Seeing Red

December 7, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 10 Comments

#14 VERY GIFTED : GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for:
*the Italian Sister in Law
*the Black Amex Card Member
*the Smartass

Welcome all to the home stretch of gift ideas. I was so clever, I wrote a bunch of posts in advance and scheduled them to publish then bam, here we reach my non scheduled posts. Did I mention it’s Sunday and I woke up today at 5 a.m. to go to work? My status update today for fb is “The more tired I am, the more makeup I put on. Today you would never guess I don’t work for the oldest profession.” Subtle, right? Pats on the back all around and then I must return to working. BUT FIRST!

This is the matching necklace to the earrings we gave my sister in law for her bday. It’s from one of my neighbor boutiques Mabel Chong. The raw ruby is so beautiful, a deep luscious magenta. Magenta is such an outdated word, isn’t it? It sounds so much less beautiful than it is.

Another of my merchant neighbors is Twiga Gallery. Twiga is from Tanzania and her collection of jewelry is all from various places in Africa. It’s more art than jewelry. So if you want to buy something unique, exotic, from far away lands for prices unknown…. Seriously, I have no idea what the prices are on her pieces but I know they are fancy levels.

“If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” -Chairman Mao. Just kidding. I don’t know who said that but it’s inscribed on a smartass bangle of mine.

It’s one of the saying bangles 👆 same brand as above made by Jessica Kagan Cushman, a favorite jewelry designer of mine.

So how’s everybody doing? You finished with your shopping yet? I still have my mom left. She wants sunscreen. So I need to figure out something better than sunscreen to give her. Sunscreen. Let me repeat that, all my mom wants for XMas is sunscreen. SMH.

Watch It, Buster

December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 9 Comments

#13 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for:
*the Peaky Blinder
*the Kid At Heart
*the Matching Couple

In a world where we all use our cells to tell the time watches have become something less common, something decorative, and fashionable. Watches are more similar now to other pieces of jewelry, more a style statment and less function driven. Shoot, I can go most of a day not realizing my watch is upside down. Oops! But the cool watches still make great gifts. You can easily spend a fortune on a watch. However, you can also find some fun ones for very little.

Susan of the excellent photo fame (seriously, snow shots that are so gorgeous), turned me on to the Netflix series Peaky Blinders. It stars all my favorite Brits! And it’s set in the early 1900’s after some war or another. These dapper Irish gangsters sport the most lovely pocket watches.

This one offered by Ruby Lane is vintage, in excellent condition AND 18K gold, ideal for channeling an inner turn of the century mob yearning. I am a big fan of the pocket watch gift.

The polar opposite watch? Swatch Watch
swatch
Oh how I used to want one of these SOOOOO badly!
blue swatch
Swatch is still so great. Find me some jelly bracelets and a hyper color t-shirt and you have my 2nd grade wardrobe.

I don’t know exactly what “couples” watches are. My brother would love to outfit coordinate with his girlfriend at all times, if she would only allow it. I guess that’s why the category “couples watches” exists on the Swatch website.
white watch
This brother of mine is a contractor but also likes his white jeans and purple leather jacket. Our family has been compared to the Royal Tenenbaums, and he is definitely the Margot of the family. I think I might be the pet dalmatian, Spark Plug. So this watch may be up his alley. Not only can he twin with his g-fri but he can do it bling bling style. Or like a Miami drug dealer. Maybe my comparison is wrong, my brother is less like Margot Tenenbaum and more like a white Tony Montana who makes houses. Maybe? It’s been such a long day, and I am nearly delirious. I hope my brother doesn’t read this, he really won’t appreciate being compared to Scarface.

The daily disclaimer: I would be remiss if I didn’t offer the link to my online store… I write these posts for my love of jewelry and gift giving, there’s no sponsors here but ME for MYSELF 😀

Great Balls of Fire

December 5, 2014December 5, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 3 Comments

#12 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for:
*the Rockstar
*the Violinist
*the Guy With the 12″ Pianist

If this necklace by Lili Colley is not rock n roll, then I do not know what is and I should probably turn in my Jem Fan Membership card. Face it, this is the penultimate jewelry gift recommendation. We have a long steep fall from here.

