@Girlwithapearlring is jewelry central for opinions on all things bling—past and present. And always about the good stuff. Good stuff is ornament that is well-designed and well-constructed. Good stuff can be an Edwardian bow-shaped brooch of delicate mine diamonds and it can be abstract studio jewelry. It can be the architecturally bold shapes of the Art Deco period, and everything else in between.
As a seasoned graphic designer, my interest has always been about the visual and how it can express an idea. Success in the visual arts comes from following the classicctenets that apply to any decorative art such as color, texture, shape, space, balance, composition, and repetition. Form follows function whether it’s a building, furniture, print ad, or a piece of fine jewelry.
Both my mother and grandmother collected Victorian era and vintage pieces wherever and whenever they traveled. And my father had an eye for the decorative arts. This has surely rubbed off on me; the sustainability of purchasing a pre-loved piece is an added benefit. This blog is for expressing opinions, fun facts, history, style, and information about shows and auctions on all types of fine jewelry. My point of view is that of a designer, rather than a gemologist. I can’t tell you about diamond grading, but I can weigh in on design and what makes a piece work–and inherently fun.
My day job keeps me busy as a graphic designer with clients in almost every sector and every industry. I learned my craft as a fine arts student at American and Duke Universities. I later earned a masters in visual design from the School of Design, NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.