Artfully Elegant — Handmade Jewelry & Handcrafted Gifts

The newest artist to join the Artfully Elegant collection is Dogeared Jewelry. Created by Marcia Maizel-Clarke in 1991 in California, each charm is handmade and placed on a variety of silk threads and chains. With their wish necklaces and bracelets, you put it on and make a wish. When it wears off, your wish should come true. The wish necklaces come on a variety of colored silk thread. The wish bracelets are on irish linen, a waxed cotton cord. You can wear them, as Dogeared suggests, or you could take them on and off is you wish. I ordered a huge range, so we have lots of great options. I love the Wish Big necklace, the I Am Lucky Horseshoe that’s pictured, and the Key to Success. All of their necklaces have great messages that go along with them, so they’re great as gifts or a pick-me-up for yourself. Look for the bracelets on the site soon! Their more “permanent” necklaces are the reminder necklaces. They’re the same charms as the wish series, just on solid sterling silver or gold-dipped chains. They’re a great for layering and mixing with other designers, like Laurel Denise. I think my favorite is Love Potion, but the north star in the Mom necklace is super cute too. Plus we have that one in silver and gold. The best thing about these is that the wish necklaces and bracelets are only $25 and most of the others are under $50. They’re a steal for handmade jewelry!

I know I was poetic about Anne Sportun’s pave diamond rings a lot on here, but that’s because they’re awesome. This new one, the Pave Diamond Medallion, is no exception. Ranjeet and I ordered it when we saw the always lovely Barb and Suzanne at the New York Gift Fair at the end of January. Now that it’s here in the shop I can’t stop trying it on! It’s great size for one – about 14mm in diameter or a little more than a half inch. I always say the great thing about pave rings is the sparkle. Lots of smaller diamonds combined produce a whole lot of sparkle that you just can’t get one from huge stone. While this is a great picture, the ring must be seen in person (and tried on) to be truly appreciated. We also have some a new pair of earrings and two necklaces from Anne. We went with a sapphire theme for this set, so they all work together nicely or on their own. The earrings, em1065, are really cute and super affordable for solid gold and sapphires. The n1165 is a great necklace – the graduated rondelles of sapphire really pop and make a statement on the delicate chain. We also got a wonderful double strand of sapphires. Look for that on the site shortly!

Ranjeet and I spent the day in New York City at the New York International Gift Fair on Monday. The NYIGF is basically a huge trade show full of a variety of artists. Lots of our artists attend, so it was great to catch up with them, plus we added a couple of new artists to our collection. Here’s a quick rundown of all that went on:

• We placed some quick reorders with Stephen Estelle, Veto, and Laurel Denise. We added a few necklaces and earrings to Stephen’s collection, which is new for us. I sold our last leather bracelet from Veto on Friday, so I added a bunch more. Laurel Denise basically sold out at Christmas TWICE, so a reorder was necessary. She’s making these really cute wrap bracelets/long necklaces, so we’re trying a bunch of them.
• We’ve also got some new watches coming from Projects and more railroad birds from Stiles in Clay. Projects has a lot of new styles, so check back for those.
• We spent a solid hour with Barb and Suzanne from Anne Sportun. They were wonderful as always and we really picked out some wonderful new jewelry. We’re adding 2 men’s bands. We’ve always focused on the women’s engagement and wedding rings, so we figure the men should get a chance to have an Anne Sportun. We’re also bringing in a few lovely sapphire necklaces and a pair of earrings. Plus, we’ve got 2 new engagement rings, one of which is a one of a kind. I am very excited for it all to arrive!
• We added 3 new artists as well! Amy Peters of Amy Peters’ Studio creates beautiful necklaces, rings, and bracelets with tiny inspirational quotes with her signature touches. These are super affordable and delicate. If you like Kathy Bransfield, you’ll love Amy Peters!
• We haven’t had a new artist of the non-jewelry variety in awhile, so we’re happy to add Debra Dresler of Stroke of Art. Debra make clocks from old cameras, ViewMasters, and rotary telephones. These are, in a word, awesome. Look for a dedicated post when they arrive in the gallery.
• Last, but not least, I am really excited to announce Dogeared as our newest designer. Created by Marcia Maizel-Clarke in California in 1991, Dogeared features delicate sterling silver and gold-dipped charms on chains or nylon thread. We grabbed a bunch of necklaces and bracelets from their “Wish” line. You put the necklace (on thread) on and make a wish. When it wears off, your wish should come true. Most of them retail for $50 or under (less for those on thread), so they are easy to grab for gifts for a friend or for yourself.

I’ll announce each new arrival here, so check back often!

We recently added some new engagement rings from Todd Reed to our collection and I have a new favorite Reed ring. The r405 in palladium pictured at right is an absolute gorgeous, stunning ring. It’s a .80 ct fancy white diamond, surrounded by raw cubes on the setting and the band and interspersed with 7 brilliant cut diamonds to add a little extra pizazz. The center stone, like many of the other stones Todd uses, is difficult to categorize in one color. It’s a clearish, white stone with a subtle hue of tan, pink, and orange, with darker inclusions of browns. I know I just named around 8 different colors, but see it in person and you’ll know what I mean. I could gush over this ring for days. It is truly beautiful. Of course, it pairs perfectly with the r400-hb in palladium. We also added 2 new rings in the solitaire r480 and r481 styles. The r480 is a fabulous, pinkish orange stone that pairs perfectly with the silvery palladium. The r481 in yellow gold has a great deep reddish brown stone. This version of the r481 has a thinner 2mm wide band, which makes it very delicate, yet still makes a statement like all other Todd Reed rings. We will be seeing everyone from Todd Reed at the upcoming Rosen Show in Philly, so I’m sure we’ll find lots of other rings to fall in love with from them!