The violin brooch idea by visiting Cinderella on Etsy just pales in comparison, right? Granted, violining is not exactly rock n roll. With the exception of Laurie Anderson. And that geek from Revenge of the Nerds 👇

How about the piano? Buddy Holly made the it look pretty cool. And I do like this piano cuff.

But it still barely holds a flame to the necklace at the top, right? So how about we scratch all the others, pool our money together, and establish a necklace lending library for this one pricey pricey piece?

Gamble Gamble

December 2, 2014December 1, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 6 Comments

#9 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for the Gambler:
*Roulette
*Craps
*Poker

Damas y Cabelleros, you want to play a game? Invite me; I know all the games. Except bridge, that is. But so I have a special affinity in my heart for the gamblers of the world.
Rouge et Noir
What do you give the gambler besides your lucky rabbit’s foot? How about something from their game of choice? Robert Tateossian makes these beautiful roulette wheel cufflinks. But you might want to include a copy of The Gambler as a cautionary tale.

Afterall, Dostoyevsky was a fan of the Rouge et Noir and look where he wound up. Siberia. He wound up in Siberia. (I should note, gambling addiction did not send Dostoyevsky to the gulag and he was later released). BUT STILL. GAMBLING —> GULAG. That’s it for my public service messages. Gambling! It can be fun, too!!

lucky dice
If your luck be a lady who loves craps these are the ticket. Plus, they are not real gold! So less likely that your lucky lady will hock them later for gambling dough. She’ll treasure these earrings forever. Or she may throw them in the gutter and curse your name. Whatever! Kate Spade dice earrings will be a hit. Either figuratively or literally.

cards ring
But say your honey is more a card shark and less a dice, umm, donkey (?)… I recommend this Royal Straight ring at Ruby Lane mistakenly identified as a lucky flush. Who are these amateurs? That’s a straight. Flush is all the same suit. Duh almighty. This ring is size 10.5, which fits either a guy or a very large handed lady. You know what they say about the ladies with the large hands, don’t you? I don’t either. Oh well. But rings are easy to resize, that is my point.

So, are you feeling lucky punk? Or inspired? Are you feeling gift giving inspired, punk? Well are ya?

Unisexy

November 30, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 3 Comments

#7 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for:
*the Athletes
*the Runner/Walker
*the Cyclist
*the Swimmer

jawbone UP24
Do you know the one piece of jewelry that I wear every single day? My Jawbone UP, a wearable fitness tracker that syncs with my iPad. I only take it off when I shower or when it needs to be replaced. As I’ve mentioned before I love my UP. It calculates my daily mileage, steps, food, water consumption, sleep. It looks stylish with some fun color options, and the app is a really good workout motivator. I definitely recommend the Jawbone UP for any runner or walker in your family. The one down side with the UP is it’s propensity to fizzle out, fortunately they have a warranty that covers up to a year after purchase.

But the UP isn’t the only fitness tracker on the market!
fitbit
The Fitbit is probably the most popular of the wearable sports tech. I don’t have a first hand experience with it, but my mom does. Hers has never needed replacing (unlike my Jawbone UP ahem… 3 times). The new one acts like the UP but has a built in heart rate monitor, which is a good tool to use to gauge intensity of a workout. Oh! And it has a watch function, which explains why this puppy looks so much like a watch. And it includes a heart rate monitor, which is important for cyclists. It’s slightly pricier than the UP, but I think you get significantly more for your dollar. I just wish the app was as great as the UP app.

pebble
The Pebble is one of the few waterproof fitness trackers, which makes it best for any swimmers out there. There’s even a beta swim app called Swimio for Pebble users. Price wise it falls in at the lower end of the wearable tech cost range. Anybody have a pebble and love it? I’d like to know how it’s received.

Law & Disorder

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 1 Comment

#6 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for:

*the Cop

*the Spy

*the Lawyer

The San Francisco art world is going through a strange transition right now. The MoMA is temporarily under renovation, many of my favorite galleries have closed their doors. Mostly because rents are exorbitant here. But fortunately one of my all time favorite galleries, who closed their doors over a year ago, is back with a website. And on the Heather Marx website, there is jewelry and a Small Business Saturday promo code 5OA1FZ3. So for that tough as nails, but pretty as a peacock cop in your life let me recommend one of the Heather Marx pieces.

