No shades of ‘The Good Wife’ here. Oh she was a good wife alright - but not to the point of absurdity. No knock on Elin, but REALLY? Jenny is an heiress to the Skil (as in Skil saw) family fortune, and in a pinch she can pull down six or seven figures herself based on her own skills. Maybe that is the difference? The confidence to take care of herself and her family mixed with a sprinkle of emotional self-preservation?
In any case, hats off to Jenny. I admire your courage and grace. You are both classy and wonderfully fabulous. You are the Delamina woman of the week.

Linked In?

So many ways to connect - this spring, stay linked to fashion with fashion addict Chrissy Bryant.

“Chunky chains and necklaces created with large open links were hot in 2009 and the look will continue to be popular in 2010. Pick up the February issue of InStyle magazine and you’ll see the beautiful Heidi Klum wearing an oversized linked necklace on the cover.” Read more…

Amethyst Appeal

Quick, before February disappears for another year, let’s talk about amethysts!

I’ve loved amethysts and in particular amethyst rings, ever since I was a little girl and my grandmother brought me back an enormous multi-carat deep purple rock from her exoctic far eastern travels. Read more…

Mothers and Daughters

This Olympic week we feature a very athletic mother/daughter pair.

Paulina Gretzky is now 21 and looks very much like her mother, Janet Jones Gretzsky, yet different with a touch of her father. Read more…

Reminders

You can now follow Delamina on twitter, or become a fan on facebook.

Warmest regards,
The Delamina Team

Delamina is a jewelry community for designers and women who live on their own terms.

She’s athletic, like her mother and her oh so fabulous father. She’s an entertainer, like her mother, and yet she holds her own. She’s a model/singer/actress to her mother’s actress/dancer/aerobics instructor. Rumor has it, she’s pretty good on the golf course. She following in some pretty big footsteps and she’s not missing a beat.

Janet Jones was 4 months pregnant with Paulina when she married Wayne - in the infamous ‘royal wedding’, so Paulina is used to being in the spotlight. Edmontonians were furious with Janet for stealing ‘the great one’ away down to LA, and Paulina was born on American soil in 1988. Her little sister Emma was born nine years later, following three brothers.

Janet and Paulina made an appearance together in a 2006 movie, Alpha Dog. It will be awhile before we know if either of them really owns that title.

I’ve always had a passion for purple, including a brief episode of being a pinstriped-professional with purple hair in the eighties, and purple jewelry is just about perfect. Check out this gorgeous, hunky sterling silver and 18k yellow gold bracelet. Who couldn’t love the giant amethyst focal point? William Scraft has outdone himself with this statement piece.

I’m a ring girl - just can’t get enough. And I love my amethysts deep purple. I’m absolutely crazy about this amethyst beauty. Fabulously rich, grape soda purple, surrounded by noticeable diamonds, and all set in 18 karat white gold. This ring is feminine and delicate, but has high impact. Dov Padeh has made it divine in so many ways. The style is classic yet whimsical - and will stand out in its own subtle way.

There is something to be said for substantial jewelry and Ginger Peachy Designs has created this wonderful necklace with a big powerful amethyst pendant in a way that remains feminine and delicate. This pendant is both strong and soft, equally powerful and vulnerable, packed full of complex appeal. This piece can be worn to work with a blouse and skirt, or running errands on the weekend over a t-shirt and jeans, or with your little black dress on a Thursday night. So many personalities. All with the added benefit of being purple!

Chain linked jewelry is believed to have its roots in the medieval era, when it was seen on most armour. Whole upper body outfits, made of mesh, chain and links, were used as a bulletproof vest or jacket during those times. Whether the links are textured or polished, single layers or stacked, choker length or longer – you can’t go wrong with a few linked pieces in your treasure chest.

Linked jewelry has been spotted on red carpet celebrities and in retail stores everywhere. But you can find the perfect piece for your collection right here on the Delamina site. Designer Ian Saude knows a thing or two about making link jewelry glamorous for every Delamina woman. First, he brings us a shimmering sterling silver linked bracelet that would make the perfect statement with your three quarter sleeved blouses, your LBD’s or your extra comfortable Bon Jovi t-shirt.

