FINE JEWELRY – A PART OF A WINNING ACCESSORIES PLAY
TEXT, VIVIAN G. KELLY
Images, courtesy of Laforce & Stevens
ACCESSORIES – WHERE TO SPEND YOUR MONEY WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH
For the past year, we’ve been shopping our closets, rediscovering that beautiful brown suede Escada belt, the black Max Mara pants, the Michael Kors satin sheath dress, the Diane Von pop pink dress. All of these items were new again, as we’d completely forgotten they were even in our closet.
That’s not to say we haven’t bought ANYTHING, haven’t added ANYTHING new to freshen up our wardrobe.
The things we did find ourselves adding were ACCESSORIES, in many different price points. There are the brown Italian leather driving gloves, the Simply Vera [Wang] black fingerless gloves, the vintage Longines watch, the black Prada Sport toggle shoes and black Prada nylon bag. What do all of these items have in common?
Easy, they’re classics and we’re not getting rid of any of them anytime soon, and they’re part of our daily wardrobe.
Then there’s the “non-essentials”, the things that give you pleasure for years to come and let’s face it, don’t fall in the category of “practical classics”.
We happily wear the gold and diamond chain HELEN FICALORA treated us to – it goes with everything, as does our gold, diamond and ruby wedding band.
This article is the first in a series of stand-out accessories we love on a year-round basis.
FIRST UP is Italian jewelry designer, MARCO BICEGO.
His motto, “ It’s about the perfectly imperfect”.
If you’re the yellow-gold type, this is a collection you need to have a look at; 70% of the collection is 18K yellow gold. MARCO is famous for his coil technique, in which gold strands are hand-twisted so that each piece looks similar but just a little bit different. This unique twist is what differentiates his pieces – from chunky gold rings to the twisted bracelets and necklaces from looking dully cookie-cutter and bourgeois.
While we’re fans of big outrageous jewels like those at VERDURA and GRAFF, the pieces in the collections he produces are ones you can wear with just about anything to the point that they earn a permanent place in your wardrobe.
INSPIRATIONS
All designers have them; Marco’s are based on his travels.
Here, a few of his latest:
THE MADAGASCAR COLLECTION - tangles of gold “guitar strings” and the Marrakech assortment, with distinctive twisted coils sprinkled with diamonds, reflect Africa’s rich heritage.
ACAPULCO - features hand-engraved gold beads and ‘briolette” cut semi-precious stones reflect the luminosity of the Pacific.
ARUBA - pieces crafted from18 karat gold with diamonds and semi-precious stones capture the sensuality of the Caribbean
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Marco Bicego, is a powerful hybrid, a designer, an entrepreneur and a skilled marketer, and an “artisan”, whose father taught him the art of jewelry-making.
The company has grown quickly in the United States, thanks to Bicego’s designs and marketing savvy and to Moise Cohen, President of Marco Bicego USA’s contributions. Under Cohen’s watch, the company has grown in the US, Canada, and they’ve recently added a NY showroom and a headquarters in San Francisco.
PRICING AND WHERE TO BUY
From $650, with a median range of $3,000
One of a kind piece, up to $150,000
Available at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue
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