The Love Cuff by Matt Gil for your best gal. Her handcuffs may be on the perp, but yours are on her heart (and her wrist).

For the spy, the puzzler, the code breaker, your lover (ewwwwww) you should consider the Coatt morse code necklace.

There are prefab phrases to choose from, like ‘wild horses’, ‘true blue’, ‘dog my dog’ or (DING DING DING) there is the CUSTOM route. Remember what I said Day 1? CUSTOMIZE, ALWAYS CUSTOMIZE. Coatt too offers a promo code. To get -25% off this weekend use coattholiday.

Now for your honey, the lawyer? First, let me recommend you never get into a fight with her. You won’t ever win. Secondly, lawyer needs some classic pieces! She needs something that says “You know that I am worth that $850 hourly rate, don’t you?” But it must be understated, fancy, and black as her corporate soul.

That’s why there’s Tiffany’s but mind you get her the matching pair, okay? Necklace and earrings. Or she will filet your heart and serve it to her family for Christmas dinner. Oh, and Tiffany’s? They offer no promo codes. You sure you can handle this, bud?

Life’s A Sitcom Party

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 3 Comments

#5 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gift ideas for:
*the Hostess
*the Bae Cultist
*the Alien Life Form Follower

Oneida Limited is known for their silverware. Beautiful decorative often silverplate utensils, as any good hostess knows. So what would be more appropriate then the Oneida silver spoons cuff bracelet for the aforementioned good hostess?
Oneida
WSJ Jewelers on Etsy offers a beautiful silver and gold one…ripe for the monogramming! Matching a bracelet to your silverware is all kinds of transcendental matching skill.

You know who’d be a great hostess? Beyoncé. Watch her bananas video, I want to be part of her dance crew. Did you catch that Versace necklace she’s sporting at one point? You know I did.

O Versace. Just so you know, I can’t help but read Versace like Jessie Spanno pronounces it in Showgirls. Ver-sais. Here’s where you find that Versace medallion, for if your bae loves Queen Bae. Mind you break out the black Amex for this one.

By the way, you guys picking up the 80s easter egg sitcom references? How many you got so far? We’re at three.

This is the most darling outerspace Max and Chloe necklace for that UFO aficionado.

Okay, you figure out the three 80s references? The answers are in the blog tags, my friends.

The Philes

November 27, 2014November 25, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 8 Comments

#4 Very Gifted: Gift Ideas

Gifts for:
*The Sinaphile
*The Cinephile
*The Cynophile

Do you know one of those phile-istines? You know, that person who is all ’bout it, ’bout it? This is the gift list for them. The person who’s into all things Chinese culture (the Sinaphile) (ahem, Susan’s mom), all things cinema (the Cinephile), and/or all things dog (the Cynophile aka yours truly).

For the Sinaphile, my first stop was Gump’s. In case you aren’t familiar with Gump’s, it’s a San Francisco department store. But it’s more than a regular department store; it’s magestic, fancy, dating back to the Gold Rush, and not a chain. Not a chain department store! And you thought you’d heard of everything. Gump’s draws a lot of it’s inspirations from Asia.
buddha
The Gump’s Ch’ing Dynasty gilded wood Buddha is the largest of its kind outside of a museum, according to the Gump’s website. What I’m trying to say is, Gump’s knows their shit. So for the die hard Sinaphile, I recommend a Gump’s jade bracelet.

This puppy is pretty pricy, however. So back-up jade bangle recommendation?
Ruby Lane
HOLY SHIT!! VINTAGE GIVENCHY FOR $65. This one blows my mind. For realz.

Moving on! The Cinephile, what is a good gift (besides movie tickets) for the Cinephile? I originally scouted out the Sundance gift boutique, but though they offer lovely jewelries, there wasn’t a thing that said “film aficionado”. So I asked myself, what does it mean to be a Cinephile? Who would you love best? Wong Kar Wai? Truffaut? For so many reasons, I am going with Hitchcock. Thanks to the Learn about Gemstones blog for reminding me of the lovely ruby necklace in Vertigo.

kim novak vertigo ruby gold pendant necklace (clipped to polyvore.com)

It’s hard to find something comparable but I like this Max & Chloe ruby drop necklace.

