Dannii's Turquoise Earrings

There’s a right ole row on the Internet today over various X-Factor sagas which happened this weekend. However, there was only one X-Factor topic on my mind when I switched on my laptop this morning and that was where to find Dannii Minogue’s gorgeous turquoise earrings, which she sported onthe show last Satuday (13th November 2010).

I’m afraid to post any images from ITV in case I get sued, but click here to have a gawk. See, aren’t they gorgeous! They’re designed by a covetable brand called Annoushka, to whom Dannii has been extremely loyal this series. As gorgeous as they are though, they’re a little beyond my budget; so, I did some digging to find some more affordable versions:

CAROLINE’S FINDS:

Galway jewellery designer, Frank Murphy, hand-crafted these turquoise teardrop earrings (€15):

Etsy designer JooJooland designed these beautiful Persian earrings in gold and turquoise ($24usd):

American retailer, National Jeans Company, has a really nice variation of the look ($45usd):

I’m obsessed with Stella and Dot and I already own the necklace version of these fabulous turquoise resin teardrop earrings ($34). Note that Stella & Dot’s official website only ships to the US and Canada; however, there are plenty of retailers on Ebay who ship to Ireland.

Finally, Astley Clarke London turns up the glamour gauge with this pretty pair (£395):

Yours in style,
Caroline

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'And Mary' Jewellery

Whilst having a little browse through Doo-lally.com today, whereupon I stumbled across the And Mary jewellery line in their ‘new arrivals’ section. I think these vintage-inspired necklaces are gorgeous!

‘And Mary’ Glasses Necklace (€9.99)

‘And Mary’ Pink Teacup Necklace (16.99)

‘And Mary’ Turquoise Teapot Necklace (16.99)

‘And Mary’ Birdcage Necklace (€14.99)

‘And Mary’ Lady Cameo Necklace (€17.99)

Yours in style,
Caroline

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Jewellery Care

The following article is taken from Style by Caroline’s August 2010 e-newsletter. To subscribe to our monthly enewsletters, simply complete the subscription form at the bottom of this page.

Jewellery Care Advice from Ryan’s Jewelers:

• Pearls: Never spray perfume near Pearls as it can discolour them. If you need to get them re-strung, request that the knots be put in between each pearl so if the string ever breaks, you won’t lose any pearls!
• Stiff Necklets: Store them carefully – preferably in their original box – as if they get too curved they may break.
• Diamonds: To get that sparkle back, use nice warm soapy water and a baby toothbrush to clean away any dirt.
• Gold and Silver Jewellery: You can get a silver and gold polishing cloth that will bring back the sparkle onto your jewellery, but, don’t rub too harshly and never put silver into any liquid that isn’t made for cleaning silver (as some have acids that will strip the metal completely).
• Cleaning of Precious Stones: Emeralds are a soft porous stone; do not immerse them in water over a period time as they may well crack! Sapphires and Rubies are harder wearing, but, equally, it’s not ideal to leave in water over time.
• Gold / White Gold / Platinum and Palladium: Gold’s natural base is yellow and always will be, so white-based metals are mixed together to make white gold and a coating of a white rhodium plating is put over it to give it that ’shiny’ white look. It is this rhodium plating that wears over time (especially in a ring); however, the industry standard of rhodium plating is getting better! Platinum on the other hand, is a metal where nothing extra needs to be added to it – it is up to 10 times rarer than gold but is a very hard wearing metal and very suitable for setting diamonds. A new metal called Palladium which has just gained its industry standard hallmark, is a lighter metal than platinum but it is of the Platinum family so it remains white with wear and is also suitable for setting diamonds and excellent for Gents Wedding Bands.

Ryan’s Jewellers

44 Roches Street, Limerick.
Tel: 061-417828 | Web: www.ryansjewellers.ie | Facebook: Click here to follow

New Store Opening

Ryan’s Jewelers’ officially opened their newly-renovated store on Friday, 27th August 2010.

Yours in style,
Caroline

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Easy Accessorising

Following on from the accessories showcase of the year (High Heels & Handbags last weekend), I thought it might be fun to delve into the exciting world of accessorising for today's blog post. Now, I'm not going to talk about every type of accessory (with my penchant for waffle, we could be here for a week); instead, I'll run through the main rules, and then pick out a few of the most popular accessories for discussion. As always, if you have a question or query, don't hesitate to put it in the comment box below.

GENERAL RULES

• Position carefully: Accessories draw attention to the area where they are worn, so be careful to only place accessories at/on.around your best features!
• Size matters: Choose accessories that are proportionate to your figure i.e. if you are petite, then over-sized bags/necklaces etc. will only swamp you; likewise, if you have a fuller figure, small accessories will look lost on you.
• Quality, not quantity: You should wear no more than 13 accessories at any one time. That may sound like a lot, but believe me, they add up quickly, for instance, shoes and earrings both count as 2 accessories!
• Colour me beautiful: If you want to liven up your wardrobe, then colourful accessories are the cheapest and easiest way of doing it. Transform an outfit from day to evening, or work-wear to social-wear, simply by substituting your shoes, handbag and jewellery for glitzier versions. Et voila!

Necklaces

• If you have a broad or short neck, avoid short or choker style necklaces. Instead, choose longer styles that hang in a V-shape, which will elongate the neck.
• If you have a very long neck, avoid long, thin necklaces which will only exaggerate this feature. Go for shorter, funkier or chunkier styles to break up the space, like the beautiful Red Sea Waves necklace by Carol Shaw (€79), pictured below (also available at Serendipity Shoe Boutique).
• If you are quite busty, then avoid chunky necklaces or scarves that sit on the chest. Instead, go for more delicate styles that sit around the collarbone, drawing attention away from your chest.
• Likewise, if you have a neat bust, experiment with bulky and funky styles.

Earrings

• If you have a short neck, avoid long earrings. Delicate drop earrings will flatter you tremendously, like the stunning Round Drop Earrings from DiamondLite (€80), pictured below.
• If you have a long neck, longer, more dramatic styles are made for you!
• I strongly advice that you wear either a dramatic pair of earrings OR a dramatic necklace - don't wear them both together or the result could be, well, traumatic!
• Avoid styles that are too heavy for comfort - red, stretched earlobes are not a good look.
  

Bags:

• Choose a bag size that is in proportion with your physique e.g. if you are petite, opt for a smaller bag.
• If you are busty, avoid bags with short straps that hang just at the bust; instead, choose a bag with longer straps.
• Likewise, if you have a neat bust, by all means wear a bag with shorter straps, like the summery Pauls Boutique Bag from Asos (£60), pictured below.
• If you have broad hips/thighs/bum, avoid carrying a bag that hangs around these areas (it will draw unnecessary attention to them); instead consider a more flattering length (say, waist-length).

Finally, in the immortal words of Coco Chanel, check in the mirror before you leave the house and remove one accessory. Why? Because less is more of course (see above).

Yours in style,
Caroline

Ryan's Jewellers Wedding Event

To celebrate their 45th year in business, Ryan’s Jewellers, Roches Street, Limerick will be hosting a 2-day in-store wedding event on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th February 2010.

Ryan’s Jewellers have a spectacular range of engagement rings and wedding bands, as well as beautiful gifts for the wedding party.

Style by Caroline will be present on both days giving free make-up trials to Brides-to-Be (if I don't get too distracted by the diamonds that is!) Register for this event on-line at http://www.ryansjewellers.ie/.


Yours in style,
Caroline