A little shopping inspiration can be found in New York City when jewelry designer and fashion blogger Wendy Brandes will open a popup store in the West Village for two days this holiday season. The Wendy Brandes popup store will be open on November 20th and 21st from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at 48 Greenwich Avenue near Perry Street. Wendy will be on hand both days to showcase her detailed handcrafted pieces. Hear straight from Wendy about the rich and witty inspirations for each unique piece. In addition to being a talented designer Brandes has an abiding love of history which manifests in unique pieces like a tiny sarcophagus that opens to reveal a mummy with diamond eyes or her popular poison rings which have secret compartments. Her collections have been inspired by a variety of historical figures including an Anglo-Saxon Queen, an Empress of Rome and the Queen of Scots.

The Wendy Brandes Popup Store will also have styles from her friend Zang Toi's collection available for shoppers interested in clothing to go along with their jewels. Zang Toi established the "House of Toi" collection in New York in 1989, and was awarded the 1990 Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year award, which recognizes the top young US designer of the year. Over the years, his design has evolved from the bright and decadent of the 1990s to the timeless yet modern lines of the turn of the country.

New from Piaget comes a fresh Limelight watch collection for 2009. Each Exceptional Limelight collection watch is known for being a serious haute joaillerie item of art. With Piaget's requisite level of beauty (and diamonds) the watches are interesting, original, and most important, beautiful. Brilliant-cut diamonds cover every surface of the timepieces (as much as is possible), and materials like mother-of-pearl make up the watch dials. The cases and bracelets themselves are each done in 18k white gold.

Literally hundreds upon hundreds of hours are dedicated to putting together each watch. This has to do with the copious amounts of time required to cut and set the diamonds, as well as craft the timepieces. Piaget does a remarkable job making metal look flowing. This is real horological art and passion - and again you see their penchant for making the watches "secret." Many Piaget Limelight watches prefer to cover the watch face when not being used, so as to give the pieces a dual watch and jewelry character. Inside, the watches have Piaget caliber 56P Swiss quartz movements. The timepieces have an intense amount of diamonds with weight up to 40 carats, and hundreds of stones per timepiece. These women's watches are marvelous to look at, exceedingly rare and exclusive, and of "word-class" expense. Look for them at select Piaget boutiques around the globe.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

We're not sure why you'd want a topographical map etched on a set of sterling silver cufflinks. However, like the judiciary, if it's legal then we don't need to concern ourselves with your intentions, and neither, for that matter, will Fluid Forms. The Austrian company will be glad to etch a section of the huge prairie deal you just closed in Montana -- or that Arcadia to which you and Mary Jane retired after senior Prom -- onto a small sliver of 925 silver for some 'links, a brooch, even a pendant.

And because, like the Earth, you're made of many things, Fluid Forms' work isn't limited to corporeal jewelry in silver. If it can be rendered in three dimensions, they can probably fashion it. Their Serene Salt & Pepper Shakers are particularly intriguing, the QR barcode belt buckles are a geek fashionista's dream, and they make Earth Bowls that look like they do their best work supporting your fruit collection. If you'll excuse us, we're going to see if we can have them create a topographical map of... Mary Jane...

I had never heard of Clara Kasavina when I met Clara herself (right) at a recent event for BagTrends in New York City. Now, I'm a little obsessed. It wasn't just the fabulous handbags which caught my attention, it was the amazing work they do with crystals. I can't wait for you to look through the gallery and see the lavishly encrusted minaudieres and accessories, but first, here's a bit more information.

Clara and her husband Misha have been making handbags for 15 years. Clara designs the bags -- with resplendent taste -- and Misha is the model maker, whose superb craftsmanship is evident in each of their stunning final products.