Finally, the Cynophiles. Now we are SUPER easy. Just pick out our brand of dog! Unfortunately for the mutts of the world you’ll have to approximate. This little guy by Dogeared is good for Chihuahua and the Chiweenies toooooo.

What do you think? Everybody happy with the ideas so far? Need help finding something special? I’m on it! “Woof woof,” says Leroy. “I’m ready for dinner,” says Bandit.

For The Love Of Kay

November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 3 Comments

#3 VERY GIFTED: GIFT IDEAS

Gifts for:
*The Soft Core Romance Novel Reader
*The Hello Kitty Lover
*The Patriot

Listen, I do not shop in malls. I don’t know where to find them despite the rumor that they are around. Somewhere. But for me, malls are like Capybaras, I know they exist, people love them, but I just don’t know anything about them. However, as you all know, I watch TONS of TV. And something I see all the time is Kay Jewelers. Every kiss begins with? Kay. Or cock, as my husband insists on saying. That’s him! Not me! I didn’t say that! So to continue my simile, Kay is the bowtie on a Capybara. Or something. So I looked them up. I was curious if they are ethically sourced jewelry. Quelle surprise, they are! They have “extensive policies” in place for the sourcing of the gems, gold, everything.

So Kay Jewelers? Not my usual cup of tea, but this is a gift list and I like a challenge.

First up the blue (? diamonds come that color?) and white diamond, sterling silver heart.

It’s pretty cheeseball, but there is something sweet about it. I would wear this, I think. But really it’d be suited for an older lady. Maybe a grandmother? Or a lover of Romance Novels, not the explicit kind, mind you, but the Barbara Cartland varietal. Which I swear *cough cough* I know nothing about.

Hello, hello kitty!! I love you. I would give these to my nieces if their ears were pierced. So cute. Is it weird that the Hello Kitty studs are more expensive than the diamond pendant? I think so, too.

Interesting Kay category: patriotic jewelry. Because you only really love your country if you’re wearing a red, white and blue diamond ring? Ok, that does sounds like something I would do. This is where my Mother in Law (and all military moms/wives) and I crossover. Patriotic expression thru jewelry. I think she might wear hers year round whereas I would save mine for the 4th of July, so as to compliment my Babe-raham Lincoln dress. (It’s got hot shirtless presidents all over it, I love it.)

This *is* the best item in the patriot category, but not necessarily something a MIL would don. So for her, I would go with this flag pendant.

Now you can go ahead and check patriotic Mother in Law, cutie pie niece, and Barbara Cartland fan off the shopping list, you are welcome.

Charmed, I’m Sure

November 25, 2014November 19, 2014 ~ Margaret DTH ~ 6 Comments

#2 VERY GIFTED: GREAT GIFT IDEAS

Gifts for:
*The Cutie Pie Nieces 2yrs to 13yrs
*The Avengers Fan Girl
*The World Traveler

Remember how I recommended starting a gift tradition? Well nothing is easier for a gift tradition than a charm bracelet. They come in all sorts, but the best ones you add a charm and grow them over the years. You can stick with a theme: all cats! Or places you’ve visited! Favorite foods! Winning sports teams! Etc. The options are ENORMOUS.

For my super cutie little nieces I started a tradition of Charmits. It’s very affordable jewelry: mostly rainbows and robots. You buy the $9 chain and select a bunch of fun charm options. The best part is Charmits are not something so precious that a lost or damaged charm would result in a broken heart.
milk and cookies
Are you kidding me?!? So freaking cute.
hamster
WOT! Tiny hamster! *head explodes*

Hold up a second, I need to collect myself.

Clearly, big girls like cutie charms too. A special shout out goes to all the comic book fangirls. Because guess what? Santa’s got the perfect geek girl charms for you, too.

Yep, those are some Avengers Bow Charms hand made by Ganda Kris. Heads up, these are BYOCB (BYO charm bracelet), however.

Charm bracelets are not just for girls and fan girls. What about that favorite Aunt of yours, the glamorous world traveler? Gump’s has you covered. How fancy you wanna be? Silver or Gold? Because there’re options in both.
passport

Above is an example of the completed bracelet, which, if you’re as impatient as I am, that’s also a contender.