Bali Beauty, Art and Jewelry

I just took a much deserved holiday on the island of Bali.  It wasn’t my first visit, and I did my best to steer clear of the usual tourist spots filled with cheap T-shirts and overflowing beer. As far away from the madding crowd I strove to be, and I largely succeeded.  Bali will always hold a strange captivation for me, which began when I was struck dumb by a Walter Spies painting at a local museum. Below is his ‘Morning Light’, it is simply sublime. He was a German artist whose life was inextricably intertwined with Bali.  My stay this time was spent partially at his original home in Ubud, which has been turned into a chalet style spa resort, I'm sure the process has made it lose much of its mystique. Commercialization cannot be helped I suppose. The paradox is how else was I to get the chance to stay in such a special place?

 Morgenlicht

 

Bali is beautiful, and filled with art. Her paddy terraces are best experienced in the early morning before the sun grows fierce, or in the late afternoon when it starts to retire over the horizon…

 

The Balinese are artistic, and this is reflected in the art and jewelry they create.  A typical landscape painting below features the ubiquitous paddies and Mt. Agung barely discernible in the leafy background.
 

 

A scene from the Ramayana

 

A few of my favorite souvenirs this time:
 

                            Silver mother of pearl earrings

 

 Coral jewelry

Moonstone dangle earrings

 

 

The closest thing to paradise on earth...at Tanah Lot

 

Earring Styles for Face Shape

Want to wear earrings but don’t know what kind of earrings look good on you?  Here I would have some suggestions that really get you to think outside the boundaries to widen your choices.  Understanding your face shape and jaw line is essential as they are going to affect the style and the length of earrings you can wear.  The first thing you want to do is to find the widest base on your face. 

 

Oval type 

Oval has the longest face, widest forehead and a narrower chin line. This is a very popular face style.  Drop earrings or dangle earrings are the kinds of details put to balance the area by the jaw, not the eye. The longer your earring goes down, the more you emphasize your face.  The closer your earring goes to your eyes, the more you emphasize your eyes. The former works best in oval type. Hoop earrings and chandelier earrings are also the good choices as they are filling in the area giving the most attractive look.

 

Round type

Round has the widest part right across the cheek line with a round jaw line.

This shape is a little more demanding.  If you have a shorter or longer neckline, then your hair length becomes extremely important.  The area that you have to consider is right beside the cheek.  A geometric drop earring would be a perfect match to round shape because it’s a contrast to the round. If you have short hair cut, wear round stud earrings which help pull the weight across the cheek line.  If you really want drop earrings, do wear the longest earring you can possibly get because it’s really going to help you look very romantic. The round-faced people are sexy all attack because they can have longer earrings to try out.

 

Square type

Square has the widest down at the bottom and is usually accompanied by more about rounded or square chin line.  To make the balance, we need to bring the weight away from the widest part of your face and bring it up more toward your eyes and closer to the ears. Through a lot of eye make-up would make you look pretty because it emphasizes your eyes a lot when you have a square face.  Long dangle earrings with weight at the top and length drops down beyond chin will help move the weight up by the ear and go into the face.

 

These are just some of the ideas to show you the kinds of boulder earrings that you can wear in the right place with confidence.  Trust you will get the best results by learning the styles of earrings to wear with certain face shapes.  More importantly, you shouldn’t be missing an opportunity to make yourself more beautiful.

Party Earrings with a Big Purpose

... Why to impress of course!  Metallic feather-look earrings crafted from leather? Yes, please. What a combination of funk and class. The style is super cool and party-perfect. Even better, these earrings look ridiculously expensive. But wait, there’s something more amazing about them.

Just look at these...

Metallic earrings dripping gold

 

This style is a longtime favorite of ours, for the beautiful items and the goal to empower women through design. In keeping with that, these earrings are each handcrafted using locally sourced leather. This holiday season, I can’t think of a more perfect gift for a friend than these beautiful earrings…or as a bit of indulgence for your edgier self!  There is just something about leather and metal which appeals to our animal senses.  It’s hard to put a finger on it, but there it is. Perhaps it appeals to the wild side in each one of us, rebelliously chic a la the girl with the dragon tattoo.

 

Metallic leather pod earrings

 

A voguish roguish Lisbeth!

