Bridal Jewelry - For the Radiant Bride

Finding the perfect dress you have always dreamed about is one of the most fun and important tasks a bride will endeavor. Finding the perfect bridal jewelry for the bride to accessorize with that dress is also fun and essential to completing your look.

So now you have the dress, let's choose your bridal jewelry. When it comes to selecting your bridal jewelry, keep in mind a few items. The first is the style of wedding you will be hosting. Will you be requiring black ties and evening gowns, sandals, exotic flowers and romantic nuptials on the beach? Or a simple no fuss back yard picnic wedding? What ever style of wedding you are hosting can help you determine what style of bridal jewelry you will wear.

The second item to consider when thinking about your bridal jewelry is the theme or colors you will be including in your ceremony and reception. If you are having, for instance a beach wedding or a beach themed wedding, you may want to check out several different bridal jewelry accessory options. Of course with a beach themed wedding, sea shells and white pearls or mother of pearls are a common and practical bridal jewelry choice for your wedding look. Not only will this style and type of bridal jewelry match your theme and occasion, you will be radiantly satisfied with your bridal jewelry accessory selection. You won't need to ask your bridesmaids, mom or closest friends if that selection of bridal jewelry matches - it is the theme and occasion! You will feel confident and as a result beautiful!

Another idea to help in your selection of the bridal jewelry you will wear is the season or month you decide to get married in. While glancing at all the seasons, there are some very practical and obvious choices for the selection of your bridal jewelry. Here are some ideas broken down by seasons below.

Winter Bridal Jewelry Selections - The winter months bring on the beauty of white and shimmering snow flakes. There are many options for bridal jewelry that fit the snow flake theme. If snow flakes really are not your idea of the perfect bridal jewelry, try visualizing clear swarovski crystals that sparkle and shine in the light. Swarovski crystal bridal jewelry is becoming more popular with celebrities and brides alike. If swarovski crystals are too much for the bridal look you desire - try simple white or ivory pearls. Nothing says traditional bride better than beautiful pearls. Pearls are a great selection for your bridal jewelry accessories, as there are so many options. From a simple strand of pearls, to a glamed out pearl choker - your options are limitless.

Spring Bridal Jewelry Selections - Spring time is such a beautiful and "new" time of year. The trees begin to grow leaves, the grass grows, tulips come up - you get the idea. Take inspiration from the newness of the spring months when selecting your bridal jewelry. Don't be afraid to select bright, bold and radiant colors. Traditionally brides wear white, but tradition is not a rule or style you must follow. If you love bright green and you want that to show it in your bridal jewelry accessories - then wear the bright green. This is your day - your way! Your bridal jewelry selection can reflect that style as well.

The flowers you carry down the isle, your bridesmaids' bouquets or the flowers you choose to decorate with can also be used to help you decide on your bridal jewelry. If roses are right up your alley - then rose flowered jewelry may be the perfect bridal jewelry accessory for you. Don't stop with roses, consider all of your flower options, daisies, gardenias, calla lilies, just to name a few.

Summer Bridal Jewelry Selections - Summer is a fantastic and the most popular time of year to get married. Use the beauty and warmth of the summer months to help you decide upon your bridal jewelry. Again, the flowers you choose to carry or decorate with can be a great consideration. Summer time also brings out the kid in all of us - vacations at the lake, picnics in the park, fireworks, you get the idea! If summer is that time of year that brings magic, mystery and fun, consider these factors when selecting your bridal jewelry.

Many summer planned weddings are becoming more often fun and casual events - your bridal jewelry can reflect that as well. This would be a great opportunity to select some fun and trendy bridal jewelry to complete your wedding day look.

Summer weddings many times have bright to soft pastel colors. The options for pearls and crystals are growing in colors and shapes. It is easy to find and coordinate your bridal jewelry colors with the pearl, crystal and stone color options available. Glass pearls and swarovski crystals are coming up and out with so many new colors - you can accessorize with any color imaginable.

