10 Top Designers of High Jewelry

Photo: Harry Winston

The Golden Globes aired last week and soon Oscar's A-listers will walk the red carpet adorned with borrowed jewels worth thousands (and sometimes millions) of dollars from the world's leading designers of high jewelry. 

On the right Graff and on the left Bvlgari

So let's do a quick round-up of 10 of the World's Most Prominent Jewelers (in no particular order) featuring pieces of their jewelry:

1) Cartier - Louis-François Cartier founded Cartier in Paris in 1847, but it was his grandsons, Louis Pierre and Jacques, who turned the family jewelry business into a globally recognized luxury brand.

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2) Boucheron was founded in Paris, France in 1858 by Frederic Boucheron. In 1921 Boucheron was commissioned to make the gorgeous emerald and diamond Greville tiara inherited by Queen Elizabeth II that her granddaughter Princess Eugenie wore for her wedding.

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3) Bvlgari - The Italian luxury jeweler is headquartered in Rome and was founded in 1884 by silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris who began his career in his family's shop in Ottoman Epirus (now Greece). In 2011 Bvlgari became a subsidiary of the French conglomerate LVMH. Its pieces have a timeless yet modern vibe.

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4) Van Cleef & Arpels—The French luxury jewelry company was founded in 1896 in Paris, France, by Dutch diamond cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels. After Solomon died in 1906, Alfred's brothers-in-law, Charles, Julien, and Louis Arpel joined the enterprise. Flowers, animals, and fairies are common themes in its jewelry.

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5) Tiffany & Co. - Founded in 1837 as Tiffany & Young by American Charles Lewis Tiffany, it was renamed Tiffany & Co. in 1853 when he took control of the store and concentrated on jewelry. Tiffany became famous in the early 20th century under the artistic direction of Charles's son, Louis Comfort Tiffany. The luxury brand specializes in luxury diamonds and flawless colored gemstones and is also famous for its Tiffany diamond engagement ring, a 6-prone setting. The shop is very accessible to the public. Inside the 5th Avenue/57th Street flagship store, locals and tourists always feel welcome admiring its luxury jewelry.

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6) Mikimoto - Kokichi Mikimoto started the cultured pearl industry by successfully creating the world's first cultured pearls and after establishing his luxury pearl company called Mikimoto in 1893. Before cultured pearls (real pearls grown on pearl farms), drivers had to deep dive into the ocean to find pearls growing in oysters; consequently, only royalty could afford to buy them.

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7) Chopard - Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded the watch and jewelry company in 1860 in Sonvilier, Switzerland. Today it is owned by the German Scheufele family. Chopard is best known for making luxury Swiss watches (and jewelry), and its clients have included Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

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8) Harry Winston - Is an American luxury jeweler and  Swiss watch company headquartered on 5th Avenue in New York City. It was founded by its namesake Harry Winston in 1932. It is one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. Harry Winston has owned some of the biggest and most iconic gemstones on earth including the rare blue Hope Diamond which he donated to the Smithsonian in 1958, famously sending it through the US mail. He is known as the jeweler to the stars since they often wear his jewelry to high-profile events.

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9) Graff - Was founded in London in 1960 by British jeweler Lawrance Graff. The jeweler, who began his jewelry apprenticeship at age 14, is fascinated by diamonds and collects diamonds and gemstones of unparalleled rarity, perfection, and beauty. He designs unique and classic pieces and his business acumen made Lawrance, his ex-wife, and his adult children billionaires.

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10) Pomellato is an Italian jewelry company founded by Pino Rabolini in Milan in 1967. Its jewelry is characterized by round, tactile forms and colorful, mixed-sized gemstones.

Nudo rings

Are you now more familiar with the styles of these 10 top jewelers I've featured today? If so, try to guess whose pieces the stars wear on March 2nd at the 97th Academy Awards. 

Do you have a favorite jewelry designer?

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Brightroom For Storage Solutions At Low Prices

In writing my blog on versatile Storage Drawer Carts I stumbled upon Brightroom, a vendor of Target stores. It turns out you can not order directly online from the seller. I'm impressed with the vendor's wide range of storage solutions (more sweeping than what many Targets carry) and its low prices. Similar items are much cheaper than at Home Depot and The Container Store, which is fabulous! Savvy Shoppers never overspend on storage containers!

