Collet Necklaces in Ralph Lauren's Spring 2015 Runway Show

I recently had a customer purchase one of my harlequin collet necklaces, and she wrote me a note to tell me that she was inspired to purchase because of the jewelry in the newest Ralph Lauren ad preceding Downton Abbey.  I'll admit that I hadn't seen the ad as I tend to watch my Downton Abbey online and not on PBS, but I definitely wanted to see what his jewelry was like.  I performed a little Google-fu and boy was I surprised by what I found.  Ralph Lauren has fully embraced the collet necklace!

Just look at these jewels from Ralph Lauren's Spring 2015 runway show: 

Layered Necklaces

Harlequin Necklaces

A million, billion jewels!

Nothing subtle about these, is there?  I’ve always loved the harlequin collets, mostly because I have such a tough time deciding which color I like best, and I think Ralph Lauren has styled these models beautifully.  I especially love the big, bright jewels with the more understated outfits, but honestly I just love all of these looks!

Create your own Ralph Lauren look with the multi-colored collet necklaces available in my shop!

A new style of collet necklace

(All of the collet necklaces pictured in this post are available in my Etsy Shop at Dames a la Mode)

Ever since I started making necklaces, I've struggled with the fact that with the basic prong settings, the necklaces have a tendency to flip around. This is because the weight of the rhinestones are all towards the front of the settings, and those little guys are surprisingly heavy.  These prong settings are made of thin, lightweight pressed brass which makes them affordable, but also means they don't have the weight to counteract the pull of the rhinestones.  When worn, these types of necklaces have a tendency to flip around, and show the backs of the necklaces.  When I talk about basic prong settings, I'm talking about these:

To counteract the flipping, I wire my necklaces together, but I've never been 100% thrilled with this fix, it was just the best thing that I could come up with.  I don't even offer these settings on my larger necklaces anymore, and only use the heavier cast brass settings, like these: 

Or the lace or crown settings, which cradle the rhinestones more closely and don't have the same tendency to flip around: 

But these fixes don't work for my smaller rhinestones, because I can't get the settings in the smaller sizes.  Well, happily I've found another option!  My new necklaces are made in settings where each individual cup is held together on a chain, with the connectors being at the TOP of the setting, which means they don't flip around!  Here are a few pictures of the new necklaces: 

I think they look really great!  Let's talk about some of the pros and cons, shall we?

PROS:

-No flipping!  I've already talked about this, but obviously the thing I am most excited about is that I can use both smaller and larger stones without having to worry about the settings flipping around and showing the backs of the stones!

-No wiring!  Without the worry about the stones flipping, there is also no need for me to wire them together, which makes for a cleaner necklace. 

-Strong and sturdy!  These are beautifully made settings which come from Israel, like my custom-made Josephine settings.  They are heavy cast brass and have been beautifully plated in gold or silver.  They feel so expensive, but they are:

-Affordable!  My Josephine settings are so expensive, and you need so many for one of the smaller-stoned necklaces, that it just isn't an affordable option. However, these settings are only a little more expensive than the basic prong settings, which means I can offer them at a more reasonable price. 

-Central drop links!  I can have these necklaces made with rings off the central setting, just like they did on original collet necklaces, which has really opened up opportunities for a new style of necklace- central drop elements!  I'm really excited about this, and I think they look great: 

CONS:

There is only one I can think of, and it's that these just aren't historically accurate.  Original necklaces weren't connected using these little bars, so this isn't the best option if you are looking for perfect historical accuracy.  Then again, using jump rings to connect the settings also isn't historically accurate, so there really isn't a perfect option for these stones yet (but if I can find a way, I will make it happen!).  You'll need to choose for yourself when it comes to the accuracy level you are going for.  Heck, maybe you just want a pretty necklace!

I'm not going to be doing away with necklaces set in the basic prong settings.  For one thing, I can offer open-backed settings which are best for some of my stones, and for another, I like having the option for one or the other.  I just really pleased to be expanding my selection of collet necklaces!

Check out all the collet necklaces in my shop at Dames a la Mode!

Crosses in Regency Jewelry

When I first started researching Georgian jewelry, I couldn't help but notice how frequently cross pendants were featured.  They show up on originals, but also are regular guests in fashion plates:

Early 19th Century Pink Topaz cross, sold at Sotheby's

Elizabeth Monroe's Topaz cross pendant (1817-1825), Smithsonian

Given how common they were, I really wanted to have them as an option for my reproduction Regency jewelry.  I'm a big fan of trying to reproduce the most common types of jewelry, and crosses certainly qualify!

