Ebel Watches

GEMaffair.com now proudly sells an array of Ebel watches for both men and women.   The Swiss watch company, founded in 1911, has become know as the “Architects of Time” for their uniquely sculptured designs and presentation of the inherent beauty of mechanics. Ebel watches are defined by elegant architectural styling, high quality materials  and exquisite craftsmanship.  Were Leonardo da Vinci  alive today, we’re certain he’d choose to wear an Ebel watch.  They’re simply the beauty of time actualized.

Though da Vinci may be unable to don an Ebel due to his demise many years ago, many of the today’s modern world have made that choice.  Ebel watches can be seen on the wrists of the most discerning including many of Hollywood’s most famous celebrities including  spokeswoman, Gisele Bundchen.  While it may be a bit of a let down to our male customers, we cannot include Bundchen with purchase, but you can take solace in the fact you’re wearing one of the most well-crafted timepieces available.  (it’s not much, but it helps).

For more on the beauty of mechanics and design, read up on Ebel or for a history lesson, check out da Vinci’s horse. (Yes, we know it was never finished, but it sure is impressive – just like the passion and design behind every Ebel watch.)

And though we can’t include Ms. Bundchen, you can always watch this over and over. Nice watch don’t you think?

Seeped in History – Wunderkammer

There is nothing I love more than an antique store hidden away from the world with wooden floors, dust covered shelves and rooms and rooms in which to get lost.  I’ve spent years of my short life wandering around them and make it a point to visit at least one whenever I travel so as to see the true history of the place.

As with any routine one has fallen into, I have a specific attack in mind when entering the antique store.  First, the jewelry displays, then the clothes if there are any, then books, then the paintings and finally the trinkets, baubles and do-dads.

Cabinet of Wonder

In the Renaissance, people displayed their valuables – everything from unique curiosities like pressed plants or taxidermy to  historical paintings and famous prints  to jewelry and heirlooms.  Some were open to the public and almost every household had their own – rich or poor.  These were the Cabinet of Wonders or Wunderkammer.

Cabinet is really a misnomer, because sometimes, it wasn’t a cabinet at all, but an entire room.

These little precursors to the modern museum remind me of the shops I love.  Every shelf, every cupboard, every rack and sometimes every inch of the wall is covered with beautiful and mysterious things.  Only, with these museums, you get to take home the pieces you like best.

For some reason, maybe the magpie reflex, I am inextricably drawn to the jewelry displays.  Some of the best shops have one in every room.  It’s so easy to get lost and drawn in.

It looks like a pirate’s bounty all heaped up together, golden chains dangling from stands, rings with sparkling gemstones piled into bowls, rhinestone and costume jewelry glittering violently.  The messier the pile, the better; it means the best pieces may have been overlooked by previous shoppers.

And of all the jewelry in the pile, I am always drawn to the rings.  Not because it’s what I wear the most, but because I’m looking for love, for thanks, for happiness, for a story.  I’m looking for an engraving.

Engraved rings, once referred to as posey rings or poesy rings, carried hidden messages.

It’s like sitting in a field of clovers and finally finding one with the extra leaf, that one extra thing that pushes the piece into the realm of the extraordinary.

I’ve read messages from ghosts.  I’ve been present at marriage proposals.  I’ve smiled at the birth of someone I will never know.  And I’ve read stories in one entire sentence.

The fewer the words, the deeper the tale.

And the type of jewelry tells the story too.  Wedding rings are obvious, and generally not piled in amongst the others – value you know.  But sometimes you’ll find one that’s been over looked.  There are birthstone rings and plain rings and signet rings.  So far, there isn’t any one kind I haven’t found with an engraving.

The last time I was in New Orleans, about six months ago, I found a plain gold band, all scuffed up and loved at Anette’s of Rue Royal inside a massive jewelry cabinet.  It read, “Parted Though Together.”

I wondered what the story behind the engraving could be.  I began making up my own. Were the two torn apart by war?  Perhaps they were young lovers forced apart by circumstance like forced marriage, the color of their skin or status.  Maybe he was a sailor or off for long periods of time and gave the ring as a reminder of his devotion.  The latter is, of course, my preferred selection.  A thousand stories whirled through my head.

Did they stay in touch?  Were they reunited?

As I walked through the picturesque streets, I couldn’t stop thinking about that ring.  I didn’t buy it.  I should have bought it.  But it doesn’t matter as I am sure the ring and its message served more purpose than most jewelry ever does.  It carried meaning – it carries meaning.

Another I found once in a rural shop (the best kind) in Pennsylvania, was engraved with, “Feed the Animals.”  The engraving was on the outside of the ring as opposed to the inside where most are found.  Maybe it was a loving reminder to an absentminded child.  Regardless, I imagined it a lot easier to do the arduous task with such a pretty thing on the finger.

Locally, I found a gorgeous opal and topaz cocktail ring engraved with, “Squishy, Squishy.”  It was probably from the 1920s or so and immediately it made me laugh.  Interesting, I thought, but most like affectionate too.  It also made me think about conceptions of time periods.  People always seemed so stiff, so proper back then, but this engraving had more character than most I had seen.  I may not have known the inside joke shared by the giver, receiver and the ring, but it was hard not to smile.

These messages, these engravings, convey all that is good about human emotion: Love, laughter, and longing.  That is why, when I see dirty windows screening dimly lit treasures and a wrought iron sign that reads, “Antiques,” I can’t help but push open the squeaky door, leave my time – my world – my life, and breath in the past.

When I depart, laden with trinkets or not, I always have a new story and usually an appreciation for all that has come before and all that there is now.