The bags are made in a variety of jewel tones with different shapes and materials. "Usually we choose to match our python, so we have it in the python, we have it in satin," said Clara. Their other unmistakable feature is their dynamic and opulent use of Swarovski crystals, packed tightly but unevenly, like a mosaic. "They are like a skin almost," explained Clara, quite rightly. The result is bags and accessories with an extremely opulent vintage feel -- your bag may be new, but it looks like a hand-me-down from Princess Grace.

We see a lot of handbags, but we rarely see old-school glamour like this, and with the season's return to flashy, speakeasy styles, you'd be smart to pick up a Clara Kasavina for the holidays.

David Yurman opened up a brand new "shop within a shop" at the iconic Bloomingdale's on 59th Street in NYC last week. Located right on the mezzanine with the cosmetics, the new David Yurman 775 sq. ft space is completely separate in design from the surrounding department store fluorescence. The opening party included not only David and his wife, Sybil, but members of the board at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as a portion of the proceeds from the first week of the new shop will be donated to The Society of MSKCC.

The opening was an absolute madhouse (which is what happens when someone shows up at Bloomingdale's with free champagne), and definitely got the word out about David Yurman's new home at Bloomingdale's. I managed to pull the charming and jovial David Yurman himself away from the masses of adoring women for a quick interview about the new shop, working as a husband and wife team, charity and inspiration.

Luxist: So, why a shop within a shop?

David Yurman: Oh, why not? We've had a smaller shop here [at Bloomingdale's] for about six years, but this is the biggest shop [within another shop] we have, probably, in the world. We have our own ceiling, we have our own video ... it's as large a size as I would imagine I would want.

L: And did you design it yourself?

DY: No -- well, I designed it with Michael Gabellini. Originally we designed the furniture, the show cases. We worked for about 5-6 months with Michael -- great designer, great person to work with -- sometimes it can be difficult; two creative people with their concepts, but to me, [the shop] is like, warm, minimal, not even minimal. Warm modern. Very functional. I mean, we used oak, solid black walnut, and it's connected to our flagship, which opened in March. Not all our stores look alike. We have five different looks in fifteen stores. This is our new design and we love it. It will be here, it'll be in our flagship, we're opening up in Paris in March, but this is -- I call it 'the pavilion.'"

L: It's a pavilion within a shop.

DY: It's a pavilion within Bloomingdale's!

L: You work with so many charitable organizations -- what's your philosophy as far as giving back?

DY: It's actually for my parents. If you have enough, you don't need any more. What's enough? I mean, I definitely have enough, so, we give back. It's the DNA of our family. I mean, I was giving back on Saturdays when I was in high school. Or, three months every year, the last few years of high school, I worked at the MS Center, I worked with underprivileged and handicapped children.

L: Sounds like they raised you well.

DY: They told me giving back, working, being with people is just .. I would never [have done] this, personally. I wanted to play football, I wanted to hang out at the mall -- but it was the best thing I ever did. It's such a good feeling.

L: What's it like working as a husband and wife team?

DY: It's difficult and rewarding. We have a lot to talk about.

L: Who does what?

DY: We make one person. Sybil's probably more focused on marketing, but I weigh in on marketing. I'm more focused on design, product development.

L: She weighs in on that?

DY: She weighs in on that. Nothing happens without both of us signing off. If we don't both sign off, it doesn't happen. We've been married for 39 years.

L: What are you working on next?

DY: It's hard to describe in words, but a lot of extensions, evolutions. We're doing a lot more 'younger,' our son is doing the men's and watches, and bridal and also the high jewelry which is amazing materials, great design, and it's where he's growing in our business. It's a family.

L: And what keeps you inspired, where you you get your ideas?

DY: You know, the thing with the word 'get' -- you can't say 'get ideas' because you kinda make yourself available to them. It's a river, you sort of guide yourself.

L: So you're just open to [ideas], you don't go looking for them?

DY: No, I don't look -- well, I'm not blind. I look at women, like I was liking [a nearby woman's] earrings ... those are my earrings! Ha! I was saying I liked them, and they're mine.

