Gems of Wisdom: Do You Think I Can Pull Off This Jewelry Trend I Saw in Paris?

And just like that I am back at my desk. For a day. Tomorrow I head to Bentonville, Arkansas, to lead a talk about the new Tiffany exhibit opening at Crystal Bridges. You know when you look at your calendar and don’t really know how you will fit it all in so decide you are not going to think about it and just close your eyes and move through it? That’s where I am right now. It’s all exciting stuff and part of the fall season and I won’t complain (or I will but I know you might roll your eyes).

Stellene Volandes

I got back from Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks on Sunday (right after seeing Celine Dion thanks to my friends at Ralph Lauren—more on that below). The week in Paris began with a Tiffany presentation at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs showcasing a selection of the thousands of Jean Schlumberger sketches, letters, and photos discovered in the archive there that will now be restored and preserved through a partnership between the museum and Tiffany. (Until then, go see the excellent Schlumberger objects in exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, led by the brilliant Sylvain de Cordier, whose biography of Schlumberger is scheduled for next year).

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It set up some themes for the week: the value of the past and those who mine it well, and carefully, maybe even joyfully; the need for patrons of imagination; and the power of a singular aesthetic. Walking through the gallery with so many of Schlumberger’s designs, realized and unrealized, the importance of studying the archive became clear. How to take some of these brilliant elements and continue to evolve them? We can see it happening in Nathalie Verdeille’s work. An original sketch of a bird brooch dated from between 1910 and 1915 takes the layered diamond work and extends it into a necklace (our September cover star Chase Sui Wonders wore two layered at Tiffany/M.A.D. dinner and it looked great).

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How prescient of Walter Hoving to embrace a radical talent like Schlumberger’s at a time when jewelry tended toward the more conservative? (Hoving also signed Elsa Peretti.) It’s clear in the sketches that Schlumberger felt supported and free to explore all his ideas. A rare and important thing for a creative mind. As we looked at the sketches, Schlumberger’s generous use of yellow gold was more evident than usual. Just when everyone was looking to make metal and mountings disappear, he decided to make them even more prominent. The power of the pivot. It’s always inspiring.

With all this in mind, I watched the shows and saw the themes play out in so many ways. I had to leave right before Chanel to head to Bentonville (more on that soon) but that was Coco Chanel’s original black 2.55 bag from the Patrimony collection Matthieu Blazy sent down the runway of a collection that was rapturously received for its beauty and modernity. Heritage, respected, and worn proudly—but naturally. And now, for the jewels at hand.

The Best I Have Seen

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-Anytime anyone wears just one earring I think of this great portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh in the National Portrait Gallery. It popped up in my head several times during Paris Fashion Week where the singular—and often very, very long—earring dominated. They were at Dior, Balenciaga, Chloé, and Polo. You could call them shoulder dusters but they were often even longer than that. Sometimes worn in pairs but often as a single. Could I do a single earring? Not sure—but I love to wear really long earrings with a tailored blazer. It immediately takes away some of the all-business of it.

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Side note: Prada has opened an exhibition space in their Milan Galleria store. (Make an appointment.) It will make you want to get out any older Prada you have. It also reminded me of the great jewelry—including, yes, big and long Prada earrings. You’ll see them on me this fall. It’s why I keep everything.

-Anything that lets me reference Nancy Cunard and her bangles in excelsis is my favorite thing, so: the leather stacks of bangles at Hermès; the statement cuffs at Celine.

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-The colorful beads, worn unapologetically, at the excellent Dries Van Noten show. Do you ever get tempted to shop while you are seeing the new collections? Someone asked. Yes.

Laurel Pantin

-Speaking of beads, how happy am I to see the striped agate beads made by my wise and wonderful friend Ileana Makri become such a strong statement of jewelry taste? A secret sign of IYKYK between us fanatics? Laurel Pantin (above) and Jalil Johnson, who both have jewelry layering abilities I envy and covet, were spotted with theirs on in Paris. And I see from Instagram: Amanda Ross Bacon, another excellent layerer, has one too.

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-I think I’m going to get myself a Renato Cipullo S charm to wear on a cord or a gold chain. Love seeing Alison Loehnis in hers. And now they added rings.

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-Elle’s Alexis Wolfe wears a diamond safety pin earring I always ask about. It’s Anita Ko. I’m drawn to safety pin jewelry lately. Does it remind me of the evil eyes fastened to babies’ shirts by superstitious Greek mothers? Yes. Does it recall the Kazuko safety pin crystal charm I never got to buy at Barney’s? Yes. If they make the excellent safety pin brooches I saw at the Polo presentation in Paris, I will right that wrong.

