A Very Good Year

Thanks to all of you, it has been a very good year. Here are some of our most popular styles for 2014. Join us for a walk down memory lane.

 Ziggy is probably our most popular piece from our woven beaded category.... a tribal chic design with an air of sophistication seems to have been a winning combination.

 In the pave diamond necklace group, the Erica was a real winner. Each Erica is a one of a kind, but the mismatched, off center, boho chic air about it really had wide appeal.

 Hands down, Quincy was the most popular cuff bracelet. We featured it in many of the Swarovski rhinestone colors. Shown above are rosewood and topaz, two very well received color options.

 As for pave diamond earrings, everyone seemed to go for Floe! Pictured here in emerald, the Floe earring was well received in every stone, from emerald to ruby and sapphire, and even in the neutral gray labradorite.

Finally from our Lexie Collection, the Spencer necklace was loved by many. We think the adjustable closure gave it great versatility and it is a fun, casual design that keeps the pearls from getting too serious.

Here is our new year wish to all of our wonderful customers, "May your new year sparkle!" And we look forward to helping you in that endeavor!

In Good Company

 We just love being represented by the gorgeous Sola Showroom in Gramercy Park in New York City. Shown above is Montage Collection jewelry for Spring/Summer 2015 happily featured along with beautiful accessories and clothing from stunning lines from all over the world.

 This colorful Janavi scarf, carefully crafted in India, is both unique and timeless, and wouldn't it be fabulous on a linen dress worn with one of our hand woven beaded bracelets shown above!

 We love the amazing Tonya Hawkes handbags from London. Can you tell that color is THE thing for Spring/Summer 2015?

 Italian designer Henry Beguelin is also featured at Sola Showroom. LOVE these woven leather booties...so chic with an air of casual elegance.

And speaking of casual elegance, wouldn't you love to slip on this casual chic shift by Nocturne? Also from London, Nocturne has created a floral print with a sophisticated edge that could carry you from high tea to a night on the town.

Find out more about Sola Showroom here: www.solasr.com

Coming to a Store near You!

 Our Fall Collection is rich with autumn colors like mustard, olive and burgundy. Here we feature the ever popular Erica necklace coming soon to a store near you..... that is if you live in the Detroit area and visit Hersh's or in Minneapolis visit N. Etc.

 In keeping with our fall look we offered these gorgeous pave diamond bracelets with handsome and handcrafted woven beading. In Little Rock these may be found at B. Barnett or at Frances Heffernan in Winnetka, Illinois.

Our Ziggy bracelet shown above is one of our most popular. We recently shipped this bracelet to Acorn in Highlands, N.C. Stop by if you are in the area.

 Many fashionistas are sporting our Bradyn bracelet... even Derek Jeter's sister! You may also find this style at Joseph in Memphis, TN.

And speaking of Memphis, there at Bella Viggia you may find our dazzling new Jane bracelet complete with magnetic closure for easy access. So many beauties.... so little time.

www.myrnahalpern.com

Sweater Weather?

Are you kidding me? It's October 26 and it is 82 degrees outside in Memphis. Yet I am blogging about my favorite fall sweaters. Maybe it will be cool enough to wear one of them in November. If not, they'll be perfect next summer at our vacation house on the Olympic Peninsula.

All of these sweaters are available on the fabulous shopping site www.net-a-porter.com.

Let's begin with this chunky mohair blend by Fendi. Yummy color, lots of style, and love the cropped length. Wear over your favorite white shirt with leggings and ballet flats, and everyone will think you are Audrey Hepburn.

 Etoile Isabel Marant is responsible for this stunning coat sweater. This casual piece is the perfect answer when you need a coat, but don't want the weight. Love it over everything, from a dress and booties to cropped jeans.

 Only Missoni could pull off this gorgeous ombre knit coat. You could dress it up by wearing it with some tantalizing lbd, or simply throw it over white jeans tucked into gray suede boots.

Can you tell I'm into a dusk color story? Actually I can't decide if this sweater evokes sunset or sunrise. Whichever it is, this is a wonderful addition to anyone's wardrobe. Of course you would pair it with gray or black, but net-a-porter paired it with a red mini skirt.... really fun!

And finally a must have from Thakoon Addition is this fabulous cashmere wrap featuring zip front, lots of fringe and a yummy funnel neck. Hard decision..... nest-ce pas?

Color Stories

In the last blog we talked about the inspiration I received from the spring runway shows. After much consideration, I settled on 4 distinct color stories for my spring 2015 jewelry collection.

Loving these new color combos. From top to bottom they are:

NEON neon brights mixed with a bronze stone called pyrite

OCEAN cool blues punched with pale gray and white

DESERT citrus shades with light accents

And last, but not least, DUSK all neutrals with soft pinks like a real sunset.

These neon bracelets with Swarovski crystals and Victorian connectors bezel set in sterling silver and pave diamonds are so much fun, but not for the shy, retiring plain Jane.

A final look at another dusk necklace... lots of shades of neutrals with just a little pink accent. 

