BIJOUTERIE: Jewelry that goes from Rags to Riches

You gotta love the French language. It can make the most ordinary object sound exclusive and expensive. When the fashion industry borrowed the word “bijouterie” (from bijoux, French for “jewels”), a whole category of jewelry was transformed from cheap trinkets into collectors’ treasures.

In a nutshell, “bijouterie” is the new name for what we used to call “costume jewelry”.

That’s right. The low-cost, glittery or glossy “wear for fun”

Chinese jewelry

Great article written by my friend Lena Golodajeva

http://clubs.ya.ru/4611686018427464434/replies.xml?item_no=113

Many of our jewelers are interested to know what jewelry is worn by Chinese men and women. Not the mass-produced jewelry made for export by their numerous factories for residents of Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Not the Western pieces sold by Tiffany and Cardan to the wealthy Chinese in the boutiques of the Forbidden City. We were looking for the kind of jewelry that average Chinese people would admire and want to own.

Gold earrings designed by He Weihong.
Weight 247.54 g
My research on the Internet did not yield any results. The English-speaking Chinese network is filled with offers for the average European. And of course I do not understand Mandarin characters.

By Special Request,or Golden-leaf earrings

Not my style, and the technology for making them is still pretty new.... But I never say “no” to a client’s request if it’s doable. That’s how these earrings came into being – an elegant set reserved for formal occasions.

They are made of super-thin metal leaf with 18К gilding. In spite of their large surface (hanging down a full 17 cm), they float and spin with every movement of the air. Each earring weighs less than 6 grams.

Natalie Shulikina - batic  designer .
 Sometimes it’s worthwhile and interesting to rely on the artistic taste of a customer. Especially since in this case, the customer is an excellent
artist herself. 

A Customer Portrait

In all advice on marketing, it is recommended to make a virtual portrait of my potential buyer. Since most of my sales are transacted through the Internet, I am naturally not familiar with those who buy my jewelry.
Still, it’s really interesting for me to imagine who she is.... the woman who has bought (or will want to buy) our jewelry.
So here is my best guess:

1. She is at least 28 years old – an age when most women have acquired their own sense of style.
2. She prefers artistic inspiration from the East more than from the West.
3. She wants ornaments that emphasize her appearance, not hide it.
4. She would rather look elegant every day than sparkle a few times for special occasions.
5. It's more important to her to express her own individual style than to follow a fashion trend.
6. She appreciates the difference between mass-produced objects and works of art.
7. She will not compromise her own personal taste to please others

Fashion or Style?

I've never considered our jewelry to be very "fashionable", but I've always thought of it as "stylish". Although the difference between these two concepts is not so obvious, I somehow instinctively knew that there was a difference, and a profound one at that.

I finally found a good list that expresses what I was sensing:

Fashion is material. Style is soul.

Fashion is a costume. Style is a character.

Fashion originates on the outside. Style is born inside.

Fashion is duplicated and manufactured. Style is uniquely crafted.

Fashion equalizes people. Style distinguishes people.
Fashion is followed in submission. Style is expressed in freedom.
Fashion is for a short time. Style — for a lifetime.
Style does not exclude following a fashion, but from a psychological standpoint the motives are vastly different. Among other things, style is not limited by financial possibilities, as is our access to the latest fashions.
Style expresses much more precisely who we are. It hints at our personal boundaries, values, self-awareness and attitude toward life. "Style" is what we are looking for when we are trying to be "fashionable".

The difference between style and fashion

New York women are among the most fashionable
 women on the face of the earth. They are also among the least stylish. Confused? If so, you aren’t alone. You’re just among the many people who confuse stylish with fashionable.

To have a personal style is to have a statement you want to make with your clothing. You use your body as a palette and try to make your outfit into a work of art. Thought goes into a personal style. There are three “yous,” you as you see yourself, you as others see you, and you as you want others to see you. The aim of an impeccable personal style should be to bring these three yous as close together as possible. Questions to ask include: does this outfit match the personality I’m trying to convey? Do I have the attitude and mindset to pull it off? Is it showing the right amount of originality, yet is it not so out there as to become a freakshow? A good personal style takes into account the right amount of risk vs. safety for any occasion. A good personal style also takes into account what works for your body, especially your weight, skin tone, height and muscle tone.

http://www.artleah.com/

How did women go so wrong

The fashion gurus have got it all wrong, claims an expert in visual perception. Far from making you look thinner, wearing clothes with vertical stripes will accentuate your girth
Women of a certain age will be replacing their wardrobes and Geordie football fans will be crying into their Newcastle Brown Ale. Scientists have discovered that the fashion mantra that wearing vertical stripes makes you look thinner is not true. In fact, horizontal stripes are more flattering to those with a less than perfect physique.
The accepted wisdom from fashion gurus is that an outfit with vertical stripes appears to elongate your figure by drawing the eye up and down. Horizontal stripes supposedly do the opposite, making that unruly paunch look even larger than it actually is.
http://www.artleah.com/

Very Good Taste

"I've had very good taste since I was a child."


We were with a group of friends, and I looked more closely at the woman who said that. Let's call her Sara.
She's a successful scientific professional. In her spare time, Sara said, she creates matched sets out of ready-made findings.
It seemed they were all on display that day.
A bright blue blouse. On her neck, turquoise beads the same color as the blouse. A chain and a pendant filled with glittering-white marcasite stones – also on her neck. A bracelet with turquoise stones. And turquoise earrings, too. An enormous ring made of turquoise, and one more made of gold. Oh, and one more gold bracelet. And, last but not least, a garnet brooch on her jacket lapel.
They say there is no disputing about "taste". So I didn't argue... but I made a mental note for myself. Actually two notes:
1. "Every individual is an island" when it comes to the perception of what is fitting, harmonious or beautiful. Even if a person is absolutely convinced of "good taste", it takes more than that to convince me.
2. It's not always true that "seeing is believing"; sometimes it's "disbelieving". After all, if someone had simply told me that Sara "has good taste", I would have accepted it as an established fact.