What to get a man for Valentine’s Day ??

What does a woman get the man she loves for Valentines day? I was thinking of cufflinks, but is that appropriate?
Beccy in St. Louis

Of course cufflinks are appropriate, assuming he has the shirts to support them. They are classy, practicle and add a distictive sense of style to his buisness wardrobe.

These 14K Gold Round Onyx Cufflinks are a fantastic example. Well crafted and distictive, these will go best with black suits. A stunning gift for just $150.

For something a little more modern, try these Sterling Silver and Faux Lapis Lazuli Cufflinks. These will obviously go best with blue or grey shirts, as well as look lovely with white ones. These beauties are just $50

Also check out these super-slick Sterling Silver Rectangular Etched Cufflinks, which go with just about everything! Crisp and modern, these are $55.

Konzuk collection of jewelry

Stainless steel, automotive paint and concrete don't necessarily sound like fine jewelry but the Konzuk collection of jewelry uses these and other non-traditional materials to make unique jewelry. The new embellished line from designer Karen Konzuk has a look that reminds me of pressed tin ceilings or vintage stamps. The necklaces shown here cost $265 and $265. If you still need to spend more money, there are also diamond and platinum rings that have a very contemporary architectural quality.

Anaconda Fissure Heart–Shaped Necklace

Here's the latest in our list of Valentine's Day gitfs for your beloved. The Anaconda Fissure pendant is a unique take on the heart theme. The 18k white gold heart-shaped pendant features tree engravings on both sides.The necklace is available at Barney's for $2,850. The chain is not included. The pendant comes in a smaller size for $1,850.

Stamped necklace

Here’s a close up of the clasp I used for the stamped necklace I’ve been yapping about.

I make a hook using gold wire for one side and for the other side, I made an eye, but I included a few beads on it. This was actually part of the first necklace I put together and had to take apart, so again, I managed to salvage a few sections of it.

The whole stamped necklace

Elle B. Jewelry

I was contacted by Lisa Braithwaite the other day about her DIY jewelry outfit called Elle B. and decided to make a post about it since she has a large variety of handmade earrings, necklaces and bracelets in her store. Based in Santa Barbara, she makes use of unique shape and color combinations in her jewelry. Although I think a lot of the beads, glass and findings that she uses in her creations may be available in shops, it’s the delightful way that they are integrated that makes her work stand out.

A little bit about her, from her website:

… Always an artistic thinker, Lisa explored drawing, painting, singing, acting and costume design before finding her calling in the jewelry arts. She has been designing and creating vibrant, wearable art for more than 20 years.

As her hobby has grown into a business, Lisa’s art has evolved, too. Her one-of-a-kind pieces incorporate modern and vintage glass, brilliant silver and vivid hues. Graceful movement and lively color make Elle B. jewelry playful and distinctive - wearable art for unique women.

Of particular interest is her wide variety of handmade earrings which fall into the categories of vintage, venetian, contemporary and artisan glass as well as a few silver offerings.

Her Venetian earring line features traditionally crafted glass beads that came from Murano in Italy. It’s interesting that the Venetian Beads actually contain silver, gold or platinum foil INSIDE the glass. Here is one I picked out to show which she calls the “St. Tropez”. It features these neat green-blue Venetian glass cubes that look sort of like ice cubes to me! The earrings are finished off with silver discs, rings and rondelles. They hang about 1.25 inches long.

Another earring that caught my eye were these unusual “Satellite” Earrings which feature beads that almost remind me of UFO shapes! I’m actually not sure which types of beads the satellite ones are, but the design contains vintage German satin beads, czech glass, and silver. The earrings hang 1.5 inches long. They have a very playful but cool feel to them with the aqua, light blue and green colors.

Many of her other earrings have even more bold and striking color combinations (Elle B.’s tagline is “adornment for uninhibited women”) … I think I may have chosen to show two of the more “tame” ones just because we aren’t known for being adventurous as far as colors go. But anyhow, you should check them out for yourself!

The Elle B. website can be found at: www.ellebstyle.com/