Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Elegance in simplicity

“Simplex munditiis” - elegant simplicity - was the rule the Roman poet Horace laid down for the uttermost refinement of taste. About 1,500 years later, Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”, and about 5 more centuries later, Coco Chanel expressed her groundbreaking view on fashion by telling the world that “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.

Countless philosophers, academicians and fashion designers have shared this wisdom over the centuries, and the statement still stands true today, 2,000 years later, as it was in Horace’s day.

As I make a living in the jewelry design business, I will aim this blog at jewelry, but the same standards can be applied for clothing, home decorating, event planning, etc. In my world simple elegance is a creative design that makes a statement through color, an unexpected element, a modern twist on old details, or simply trough the beauty of a pearl or gemstone. A piece of jewelry can be intricate or colorful without losing its elegance, provided that the materials and/or colors don’t clash.

There is no pre-established recipe for elegance. The way I see it, the most important part is that the piece(s) match the personality of the wearer. Determine your elegance by picking pieces that flatter your aesthetic persona and suit your personality. The first impression we make is a visual one, and the way we adorn ourselves can convey the impression we wish to represent.

A bold necklace is a more playful jewelry item, perfect for a lively personality, while a delicate necklace will unveil a more quiet, romantic personality. Earrings on the other hand are sexier and flirty as they draw attention to the face and curve of the neck. Bracelets are classically sophisticated and effortlessly refined.

So elegance is simple… Or, simple is elegant… No matter how you spin it, you can have elegance in simplicity.

Be elegant, be simple, shine on!

To learn more about ADORA by Simona and our products visit http://www.adorabysimona.com or email simona@adorabysimona.com

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Adventures in Beverly Hills

Last month ADORA and I were in for a big treat. The Beverly Hills-kind of treat… It all started a few months prior when I got a phone call from Infinity Media, Inc. and was asked to participate as a product sponsor in this year’s Queen of the Universe Pageant event. Of course I said yes, and off I went to buying supplies, creating, photographing, gift-wrapping and finally shipping my sponsorship package exactly one day before my self-imposed deadline.

My part as a sponsor consisted of handcrafting original jewelry creations that were going to be offered as prizes for each of the 57 contestants. As a sign of appreciation, my husband and I had the pleasure to be invited by the organizers to attend the event as VIPs. Fun! Here I am in my "red carpet moment", just before going in to claim our seats.

A few words about the event: An international beauty pageant created by Joyce Giraud in 2012, now at its second edition, Queen of the Universe is an amazing show where beautiful women from all over the world compete for the royal crown in a glamorous event. This year’s event took place at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California on March 16, 2014.

The Queen of the Universe Pageant is a non-political, non-partisan platform for young women to achieve personal growth and development, to create dynamic communication skills, learn time management, and balance and establish a way of thinking that enables them to create the life they want to live. For more information about the pageant, please visit Queen of the Universe Pageant 2014.

For the event I created 54 pairs of unique earrings as a gift for the contestants. Each pair was meticulously handcrafted, and staying true to my “one-of-a-kind” motto, they feature a variety of gemstones, pearls and crystals in different shapes and colors, with no two pairs alike. For the winner of the Queen title and for the 1st and 2nd runner-ups I created three distinctive necklace and earring sets featuring mixed metals, Swarovski crystals and gemstones. A special gift was also created for the stunningly beautiful founder of this event, Joyce Giraud, actress, model, and a beauty pageant titleholder. She is a two-time Miss Puerto Rico, the 2nd runner up in the 1998 Miss Universe pageant, and had previously represented Puerto Rico at Miss World in 1994. She has recently joined the cast of the upcoming fourth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

A gallery of designs featuring all the jewelry pieces that were gifted for this event is published in an online catalog that can be viewed by accessing the link below (if there are blank spaces please allow a minute for the pictures to download and without refreshing the page continue browsing by clicking the side arrows): View Gallery of Designs here. I also created a short promotional video for the event: Watch promotional video here

The star-studded panel of judges had the very difficult task of selecting a queen among the 57 contestants, one more beautiful than the other. In the end, the Queen of the Universe 2014 title was awarded to Miss USA, beautiful Ariel D. King. Well-deserved, congratulations! In her year of reign as a Queen, she will promote awareness to helping the less privileged, contribute her full support in helping diverse charities, be an advocate for the needy, and most of all be a great ambassador of humanity and a role model for young women around the world. May this time be filled with many wonderful new experiences for her, and let's wish that she does all the great things that she is destined for!

And..., it seems like she likes her gifts from us. Here she is rocking her ADORA jewels at a party in LA last week. :)

To learn more about ADORA by Simona and our products, or our participation in this exclusive event, visit http://www.adorabysimona.com or email simona@adorabysimona.com

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Things Are Never As They Seem...

I haven’t sat down to write a blog in a fairly long time, but today life decided to teach me a new lesson and I thought of putting it in writing so I can get back to it every time I am faced with similar situations.

