Holiday gift guide: VND jewelry

When I met Valerie Nahmani Gitelson of Valerie Nahmani Designs (VND) a few weeks ago for coffee, a couple of people had already stopped at her table to ask her where she got her rings. And her bracelets. The answer was easy. She made them herself.

The gorgeous druzy pieces definitely merit a double take. I found them both unique and affordable and wanted just about everything she had. (I only like to blog about things I actually genuinely like and the jewelry from VND definitely makes the cut.) While I love all things druzy, what I loved about these pieces were the unique takes: the "dagger" necklace (above and below) ($220 at Bloomingdale's Chevy Chase).

I also loved the rings.


Most pieces are 24k gold-plated or filled and crafted from semi-precious stones like labradorite (one of my favorite stones) and jade. She also incorporates polished lapis, onyx and turquoise in her pieces. Because the pieces are all different and one-of-a-kind ), Valerie suggests if you see one you like, get it. Because once it's gone, it's gone. Find them locally at B Scene at Cabin John mall and every weekend through Christmas at Bloomingdale's Chevy Chase. She also donates a portion of the proceeds to The Children's Inn at NIH and Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. You're welcome.

 

Valerie displaying her jewelry at the Bethesda Quartermaine where we met for coffee.

Celebrate our Warriors on Veterans Day

Tonight from 6-8 Bethesda's Ginger boutique will host a trunk show of jewelry by Suzanne Somersall in honor of Veteran's Day. All sales benefit the Wounded Warrior Project (both Allis' husband and store owner Gretchen Hitchner's husband are active military). If you're not familiar with Allis' jewelry, you should be. Her depictions of delicate sparkling flowers and elegant coral are just part of one of her fabulous lines of fine jewelry. Plus, a $15 raffle ticket lets you donate directly to Wounded Warriors while entering you in a contest to win a piece of jewelry worth $1,000. Enjoy cupcakes, bubbly and of course, Ginger's new winter lines.

Fabulous Faso

Keep an eye out for new jewelry company FASO, which I discovered the other night at the Chevy Chase Hela Spa's Tashia Senn fashion show. I had the pleasure of meeting Maryam Sardari and Banefsheh Fatoorechie, whose unique jewelry was an elegant addition to the runway. FASO combines natural stones like turquoise with delicate pearls and other semi-precious stones to create unique, sophisticated pieces - that can not only be seen from the front, but also draped down the back for an elegant look from behind. When I met Maryam, I immediately noticed her necklace and complimented her on it. I was happily surprised to learn she and Banefsheh had designed it. What I love about some of the necklaces is the unique mix of delicate shimmer with the boldness of natural stones. So far Faso is available at Caramel in DC and at Bloomers in Alexandria and can be seen at shopfaso.com . The partners hope to launch their fabulous jewelry in many more boutiques soon. I can't wait for their MoCo debut!

Tom Binns, Tim Burton, Red Queen--Oh My!

As if the March 2010 premiere of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" weren't enough to generate some visual excitement, innovative jewelry designer Tom Binns has created two Alice-inspired jewelry lines to debut in the spring. The Signature line is comprised of six pieces based on the five main characters--notably the fashion-forward Red Queen--and will retail for $1,000 - $3,000 in fine boutiques and jewelry stores. The Couture line features 35 pieces incorporating photo inlay and Swarovski crystals and will go for $50 - $250. I. Can't. Wait. Binns says in the NYT Magazine that "With 'Alice,' I could be my mad self, but in the context of Tim Burton's 'Alice,' my madness actually seemed rather tame." To get the full effect, watch the movie trailer here. We're predicting 2010 as the year of Burton-inspired fashion fantasy. By then, we may be all too happy to slip down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Note: A retrospective of Burton's work is on display at MOMA till April 26.

Unitee Rocks It at Madison Square Garden

Congrats to Tami Kole Mensh of Unitee for getting herself and her fabulous new line of yoga/music fusion apparel and jewelry backstage at the official Gift Lounge of the 25th Anniversary of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden Oct. 29 & 30 to rock it with The Boss, Bono, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. How amazing is that??!! Tami is a Gaithersburg entrepreneur who has been selling her supersoft yoga wear online and at local shows and fairs. Most recently you might have seen her at Temple Beth Ami and The Potomac Community Center. Now she's jumping straight to the heart of NYC to rock and roll and show off her new line, featuring the retro 45 RPM LP adapter. We're just hoping she'll come back with lots of pictures to share with us and more than a few autographed items for herself!


"Peace, Love, Rock 'n Roll!"