The price of Brightroom's 3-tier carts is about the same as Walmart's Sterlite 3-tier carts, which is cheap.

I'm posting a small sample of Brightroom's storage solutions. The merchant aims to bring organization to any room and offers attractive modern functionality in a comprehensive range of forms, whether you need to store big or small things.

With such affordability, we could organize everything we own without emptying our wallets! After browsing, you'll love Brightroom's many low-cost offerings too!

Unfortunately, the Brightroom Skinny 4-Drawer Tower (14 1/4" x 8 3/8" x 31 3/4") will be discontinued, it's perfect for a kitchen utility cupboard. There are only a scant few left for pickup at Target stores. At $22, I bought one to organize plastic trash bags in one drawer, cotton tote bags in another, and extra household supplies in the remaining drawers. No longer will everything fall out of our utility cabinet wherever we need to retrieve something. In fact, no longer will we have to search for anything! Less money and work by far than building shelves or finding tension rod-type racks.

{This blog isn't sponsored.}

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Best Shopping In Manhattan Awards

AMNewYork, a free local newspaper, not just here but with editions in several US cities, has published its end-of-the-year Best of Manhattan Shopping Awards which I've linked so you can check out every winner in all the categories.

Above 👆and below 👇(pasted as it's easier to read) is AM New York's spotlight on 4 of the winners New Yorkers voted as the best retailer in the city. Locals and tourists alike might like to visit a few of the award winners for bargains and retail therapy:

"Best Antique Store

East Village Vintage Collective
545 E 12th Street
(646) 476-8036 – eastvillagevintagecollective.com

The East Village of old always had an artsy, fun, free, sexy vibe that was framed largely by fashion. Imagine discovering a curated collection of vintage clothing, accessories, and gifts that transports you back in time to this hip scene! It’s not a dreamscape, because the past is presently alive at East Village Vintage Collective. This retro shop offers a treasure trove of unique finds, hand-selected by their team of vintage enthusiasts. From everyday tees and dreamy dresses to statement pieces, there is something in stock for everyone to enjoy. Need a special fit for a photo shoot or production? They also offer rental and discount pricing on a wide range of vintage pieces. Enjoy a blast from fashion’s past while supporting a woman-owned small business.

Best Book Store

Strand Book Store
828 Broadway
(212) 473-1452 – strandbooks.com

Born in 1927 over on Fourth Avenue, on what was then referred to as “Book Row,” the Strand Book Store began as a modest used book store. The owner, Ben Bass, was a young 25-year-old entrepreneur who possessed a passion for reading. His goal was to create a place where book lovers would come together. The store got its name from a street in London where avant-garde writers once gathered. The Strand became the spot for writers to come together, sell their books, and discover books to purchase. Back in the day “Book Row” spanned six city blocks and was the home to 48 bookstores. Today, the Strand, a Greenwich Village staple, is the only remaining store of Book Row’s past.

Best Thrift Shop

Cure Thrift Shop
111 E 12th St
(212) 505-7467 – curethriftshop.com

An evolving repertoire of clothing, antiques and home goods attracts discerning shoppers to Cure Thrift Shop. The 12th Street location is a coveted boutique-like retailer at home in this chic part of town. Go in any time and find new and appealing selections and stylish items you’ll want to take home from this East Village treasure trove. Shoppers delight in finding an eclectic array of curated fashion pieces, accessories and one-of-a-kind design items. Check out how you can outfit your apartment, and pick up furniture you will realize are rare finds in this glossy city. Cure Thrift customer service individuals will step in to advise and share ideas if you ask. Some say the exchanges, in fact, relegate the shopping experience to more like meeting a new friend.

Best Liquor/Wine Store

Astor Wines & Spirits
399 Lafayette St
(212) 674-7500 – astorwines.com

If you love wine, or just enjoy making a nice mixed cocktail for friends and family, stock your at-home bar with vino and liquors from Astor Wines. There are so many bottles to choose from here – a whole array of champagnes, proseccos, scotches, tequilas and so much more. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, the shop has a “Staff Picks of the Week” feature, hand-picked by the expert team here to help you narrow down your search for a great wine or liquor. If you want to save a bit of cash, check out some bargain bottles. Amazing wines and spirits are often on sale at Astor Wines & Spirits, giving you tons of taste without having to drop big bucks!"

