Artfully Elegant — Handmade Jewelry & Handcrafted Gifts

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! We know there are many ways to let your partner know you love them. You can spell it out for them, sing it, and even shout it from the mountaintops! Why not say “I love you” a different way this year. Rebecca Coagan of COATT Jewelry has the solution with her Morse Code Collection. Through the use of the dots and dashes of Morse code, this collection is an elegant token of appreciation for anyone in your life. With sayings like “love me do,” “wild horses,” “sweetheart” and more, you’re sure to find the right combo. The vibrant, sleek silk cords and slender gold are a beautiful way to take anyone’s breath away. Show them how much you care with COATT’s understated pieces of poise and purpose. Whether it’s for a good friend, or your one and only, the Morse Code Collection is the perfect way to tell them just how much they mean to you.

Getting recognized in New York City’s fashion world is hard, but it seems like Julie Nolan was destined to make a name for herself with her jewelry. Maybe this kind of success was evident in her astrological charts, which she calls to mind in her Mazzaroth collection. After working as a make up artist 10 years ago, Julie took up an interest in ‘charming’ that led to an intensive jewelry course and her future career. She made a name for herself at art markets, producing jewelry on a grand scale from within her Manhattan studio apartment. Through her handwork, and perhaps a litttle bit of fate, she was able to move to Western Massachusetts, into a house and much larger studio. This is where she crafts the items you will find in our store this fall. We at Artfully Elegant are excited to carry Julie’s line of necklaces and charm and hinged bracelets, all featuring the constellations associated with the 12 zodiac signs.The simple and clean designs were patterned after a Swiss calendar from the 1900s. The largest holes represent the brightest stars in each constellation. Every piece is hand stamped with a three letter abbreviation of the corresponding constellation on the back as well. They are the perfect pieces to represent your place in the cosmos. And they certainly make it easier to avoid the ultimate pick up line cliche 😉

Yikes! Mother’s Day is Sunday May 12 – only a little over 2 weeks away! And if you are anything like us here at Artfully Elegant, you have yet to get your very hardworking and deserving mother the perfect gift! Good thing we have a number of excellent gifts available instore. The recycled sterling styles from Figs and Ginger are a perennial favorite with mothers – just pick the style with the number of baby birds that reflects your family! We also are carrying new wooden charms by this artist – perfect for someone searching for a personalized gift on a budget, since charms are only $6 each! Baroni charm necklaces are another great way to customize a gift for mom! Add which ever charms you like – initials, birthstones or shape charms will be sure to touch any mother’s heart. If it’s your lovely lady’s very first Mother’s Day, take a peek at the Dogeared New Mom necklace. The little safety pin is totally charming. 😉 Don’t forget about grandma this Mother’s Day! Kathy Bransfield has the perfect necklace to honor your family’s matriarch. Maybe you’d like to branch out and get Mom something a little different than jewelry this Mother’s Day.  If so, we recommend one of the beautiful Beth Ann Ballek glass flowers, or one of the many handcrafted Cedar Mountain art blocks we have in store. Either gift is guaranteed to make the ladies in your life smile. But most importantly, we at Artfully Elegant would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the influential mothers in our lives, whose care, guidance, and love has helped us grow into the people we are today.  We love you, Moms.

Art has always had the unique ability to present a social commentary in a powerful, and often beautiful way; the Caliber Collection, one of the newest lines here at Artfully Elegant, proves jewelry can do so as well. Created out of the metal of two hundred and fifty guns and bullet casings seized by the Newark Police Department, these bronze and steel bracelets are equal parts symbol of renewal and stunning arm candy. Originally inspired by Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s strong words about the insidious problem of gun violence, especially in his own city, founder and designer Jessica Mindich decided to utilize her sleek bangles as a unique fundraising opportunity.  Proceeds from the sales of the Caliber Collection go back to the Newark buyback program. In fact, Mindich has already donated back more than $20,000 from Caliber sales. Each bracelet is shaped in an oval, to represent the trigger cage of a gun, an area capable of so much violence,  and now a symbol of redemption.  Even the name, Caliber, was chosen for its double meaning: the caliber of a gun and how the caliber of a city is raised when illegal guns are taken off its streets. Each style is hammered by hand, not only showing the hard work it takes to fully create the design, but the hard work and determination it takes to clear the streets of gun violence. Available in small, medium, and large (as well as an open, one-size-fits-most cuff), we have the perfect Caliber Collection bracelet for you!