In my 8 years of making jewelry I have never had a return of any of my pieces. I had a few customers that came back to me with a request to fix a broken piece or to change/add something to the design that would make them happier. I always did what I was asked free of charge and without any questions. I have happy customers and that reflects in the wonderful support they offer through their reviews, repeat orders and recommendations. For that I am very grateful!

About a week ago I received in the mail a pair of earrings I sold back in December. They were mailed back in the same envelope I shipped them in, which was torn, taped back together and my address was handwritten on a piece of paper glued on top of the old mailing label, with no return address. No note inside, no warning email or phone call from the customer, I was completely in the dark as to why those earrings were returned and by whom.

My return policies are very clear and are posted visibly on my website and additional galleries I sell through:

"Returns are accepted within 15 days of receiving your order. Please contact me within 7 days of receiving the package and let me know the reason for return. Please do not return any items without prior notification. A full refund will be issued to you as soon as I receive the item being returned. All return shipping fees are the responsibility of the Buyer. My goal is for you to be 100% delighted with your order. So if there is any issue with your item I will try to solve it in the shortest possible time and in a reasonable manner".

I believe this is a very reasonable return policy as I am an artisan and not a big retailer that is able to offer 90 days returns. And even the big retailers require a receipt.

Luckily I keep very detailed records of all my transactions and as I make mostly one-of-a-kind pieces I was able to identify the buyer in no time. I sent a very nice email to her asking the reason for return and pointed out my return policies. Even though I am under no legal obligation to do a refund at this point, I offered to refund 80% of the fee she paid, explaining that the remaining 20% will help cover my many fees associated with the transaction, the free shipping and handling I offered at the time of the sale, bookkeeping fees, etc. Also, PayPal doesn’t offer the option of refund for orders older than 60 days, and simply sending money out of my account without a trail would create issues in my bookkeeping.

I was feeling a bit frustrated and thinking that it is really not cool to buy something, enjoy it for three months and then return it without an explanation just because you got bored with it, and then go buy something new with the refund and do the same thing all over again. I am not Target after all…

A week goes by without any sign from the client. My frustration is on the rise, and I keep thinking that I want this issue behind me without the risk of getting a negative review or my gallery being reported by a disgruntled customer that refuses to communicate with me. So yesterday morning I decided to send another nice note, and thinking that maybe she does not get my communications through I sent it this time from both my work and personal email addresses. This is the reply I got today:

"Hi Simona, I have just undergone two major breast cancer surgeries, including a bi-lateral mastectomy. Plus, the surgeon is still this week drawing out lymph fluid. Please help me to receive a full refund. Obviously, this is the reason for returning the earrings now, although I love them. Thanks so much! VH"

...

A good reminder that things are never as they seem… How trivial my frustrations sound now!… Lesson learned…

Needless to say, I issued a full refund including the shipping fee she paid for the return, and I re-sent the earrings to her as a gift with my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment and/or share a lesson that you learned recently.

Email: simona@adorabysimona.com
Website: www.adorabysimona.com

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Colorful Spring - April Giveaway

I am so in love with the colors of spring! The fresh greens, pretty yellows, vibrant pinks, the hum of the hummingbirds, all the new life that is just starting to sprout is so inspiring to me! So when I came across this pair of earrings in my collection, I decided to add a touch of aqua to my spring, spread the cheer and offer it to one of you, my loyal fans. Aren't they pretty?

Enter below for a chance to win this beautiful pair of earrings and get in the "Colorful Spring" mood! Thanks for participating! The Giveaway will run April 17 4:00pm through May 1, 2013 12:00am - Pacific time. Open to all legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia over the age of 18.

April Giveaway - Aqua CZ Earrings

Description
Beautiful teardrop-shaped cubic zirconia (approx. 8x14mm) in a vibrant aqua color are eye-catching on this delicate pair of earrings. They are faceted to capture the light from every angle and sparkle beautifully. The gold-plated brass ovals they are hanging from are hammered for added strength and texture. 14K gold-plated french hook style ear wires. Overall length of the earring is 50mm (approx. 2"). Handcrafted - One of a kind.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Got Green?

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They call it “A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony." It is Green, the color of growth, the color of spring, the color of renewal and rebirth. An emotionally positive color, it renews and restores depleted energy, so it comes as no surprise that Pantone chose Emerald Green to be this year’s color.

The word green comes from the Old English word green,
which like the German word grün has the same root as the words grass and grow.

Green had a positive connotation throughout history. In ancient Egypt it was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth. The hieroglyph for green represented a growing papyrus sprout, showing the close connection between green, vegetation, vigor and growth. In wall paintings, the ruler of the underworld, Osiris, was typically portrayed with a green face, because green was the symbol of good health and rebirth. Green also symbolized the sea, which was called the "Very Green”.

Kambaba Jasper Earrings

For painting on the walls of tombs or on papyrus, Egyptian artists used finely-ground malachite, mined in the west Sinai and the eastern desert. A paint box with malachite pigment was found inside the tomb of tomb of Tutankhamen. Also, palettes of green facial makeup made from ground malachite were found in tombs. The makeup was worn particularly around the eyes as protection against evil.