He certainly is friendly and entertaining -- and it was hard to keep the ladies from ambushing him mid-interview! Be sure and visit the new David Yurman space next time you make it to Bloomingdale's in NYC, it's like a breath of fresh air amongst the fragrances -- and, of course, the jewelry is fabulous.

It's been a long time coming but members of the De Beers class-action lawsuit settlement might finally get a payout next spring. National Jeweler reported on the recent meeting of the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America in New York City. At that meeting president Ronald Friedman provided an update on the eight-year-old case and read a letter from one of the attorneys involved. The letter says that several consumers filed various objections to the settlement and a hearing on these appeals is set for January. Once an opinion on those hearings has been reached and provided that the court overrules the objections, payouts could begin next spring.

The De Beers class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of two classes: jewelers and other direct purchasers of diamonds (both rough and polished) between Sept. 20, 1997 and March 31, 2006 and indirect purchasers of diamonds (resellers and consumers) who bought diamonds, diamond jewelry or other products containing gem-quality diamonds between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006. The suit claimed that De Beers charged anticompetitive prices for the rough diamonds it sold, monopolized the rough diamond market, and disseminated false and misleading advertising. The $295 million settlement has been divided so that $22.5 million will be distributed to the direct purchaser class and $272.5 million to the indirect purchaser class. Given the number of claimants (said to be as much as $60 million) the payout per person will be pretty small.

What's black and white and fabulous all over? The jewelry of Stefano Canturi. Canturi, who has designed for Cartier and other brands displays an almost machine-like geometry in his bold black and white designs using diamonds and black sapphires. His latest collections embrace cubism using square-cut and baguette diamonds to create pieces that seem both classic Art Deco and very modern. The architectural quality of the pieces seems a natural fit for New York City which is where Canturi has opened his fifth salon worldwide. Canturi, an Australian designer, created jewelry for Nicole Kidman in both the Moulin Rouge and Australia films and has the all-powerful Oprah Winfrey as a customer. He previously opened his first U.S. shop in Las Vegas and also has three stores in Australia.

A couple of years ago Disney entered the bridal market with a line of fairytale wedding dresses. The line is still going strong and now the designer,Kirstie Kelly is expanding into fine jewelry. National Jeweler reports that Kelly's new line of diamond wedding and engagement rings, "Kirstie Kelly for Disney by Mouawad" debuted this week as part of Bridal Fashion Week in New York. The line consists of six engagement rings with matching wedding bands that correspond to six Disney heroines, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Princess Jasmine from Aladdin, Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. The Disney rings are being sold as semi-mounts (center stone not included) and retail for $1,200 to $6,000.



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Turkish brand Kurtulan is bringing the exotic lure of ancient Byzantium to life in their Mediterra Collection of jewelry this fall. Kurtulan won a 2008 World Gold Council Award and does designs in rich 24K gold with gemstones (the metal is labeled 985K gold representing that some pieces are welded together using a gold-solder alloy that is 985/1000 which is approximately 23,64K). The designs are available at the fashion boutique Martier in New York City. The Mediterra Collection begins at $700 and includes rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces and jeweled cufflinks.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us, and David Yurman is celebrating (and supporting) by releasing these lavish pink dog tags for his Women's Tag Collection.

At left is the Pink Rhodonite and Sterling Silver Breast Cancer Dog Tag, which is emblazoned with the DY logo and costs $450. On the right is the extremely sparkly and eye-catching Pave Diamond-Encrusted model, available for $950.

These tags not only show your support for breast cancer victims and research, but they also have a great "I'm a survivor" vibe to them -- the dog tag theme is perfect. Never have pave diamonds looked so courageous.

Naturally, 10 percent of retail sales from these items goes directly to fund the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, so it's the perfect way to show your (actual) support, or to reward a survivor. Click here to purchase from David Yurman.