New Yorkers have spoken with their votes. You're welcome!🛍🛒

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Sterilite Drawer Carts Make Organizing A Breeze

In a small New York City apartment, organization is the key to maximizing space and keeping it free from clutter and chaos. Everything I own has a place, its own home so I can find and use it. I don't have spare bedrooms or a garage for storage and yet I need the same amount of things to cook, clean, and entertain friends as the lucky people who live in large apartments or houses.

Still, we shouldn't overspend on organizers! It's much better to purge than to buy pricey organizers. That said, every necessity should have a designated place. I love ♥Sterilite Drawer Carts♥(and plastic clear shoe boxes for small items). Not only are they inexpensive but they're relatively strong, a somewhat flexible plastic, durable, and well-designed for the task of keeping things compartmentalized and grouped together.

Sterilite Drawer Carts come in a few sizes to fit larger or smaller spaces. The medium cart that measures 14 1/2" (D) x 12 5/8" (W)  x 24" (H) fits best in my small apartment. I bought 2 of this size and they sit perfectly side by side on the floor of one of my closets to give me 6 good-sized easy-to-open and close plastic drawers that I can see-through to know what I stow inside. I like to put small hair tools such as a curling iron, hair straightener, and crimper inside one drawer, and personal care or household items such as extra tissue boxes and lightbulbs or even gifts I aim to give to friends in separate drawers. If these objects didn't have a drawer of their own (i.e., a home) they'd be piled up inside my closet and I'd have to remove everything to find what I need. What a waste of time!

The drawer carts are also perfect for seniors who have trouble walking for keeping their essentials such as tissues, napkins, or moisturizers next to their chairs. Mothers of infants have inexpensive storage to neatly keep diapers and baby wipes. They provide plenty of storage at a low cost.

Four wheels make moving the cart effortless to vacuum. 

The plastic cart is also suitable in a bathroom, office, or craft room. The carts come in different colors and opaque textures but I like to see-through the drawers identifying their contents before opening them.

A Sterilite Drawer Cart hack for customers who need to use vertical instead of horizontal space: You can remove the top panel of one cart to affix a 2nd cart (snapping them together) and thus make one secure tall 6-drawer cart! Oh, genius. Perhaps I love these storage drawer carts, inanimate objects that they are, a little too much.♥ You'd think I was writing about fine jewelry! :)

Walmart offers the lowest prices on Sterilite Drawer Carts, but do check Amazon and hardware stores!

Update; In my research, I've discovered another company to buy storage containers at low prices ($10 for the medium drawer cart!!) -- so I've written a part 2 to this blog. Check back on Monday for it to post.

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Pretty And Practical Drop Earrings

The stones are diamonds and multicolored sapphires (green, blue, pink and orange)

Eight years ago during two of Macy's rock-bottom jewelry sales, I bought 2 pairs of drop earrings. Both purchases were splurges, not steals because although the sale prices knocked 2/3rds off the full retail prices, it still cost a chunk of change to buy each pair. 

I noticed that Macy's keeps this drop earring style in its inventory by offering it in different gemstones. Right now the stones available are diamond and multicolored sapphires (top image👆) as well as diamonds and opals.

I wear earrings every day of the year, so I've gotten plenty of wear out of mine. Not too big or too small with good ear coverage and sparkle, they are the perfect everyday earrings. The marquise cut of the gemstones with small round accent diamonds is lovely.

The earrings are 14k yellow gold, 1-carat total weight of selected gemstone with 1/4 carat diamonds. The drop design of the earrings gives the illusion of a greater carat weight. I bought the earrings first in blue sapphires and liked them so much I got the same style in rubies. [Once upon a time they were also offered in emeralds and diamonds, but I stopped at 2 pairs.]

If looking for earrings you can wear every day to work or play, look no further than this ear ribbon style. Without a doubt, I think fine jewelry in 14k gold is too expensive today for the pieces we get, plus the pushbacks that hold the earrings on our ears are extremely slight, but once you bite the bullet and shell out the cash, you'll get a ton of wear out this classic and versatile style.

