for the love of scarves.

A colorful silk scarf is my go-to accessory, oftentimes the final piece I throw on to complete an outfit. An instant mood booster, a quick pop of color, a conversation starter... I love a good scarf.

That being said, I am very excited about Alexander McQueen's collaboration with Damien Hirst.

The fashion house has teamed up with the artist to create a collection of 30 limited edition scarves incorporating the iconic McQueen skull and elements inspired by Hirst's Entomology series.

While I am not always the biggest fan of Hirst's work (depends on the piece), I do love his Entomology series. The exactingly symmetrical overall patterns Hirst constructs using butterflies, beetles, and other entomological specimens are stunning. For me, they recall ancient mural works and weavings.

"Tityus" by Damien Hirst, 2012

Hirst's trippy, kaliedoscopic patterns translate beautifully into scarf designs.

And the film shot for the collection by Sølve Sundsbø {below} is just as beautiful and inspiring.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK_-Ycn69sg&w=560&h=315]

{scarf images courtesy of www.damienhirst.com}

 

how earrings are born.

For the past four years, I have had the pleasure of working for a private fine jeweler in Manhattan. During this time, I have received an education in jewelry design, diamond grading, color stone identification, metal smithing, luxury marketing, and so much more. I continue to learn (and get excited about) something new every day.

Working for such a successful and amazingly supportive company has allowed me the opportunity to discover my love for fine jewelry design. An art unto itself.

The design process is always exciting. Watching your mind's creation slowly to come to life piece by piece is a thrilling experience. The end product after so much thought and work is incredibly rewarding. Fantasy made reality.

Two years ago I found the most beautiful pair of watermelon tourmaline slices at a buying show in New York. After many trial sketches, I recently finalized an earring design for the stones.

My jeweler translated my sketch into a wax model that would fit the stones exactly. Using CAD (computer-aided design) software, he created the design plan for the CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) machine to print out the necessary waxes. More simply put, the wax models were created by 3D printing - a technology that is dramatically changing the jewelry industry.

Molds were made from the wax pieces, which are used to cast the final gold parts. After casting the gold my jeweler assembled the rest by hand - soldering the earring top's loop closed, attaching posts, creating a wire bezel for the dangling diamonds, polishing the gold.

The result: a stunning pair of 18K yellow gold watermelon tourmaline slice earrings rimmed in gold and dripping with dangling diamonds. A fantasy come to life even more beautiful than I imagined.