Category: Style Report

Can it really be Fall already? Crisp biting air, the thick smell of leaves burning, bubbly pots of stew on the stove. Yes, Fall has certainly arrived. Donning hearty sweaters, your favorite skinny jeans, and boots may have you feeling the Fall vibe. One of the most effective ways to spruce up last year’s waredrobe is with this year’s accessories. Here are our top 5 picks of the season:

1. Soft, Sweet Hues

We love a soft pink or mint green accessory paired with cream or winter-white. Or, go for a matchy-matchy look with a pastel sweater and accessories in the same color. Imagine our Yellow Gold Opal and Diamond Ring paired with a fluffy pink cable knit and your favorite pair of jeans.

2. Dark Romance

Emily Bronte’s classic dark romance, Wuthering Heights servers are inspiration of this Fall/Winter 2013 trend. Think baroque beauties draped in dark metal jewelry and rich colored gemstones. No you have it. Better yet, picture this vintage amethyst number poised just at the right spot to bounce color light around your face.

Or, throw these vintage sapphire drops on like you wear them everyday. Nothing is sexier than a woman who knows how to wear her jewels. Hello, Heathcliff!

3. Hats off…or rather, hats on

Bad hair days have met their match, because hats are hot for Fall. Oh yes, ladies, fedoras are not just for the boys anymore. We love this look with a crisp, starched oxford, corduroys in an autumnal hue , and riding boots.

And, what looks better that you under a sassy hat? You under a sassy hot with a strategically perched vintage brooch perched above! How about adding a little whimsy with this guy:

Or, go sophisticated with a classic piece that easily transitions to your favorite LBD. Nothing says it quite like platinum, diamonds, and sapphires in a beautiful graphic shape.

4. Unique Gemstones

“My, what type of stone is that?” This is what you want to hear from strangers and friends alike. We love the classics, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst. Heck, how could Elizabeth Taylor have been wrong all those years? No, please do not mistake our obsession with the rarely seen as a dismissal of the rare and beautiful. This season classic designers such as Oscar de la Renta to Matthew Williamson showed rare gems on the runway. A little something like this might be just the ticket:

Or, perhaps a Jade piece to keep them guessing.

5. Structured, architectural metals

Consider pairing loose flowing layers or crepes and soft cashmere with structured metal jewelry. It’s this juxtaposition of soft and hard that designers return to year after year.

Chic.

Pop in the store to find all the pieces we featured in this Fall/Winter Accessories Trend Report. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think and which trends you’re loving this season.

The clouds have lifted and so have our spirits. Spring is finally here and we are celebrating by donning bright colorful frocks and glorious gemstones to match.

Have you ever seen a pink opal or a pink sapphire? Pair one of these pretty pink rings with all your bright spring colors–the pink is practically a neutral. Or, go for the statement look by making the ring the star in an otherwise neutral ensemble.

Did you know this year’s Pantone Color of the Year is Emerald? Be bold and go green on green. Mix green tones and textures for a fashion-forward look. Or, keep it simple with purple, pink, and neutral accessories to set off Emerald tops and dresses.

Ahh. The forever classic black and white. Of course, the outfit just becomes a quiet canvas for some gorgeous colored gemstones! This pretty little peridot, pink tourmaline, and diamond pendant makes a simple white or black dress pop.

This Debbie Brooks clutch is all the color you need. Period.

Taking the black and white aesthetic from head-to-toe will require a lot of silver and a dash of black diamonds. Stack those bracelets, ladies!

Cognac diamonds and a coral blazer Sigh.

This proves you can have a little bit of everything and see it all work together. The citrine and gold ring really sets well against the emerald in the dress. Mix your accessories, ladies! Do not be afraid!

Traditional precious metals, gold, platinum and sterling silver, have some new players in the arena of men’s wedding bands. The unique characteristics of these metals have caught the attention of grooms-to-be everywhere. Companies we prefer which carry these styles are Dora, Lashbrook, Stuller, Frederick Goldman and Triton.

**Keep in mind the precious metals mentioned above can be sized, have various surface finishes, can be set with stones, and buff beautifully.

Below is a chart we assembled to give you a condensed reference guide. Print this off for yourself and if you are viewing from our FB page feel free to SHARE this post on yours!

METAL  FEATURES CONSIDERATIONS

Most of us have at least one piece of jewelry sitting in a jewelry box or drawer. Grandmother’s cocktail ring, mom’s wedding ring, Auntie’s bracelet–all just gathering dust because of fickle fashion.

The gorgeous, on-trend necklace below has a hodge-podge of origins. Let’s see, there’s the center stone came from the solitaire necklace of a clients grandmother, the two on either side of that were from the pair of diamond stud earrings given to her by that same grandmother (and grandfather!) and the two outside diamonds were bought from Argo and Lehne stock to complete the piece.

To read more about Re-Imagining Heirloom Jewelry, please check out our very own Julie Smetzer’s guest post on the Tartan & Sequins blog.

Not to toot our own horn, but we are known around the country for our custom jewelry. There isn’t a more creative or more experienced custom jeweler in Columbus, Ohio. Take a peek at a few of our latest custom pieces.

It’s our favorite team, if you please! With the changing of the leaves and the cooling of the evenings comes Buckeye Fever. We’ve waited all summer for football season kick-off and this year more than most. It’s not just the excitement around the All-American candidates John Simon and Jonathan Hankins promising more sacks and more pressure, it’s the buckeye fashion.

This season we’re making it easy for Buckeye fans to support their team in style. Pretty pendants, charms, and scarlet and gray baubles are on our roster this season.

Check out a few of our star players.

Angelina knows the power of the emerald.

The emerald.  This magnificent gem has been treasured and enjoyed for thousands of years.  The ancient Egyptians circa 3500 B.C. were thought to be the first ones to use emeralds as gemstones as Egypt was the world’s main source.  Interestingly, Elizabeth Taylor, who played Cleopatra on film, was as enamored of emeralds as the Egyptian she portrayed.  She wore fabulous emerald jewelry throughout her life and used the color and popularity of emeralds to launch her perfume.

Big-screen goddess, Angelina Jolie, stole the show at the 2009 Oscars when she sauntered down the red carpet in a super simple black Elie Saab gown and oversized Lorraine Schwartz emerald earrings. The teardrop emerald stunners are worth a reported $2.5 million. The publicity Jolie received from her show of red carpet perfection was priceless.

Pliny the Elder (23 A.D. to 79 A.D.) wrote, “We delight in feasting our eyes on the pleasant green grasses and leaves, but the enjoyment of beholding an emerald is incomparably greater, for its green is most soothing.”  The Roman Emperor Nero is said to have watched gladiator fights through emerald glasses for their soothing effect.

Emeralds are part of the Beryl family of gemstones, another being the aquamarine.  Emerald value  is largely based on its color with the deeper more intense green being the most valuable.  Emeralds are very rarely free from eye-visible inclusions but it is these inclusions that give each emerald its unique look.  The French refer to these identifying characteristics as “jardin”, meaning garden, so named because they evoke an image under magnification of a leafy garden.

Today emeralds are rarely found in Egypt.  Columbia and Brazil are primary locations for emerald mining.  Other important sources are the countries of Zambia, Madagascar, Russia, China, and Pakistan.

Visit Argo & Lehne and be captivated by emerald, a fabulous gift of nature.