<\/p>\n
By Liza Roberts
\nRumors of the death of jewelry have been greatly exaggerated. Despite the endless doom-and-gloom in the economy and the wearing of sackcloth and ashes, no, women in the Triangle are not taking off their jewelry! Not only are they not taking it off, but they\u2019re also buying it up: it\u2019s one of the few consumer items selling well across the board.
\n\u201cWe are very blessed,\u201d says Trey Bailey of Bailey\u2019s Fine Jewelry in Ral\u00adeigh. \u201cThe news said that jewelry would be the hardest hit, but we haven\u2019t seen that at all. We had a great holiday season, we\u2019ve had growth in several jewelry lines, and have been very pleasantly surprised.\u201d He\u2019s not alone.
\nElaine Miller of the Elaine Miller Collection in North Hills says tried and true pieces sell well, and Charlotte Harris of Charlotte\u2019s in Raleigh says she can\u2019t keep her popular pieces in stock. Ashley Vermillion Harris of the designer fashion boutique Vermillion in North Hills has had so much success with jewelry that she\u2019s expanding the area.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve realized how important jewelry is,\u201d Harris says, \u201cwe\u2019re going to beef it up.\u201d
\nOne reason for the unexpected resilience of jewelry, retailers surmise, is that unlike clothes or shoes, jewelry represents a real investment. Lisa Marie Ferrell of Polished, a personal shopping service in Raleigh, agrees, \u201cA lot of women these days, in this economy, are willing to spend money on classic pieces of fine jewelry.\u201d They\u2019re also interested, she says, in inexpensive pieces that can be worn to spruce up many different outfits.
\nSo just what are they buying? Metro asked some of the region\u2019s most intriguing jewelry designers and retailers what jewelry trends they\u2019re seeing, creating and looking for this spring and beyond.<\/p>\n
Baba Paul Barnett, Jewelry Designer
\nIn a studio aerie atop her house in Raleigh, Baba Paul Barnett is surrounded by jewels: morganite, pink moonstone, ametrine, chalcedony, ruby, topaz. They\u2019re scattered atop a green-lacquered Parsons table, they\u2019re sitting in piles in the window-well, they\u2019re lying in orderly transparent boxes on shelves.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in color and the idea of working with stones,\u201d she says, showing off a new creation \u2014 a cuff bracelet made of twining soldered silver branches crowded with semi-precious gems: faceted orbs of deep blue, red, pale yellow and cloudy pink. \u201cI\u2019m drawn to organic patterns.\u201d In the streaming sun of a vast dormer window lay acorns, seed pods and twisted leaves, providing inspiration while they await a dip in a copper bath.
\nBarnett\u2019s jewelry borrows much from nature, but it\u2019s designed to be worn. \u201cClearly everything I make I want to wear,\u201d she says, and wear it she does, from the silver hammered discs dangling at her ears to her doubled-up cuff bracelets and pendant necklace. Known for her colorful, dangling clusters of wire-wrapped gemstones \u2014 \u201cwearable art,\u201d she calls her things, or \u201ccool mom jewelry\u201d \u2014 Barnett has put down the wire for the time being and picked up the soldering torch. With it she\u2019s turning strips of silver into bold, gem-studded bracelets.
\n\u201cI think about commercial trends, but they don\u2019t really affect what I do,\u201d she says, though the cuffs that are her current focus should fit well with the trend of wearing \u201cthe one piece that\u2019s big and bold.\u201d
\nBarnett\u2019s creations, priced from $45 to $585, can be found on her Web site, www.babapaul.com or at home shows across the country.<\/p>\n
Molly Anderson, Jewelry Designer
\nMolly Anderson is the local phenom who\u2019s turned a part-time hobby into the jewelry juggernaut that is MollyBeads. Her creations are sold in 50 stores across the Southeast, her dangly topaz earrings were featured in the September issue of InStyle, and she only quit her \u201creal\u201d job selling generators less than a year ago.