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-I got to see Celine Dion in Paris thanks to Ryan and the Ralph Lauren team. Her energy, both spiritual and physical, is inspiring and instructive and we sang loudly with her at the concert and all the way home. There are more dates in May. We missed opening night and that amazing Boucheron necklace, but will get to see other wild creations from the house at their exhibit at Christie’s this week.

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-Loved those charm bracelet shoes at Loewe.

-Love that so many show invites now come with a jewelry souvenir. The Chanel necklaces, the Schiaparelli candy bracelet, the Givenchy pendant.

-I don’t bring much jewelry when I travel but my Ten Thousand Things citrine eye and my Lalaounis gold and turquoise earrings got lots of use this trip. Citrine is a neutral!

Portrait Cuts

Those moments where art meets jewelry.

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It’s become a bit of a tradition: an off-the-fashion-calendar cultural excursion with my friend, the gallerist Laura Kugel. This time around we met to pay homage to the cameos at Bibliothèque nationale de France on Richelieu. I’d never seen cameos so large and was struck by the beauty of the carvings and the mountings. Equally fascinating is why those in power are, historically, so captivated by them. See: Napoleon and Josephine. The classical motifs of cameos allow for a subliminal association with an ancient lineage—that is the general thought here. So everyone wants to pretend to be related to Julius Caesar? Do go see this secret treasure of a place. And do go see Laura at Galerie Kugel. And on Instagram.

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Perfect NYC Nights

I like to say this is why we live here because otherwise, even I have to admit, it can get hard. My plans this month.

Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

There is no better time to visit NYC than right now. Great new theater is opening (my tickets to A Few Good Men and Other Desert Cities are already secured) and exciting shows are everywhere. And I love watching everyone training for the marathon in the Park. I’ll go to Krasner/Pollock over the weekend (the Met is open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) and am excited for the October 11 opening of the big Lichtenstein show at the Whitney. Also a perfect excuse to have that iconic roast chicken at Barbuto after. William Li and I already have that plan sorted.

Sticks and Stones

How a jewelry person organizes the random thoughts in her head.

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-Lauren from Ralph told me I should start a section here called Stellene’s Routines. I do, in fact, have my rituals. A walk to the Pont Alexandre from the Plaza Athénée each morning in Paris. A double espresso macchiato from Cracco and then a walk to the Duomo and then back to the Bulgari Hotel in Milan. The day flight to London and then Chinese food and a martini from room service before bed. The team lunch on the last day of Milan at Villa D’Este, one of my favorite places on earth. Ok, I think I’ll start.

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-One routine everyone seems curious about and confused by is my insistence on carry-on only. If you have ever been with me at the baggage carousel you understand why I need to avoid that anxiety. I take an Away roller and the Away large zipper tote no matter how long the trip. I roll my clothes tightly and don’t bring anything I’ll only wear once. I bring three pairs of shoes and wear another (and a jacket) on the plane. I do laundry at the hotel.

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On this trip I rolled 6 blazers on one side of the luggage and brought five pairs of black cropped pants and five blouses on another side. Wore one blazer on the plane with another blouse and pants. And stuffed another in the Away tote. I bring travel-size beauty products and lots of testers. If I run out I buy at the pharmacy. You have to be okay with not having multiple choices each morning but I don’t dress that way at home either. I’m also a real tough love coach when I’m packing. Ruthless with myself and what I’ll actually wear. It works. I wore almost everything I brought with me, but actually had an extra Dries coat that I didn’t wear at all. I’m addicted to this routine now. Can’t do it any other way.

-Do you mean to tell me my second grade glasses and school uniform skirt are now considered chic? Ok maybe not but I’m on board with this trend. And the Prada show certainly has me wanting a skirt.

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-The T&C cultural field trip is a tradition during long work travel. We caught the Cézanne show at the Grand Palais (up through January). You should too, but beware that it’s super crowded. Get priority tickets and go early and then maybe decompress with wine at lunch at Le Grand Café after. (We didn’t get to the Monet or Kerry James Marshall but you should. And if you missed the Zurbarán show in London it’s open at the Louvre!)

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-When was the last time you watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette? The exhibit about the making of it now open at the Petit Trianon will make you want to watch it again. The level of detail chronicled in the show is inspiring. Also made me even more excited to see the upcoming documentary of footage shot by Eleanor Coppola during filming, and edited by my Poly classmate Aaron Matthews.

-What are we getting from this A La Vieille Russie sale at Sotheby’s?

P.S. If you want to chat about any of the above, email me at stellenesgemsofwisdom@hearst.com.

X Stellene

Editor-in-Chief Stellene Volandes is a jewelry expert, and the author of Jeweler: Masters and Mavericks of Modern Design (Rizzoli).

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