My Jewel Box

My favorite jewelry is one that I made early this year. The 14K rose gold and diamond angel wings pendant is hanging on a multicolored sapphire strand. I wear it everyday.

— Hydee Ursolino-Abrahan

My favorite item of jewelry is one I designed personally. This pendant reminds me of my life in the islands. The original design was made using fan coral from the Atlantic, and the anchors are an exact replica of an anchor used on a very dear friend's fishing boat. When I designed this piece, I made sure it was an authentic tribute to a place and time in my life that I never want to forget.

— Gina Nigrelli, Designer of Jules Smith

One of my most favorite pieces is this silver bracelet with multicolor gem stones such as lemon quartz, garnet, aquamarine, amethyst, peridot and citrine. I can wear it with all my clothes and highly admire it. It is from the exclusive jewelry webpage www.alina-gordon.ch

— Caroline Wick

The most recent addition to my collection of vintage brooches is this Vendome pin, circa 1950 or 1970 (dating this piece has been difficult because the company was in business from 1944 to 1979 and they did repeat their designs). After roaming a thrift store in Virginia Beach, I was just about to leave when I made one more round around the jewelry cases. There was one I had missed and the colors in this pin were so vivid that it immediately stood apart from all the other ornaments. The generous size of the center crystal (when they are very large, they are referred to as a "chaton") is costly to manufacture and each must be custom made; every crystal is hand set at a slightly different angle so as to catch the light when the wearer moves.

When I did a little bit of research after I acquired it, I discovered that the Vendome was a division of
Coro, a very well known manufacturer of costume jewelry in the United States, Vendome was Coro's high-end line and used the finest Austrian and Czechoslovakian crystals. Eventually this range of jewelry became renowned for its inventive designs created by Helen Marion, who was the company's lead designer.

— Lori Ettlinger Gross

As a tall girl, I love bold jewelry, the bigger the better. I found this silver necklace at a thrift shop in Illinois, buried under a pile of Mardi Gras beads and rejects from Claire's. It's lightweight, but eye-catching and I never fail to get compliments on it.

— Betony Toht