\n\u201cNow I\u2019m doing what I love to do,\u201d she says, a decision inspired in part by the death last year of a friend from cancer at the age of 36. \u201cIt just made me think about what life is all about.\u201d
\nSo far, it\u2019s at least partly about being ridiculously busy. \u201cI had visions of all of this free time. I\u2019m actually working more than I ever have.\u201d Anderson\u2019s classic-with-a-twist style has proved so popular she\u2019s grown her business by 30 percent since March. Her necklaces and earrings are designed to appeal to all ages \u2014 teenagers on up \u2014 with prices to match. Many of her earrings are in the $39-$59 range, and many necklaces sell for under $100. She also makes custom designs, recently creating necklaces for Pat Wilkins and Carol Wagoner, co-chairs of the North Carolina Inaugural Ball, worn for Gov. Beverly Perdue\u2019s big night.
\nFor spring, Anderson says she\u2019s planning on \u201cbranching out\u201d into more color than she\u2019s typically used in the past, with an emphasis on blue semi-precious stones. She\u2019s also continuing to use a lot of gold chains and the flat freshwater pearls known as coin pearls, at least in part because they are such good sellers.
\n\u201cYou have to follow the trends in this business,\u201d she says, \u201cthere\u2019s no way around it. But I try not to be too trendy. My husband helped me come up with a saying to describe my style: \u2018gracefully balancing current trends with lasting beauty.\u2019\u201d
\nIn the Triangle, MollyBeads can be found at Charlotte\u2019s in North Hills and Cameron Village, or on the Web site www.molly\u00adbeads.com.<\/p>\n
Heath Slane, Jewelry Designer
\nHeath Slane, one-half of the sister act that is Slane & Slane, may not live in the Triangle, but hailing originally from Rocky Mount is good enough for the brand\u2019s local legions of die-hard fans. The truth is that these folks are more than fans, they\u2019re collectors, and that\u2019s why Heath and her sister Landon make it a point to visit the region on a regular basis, introducing new lines to their loyal customer base.
\nSo what\u2019s coming soon? \u201cThe line I\u2019m really excited about is the basket weave collection,\u201d Heath told Metro, \u201cIt\u2019s something to behold, a classic weave, but with an architecture to it.\u201d
\nBefore it hits the stores, though, Heath says the current trends among her customers include mixing gold and sterling, mixing chains with pearls, pearls with sterling, and layering pieces from different Slane & Slane collections. \u201cOur customers all wear our jewelry so differently,\u201d she says. Adding to an existing collection is a discreet and affordable way to add new pieces when times are tight, Heath adds.
\n\u201cWe tend to do really classic themes, we might put a little twist in there, but what we do really builds on what people already have,\u201d she says. \u201cOur whole philosophy is you buy a necklace, but then you\u2019re building on it over time.\u201d That\u2019s one reason she believes Slane & Slane is well-positioned to ride out a tough economy. \u201cWe feel very fortunate right now that this is where we\u2019ve hung our hat from the beginning, and we don\u2019t have to reinvent the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trey Bailey, Jewelry Designer
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not your grandmother\u2019s gold,\u201d says Trey Bailey of Bailey\u2019s Fine Jewelry in Raleigh. He\u2019s talking about the long, textured and hand-carved gold necklaces by Marco Bicego that have proved such a big seller for his store.
\nAlso growing in popularity, he says, are estate and antique pieces, which the store recently began selling and now plans to expand. \u201cPeople are looking for something different, something unique, and estate jewelry fits the bill.\u201d
\nFor spring, Bailey is predicting Lucite jewelry by Alexis Bittar to be a big seller. \u201cIt\u2019s very fashionable, it\u2019s very affordable, and it\u2019s a nice way to add a pop of color to an outfit,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Elaine Miller, Jewelry Designer
\nElaine Miller of the Elaine Miller collection also expects Alexis Bittar\u2019s bright, colorful pieces to sell well for spring. \u201cGood values are really key right now,\u201d she says. But good values can also be found in fine jewelry, she points out: \u201cPeople will wear classic things always; that\u2019s never out of style.\u201d Miller is seeing clients gravitate toward jewelry with intrinsic value, like 14 and 18 karat gold and pearls.
