink and purple tones in the pearl. And yet, when I first picked it up, my reaction wasn't that rational. Does that ever happen to you — having a strong, visceral reaction (either good or bad) to a piece of jewelry? I just loved it instantly. (On occasion, I have also seen pieces I think are just not right, even though I can't immediately identify why. I guess we all have our Blink moments.)

I also loved talking to Rene about his design aesthetic — simple and glamorous — he likes his ring shanks "a little beat up" and he makes stackable bangles that don't line up perfectly. A couple of other pieces on my wishlist: aquamarine and blue topaz earrings that make me think of summer, and the vermeil link necklace (that would be a great year-round piece). I have a feeling I'll be buying more in the future.

Naomi at the JANY show

Erin Dolan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:34:00 GMT

For the past few years, Naomi has traveled to New York for the JA Winter Show. Since she is in the Big Apple until Thursday, she asked me to link to her personal blog, where she recently posted about some fabulous finds at the JANY show. I can't wait until she comes back to the good ole' Midwest and shows everyone at BeadStyle her newest purchases and creative ideas!

Check out Naomi's blog to read about her time at the JANY show! And check back in at the Editor's Blog next week for more about Naomi's trip!

BeadStyle : JANY

Coin pearl ring by Rene Escobar

Naomi at the JANY show