To pair with your bracelet, Ian Saude has also designed a sterling silver link necklace, 16.5 inches in length. This gorgeous necklace has graduated-sized links that flow around the collarbone until they reach an invisible clasp. This necklace would look perfect with an off the shoulder cashmere sweater or with your lilac-colored satin strapless evening gown.

And, to make everyday a special occasion, you can pop champagne to celebrate this glamorous link necklace. Saude designed this sterling silver link necklace with an 18kt yellow gold toggle clasp, pave set with round brilliant cut champagne diamonds, 1.30 carats total weight. You can wear this 16.5 inch necklace with your favorite v-neck style sweater, a pair of skinny jeans and leather over the knee boots and you’ll still be the most extravagant woman in the room. Or you can pair it with a golden cocktail dress, shimmering in chiffon or brocade, and be the ultimate, modern and sophisticated fairy princess.

Edwidge Danticat is an amazing woman. Her parents migrated to New York when she was very young and she remained in Haiti with relatives until she was 12, when she joined her parents in Brooklyn, NY. She had a difficult time fitting in, adjusting to a new land and language, and she took comfort in her writing. She went on to earn a degree from Barnard and an MFA from Brown. Since then, one of her books was an Oprah’s Book Club selection, and she won a MacArthur genius award.

Beautiful writer and very caring woman, Edwidge is our Delamina woman of the week.

Lucky Beetle

Remember the sixties? Peace, love and scarab beetle pendants. Maybe not, but if you missed out then, you have a second chance now. And if you do remember, this wonderful sterling silver scarab beetle pendant is a lovely bit of nostalgia. Read more…

There Is Only One Chanel

Fashion addict Chrissy Bryant is inspired by a legend of the past.

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” That is one statement to live by, especially when coming from the legendary Coco Chanel. Read more…

Mothers and Daughters

This week, Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri are featured in our Mothers and Daughters series.

“I happen to love Susan Sarandon but I know she has a polarizing effect. You can sort rooms of people as either ‘pro’ or ‘con’. And it would probably track pretty much along with red and blue.” Read more…

Reminders

You can now follow Delamina on twitter, or become a fan on facebook.

Warmest regards,
The Delamina Team

Delamina is a jewelry community for designers and women who live on their own terms.

You can’t be too lucky. Especially these days. Symbolizing the daily rebirth of the sun, the Egyptian scarab beetle is reputed to bring luck to the owner, and this fresh design from Betsy Barron will definitely bring attention your way. Made of sterling silver and resting on a silver chain with a white gold clasp, this beetle could be your personal talisman.

I personally own several items of Betsy Barron Jewellery. And I love her style. Organic and real, great for everyday, yet not out of place anywhere.

It is undeniable that Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel’s success transformed the fashion world with signature styles of understated elegance. She is quoted as saying “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” However, some aren’t aware that she wasn’t born into a privileged life. She made her fortune through hard work and determination.

She was born on August 19, 1883 in a poorhouse in the Loire Valley, France. Her family name was actually Chasnel, but at her birth, it was misspelled as Chanel in official birth records – and the name stuck. When her mother died of tuberculosis, Chanel was 12 years old with five other siblings. Her father left the children behind in order to work. Because of this, Chanel spent seven years in an orphanage of the Roman Catholic monastery of Aubazine, where she was trained to be a seamstress. Vacations from school were spent with her female relatives who taught her to sew with more eccentric details than the nuns at the monastery had demonstrated.

When Chanel turned 18, she left the orphanage and found a job with a local tailor. Later in life, she would relay an elaborate lie about her upbringing, even changing the year of her birth to 1893, not wanting others to know her true age or her history of poverty. Yet, undoubtedly, her humble background is what made her the iconic fashion designer she became.

Of course, with fashion comes love, and with love comes fashion. Although never married, Chanel was known for having many tumultuous romantic affairs throughout her lifetime. While working at the tailor shop, she met her first love, French millionaire Etienne Balsan, and shortly after their meeting, she was living with him and enjoying the many advantages of wealth. In 1913, she opened her first shop, selling raincoats and jackets, but it soon went out of business.

She left Balsan, and later met up with his estranged former best friend, Arthur “Boy” Capel, whom she fell in love with. With Capel’s help, she was able to open her second shop … and her place in fashion history began.

