13 Dec On the 3rd Day of Christmas My True Love Sent to Me – 3 Blue Goldstones!

“Fit for a Queen” by Simmang Design.

No, it’s not the third day of Christmas yet. And no, sadly my true love did not send me this beautiful necklace above. But I just couldn’t wait to share with you this fabulous piece by Simmang Design that I just happened upon this weekend when I popped into a fun little holiday show in North Austin at Just Jill Beauty & Wellness.  I had no idea that, on what was supposed to be a lazy Sunday, I was going to have so much fun and a little impromptu pampering at a local event.

For this week’s Texture Tuesday, instead of three French hens, I bring you three Italian blue Goldstones. Originally designed in 2013 for Austin Fashion Week by Jillian Simmang of Simmang Design, this regal necklace features three glass stones and a host of other textural details.

Not a jewelry designer myself, I studied up on Goldstones and learned a lot in this wonderful article by Daniel E. Russell Goldstone: Man-made Aventurine Glass on Gemdat.org.

I’m not surprised Goldstones catch my eye because I learned that this beautiful glass originated in Venice.  And who doesn’t love Venetian glass? This photo I took below on our trip to Italy in the summer of 2015 has the same rich deep blue of the Grand Canal and copper color of a Venetian sunset – just like the colors in this gorgeous necklace.

I love blue and copper together in any combination, be it textiles in the home, or fashion on the runway.  Blue Goldstone has tiny copper crystal flecks inside. It’s really stunningly beautiful up close and hard to capture the color and details in these images. But this particular piece, designed and handcrafted by Austin jewelry designer Jillian Simmang, happens to involve a great deal of intricate texture from faceted copper beads to Czech glass feather beads, which not only pulls out the tiny copper crystals in the Goldstone, but complements all the other beading and stones in the design.

I told Jillian how beautiful I thought this piece was and asked her a little bit more about her inspiration behind it.

PG: What inspired you to make this stunning piece of jewelry?

JS: This piece was originally designed for an Austin Fashion Week Mashup Team in 2013 [where different artists/designers – from makeup to clothing, hair and jewelry – are assigned a team to create one runway look]. I’m really fascinated with the glitz, glamour & sense of adventure in the 1920’s. A lot of inspiration during that time period came from pharoah tombs that were being uncovered.

PG: I love glitz and glamour too, but how did you come up with such an intricate design?

JS: I based my design on the idea of what would a socialite flapper wear that would resemble an ancient Egyptian collar? This sparkling gem is what emerged.

PG: I love the combination of flapper girl meets Egyptian style! Can you tell me a little bit more about your selection of stones and beads?

JS: The piece incorporates blue goldstone, which symbolizes “Stone of Protection”. I then wrapped them onto a diamond shaped frame, surrounded by bronze and cobalt Glass bead work. Swagged with lots of bronze toned chains, I selected Czech Glass feather beads, leading up to a double link choker collar at the top. A bold piece that nods to Art Deco style and surrounds it’s wearer with protection.

PG: I love the mixing of styles you chose and the concept of “Stone of Protection”.

JS: I wanted to make a bold piece with a nod to the Art Deco style.  It turned into all I envisioned and surrounds its wearer with protection.

PG: Indeed it does!  And I must say, some incredible texture throughout the piece with such a wide variety of stones, beads and chain. It’s truly a spectacular one-of-a-kind piece, congratulations! If someone wanted to give their “true love” this dazzling necklace, how much does it cost and where do they purchase it?

JS: Thank you. It’s priced at $225 and anyone interested can email me at simmang_design@yahoo.com

Thank you so much Jillian for allowing me to try it on, even though the inside of my fleece jacket put little fuzzies all over my navy blue top. It would have definitely looked better if I had had a gown on instead! However,  I did feel that regal magic and  “Fit for a Queen” as you so aptly named it. And so too will one lucky recipient when someone surprises their “true love” with this incredible piece for the holidays!

It was so fun to see Jillian’s work up close and meet the other delightful women and their products at this cozy holiday trunk show. I grabbed myself some of Celestial Butter’s lemon curd and mango muffin (to die for together!) and some Just Jill Cosmetics lipstick (after a make up session with Jill) that will not wear off. Now THAT in itself is a girl’s best friend! It bugs me to no end having to reapply and reapply lipstick when I’m at an event. Thank you gals for all the fun….I think Audrey would approve!

See what local events are going on in your area and get out and support your local artists and designers. You can shop for wonderful handcrafted gifts and you just might be as lucky as I was on a lazy Sunday afternoon to have an impromptu party with friends. Till next week, please check out my event reminder below. See you there!

Oh, and this is my last post for the holiday season, as I’m going to take the rest of December off to be with my family and enjoy a few more holiday events. Wishing all of you a fabulous holiday filled with love, laughter and joy and a spectacular new year! Thank you! See you in 2017, unless you stop by my event this week below. 🙂  XO PG

REMINDER: This is your LAST CHANCE to stop by Deborah Main Designs’ EXTENDED Holiday Open Studio & Sample Sale. I promise you’ll be happy you did! Can’t wait to see you!