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Christine Marguerite Designs is a custom design retail jewelry studio, led by owner/designer Linda Kozloff-Turner.  With over 38 years of experience in jewelry design, Linda has created lines for the likes of Tommy Bahama and Canadian clothing designer Linda Lundstrom.  The name Christine Marguerite has deep emotional ties to Linda; in fact, it was the name on her birth certificate before she was given up for adoption by her mother, a Blackfoot Indian. Both spiritual and naturalistic, Linda holds the environment in high regard, and uses only non-mined precious metals, recycled to minimize the environmental impact of traditional mining practices, and all of her diamonds, like all the artists we carry at Artfully Elegant, are conflict-free. Linda often creates custom wedding and engagement bands specific to that couple’s love story; one line, known as “The Meaningful,” showcases rings created out of the same piece of metal for both bride and groom! We are fortunate to be carrying an exclusive line from Christine Marguerite Designs here at Artfully Elegant.  Linda used the twelve common birthstones to inspire a pair of earrings and a necklace for each month of the year.  My personal favorites are these stunning December earrings (pictured on left). The turquoise nuggets and hammered silver add an organic texture to the smooth Tahitian pearls.  The November earrings (pictured on right), with their large hammered gold fill component, swiss blue topaz briolettes, and Tahitian pearls are also show-stoppers. Check out Christine Marguerite Design’s page on our website, or stop by in store to see even more of her fantastic birthstone inspired work.

We are very excited to announce that we are now carrying the Citizen Watch line in our store and online. We have funky watches; we have artsy watches; now we have the classic Citizen Watch. Citizens are great because they are powered by light, meaning you’ll never have to worry about replacing the battery. Even better, they have a five year limited warranty, so most anything will be covered by Citizen. What I really love about Citizen is how wide ranging their styles are. They have traditional, classic styles, like a two-toned men’s bracelet or they improve upon that, like the Stiletto. It’s a traditional style, but done in a nontraditional, black finish. It’s perfect for the guy who wants to step out of the box, but not too far. If he loves the bells and whistles, I’d recommend the Blue Angels watch pictured above at left. With more functions than I can name, this watch is not only great looking, but functional. Of course, we didn’t forget about the women. Like the men, we carry everything from classic styles to trendier pieces. Right now, you can’t go wrong with a ceramic watch, like this one, accented with real white diamonds. Perhaps you’re not used to wearing a larger watch, so the D’Orsay pictured above right is a nice way to bridge that gap. Larger than Citizen’s other ladies styles, but not so big as a men’s style watch, the D’Orsay is a great round watch, again accented with white diamonds and blue hands. As a special thank you to our blog readers, please use coupon code Citizen15 now through February 14th and receive 15% off your purchase of a Citizen Watch. We can’t wait to see what you think of them!

Searching for the perfect holiday gift? Artfully Elegant can help! This Saturday and Sunday, we will be hosting a Heather Moore Jewelry Mini-Trunk Show during our standard business hours.  We’ve already gotten a peek at some of the pieces we have ready for sale – you won’t be disappointed with this selection of charms, harriet stones, and more.  We even have charms featuring some of Heather Moore’s new design techniques, including embossing and colored enamel. Don’t worry if none of the charms we have on display suite your fancy – this is also the LAST WEEKEND to order customized charms and receive them before Christmas, without a rush fee! We will be happy to help you design the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one.  Don’t worry if you are not local – we can easily work with you through email or over the phone this weekend as well! So be sure to stop by in-store or give us a call from 10am – 7pm this Saturday, December 1, or from 12pm – 5pm Sunday, December 2. And feel free to stop by the Heather Moore Page on our website for even more examples of what you can create when you “cherish who you are” with Heather Moore.