Engraved jewelry, books with inscriptions, vintage clothes and dark shops are my Wunderkammer.  They are my Cabinet of Wonders and Curiosities.

Today, I love to engrave jewelry – whether it’s just for me or if I am giving it as a gift.  I engrave the traditional sweet and tender things, but also inside jokes and odd phrases.  Each time I do, I think…who will find this someday?  Will they laugh?  Will they smile?

Will they make up a story?

Jewelry Speaks

Before there were elaborate settings, ad campaigns and retail stores everywhere – mankind has used jewelry as a way to say to speak without ever saying a word.

• Jewelry says, “I love you.”
• Jewelry says, “I care.”
• Jewelry tells a story and sparkles on even the darkest days

It does this every single day.

This Mother’s Day (May 10), send your mom a constant reminder that she’s your rock.  Because remember, your mother

• Says, “I love you.”
• Says, “I care.”
• Tells you stories and shines even on the darkest days.

She does this every single day.

To celebrate moms, we’re offering free shipping and 15% off any order under $99 until May 10.  Just use code MUMRULES at checkout.  Find something that lets her know you still remember listening to “Where the Wild Things Are” as you were falling off to sleep.

The code says it all, moms rule.  Happy early Mother’s Day, moms!

Jewelry in the Baroque

Both Baroque and Rococo Art are linked quite closely with jewelry and – definitely with the pearl. “Pérola* Barroca” means irregular pearl in Portuguese. The root of both “Baroque” and “Rococo” can be seen in this word and today an irregular pearl is called a “Baroque pearl.”

Baroque Pearls

While the painters during their day did not refer to themselves as painters in the Baroque and Rococo styles, they did paint with the popular motifs of the day. Drama, grandeur, bright colors, didactic themes, romanticism, and love dominated the Baroque period. Towards the end of the Baroque Period, what is now referred to as Rococo Art took these themes to the extravagant.

"Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower"

During the 1700s, King Louis XIV demanded that royalty display their power openly. He coerced his court to wear their wealth in the form of gold and jewels. Diamonds and gemstones were sewn onto rich brocaded fabrics and silks. Hair pieces called aigrettes mimicked beautiful flowers with petals of topaz, emerald, sapphires and rubies. Mens’ shoes were fitted with gold embellishments and ladies wore strings of pearls through their hair. Rings were stacked one upon the other and he or she who wore the most was deemed the wealthiest.

Jewelry was once worn for more personal reasons. It was worn as talisman against poor health, as protectors from harm, as a symbol of faith or as a way to celebrate the beauty of the natural world. The king’s demand would change the way gold, gemstones and diamonds were viewed by all for several hundred years.

The overzealous fashions of the Baroque Period spilled over into both architecture and art. Baroque architecture is rife with gilded leaves, cherubic statues and flowery detail. The artists painted the world around them.

"Judithe Beheading Holofernes" Caravaggio 1599

Close up of "Judithe Beheading Holfernes"

One of the most revered artists during the time, Caravaggio, may have had a part in connecting both pearl terminology with the art movement he helped create. Look at Carravaggio’s “Judithe Beheading Holfernes.”

Notice the irregular shaped pearl earring the young girl wears as she bravely kills the drunken general Holfernes. She is wearing a “Perla Barroca.” Created in 1599, this may be one of the first true Baroque paintings as the movement is generally considered to last from 1600-1750.

While Carvaggio excelled with allegorical, biblical and everyman pieces, another, Ruben, excelled with depicting the opulence of the era. His pieces are full of the detailed fashions worn by the more indulgent side of the populace.

"Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma"

In “Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma”, we see not only man, but beast adorned in all of nature’s glory. Embellished armor, draping jewels and an air of sophistication and elegance contrast sharply with a battlefield in the distance. While common man may have fought with little protection, the aristocracy looked on from afar – safe in their wealth and standing. Other pieces, like the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia” and his self portrait, “Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower” equally demonstrate the artist’s adept ability to immortalize those who embodied the over the top nature that defined the Baroque Period.

One of the most famous paintings, “The Girl with the Pearl Earrings” (1665) by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (Jan Vermeer) clearly depicts the style of the day with bright colors, the subject’s piercing eyes and a sense of drama to the piece in that there seems to be a story that goes along with the painting. Another of Vermeer’s paintings, “The Girl in the Red Hat” is very similar.

While Vermeer may have had a penchant for pearls (they were popular in Rome and Greece during

"Girl with the Pearl Earring" Vermeer

the time), most fashionable men and women of the day preferred diamonds and vibrantly colored gemstones. Since art imitates life and vice versa, there is no surprise that the baroque was dominated by superfluous extravagance and overflowed with opulence.

Perhaps Vermeer’s paintings were so poignant because they strayed from the norm. His ladies were conventional and common. They did not mimic the courtly styles of the day but embraced quite the opposite. By focusing on the beauty of a single pearl worn by a girl in simple clothes, Vermeer seems to be commenting on the wanton embellishment seen elsewhere during the times.

Regardless, jewelry played an immense role throughout the Baroque Period. Its influence can be seen in paintings that depict the common day peoples to those that immortalize the wealthy. While King Louis XIV may have been making a statement about power when he ordained that wealth be worn by his court, he undoubtedly changed the way artists viewed the world and gave jewelry an entirely new purpose. He elevated jewels to a physical representation of one’s station in life. They no longer simply represented the beauty of nature, but instead represented an era enraptured with the beauty of wealth.

* Special thanks to @nathstam who corrected my poor Portuguese.