I was frustrated in my searching.  I couldn't find anything that had the right "look" and I didn't want to settle.  I found a few settings, but they were either too small or too big or were for square rhinestones, and the major thing I noticed is that the stones in the originals were almost always ovals or round.

Circa 1770 Georgian Paste cross pendant, Via Ebay

Finally, after exhaustive searching and emailing and researching, I found a company in Germany that makes settings for modern Swarovski jewelry and they made some settings for me in my requested size.  I'm always nervous when ordering custom made stuff because it doesn't always work out (ask me about the hundreds of unusable settings I have lingering around in my craft room...), but these were everything I hoped they would be!  I spilled the beans about these on my Facebook page earlier this week because I just couldn't wait!

Reproduction Georgian Cross Pendants by Dames a la Mode

A reproduction paste glass cross pendant hooked on to one of my collet necklaces

Some of the colors of reproduction Regency cross pendants I offer

I'm really thrilled with these, and I think they really capture the look of the cross pendants from the period.  What do you think?

Jane and Cassandra Austen's Topaz crosses, at Chawton House

19th Century faceted paste pendant, via Ebay

Circa 1830s Topaz cross, via Ebay

Circa 1830s Aquamarine cross, via Ebay

Amethyst Paste cross, circa 1780, via DB Gems

I'm planning on offering this mostly as custom orders and add-ons to my reproduction collet necklaces, but I've listed a few stand-alone cross pendants in my Etsy shop if you'd like to take a look: https://www.etsy.com/shop/damesalamode

What Size Collet Necklace Do I Need?

There are a lot of different sizes of vintage rhinetones that I use to make my collet necklaces, everything from diminuitive little 8x10mm sparkles to giant 20mm statement stones.  It can be really tough to decide which size is right for you, and it isn't always easy to tell what size they will be from the photos in my Etsy shop.

I recently did a professional photoshoot with my friend Wilson Freidman, and one of my goals was to be able to see what the various sizes look like when being worn.  Keep in mind that I am full-figured, tall, and have a slightly-larger-than-average (17 inches) neck.  These will look different on a more delicate figure.  So here are a few examples:

12x10mm Oval Peridot Collet

10mm Round Pink Tourmaline Collet

Layered 12x10mm Pink Tourmalines, Diamonds, and Peridots

14mm Round Emerald Collet

14x10mm Octagon Ruby Collet

Layered 18x13mm Oval Peridot and Sapphire Collets

18x13mm Peridot Collet

20mm Round Peridots

   

And, for the ultimate luxury look, Anna Wintour Style Layered Collet Necklaces.  I'm wearing a 12x10mm octagon diamond, 18x13mm peridot, 18x13mm sapphire, and 20mm peridot.  LUXE!

 At the time I'm writing this, I have all of these collet necklaces in stock in my Etsy shop, but my stock changes all the time.  If you're looking for a particular size, just let me know!  I'll be happy to let you know what I have available in each of these sizes.

Get the look: Anna Wintour Necklaces

A few weeks ago, I did a photoshoot with a friend of mine so I could have some professional pictures of my collet necklaces to use in my Etsy shop.  I decided at the end to throw a few on at once, a la Anna Wintour, with the hopes that I could get one to use as my profile picture in my shop.  And man, I just LOVE this look!  (All photos by DriftingFocus Photography)

Anna Wintour Style Necklaces

Collet Necklaces worn layered, a la Anna Wintour

In the above photos, I am wearing 4 necklaces, 12x10 foiled Diamond, 18x13 foiled Sapphire, 18x13 unfoiled Peridot, and 20mm foiled Peridot.  At the time of writing, all are available in my shop:  Dames a la Mode.

I especially like the styles above, because it has two big greens, offset by a more subtle Diamonds and Sapphires. (Hahaha!  I can't believe I just described this as subtle!)

I did a few more with different necklaces:

Anna Wintour Collet Necklaces

These two necklaces were in the above photos as well, but worn without the larger Peridot and the Diamond.  I love pairing these types together because they are the same shape and size, but have different colors in the stones and the settings.  I think it makes a nice contrast while still having continuity.

Anna Wintour Style Necklaces

Anna Wintour Necklaces by Dames a la Mode

They styles above are all smaller necklaces, a 12x10 Pink Topaz, 12x10 Diamond, and 12x10 Peridot.  These are also currently available in my shop, along with dozens of other styles, sizes, and colors of Anna Wintour necklaces, which you can mix and match to your heart's content!  Which ones would you pair?