In Ancient Greece, green and blue were sometimes considered the same color, and the same word sometimes described the color of the sea and the color of trees. The philosopher Democritus described two different greens: cloron (pale green) and prasinon (leek green). Aristotle considered that green was located midway between black, symbolizing the earth, and white, symbolizing water. However, green was not counted among of the four classic colors of Greek painting (red, yellow, black, white), and it is rarely found in Greek art.

Prehnite and Tibetan Silver Necklace

The Romans had a greater appreciation for the color green; it was the color of Venus, the goddess of gardens, vegetables and vineyards. The Romans made a fine green earth pigment, which was widely used in the wall paintings of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Lyon, Vaison-la-Romaine, and other Roman cities. They also used the pigment verdigris, made by soaking copper plates in fermenting wine. By the Second Century AD, the Romans were using green in paintings, mosaics and glass, and there were ten different words in Latin for varieties of green.

Carved Brass Earrings Antiqued with African Bronze Patina

When it comes to gemstones, Pliny is credited with his attempts to classify gems according to color and observable external characteristics. This led to the practice of assigning the attributes of one stone to all stones of similar color or appearance. The green stones named smaragdus in Latin are prime examples. Pliny classified most green stones as varieties of emerald. In all, twelve varieties are listed; green sapphire, turquoise, smithsonite, malachite, jasper, and even glass are identifiable by his descriptions.

In our times, when you think of green gemstones, a few gemstones that are well known come to mind, like Emerald, Peridot, or Green Garnet (Tsavorite Garnet). There are many more green gemstones that are not as well known but just as beautiful and sometimes just as valuable as their better-known counterparts, among them Green Chalcedony, Malachite, Green Jade, Kambaba Jasper, Prehnite, Tree Agate and Green Jasper.

The color green is the sanctuary away from the stresses of modern living, restoring us back to a sense of well-being. This is why there is so much of this relaxing color on the earth, and this is why we need to keep it that way…

(Information obtained through http://en.wikipedia.org and http://www.langantiques.com. Thank you!)

For beautiful, affordable, one-of-a-kind pieces of copper jewelry visit the online gallery now and find a unique design for the unique YOU. Enter coupon code FREESHIP at checkout to receive free shipping and handling for all orders in the US.

View gallery here: http://www.adorabysimona.com

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Incredibly Versatile Copper

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Hammered Copper Earrings

It represents Venus, both the planet and the goddess. It is the universal symbol for female (♀), and in hieroglyphics is represented by the ankh, which symbolizes eternal life. It is associated with Friday, the goddess Aphrodite and the country of Cyprus, where the word cuprum originates. Atomic number 29 on the periodic table, it has a melting point of 1083^o C (1981.4^o F) and a boiling point of 2567^o C (4652.6^o F). It is COPPER.

No one knows exactly when copper was first discovered, but earliest estimates place this event around 9000 B.C. in the Middle East. Copper and its alloys have played an important role in many civilizations, from the ancient Egyptians, Romans, to modern day cultures around the world and has been a major factor in nearly all aspects of history, technology, medicine, architecture, art and culture in general. It was used for thousands of years in the making of tools, weapons, coins, medical instruments, ornaments, and - yes, you guessed it - it was used for making jewelry. The oldest copper jewelry piece discovered is a pendant found in northern Iraq that dates back to 8700 BC.

"Tranquility"

Freeform Agate Slab and Brushed Copper Necklace and Earrings Set

So it comes as no surprise that one of the top trends we are seeing today and especially this season is the infatuation for copper jewelry. Copper has a quiet refinement and an understated, timeless quality because it holds the promise that it could last a thousand years or more. A copper jewel will take on a different patina in time but it will not lose any of its intrinsic beauty.

Over 400 copper alloys are in use today. The most familiar forms of copper are pure copper, brass (copper-zinc alloys) and bronze (copper-tin alloys). Versatile, copper can range in tone from rose to deep brown and from a brilliant shine to a weathered, antiqued patina. It can be hammered, cut, brushed, etched, polished and oxidized into different surface textures and patinas. Whether on its own or mixed with different gemstones, copper is a classy, affordable, equally beautiful alternative to the more expensive metals available on the market today.

"Copper Mountain"

Turquoise and Brushed Copper Bracelet

As the copper ages and is exposed to various elements, it can gain a patina and its brilliance will transform over time into a warm brown hue. While copper tarnishes easily, it can be just as easily cleaned and turned back into its original stunning look. Create a solution of fresh lemon juice mixed with a dash of salt. Submerge the copper jewelry piece into the polishing solution and swish it around to coat the surface. This solution will remove the patina that comes along with tarnishing, restoring its original brilliance. Rinse the jewelry with water and dry it gently with a soft, dry cloth. Jewelry polishing cloths can also be used as an alternative to this natural method.

(Information provided through http://www.csa.com and http://en.wikipedia.org. Thank you!)