We got a big shipment of new items from Anne Sportun last week and it’s all absolutely beautiful. Arriving just in time for the holidays (I know it’s early for holiday talk, but when it comes to handmade items, it’s never too early!!), we have a lot of options for you! I am loving the new wrap bracelets they’ve come up with over at Anne Sportun. My favorite might be the pyrite, but the hematite that’s pictured is stunning as well. Best of all, these bracelets can be worn doubled up as a tighter, choker type necklace or simply leave it long. The little gold hex bead breaks up the pattern of the beads and the tied gold clasp is a wonderful touch. We were practically sold out of earrings from Anne, so we stocked up on those too. The chain earrings pictured are simple and delicate, but still make a statement. My personal favorites are definitely the green garnets. Rori is blonde, Ellen is a redhead, I’m a brunette and these look good on all 3 of us! Check out Anne’s entire collection here, and as always, if you’re searching for something and we don’t have it, let us know and we will track it down for you.

We are excited to introduce our newest artist, tru.che. Artist Stevie Koerner fashions your home state, or maybe your adopted state, into a stunning pendant. Stevie works with fine silver, which is 99.9% pure, compared to sterling silver, which is only 92.5% silver. Each state or country has a heart cutout, which you can specify where you’d like your heart to be. We stocked up with a bunch of Pennsylvanias and New Jerseys for our shop, but we couldn’t forget about our friends in Cali, Illinois, and Florida. We also grabbed a few countries like Italy and the good ol’ United States, plus the entire continent of Africa. Looking for something we don’t have or want to specify where the heart should go? Simply email us and we’ll coordinate your custom piece with the good folks at tru.che.

The AE team had a long, busy day in New York on Monday. As we do twice a year, we packed up the Family Truckster and made the 75 mile trek to the New York International Gift Fair in New York City. This year, we adopted a divide and conquer approach – Ranjeet and Ellen were on the hunt for new artists for our Home sections, while Rori and I were left to explore all of the amazing jewelry. While we love the NYIGF, the problem is that so many of our artists attend, so we spend part of the time catching up and checking out what’s new! It was great to see Barb and Suzanne at Anne Sportun, Noelle from ZPots, Lyndsey and Heather from Heather Moore Jewelry, Kate from Polli, Stephen Estelle, and so many more I’m probably forgetting! Point being, it can be hard to balance catching up with our friends and finding new artists to join our collection. Rest assured, this winter’s show did not disappoint. Here’s a quick rundown of all the new artists we added. Look for longer, individual blog posts as their work arrives in the shop in the coming weeks!

• Thomas Mann [pictured] – Thomas grew up in Allentown, PA – a mere ten minute drive from our store in Bethlehem. He’s been living and working in New Orleans since the late 70s, expanding his “Techno-Romantic” style into a fully realized collection. We should have some jewelry in as early as next Monday or Tuesday!
• Dolan Geiman – Dolan considers himself a mixed media artist – meaning he works with a variety of materials on varying mediums. Incorporating found objects, reclaimed wood, and other materials, Dolan’s work merges folk art with urban style.
• Molly M Designs – Ever since Tivi went back to their roots and stopped making jewelry, we have missed having some wooden jewelry in the shop. Molly fills that niche nicely! Her wooden pendants and earrings are laser cut with intricate designs. They are super light weight and perfect for every day.
• Beth Mueller – Rori and I immediately fell in love with Beth’s tiny ceramic vases, mugs, and plates. Each one is hand painted with an image and a little saying. My description leaves something to be desired, but I immediately fell in love with the image of a penguin and “hi.” written in Beth’s thin, reedy handwriting.
• Rebel – We can’t forget about the men, so we picked up a bunch of Rebel’s masculine leather bracelets in a variety of colors. To be honest, I even liked some of them for myself, so these can definitely be unisex for the woman looking to make a statement.
• Sheila Fajl – Hailing from Brazil, Sheila’s jewelry is big and bold. We picked up a ton of hoops and statement earrings and necklaces in silver, yellow gold, and rose gold. I owned a pair of Sheila’s earrings before we added her, so I am very excited for these to come in!
• One Swell Gal – We are expanding into something we’ve never done before – clothing! Natasha Keller screen prints scarves, cardigans, and T-shirts in her studio in Upstate New York. We fell in love with her bird and peacock motifs. Strangely enough, Natasha and I went to the same high school in rural New Jersey!