Yes, mix it with this amazing fur vest and silver lame pants by Brunello Cucinelli. Soft, feminine, and spot on!

The Story of Color for 2015

 Don't ever underestimate the power of color. I am currently completing my first 2015 jewelry collection and it is totally driven by 4 distinct color stories. Confirmation came after viewing the Spring runway shows. Above is a bohemian chic dress by Etro which echoes my first color group  named Desert. Think sand with pops of yellow, soft oranges and greens. I consulted the top ten Pantone color picks for this group. I used lucite green, toasted almond, custard and tangerine....yummy.

 Brunello Cucinelli really knows how to do neutrals and Spring 2015 is no exception. I call this color  group Dusk because I have added touches of pink to the many shades of grays and other neutrals. Close your eyes and picture your favorite sunset, and you will get the picture... glacier gray, strawberry ice and marsala.

 Here Emporio Armani plays with many shades of gorgeous blues with touches of white as a great way to make it all pop. Of course this is the color story I refer to as Ocean, classic blue, scuba blue, and aquamarine with white as a backdrop.

Who would have thought that Ralph Lauren would be so into neon for spring, but see his runway show above and you can believe it. Neon orange, yellow and fuchsia played against a deep rich khaki. In my case I am using neons with a stone called pyrite, also known as fools gold. Can't say that any neon colors made the Pantone top ten list, but, trust me, neon is back brighter than ever!

Stay tuned. In my next blog you will see how this all plays out in the world of jewels.

For more info visit www.myrnahalpern.com

Meet Quincy

It all started about a year ago. Thinking that a gorgeous rhinestone bracelet would be the perfect piece of jewelry for the upcoming holiday season, I designed the Quincy, a five row bracelet made of sparkling Swarovski rhinestones in three colors. I chose crystal, fuchsia, and, of course emerald, the then color of the year. Quincy's popularity was immediate, and the color did not matter. It sold and sold and sold.

Not knowing exactly why Quincy was so very popular, I thought I would try to design a spring version and I made it a little more casual by using opaque Swarovski stones like, jet, chalk and turquoise. Did it sell? You betcha!

It is now fall 2014 and the color of the year is radiant orchid. So, of course, I studied the Swarovski color chart to find a close match and came up with cyclamen opal which I call rosewood. It is a pinky, purply iridescent that is fab with all the burgundy tones this season, and I added one more option, light topaz, which looks great with rust, chocolate and gray. Are these new colors selling? Yes and yes!

Thanks to everyone for their love of Quincy!

To see Quincy in person you can visit one of the following boutiques:

Potpourri, Atlanta

Kittie Kyle, Memphis

Hersh's, West Bloomfield, MI

Atlantis Resorts, Bahamas

Rich Hippie, Dallas

Dress Circle, Pittsburgh

and coming soon to:

Girlie Girl, Gross Pointe Woods, MI

Lori Karbal, Birmingham, MI

For more info. visit www.myrnahalpern.com

Op Art Revisited

Last year Michael Kors introduced his seriously retro, op art 60's fashions and it seems like some of the European designers are continuing the trend this fall.

 

For fall Dries Van Noten's graphic tee with contrasting silk skirt is a perfect example of 60's graphics.

 

 

I also love Dries Van Noten's interpretation of 60's mod in this stunning coat with graphic shirt to boot!

 

 

Looks like Kenzo also picked up on this look by pairing a gorgeous graphic tee with a bold floral pant.

 

 

And then Kenzo took it a step further by showing graphic on graphic and accessorizing it with even more.

 

 

 

Wondering if inspiration may have come from something as simple as this garden gate.

 

Whatever the source, it looks like its a style worth noting!

 

 

 

 

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Talk About Eco Friendly!

At the heart of my jewelry brand is the ethic to be both charitable and eco friendly. As you may know, I have been repurposing jewelry components in my work for years, but only in the past year have I added shed antlers to the mix.

 

It all started when I met Jerry, my source for shed antlers in all shapes and sizes. Jerry has been foraging the woods for the last 40 years looking for antlers shed by elk, caribou, deer, and moose. He is my resident expert on all things made from animal horn.

 

He is literally filled up to the rafters in all types of buckhorn.

I'm not exaggerating! You can see why I was so thrilled to add Jerry to my worldly production team.

With tools in motion, we have planned some interesting new concepts to add to the line in 2015. Stay tuned to see what we have up our sleeves. Our new designs will feature our signature style of using unexpected combinations of materials. Expect the unexpected!

Current collections may be seen at www.myrnahalpern.com.

 

 

 

 

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Inspiration, Incubation, Intuition

Often my jewelry designs are drawn from intuitive ideas conjured up in relaxed settings. Counting the sailboats is a favorite pastime during this incubation period.

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Concepts often emerge through art. This drawing makes me think Neon Navajo, and color combinations evolve.

Sometimes quirky photographs twist my thinking and images unfold. Calling this concept "Cowgirl Chic."

 

Even eye shadow can ignite a new concept.... Like icy iridescents.

 

2015 collections have begun to take form. Stay tuned throughout this arduous process of twists and turns!

 

 

 

 

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