Marion Vidal Triangoli necklace.  

Another lovely styling by Lucinda Chambers for British Vogue with layers of Marion Vidal's
necklaces.

British Vogue, September 2011 Issue
Photo: Javier Vallhonrat, Fashion editor/stylist: Lucinda Chambers Model: Stella Tennant

 
Ever wonder why certain jewelry feels so precious and substantial in the palm of your hand?  Perhaps design
but heft, contributes to the factor; weight compared by the size of an object.  For example, pictured here is a
photo of the maharajah of Alwar sitting on a scale equal, if not lighter in weight compared to silver.  Of the 3 notable metals, platinum is the heaviest followed by gold then silver.  These material factors influence the
value of jewelry made of precious metals and gem stones. 

 
Jacqueline Cullen's Whitby Jet & Crystal earrings.

 
Modernist "planetary - like" ring by Liisa Vitali 1972

As we count down to the Royal Wedding this Friday, the speculation gets hot. The dress, the veil, the shoes, the hair...and of course, what about the tiara? Rumors run rife about a the resurgence of a family heirloom, so we can't help but take a moment and ogle over the stunning royal tiaras of the past. Let's hope Kate's choice doesn't give her a "cracking headache" as Diana's did on her wedding day! We're hoping that the "something borrowed" might be the King George III Fringe Tiara, aka The Russian Fringe Tiara, which we love for it's stunning geometric, contemporary lines. 

We recently discovered this nice write up by fashion blogger Susie of Stylebubble about On Za Line and her new fixation on accessories made out of porcelain.

"I'm developing a strange fixation on accessories made out of porcelain.  I have these i-D images above saved on my desktop and every so often I'll linger over just to marvel at the mere idea of a porcelain collar adding physical weight to the shoulders.  The obvious allusion to the saying about lifting weight off shoulders is just a little bit too tempting not to buy into.  I also think my fascination has something to do with the breakable quality of the material porcelain, which makes me think of all of the precious plates and figurines that I accidentally knocked over causing my mum exasperated grief.  I blame my chubby little arms and my lack of co-ordination. 

Therefore, in a way I'm perhaps making up for those misdemeanours by highlighting porcelain accessories designers such as Uncommon Matters (seen above) who create pieces that I'd love to take good care of.  I'd dust and wipe them with a j-cloth and also wear them with care.  I can prove that my chubby arms don't destroy everything. 

Another porcelain discovery came to me when I was in Hong Kong at the store Kapok.  They had teamed up with the jewellery specialist store Chariots on Fire, which used to have a physical store in San Francisco and now operates solely online, to create an exhibition of their wares.  I'm not sure why I had never caught onto their well-selected store before but from Chariots on Fire, I unearthed Japanese designer On Za Line.  Duo Ai and Kiyomi create hand-made ceramic pieces that are limited because casting off a mould wears it down and so their collections are purposely irregular and project-based.   This is a collation of a few of their collections, some of which Chariots on Fire still stocks.  On Za Line's work isn't limited ot jewellery and for them, it is the resulting object and its permanent meaningful context that is more important than anything as transient as trends.  Their first collection's title and statement still resonates even if the resulting pieces aren't available anymore" - Susie.

This video takes you behind the scenes of designer Jacqueline Cullen and her amazing work with Whitby jet.