If in search of a wearable splurge, put these drop earrings on your wish list and wait for the best of Macy's sales for the lowest price. Wait, wait, wait it out to pay $330 - $400 at the most. Nowadays with the high price of gold, they'll rarely get any cheaper, but hey, you might get lucky if they become a Macy's Last Act item!

What's your favorite splurge ... the thing that puts a spring in your step?

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My Little Man Broke!

 

James the Butler has served me well for 30 years. He brings an element of whimsy into my home. Sometimes, if a visitor mentions his cuteness, I like to say he's the man I live with and I explain how cooperative James is. He never gives me any trouble! Often, James the Bulter holds food or drinks for guests who sit on my coach. 

About a week ago, this hardworking, poor little wooden bulter fell off his stand! It's a tragedy that surprises me! At first, I couldn't figure out why. It turns out that the wooden dowels (know that "dowel" is a word I just learned, replacing "thing-of-ma-jig") weakened and deteriorated. A friend told me this is common with today's wood. Nowadays furniture is made with more inferior wood than 50 or 100 years ago. He likes to buy retro and antique furniture to get sturdier furniture that is durable.

I wonder how much it would cost to repair James. I dislike handyman work because I don't know what I'm doing and usually I don't want to learn. But! As it turns out, I can buy the wooden dowels for $5 to $15 for a bunch of different sizes. However as I tried to remove the broken dowels, they didn't pull out in one piece, and now I must locate and borrow a tool (that I hope exists) to get the remainder of the wooden dowels out of James' feet since they no longer protrude to grab onto for pulling out of the holes. If I can do this task myself it will be cheap to replace dowels and attach James back on his platform but if I must take him to a repairman, I'd have to find one, then I believe I'd be charged anywhere from $50 - $100 for the labor.

So for now, I disassembled James the Butler's wooden body from his serving tray, which unfortunately caused his arms to detach and fall off (old dowels again!), so I'm hiding him under my bed for safekeeping until I work out the details of how to make him whole again.

Meanwhile, shhh! Please do not inform New York's Finest, the NYPD about the body under my bed! I don't want a detective ringing my doorbell asking any questions. 😳

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Happy New Year 2025

Photo: iStock

Here we are again starting a brand new year. Truthfully, I'll live the new year much like I did the old one. No monumental changes that I can predict.

For several years now, I've been on a reduce-and-organize kick. I don't deprive myself of things that make my life better, easier, or happier, yet for sure, I've become a more mindful shopper. Call me an under buyer as opposed to an emotional buyer. Beautiful, impractical things stay on a retailer's shelf even if I fall in love while standing in front of them! I do that plenty of times! Still, if I don't have a place, budget, or need for ''it'' (whatever it is) I move on. [↑Photo of fireworks above left: Istock] 

Rockefeller Center tree taken on December 30, 2024

I also take stock of what I already own such as articles of clothing like t-shirts, leggings, or shoes; scented soaps; skincare products (retinols and moisturizers are a weakness); or makeup from eye shadows to lipsticks and have formed the habit of using up what I have at home before adding new products. Over time I've learned our lives get simpler if we're not always out and about looking for more commodities to haul home. When we do replace possessions that either run out or wear out, we can fully enjoy new purchases. It turns out that buying more than enough doesn't tend to save us money or increase our happiness. So my motto is: Always buy enough, not more than enough!

Photo: Dreamstime

There is an area of life where spawning more than enough rocks ... and increases happiness. It's showing kindness to our fellow humans. We can't shower others with more than enough kindness. If you can help someone do it. Little appropriate kindnesses can make a huge difference in the lives of other people. Judge people less. Assess your time and energy to know what you can give. Be generous with your time, acceptance, and hospitality. There are no small gestures only overthinkers who are afraid of extending themselves. In instances when your goodwill isn't received well (as there are all kinds of imperfect people in the world) remember you're only responsible for your good intentions, not someone else's reaction. Move on to the next human, chances are s/he will be on the same page as you! Surround yourself with positive, generous, kind people.

So in 2025, let's rekindle our best efforts from 2024, 2023, 2022, etc. ... and continue growing wiser and better at connecting with one another.

Happy New Year🎉, Readers! Now and then drink the champagne. Know that I love and appreciate you! Many thanks for your support!!

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