It seems like the holidays just ended, but we’re already preparing for Valentine’s Day in a few weeks. We’ve got a ton of great ideas for you right here, plus a bunch more under $100. One popular choice is Me & Ro. I’ve been taking phone orders for weeks now and lots is already sold from our order arriving late next week. I can’t wait to have the Heart & Flame necklace back in stock, plus we’re trying out the Heart & Sword necklace this time around. I might have added an extra of that one to the order for myself. Look for updated stock from Me & Ro late next week. As always, we’ve got our old standbys that fly out the door every holiday. Kathy Bransfield remains our best seller. If you need a fun gift try You Are Loved or I Love You Braille. Need a gift for your mom or grandma? Try the ones specifically made just for them – My Mother and Grandma. Fair warning, we sold out of our stock of Grandma necklaces within a week at Christmas. Need a gift for a special guy? Check out our gift ideas for men. We’ve got lots of watches, plus some cool dog tags and rings.

During the holidays, we had an absolute run on Anne Sportun jewelry. From necklaces and earrings to diamond rings, we ended the season with a very pared down case from Anne. Rest assured, we are restocking as we speak. Our best sellers recently were the pave rings. We sold both the yellow and white gold versions of the Pave Disc ring, plus a yellow gold pebble band. Our customers are in love with Anne’s pave rings, so we are responding. We’re restocking the pebble band in yellow gold, plus we’re adding the Pave Oval ring in white gold, pictured. I love the shape on this ring. I think it adds a really elegant touch to it, plus it’s something a little different and we’re always looking to try something new. We will be meeting with all of our favorite people from Anne Sportun at the NY Gift Fair at the end of the month. We’re going to take a look at some of Anne’s bands for men, which will be new territory for us. I’m sure we’ll fall in love with lots of new beautiful jewelry at the show, so check back later and see what we’ve picked out!

Hello everyone! After a super busy holiday season, I am recommitting myself to posting on the blog. December was a hectic month for us here at Artfully Elegant. We had a ton of people in the new shop. Our new location on Main Street in Bethlehem is a prime spot to grab holiday shoppers, especially those that come to get a true “Christmas City” experience. It seemed like every day, jewelry and artwork was flying out the door, plus our online sales never stopped. It was a whirlwind of packing, wrapping, and talking to clients. I don’t think I sat down until Christmas Eve dinner!! We sold the little beauty at left by Todd Reed online a few days before Christmas. I can’t wait until it comes in – the r704 is a one of a kind piece of jewelry that our client is very excited to finally have on her hand! Post New Year’s has been filled with reorders from all of our top artists. We were wiped out, so Rori and I have spent the last 2 weeks stocking up. With Valentine’s Day a month away, we’ve got to make sure our cases are in top condition. Look for brand new work from Me&Ro, Todd Reed, Anne Sportun, Everyday Artifact, Vinosus, Hilary Hachey, Kathy Bransfield, Sue Rosengard, and Kathy Lo Rocks in the coming weeks! I’ll make sure to post announcements of new arrivals here first, so check back often!

Artfully Elegant is happy to announce Me&Ro as the newest addition to our beautiful jewelry collection. We’re carrying a huge amount of their corded and leather bracelets, like the Om bead pictured at left. Most retail under $110, so they’re great to start with one and then build your collection. I picked up the Courage Bead on red cord and I love it! I can’t wait to add more to my collection. We’ve also got some great simple necklaces like the Long Funnel Pendant or the Long Sanskrit Pendant. Check out the Long Sanskrit earrings too – they’re great as a pair with the pendant or on their own! We’ve got lots more to get up on the site from them, so check back often for updates!

One of my favorite parts of my job is when I’m able to meet clients in person when I’ve only ever dealt with them over the phone or via email. We work very closely with all of our clients, regardless of whether it’s the phone or email, but nothing compares to a true in-person meeting. On Monday, I was able to do just that. A wonderful family I’d dealt with (via phone initially) came in to see the new store and see Anne Sportun’s rings in person. They were in the market for a gemstone ring and ended up ordering the r395 (pictured) after seeing some similar examples in the store. We do our best to convey the beauty of all of our jewelry and artwork over the phone and internet, but nothing can hold a candle to seeing it all live and in person.

While it might have come down to the 11th hour, we opened for business at 451 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018 on Saturday morning. Our new place is beautiful – striking hardwood floors, handmade jewelry cases courtesy of Rori’s uncle and father, a new state of the art hanging system for all of our wall art, custom floor stands by artist Tim Marks, and more. All of our wonderful jewelry and artwork is spread out over 3500 sq. feet of space throughout the 2 floors of exhibition space. To say our new space is wonderful would be an understatement. The new Artfully Elegant flagship store has been a great deal of work for all of us, but it’s definitely worth it. We (Ranjeet, Rori, and Erin) are very grateful for all of the support we’ve received from our family, friends, and loyal customers. Without all of you, this wouldn’t be possible, so thank you. We look forward to what the future holds for Artfully Elegant!