 

I also happen to be pretty darn smitten with the leather bracelets as well–which, coincidentally, would look sweet with those earrings. Make your presence felt at a party...even if it should ever so slightly intimidate the more priggish types who are more at home with lace.  But what can they do?  It's all done in good taste after all!

Gold, silver and bronze leather bracelets

 

Beady bracelets

Kinetic Works of Art - Jewelry That Move

Lovely jewelry can really move you on a personal level. But what about those pieces who do just that, move! They are definitely not your usual run of the mill, stick-in-the-mud pieces. There are a number of designers who make kinetic jewelry, and here are a few of my favorite ones I'd like to share with you.

Kinekt
Do you ever twiddle the rings on your fingers? Well, Kinekt Design's Gear Ring will let you do more than move the ring around the finger. You can move all those gears on the stainless steel ring! This gives you that extra dimension as you twiddle!  And the industrial mechanical look of the ring really looks cool too wouldn’t you say? And it reminds us not to be a mere cog in the wheel!

Kinekt gear ring

Danielle Miller

Hailing from South Carolina, jewelry metal smith Danielle Miller truly understands fidgets in her gadgets. Her modern designs are stunning - in looks and in utter cleverness. Take her sterling silver Mod Rocker rings. There are two motions - the curved rectangle at the top see saws while the stone setting slides freely along it. Reminds me of starship Enterprise from Star Trek.

Beam me up Scotty!

 

Lisa Pavelka

Lisa Pavelka mentioned on her blog she's been "making spinner rings for a few years starting with metal clays, but also dabbling with polymer clay and mixed media creations. Not just rings mind you, but necklaces too!"  Depicted here is her pinwheel design - you know the kind of toy children had in the days before iPad electronic games. Such a fun design as you can spin the middle section like a windmill!

 

Ed Levin

But my absolute favorite are these kinetic earrings by Ed Levin. The loop-the-loop bottom is a delightful mix of compound angles and widths, reminiscent of a musical notation. They are unique, whimsical and handmade from sterling silver.

 

Musical whimsical & classy

 

Ed Levin drop earrings

 

Origami Jewelry and Exquisite Fashionable Earrings

Don't just fold and look at your origami work- wear it! Using paper in a dazzling array
of colors and wonderful patterns, textures and finishes, and with traditional folding
skills and simple jewelry-making techniques, you will learn to fashion pendants,
contemporary earrings, and other exquisite accessories. 

 Origami Rose Earrings Red, pink, yellow, or white- everyone has a favorite color for roses, so choose yours for these blooms. Made from several identically folded flowers of different sizes, these roses are quite simple to fold, yet they look very elaborate. 

Origami rose earrings and necklace

Vivid variations. While solid paper gives a more realistic appearance, yuzen washi

and other patterned paper is more impressionistic. These cardinal red and pink roses
earrings will catch everyone's eye. 

Yuzen washi- is a great for origami jewelry. "Yuzen" refers to traditional designs used for kimonos. These designs are silkscreened onto washi sheets, and there are endless exquisite designs and colors to choose from.  

Origami Butterfly Earrings 

The butterfly is a symbol of beauty, transformation, and freedom. Butterflies have
always been loved, worldwide, for their graceful appearance as they flutter freely in
the air. Yuzen washi paper is recommended to represent the butterfly's beauty. 

Origami Candy Earrings
What is your favorite candy flavor- strawberry, orange, mint, blueberry or lemon? It is hard to pick just one! These beads cheerfully string together all the different colors. Good luck with picking the one color for matching earrings.  

Origami Crab Earrings

You can almost feel the sand between your toes when you wear these summery
crabs. Their charm will bring a smile to your face even you are full of winter blues.  

Leaf Origami Earrings

Fall is many people's favorite season. Bright red, yellow and orange leaves provide
plenty artistic inspiration. The two colors blend with harmony in one sheet of paper
to reproduce a beautiful autumnal tint.

Some people worry about the idea of wearing paper:" It's so delicate, I'll destroy it

within a day!" What if it rains?" Of course, Origami is not as durable as metal, but the
earrings are surprisingly durable, and you can wear it even on rainy days!  

Origami frog earrings

 

 

Dragonflies...