\nBut \u201cclassic\u201d can also mean turquoise \u2014 Miller points out the \u201cexquisite\u201d turquoise necklace Eva Mendez wore to the Golden Globes \u2014 or even high-end costume jewelry. Beautiful costume jewelry, including vintage pieces, can be used to great effect as the anchor for an outfit, Miller says. \u201cI\u2019d take a torsade, a necklace with several strands, and twist it and clunk a big pin on it. That would make a huge statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley Harris, Jewelry Designer
\n\u201cThere are so many beautiful colors for spring \u2014 magentas, cobalts, yellows, greens \u2014 that I think definitely colored stones are going to be big,\u201d says Ashley Vermillion Harris of the North Hills designer boutique Vermillion.
\nShe sees customers buying \u201cfashion-forward\u201d jewelry in an effort to \u201cspruce up (clothes) they might have or re-work things they might have in their closet.\u201d At the same time, \u201cyou can\u2019t go wrong\u201d-type items like gold chains and pearls also continue to sell well, she says.
\n\u201cWomen right now are wearing what makes them feel pretty,\u201d she says, and paying less attention to brand names. It\u2019s one of the reasons she believes that vintage costume jewelry is increasingly popular among her clients.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Harris, Jewelry Designer
\n\u201cI just came back from New York, and the trend is going to continue to be more gold than silver,\u201d says Charlotte Harris of Charlotte\u2019s in Raleigh. \u201cThere\u2019s a return to simplicity, in keeping with the economic times, and a lot of longer gold chains.\u201d
\nA best-seller for the shop continues to be dangling gold filigree earrings, she says, and there\u2019s \u201ca return to engraved items,\u201d such as discs engraved with initials, but on a long chain, not a short one. For spring, Harris predicts colorful jewelry will sell well, particularly in shades of blue and purple. Michelle Obama\u2019s penchant for many-hued brooches has already triggered a run on jeweled pins, Harris says, and she\u2019s had to re-order after an initial batch flew off the shelves in a matter of days.
\nIndeed, the economic downturn has not affected Harris\u2019 jewelry sales numbers, she says, but it has impacted the way her customers are spending their money: \u201cWhat I\u2019m seeing is a lot of creative shopping,\u201d Harris says. \u201cTwo necklaces for $89 instead of one for $300,\u201d for instance. So, she\u2019s done her own shopping with that in mind and will be offering more jewelry at lower prices.<\/p>\n
Jewelry News
\nDress up in your favorite jeans and jewelry for an evening of high fashion, food, entertainment, live and silent auctions for Denim and Diamonds benefiting the seven Wake County Boys & Girls Clubs and Raleigh Kiwanis Foundation Feb. 26 from 7-10 p.m. Visit www.denimanddiamonds.org for tickets. Raleigh, 919.834.6282.<\/p>\n
Reserve a class at Beadazzled and learn how to make jewelry from Silk Cord and Charmed Necklaces, Knotted Bracelets and Rapunzel Rings. Visit www.beadazzledcary.com for details and class schedule. Cary, 919.465.3455.<\/p>\n
Through February, an Annual Sale at Jewelsmith Inc. will include selected items up to 15-50 percent off, excluding custom work. Durham, 919.286.2990.<\/p>\n
Stop by Bailey\u2019s Fine Jewelry around Valentine\u2019s Day to check out new arrivals of Pandora beads and clips to add to your collection. Raleigh, Cameron Village, 919.829.7337.<\/p>\n
Ross-Simons will host a special Valentine\u2019s Day Sale, see store for details. Raleigh, 919. 510.8484.<\/p>\n
For any Pandora purchase over $75, receive a free Pandora Heart Keychain \u2014 while supplies last at Carolina Silver Co. Feb. 1-14. Raleigh, 919.845.9917, Cary, 919.465.4209.<\/p>\n
In honor of Valentine\u2019s Day, Elaine Miller Collection will be making a \u201cSweetheart of a Deal\u201d throughout February. Raleigh, 919.571.8888.<\/p>\n
Source: www.metronc.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Liza Roberts Rumors of the death of jewelry have been greatly exaggerated. Despite the endless doom-and-gloom in the economy and the wearing of sackcloth and ashes, no, women in the Triangle are not taking off their jewelry! Not only are they not taking it off, but they\u2019re also buying it up: it\u2019s one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[411],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n