Come on Spring: Fun, Fabulous Necklaces Under $500

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but Spring seems to be taking its sweet time getting to us.  I thought it was time for a little pick-me-up without breaking the bank.  If you’re in the mood for something luminous, check out these necklaces that are meant to make a statement and lift your mood:

Under $100:

Pretty-in-pink Ruby cluster necklace from Catherine Weitzman:

Catherine Weitzman Ruby Seed Pod Necklace, $80 Retail

 

Natural wood and bone neck by R.J. Graziano would be a very affordable update:

R.J. Graziano Long Wood and Bone Necklace, $42.99 Retail

 

A lovely lavender glass necklace from Marc by Marc Jacobs:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Lavender Glass Necklace, $99 Retail

 

Kenneth Jay Lane long gold necklace, love the shimmery coins, should be just long enough to double up:

 

 

Kenneth Jay Lane Hammered Coin Necklace, $75 Retail

 

Rachel Leigh short golden nugget necklace has nice texture:

 

 

Rachel Leigh Golden Nugget Necklace, $58 Retail

I’m not normally a huge fan of Juicy Couture, but this necklace hits just the right notes with multi-chain layered look and a touch of turquoise:

Juicy Couture Layered Necklace, $98 Retail

From $100 to $250:

Very pretty Rachel Reinhardt “Cleo” Fringe bib necklace, sea green and seed pearl:

 

Rachel Reinhardt "Cleo" Fringe Bib Necklace, $131 Retail

Frothy Freshwater Pearl “Twist” necklace by Iridesse, love the colors (click through for larger image):

Multicolor Freshwater Pearl "Twist" by Iridesse, $225 Retail

Alexis Bittar “Klimt” necklace, just the right mix of texture , graceful, and still makes a statement:

 

Alexis Bittar "Klimt" Necklace, $195 Retail

 

Craving coral?  Here’s a well-priced necklace with just a touch of it (Btw, I love the stuff on this site, but Vivre doesn’t have enough details for the jewelry—length, materials, etc.):

Coral and Vermeil Necklace, $147.50 Retail

 

From $300 to $500:

I really like this artist’s aesthetic on Etsy.  This is her “Greta” necklace, with a lovely mix of Carnelian, shell, wood, pearls, citrine, and fossil coral crocheted onto gold wire:

Jraejewels "Greta" Necklace on Etsy, $352 Retail

 

Here is another one of jraejewels’ designs, a collar of woven semi-precious jewels: multi-hued freshwater pearls, seaglass, crystals and wood (OK, it’s over $500 but I like it so much I have to squeak it in, plus it’s REAL jewelry so you can justify it!):

jraejewels "Kate" Collar Necklace, $650

Here is a fine silver necklace with pearls and crystals, also found on Etsy.  Very pretty floral design:

"White Ophelia" Fine Silver Necklace, $375 retail

 

Jamie Joseph Labradorite pendant has gorgeous hues of blue/green/brown with an oxidized silver chain, you’ll have to click through to see the image: Jamie Joseph at Ylang Ylang.

Also, this Jamie Joseph pendant in ultra-simple White Onyx, also at Ylang Ylang.

Very nice Nancy Cohen necklace, I like the way the gems are drilled and mounted irregularly through the chain:

Nancy Cohen Peruvian Chalcite Briolette Necklace, $330 Retail

 

And finally, here is the reason that I wanted to do this post, after seeing this designer’s Spring Collection.  This is a silver, gunmetal and steel chain necklace with a bullet-faceted lemon quartz:

Gemma Redux Erin Necklace with Lemon Quartz, $398 Retail

And a very cool Mauve Quartz necklace that manages to be feminine and industrial at the same time:

Gemma Redux Mauve Quartz Necklace, $354 Retail

 

 What is your favorite necklace design this season?  Comment and let me know!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men’s Gift Ideas: More Cool Cufflinks

My recent search for cool cuff links (see post here) revealed some interesting designers.  I was pretty focused on finding something fun and affordable, but there are some other fantastic designs out there.  Cuff links are a great gift idea for guys, especially since they probably aren’t splurging on their own. 

If you are into the idea of black diamonds, here is an amazing pair from Robin Rotenier in white gold (also available in 18k yellow gold with Champagne diamonds):

Robin Rotenier White Gold and Black Diamond Cufflinks, $5900 Retail

Here is an equally gorgeous black diamond pair from David Yurman.  One caveat about these–I appreciate workmanship as much or more than the next person, but I have some issues for charging THAT much for STERLING SILVER and black diamonds.  There is a lot of work pave setting those tiny diamonds, and I’m sure the work is near-perfect, but still!:

David Yurman Black Diamond and Sterling Silver Cufflinks, $2150 Retail

If he is a little rock and roll, you could go for these, also from Rotenier (there are TONS of other designs, all fantastic):

Robin Rotenier Skull Cufflinks, Sterling Silver, $295 Retail

I also like these for something totally different, if he’s a watch collector, even better:

Antique Watch Movement Cufflinks in Sterling Frames by Cuffart.com, $155 Retail

Happy Shopping!