Fall Bridal Jewelry Selections - The autumn months bring on a wonderfully beautiful array of colors - new to that season in particular. If you are planning a wedding in the fall or autumn months, there are some very beautiful bridal jewelry options.

Nature is always a great place to begin looking for bridal jewelry ideas and the fall season is not one to let you down. Whether you are a "nature bug" or not, you cannot deny the gorgeous beauty of fall. If you're planning a fall wedding and would like to add some color to you accessories this is the time to do it. The beautiful golds, browns, reds and yellows are just perfect applications for your bridal jewelry.

Whether you choose your bridal jewelry by the theme of your wedding, the formality, the colors or the season, you will wed - your ideas for inspiration are limitless. Keep in mind some of the ideas illustrated in this article and you will be well on your way to beautiful, radiant bridal jewelry.

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Jewelry

Exceptional handcrafted jewelry is designed and handmade by talented jewelers and artisan-jewelers the world over. While many designers create entirely unique designs, others are deeply influenced by their region’s historic cultural and traditional styles.

Jewelry expert Merlly Calisto works closely with hundreds of master artisan-designers in her homeland, Peru. There, she serves as regional director of Novica.com, a worldarts website that assists thousands of artisans worldwide and features each artist’s biography and handcrafted collection online.

In the following interview, Calisto discusses handcrafted jewelry as an art form, and traditional styles and materials of handmade jewelry in Peru. Calisto explains what she looks for when seeking new jewelry designers and collections, who she recommends, and how she became a jewelry expert.

CG: Why does Novica specialize in handcrafted jewelry, instead of machine-made jewelry? What advantages does handmade jewelry provide over mass-produced designs?

MC: Handcrafted jewelry is more challenging. You can feel the artist’s soul in it. For artisans, handcrafted jewelry provides the chance to explore your creativity, to give more of yourself and to make it true, without requiring the artist to invest thousands to get his or her idea developed. With simple tools, basic raw materials, and talented hands, artists can express their feelings and beliefs in this art form, and show off their unique designs and their inherited culture. Machine-made jewelry, on the other hand, requires a significant investment in machines, employees, and many other related costs, while it removes the creative essence from this art.

CG: What are the typical styles of handcrafted jewelry a collector will find in Peru today?

MC: The typical styles for collectors of Peruvian jewelry include Pre-Inca, Traditional, Colonial, and even Modern. We are recognized for our gold and silver mines, which our ancestors put to use with considerable dedication. The most popular use was for the creation of exquisite, carefully handcrafted jewelry. Our ancestors captured their beliefs in their jewelry, and the symbols associated with those beliefs. You will popularly find Peruvian jewelry featuring royal birds, felines, the Sun God, and so forth. Peru is the Land of the Sun. Our Colonial jewelry, despite of being the result of the Conquest of the Americas, shows what our ancestors began to create after they learned an entirely new culture. So our Colonial jewelry merges our ancestor’s unique talents with new beginnings, and typically features a heavier emphasis on flora, rather than the emphasis on fauna that their predecessors maintained. Nowadays the art of jewelry design is opening up further in Peru, becoming a more attractive field for new jewelers who prefer modern jewelry — inspired by our roots, but featuring more abstract shapes and ideas. This means that the Peruvian artist may still express himself in a way that is inspired by our culture, but merged again with new beginnings.

CG: Can you describe more of the details one can expect to enjoy in Pre-Inca, Inca, and other Peruvian handcrafted jewelry designs?

MC: Pre-Inca and Inca jewelry share similarities, because the Inca Empire resulted from the conquest of various Pre-Inca cultures. Inca jewelry expresses the Inca’s beliefs and cosmology. You will find images of felines, people, or birds decorated with snakes or sunbeams which express royalty, power and loyalty. Some of our Pre-Inca cultures used a simple, attractive style to express their beliefs, most of those are still commonly represented in artistry today, and not only in jewelry. Colonial style jewelry is considered an elegant style. A Colonial jewel design, or a Modern jewelry design inspired by colonial times, gives you the sense of seeing something designed for the Queen. Although we do not use diamonds, for example, you cannot confuse this style with a bijouterie — you will feel it as a jewel. Colonial jewelry and Inca-style jewelry are typically stunning handmade works of art, perfect for collectors.

