Brooch bouquet

Many brides to be come into my boutique looking for unique jewelry for their weddings. I have many who ask me for custom pieces so they have something special for their big day. Recently a bride came in asking for an especially unique custom piece, a brooch bouquet. I discovered that these bouquets are the new wedding craze. Brides everywhere are going crazy over the idea of a one of a kind piece of art custom made for them to carry on their wedding day.

These bouquets can be made from all sorts of brooches and various jewelry pieces. This particular bride to be had a collection of unique antique brooches handed down from her grandmother and aunts that she wanted fashioned into a bouquet for her wedding. Brides to be can bring their own collection to the boutique or choose from the merchandise in the boutique. I have even heard of brides that ask their friends and family to give brooches as a shower gift so they can all be represented in her bouquet.

Ribbon may be added to the bouquet to bring it all together and add tie it into the bridal theme. The finishing touches can also be customized to the bride however she wishes. The jewelry pieces added to the bouquet don't always have to be brooches, if there are other sentimental jewelry items they can be added in some way as well. For example, I decided to add the brides mothers necklace to the bottom of the bouquet  for added decor, then finished off the bow with two rhinestone heart earrings that were part of this bride to be's antique collection. 

The reason the brooch bouquet is so special for a wedding day is because it tells a story. These brooches are all specifically picked by the bride to be featured in her bouquet for a reason adding sentimental value to a bouquet. It really is a one of a kind piece because it can not be duplicated the same way ever again. The bouquets also last forever. They are a part of a wedding day that can be displayed and enjoyed by the bride and groom as a symbol of their day which was so special to them. 

Angela's Favorite Picks

I've already done a post on the chalcedony stones that I love so much. This post I'm focusing on the same stones, but a different style of jewelry featuring them. The chalcedony stone is great because it can be styled in many different ways and is always very beautiful. 

These pieces are from a Turkish designer and I found them at the New York show in May. The quality of this jewelry is amazing and they are extremely unique. The stone is set in sterling silver in an oval, pear or round shape depending on the piece. These are all hand crafted pieces of jewelry and fabulous looking. There are many different styles but they all go well together too.

The rings are very unique looking. There are two that feature several stones, which are really fun and can be casual. One is all chalcedony stones and the other is a mix of the calcedony and citrine stones. The ring with the large chalcedony focal stone is definitely one of my favorite pieces in this series. It is sterling silver with white topaz embellishments. The detailing on this ring is gorgeous.

 In the boutique I also have quite a few earrings from this designer in the same type of style. These range in size and style as well. There are pairs with the white topaz embellishments and some that are just plain. All of the earrings are sterling silver so they are okay for sensitive ears. There is even a pair that match my favorite ring!

These stones also make great pendant pieces for necklaces. I have a few of these in the boutique. These also vary in style and size.

These pieces are so rare and unique. I like jewelry that you can't find everywhere and these are exactly that. The stones look so striking the way they are used in these pieces that the pictures can't even do it justice, you have to come in and see them for yourself!

Angela's Favorite Picks

I find a lot of my favorite things at the New York accessory show. That's where I found these bracelets, which were hand made in Italy, and they are fabulous! They were exclusively sold at that show and are hard to find. I love them because they can be casual or extremely dressy and are easy to wear with everything. At the boutique we have both stretchy bracelets and chain bracelets for a little more elegant feel. 

The stretchy version is really great when you want to wear several bracelets together. It is meant to be stacked with many styles. The band is made of 18K triple dipped brass beads. The center focal bead is 18K yellow, white or rose gold with Swarovski crystals. 

The chain bracelet is a little fancier than the stretchy band, but still very understated and simple looking. It looks beautiful on and can also be stacked with other bracelets if you choose. The chain is sterling silver and the center bead is also 18K yellow, white or rose gold with the Swarovski crystal embellishments. 

I appreciate these bracelets so much because they are great quality at a reasonable price point. They are extremely elegant without being too gaudi. They make a great gift and make a nice complement to another bracelet or watch for everyday wear. 

Angela's Favorite Designs

All of my designs have a story behind them; something that inspired me to make that particular piece. Many of these stories involve my travels. This week I wanted to put the spotlight on one of my favorite designs I've created recently. These necklaces are a part of my every day wardrobe because I love them so much, and are one of my #1 most recommended pieces to trendy and fabulous women. 

These necklaces are made with 48 inch leather strands and rare large hole fresh water pearls. The pearls come in silver, white and peacock and the leather comes in every color, but I particularly like it in tan or black. These necklaces are worn like a scarf, they can be wrapped any way that you wish and can even be worn as a bracelet. You can wear them together; I usually wear two to three at a time. 

These necklaces were inspired by a trip I took to California a few months ago. I was fortunate enough to get to go to lunch at the famous Ivy Cafe (a hot spot in Beverly Hills for celebrities). I didn't have an celeb sightings while I was there but I did notice the woman sitting next to me and her fabulous necklace. I was with my daughter, who often gets embarrassed when I ask strangers about their jewelry, but I told her she'd have to deal with it this time because I had to know about that necklace. The woman was wearing a necklace made of leather and pearls, just like the ones in my boutique. Her pearls were true Tahitian pearls, very rare, expensive and beautiful pearl, and it retailed for about $1600 for 15 pearls. When I returned from my California trip I knew I had to make something similar for myself and my customers. I found some rare fresh water pearls that were very beautiful and suitable for these necklaces and began creating. Since I brought them to the boutique these have been some of my best selling necklaces because the leather look is so in right now. They retail from $78-$88 depending on the pearl used.