Her love affair with Capel ended, and she went on to have affairs with many other influential men. But Chanel’s strong attitude could never be matched. When asked why she did not marry the Duke of Westminster, she said, “There have been several Duchesses of Westminster. There is only one Chanel.”

And it is true. “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Chanel was just that. She went on to design jackets, suits, cardigans, dresses and even purses and perfumes that have remained a legendary staple in the lives of beautiful, fashion-conscious women throughout the world. Chanel set standards other designers can only hope to achieve, she was never afraid to take risks, and throughout her career, she never lost sight of her vision.

She introduced the world to designs that replaced the confinement of corsets, underclothes and padding, and in return gave women a reason to feel confident in a well-designed, casually sophisticated cardigan or intricately crafted LBD. As Christian Dior once said, “With a black pullover and ten rows of pearls, she revolutionized fashion.”

So, when you reach for the garments that will shape your next amazing outfit, remember the words of Coco Chanel, “A woman is closest to being naked when she is well dressed.” Here’s to Coco Chanel and her contribution to the confidence and beauty of women.

Susan’s daughter Eva has probably been both pro and con her mother at various points in her life. During her teen years, she admitted to finding her mother embarrassing - a wonderfully normal reaction by a teen to her mother. Kind of refreshing in such an unusual family. Eva Amurri is now 24 and has recently criticized her mother’s fashion sense. Again, refreshingly normal.

Susan and her long time partner, Tim Robbins, recently split. They had been together 25 years and were often pointed to as a success in terms of Hollywood couples. Tim is not Eva’s birth father but she has lived with the couple most of her life. Susan, 12 years older than Tim, never married him because she didn’t want to take him for granted. She and Tim had two sons, Eva’s half brothers.

Highly intelligent and a Brown University graduate, Eva is following in her mother’s footsteps and has chosen acting as her career. She’s even appeared in two films with her mother. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I’d say Susan has been a darn good role model.

Regardless of how you feel about Madonna, you have to admire her. She is obviously highly disciplined and has kept a sense of mystery and privacy, despite all the publicity that surrounds her. Controversial? Oh yeah. Quirky? Certainly. Provocative? Most definitely.

Dynamic, iconic, fascinating – she is a true entertainer. Madonna is the perfect Delamina woman of the week to kick off 2010.

Garnet Goodness

Having a January birthday myself, I’ve long loved the deep tones and wonderful richness of the garnet.

January babies can start the New Year off right, with their own sparkling garnet gemstone. Along with a new year bringing the hopes of a new beginning, garnets bring their own fairy tales and special powers. Read more…

Clearly, garnets have more to offer than just beauty. And Delamina has the perfect ring, earrings and pendant that can be the first additions to your jewelry box for 2010. Read more…

Great Boots and Bad Boys

Our fashion expert, Chrissy Bryant has outdone herself this week. Whether is boots or boys that ‘are gonna walk all over you’, she can relate.

“I have a weakness for two things: bad boys and great boots. It seems I can never get enough. But it was only recently that I realized the frightening similarities between the two. It’s actually hard to describe a bad boy and not think of a great boot. And vice versa.” Read more…

Mothers and Daughters

For such public figures, it is surprisingly hard to find real information on the relationship between Madonna and her daughter Lourdes Leon.

Madonna was a straight A student and talented, disciplined dancer. She is known to be very controlling and difficult to deal with. She is likely to fire anyone who talks back or disagrees with her. But then there is Lourdes. Read more…

Reminders

You can now follow Delamina on twitter, or become a fan on facebook.

Warmest regards,
The Delamina Team

Delamina is a jewelry community for designers and women who live on their own terms.

But then there is Lourdes. Stunningly beautiful, suddenly taller than her mother, and a strong-willed tween. Who talks back - and can’t be fired. She is said to be the only person that is rude to Madonna and gets away with it. Typical teen with a not so typical mom.

Madonna’s whole adult life has been devoted to creating a public image that is constantly fresh and updated. She is now in her fifties - still attractive - but inevitably aging. Eventually, Madonna will have to reinvent herself as a much older woman. And Lourdes will be in her prime at center stage.

Madonna has allowed Lourdes to take the stage throughout her young life. Lourdes has appeared in Madonna’s videos and been with her on the red carpet at various Hollywood events. It will be interesting to watch Lourdes grow and blossom - to see how much ‘Madonna’ she has in her.