CG: What gemstones and metals are mined in Peru, and commonly found in handcrafted Peruvian jewelry? What about the quality level of those same Peruvian materials?

MC: Nice question, I love it. Do you know why? The Silver Institute has named Peru as the first world silver producer — yes! — followed by Mexico. Regarding gold, we are the first in Latin America, and the fifth in the world. About quality, we are considered one of the best. Regarding gemstones, we have a special stone, the Andean Opal. There is a lot of opal around the world, but Andean Opal is purely Peruvian. From this stone we have Crisocola, which was used by Pre-Incas in their jewelry. Other popular semiprecious stones are Sodalite, Onyx, Obsidian, Jasper, Serpentine, Angelite.

CG: When you are considering representing new handcrafted jewelry artisans, what do you look for, in their design style, materials, and quality? How do you determine those factors?

MC: What I look for first is the meaning of each design — immediately I imagine someone wearing it. Who would be the customer? How does he or she look when wearing this piece? Is it design for a market where the customer looks for something different, to convey tradition, culture, and soul? I usually look for some aspect of our roots, whether the design is modern or traditional. If it expresses Peru in any of its ways, it is of initial interest to me. I find myself grateful when the materials are Peruvian, especially our silver, gold, and local stones. Then, of course it must be carefully crafted and meticulously finished.

CG: Can you please name a handful of your favorite handmade jewelry designers? Please describe why they are your favorites.

MC: IIlaria is one of my favorites. She leans toward the colonial style we discussed, and she really designs for the customer, not for herself. You can view her collection at Novica, to see what I mean.

Patricia Jara is another of my favorites, because most of her items are in the modern style that is nonetheless always inspired by Pre-Inca cultures. Claudia Llaury merges tradition with her way of expressing tradition, in a simple way, and she uses always local materials, including high quality silver. Juan Contreras creates lovely designs, especially his Inca-style designs, such as his “Veil of the Incas” collection. Claudia Lira’s quality is very high, and her jewelry shows that Peruvian artists keep innovating. Anna Lia and Adrian feature a fusion of ethnic elegance and Art Deco, although they do not always use local gemstones. I feel very proud to represent these and many other extraordinary artisans and designers. They are each showcased individually within our Novica Handcrafted Jewelry division.

CG: What led to your experience in the handcrafted jewelry field? Did you begin as a jewelry artist yourself?

MC: I think I am more theoretical than practical. On a personal level, I love jewelry. On a professional level, my experience in jewelry began with a job promoting Peruvianjewelry abroad. For that, I visited many small and well-known workshops to learn about all aspects of jewelry production. I was involved with metal industry deals as well. I participated in expert meetings at the National Industries Society and Mining Society.

Personally, I noticed a lack of finishing expertise, especially in some of the smaller workshops, so I began to organize attendance for technical courses, and began designing educational workshops for small and new jewelers. I learned much over the years, but really never put this knowledge into practice as an artist myself. I have enjoyed participating in international jewelry fairs, including, for example, Iberjoya in Madrid, and I have attended international jewelry symposiums promoted by various international cooperation programs.

I have participated in an important local silver contest called Plata del Peru, sponsored by Patronato de la Plata, as an invited judge. My years with Novica have broadened my experience still further in many ways. Meanwhile, the market has enjoyed great growth, and I now feel myself closer to the market at Novica. New jewelry materials and concepts are always wandering around the world, so I keep learning about what’s new.

I enjoy visiting the Mining Institute, where one can learn much about local gemstones. And I have enjoyed taking some handmade jewelry classes to become more practically involved with our artists. Every so often I visit jewelry suppliers to see what is new, and to be updated about prices. I must stay up-to-date on all prices so that I can better assist artists, and understand their cost needs. It is a complex and fascinating profession!

Catherine Gallegos serves as editor-in-chief of Novica (part of the National Geographic family), a retail site featuring the handmade creations of artisans worldwide, including handcrafted jewelry.