New York-based Divorce Your Jewels pays cash for your unwanted jewelry, no matter if it's a five-carat engagement ring, a wedding ring, a jewelry gift you no longer like or want, or jewelry that just sits in a drawer. What makes this service different from something like Cash4Gold is that you set up a personal appointment at your home or the company's office, and the company caters to the high-end clientele. Read more here.

Teeny type at the bottom of the home page indicates that the company has expanded its business to "discreet" departures of museum-quality art, valuable fashion items (e.g., Birkin bags and vintage clothing), or unworn clothes with tags. You also can buy from the company.

No word on whether this service extends beyond New York, but it's worth a call or e-mail: call 917-846-9999/8444 or e-mail Melissa "Missy" Schorr: melissa@divorceyourjewels.com.

Candles always set a mood, and soy candles are an earth-friendly luxury. Add to this mix a Diamond Bow Necklace encrusted with 38 diamonds, 2.23 carat total weight, G color, VS clarity, and set in 14-carat white gold, and you have The Ultimate Luxury Candle, a limited-edition candle from Welcome Home Candles. Modeled on Welcome Home's Champagne Noir Soy Candle fragrance, this candle and necklace set was designed exclusively for Welcome Home Candles by Bucci's Jewelry & Design, one of the Philadelphia area's top jewelry designers. Order online, free shipping. $4,995

Louis Vuitton's latest jewelry line is connected to their ongoing travel initiative, Spirit of Travel. The campaign also includes the recent ad campaign featuring astronauts and the one-off bags by contemporary artists including Damien Hirst and Annie Leibovitz to be auctioned off for charity.

The Independent reports that the elite range will include six sets and that each will boast a unique necklace for $2.5 million, created by jeweler Lorenz Bäumer. The necklaces features Bäumer's unique, ebullient jewelry chaos rendered in exquisite gemstones. The collection will also include a 30-carat diamond ring bearing one of Vuitton's signature diamond cuts. The new jewelry line will be made available to the public on October 15 at the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

Luxury Launches says that the bib style necklace with the Vuitton emblem circles shown above is also a reference to the brightly colored collars worn by the Masai people.

Gold, silver, platinum and even other metals like palladium and titanium have made their way into rings. Now, for the first time, Los Angeles based rare metals manufacturer, American Elements is selling jewelry made from pure iridium metal. The challenge for working with iridium is that it has an extremely high melting temperature (4,435° F), more than 2,000 degrees above gold and 500 degrees above platinum. It is also very hard and brittle. American Elements designs parts for the NASA space program so it has the technology to work with this metal. The deep gray metal has a high luster and is the lowest tarnishing element. It is also extremely corrosion resistant and will not react with any acid. American Elements reports that one of the first buyers was a Rothschild banker in London who chose one for his wedding band. The pure iridium 6mm ring shown above sells for $2,530.

This isn't iridium's first foray into the luxury goods market. Iridium recently has also made its way into watches and has been used for years with other metals to strengthen the nibs on fountain pens.

Tiffany & Company showed off their designs this week for their latest store in Las Vegas, a new approximately 10,000-square-foot store at the CityCenter development on the Las Vegas Strip. The two-level store will be located in Crystals, CityCenter's 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district which was designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind and Rockwell Group. The store is set to open in December and will have an 85-foot-high glass facade which is shaped like a diamond. The overall effect is luxe with a bit of Vegas flash, the entrance will be gleaming black granite around Art Deco-inspired stainless steel doors and inside etched mirror walls, iridescent fabrics and glittering chandeliers add sparkle. The second floor will be reached via a spiral steel-and-glass staircase that is lit from underneath. There is a separate engagement ring salon and a private sales salon with can be reached via a glass bridge. This will be the third Tiffany store in Las Vegas there are two other shops on the Strip, one at the Shops at Via Bellagio and one at The Forum Shops at Caesars but this is the largest one yet. JCK Online has more pictures of the interior renderings.