Celebrity Jewelry: Bethenny Frankel

We all know Bethenny Frankel from her reality TV shows on Bravo. She is on The Real Housewives of NYC, Bethenny Getting Married, Bethenny Ever After. Witty, fun, smart, and fashionable Bethenny is a lovable TV star who's style is always on point. 


Recently I had a customer ask me about a necklace she had seen Bethenny wearing in an interview. As soon as she showed me the picture I noticed that looks just like a necklace I had over the holidays! 

This original necklace that Bethenny is wearing, by Park Lane Jewelry, was seen on housewifestyle.com valued at over $400!! It is virtually the same as the one I had in the boutique, at a big price difference! I couldn't believe my eyes! I brought this necklace back to the boutique recently and it is almost identical, but at a fraction of the cost!

This is the version from Park Lane Jewelry.

This is the version I have in my boutique.

This version of the necklace is a blackened silver bib necklace with large crystal embellishments. It has the same cascading feel that Bethenny's necklace does and lays in a similar way.

I have always adored Bethenny Frankel and a few years ago I had the opportunity to meet her. She was at a book signing in Oak Brook, Illinois and I went to see her. I was able to briefly chat with her, and she was very nice and welcoming. 

I have always enjoyed watching her shows and I do even more now. I love her style; I think she is very trendy and fashionably elegant. I was thrilled to learn I had a necklace that emulated something she wore. All of the "real housewives" in the area should come to the boutique to get it!

Get your evil eye on!

Lately, the evil eye has been "all the rage" and I've got quite a few things in the boutique featuring it! When I was in New York I saw it EVERYWHERE! At all the different boutiques, shops and accessory shows. It was even mentioned in episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County! I knew I had to bring lots of things back to the store that have the evil eye, because it is definitely getting big! 

These beaded bracelets with the evil eye are really cute and fun. They are casual and every day wear. Lots of people wear these stacked together and we have many different styles here in the boutique, including peace signs, crescent moons and many other charms.

These evil eye rings are new to the store, in fact I just put them out this week! They come in gold and silver and are stretchy and adjustable to fit any finger. Again these are a lot of fun and a really cute unique piece of jewelry to own.

This is a braided evil eye bracelet. This is a very fun, more casual option to the evil eye trend. I see lots of people wearing many braided bracelets stacked together. Stacking bracelets seems to be a big trend this season too, and the braided bracelets are a great one to do it with.

These are some evil eye beads we carry in the boutique. We have a lot of unique evil eye beads so you can make your own interpretation of the evil eye trend, whether it be a necklace, bracelet or ring.

The evil eye isn't as evil as it sounds. It can be very pretty and delicate looking and go with lots of different things. The belief that the evil eye is worn to ward off evil spirits comes from way back and was believed by many different cultures. Historically it has been worn for many different reasons but the most common was to protect from evil and danger. Now it is worn as a great fashion statement and a fun piece of jewelry!

Flip Flop into summer

This week marked the first official week of summer (even though the weather did not reflect it) and to celebrate I've decided to post about our flip flops!

The flip flops come in black, brown and silver. Attached the front is a Swarovski crystal flower medallion. The flip flops come with various heel sizes and with both small and large medallions. 

This pair of size 6 flip flops in silver are especially cute. The rose medallion on the front is large and really adds some flair to the sandals. The silver color is really neutral and goes with everything. I like these because they are not too overdone with crystals and embellishments, but just the right amount of sparkle.

These brown flip flops have a disc medallion on the front for a little more of a sophisticated look. All of the flip flops come in these sheer bags which make great gift bags and are a great thing to keep the sandals in during off seasons to keep them nice. 


Get your flip flops today and get ready for summer! Maybe if we all start dressing like it is warm out the weather will follow! Fingers crossed :)

Angela's Favorite Picks

This week my favorite pick is the Chalcedony stone. This stone is a favorite of mine because I love the color, it is a beautiful shade of green that is so bright and happy and looks great on everyone. I got these stones on my New York trip at the accessory show. I was so excited to bring them to the boutique because they were one of the only summery things I found at that particular show. They are a very unique and interesting stone. Most of the things I bought at the accessory show were for the fall/winter seasons and I had to order them, but these stones and pieces were things I was able to take with me and sell in the boutique immediately. 

These are the stones by themselves. They can be bought individually and used to make any type of jewelry. They can also be purchased to add a a jewelry piece and make it a little more special, or for custom pieces. 

I found these bracelets from the same vendor. They have the chalcedony stone in a tear drop shape as the focal point of the bracelet, the white bracelet has a white onyx as the focal point. All of these are really great summer pieces and will go with any outfit. I especially love the one that is blue-green in color. This picture doesn't do the color of the stone justice, it is so bright in person!

I also brought these earrings back from the same New York vendor. These are different styles using the tear drop shaped stone. The smaller two use the chalcedony stone and the large one is a rose quartz. I think these earrings are very elegant and sharp. They are really a classic look that is always trendy. 


I love bringing unique items like this to the boutique! These stones and pieces are really beautiful and are all great summer pieces. Hurry in and get some!