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Welcome to the Deco Belle Inc. Jewelry Blog
Friday, March 1, 2013
Not only did many stars wear Art Deco inspired fashions to the 85th Annual Academy Awards, the stage at the Dolby theater in Hollywood itself was adorned in Art Deco glamor. In this image featuring host Seth McFarlane, the ray bands behind him in metallic tones are evocative of the classic Art Deco style, the term originating from the 1925 Paris expo of " Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes", shortened term Arts Décoratifs.
Other classic motifs from this style are geometric shapes, Egyptian zigzags (made popular by the 1922 King Tut tomb discovery), Mayan revival (Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House in Los Angeles embodied the shape of temples from Palenque, and the shape of a Mesoamerican Pyramid served as the inspiration for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo), curves, sunbursts, ray bands, lightning bolts, aerodynamic and streamlined forms. (image courtesy of Bjørn Christian Tørrissen)
This photo featuring Ben Affleck giving his acceptance speech for Best Picture award for Argo, shows the Oscar trophies making up an Art Deco inspired backdrop, complete with large movie reel canisters, the use of gold, silver, and and curves give tribute to that bygone era.
This photo gives a broader picture of the film canisters, and Ted. Was he CGI or a hollogram? Tippet Studiothe visual effects company, in collaboration with the VFX house Iloura brought Ted the incredibly rude teddy bear to life by building an exact replica of the stage used for the Academy Awards, same lighting, cameras, and camera set-ups, at CBS Studios. There Mark Wahlberg and Ted, voiced by Seth McFarlane, filmed 10 different segments, accounting for the 10 possible winners, over a four-week period. The 10 possible outcomes were displayed on Dell Precision workstations. One would think all bases are covered, however one scenario played out that was completely unplanned, a tie for the Oscar in the Sound Editing category between "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall". To remedy this with the glare of the spotlights upon the presenters, Academy Award telecast Director Don Mischer cut back to a live Wahlberg and didn't skip a beat.
During the awards show, Art Deco seemed to be everywhere, most stunning was Halle Berry in custom-made Atelier Versace gown featuring a plunging neckline, ombre stripe detail and mesh beading.
Also noteworthy was Lily Colins in her shimmering royal blue Zuhair Murad creation, with a sheer lace flower bodice and fishtail skirt, and of course First Lady Michelle Obama stunned in a custom made, Naeem Khan silver beaded gown. Art Deco inspired jewelry that we at Deco Belle would pair with these gorgeous dresses are:
Micro pave, hand-set Grade A Cubic Zirconia fleur earrings, each of our CZ items is set in 925 sterling silver with a rhodium plated finish for an anti-tarnish shine.
Art Deco Vintage Inspired red starburst earrings in filigree style and hand-painted enamel. These lovely La Vie Parisienne jewelry items are also available in black and turquoise enamel.
Catherine Popesco white enamel and 14kt gold plated earrings, handmade in Paris for the La Vie Parisienne jewelry collection.
There were an array of Art Deco inspired dresses that evening, Anne Hathaway sang along with costars Amanda Seyfried, Hugh Jackman, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Russell Crowe, while glittering in a sheer, vintage inspired layered dress, and even Catherine Zeta Jones in her reprisal of her role as Velma Kelly singing All That Jazz, complete with Art Deco inspired black fringe dress.
Heidi Klum dared to bare a low plunging neckline in a gold Julien Macdonald gown, and tweeted the designer's sketch for this deco decadent dress.
We also noticed that Quentin Tarantino's girlfriend Lianne Spiderbaby was wearing a Mara Hoffman gown that reminded us of the Art Deco zig zag pattern, while Jane Fonda was sunny bright in a Versace yellow dress. (images courtesy of twitter/heidiklum)
Labels: awards, deco, earrings, event, paris
by: Deco Belle Inc.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
 We're noticing three prominent trends for Fall 2011 jewelry, and Deco Belle global jewelry has been ahead of the curve, having more budget conscious choices to meet these up to the minute looks.
Oversize pendants: Statement pieces that are balanced by their equally eye catching chains, in the Lanvin necklace to the left that means a large open link chain. Available for $1,850 at Barney's.
 At right, Deco Belle necklace from the Paris collection, handmade in France is ornately handcrafted with faceted round Swarovski Austrian crystals in clear and smoke crystal colors. The large 14kt gold plated pendant is hand-pained with white enamel. Available for $150 at DecoBelle.com
 Another beautifully ornate pendant from the same Catherine Popesco designed collection is the copper sun Deco necklace featuring more hand-painted enamel that is staggered to create a 3D effect, and brown Swarovski Austrian crystals, set in 925 sterling silver plate. Available for $80 at DecoBelle.com
Chokers: Both of the above necklaces can be adjusted by their clasps to be either chokers or long necklaces. The cluster lustre necklace can be double layered or be worn quite long, the Art Deco inspired brown necklace can be adjusted from 14" to 42" long.
 Jewel tone colors: Ocean blue, coral, hot pink, deep regal purples, vivid greens, and cobalt blue are paired beautifully with traditional fall colors of grey, brown, and gold.
  Earrings from top: Teal blue Azure Swarovski Austrian crystal round earrings with teardrop Swarovski hanging crystals, Garnet and Quartz Himalaya handcrafted long earrings in hot pink, and wedding earrings in French blue hand-painted enamel and 14kt gold plating, handmade in Paris.
On trend styles, everyday at Deco Belle. We offer international worldwide shipping, and offer free shipping within the US on orders of $30 or more. As with each order, regardless of destination, we package every order with free gift wrapping, a nice presentation for a gift recipient or yourself!
 Labels: crystal, deco, earrings, fashion, necklace, paris, pendant, style
by: Deco Belle Inc.
Monday, November 15, 2010
 Deco Belle Inc. jewelry is featured once more in an editorial photo shoot. Our magazine debut over a year ago, featured Paris handmade jewelry as well with brilliant Swarovski Austrian crystal, pearl, and hand-painted enamel jewelry that is from our Catherine Popesco collection, made in France.
 The editorial images, feature Rock Crystal necklace, Rock Crystal faceted earrings, and Elegant Crystal bracelet, that is available in both crystal clear and champagne. These Swarovski Austrian crystal earrings are also featured on our magazine debut, cover no less!
The photos include only Deco Belle Inc. jewelry, and were photographed by our friend Gene Kosoy of gkweddings.com, and are published on our blog with permission.
  Our Catherine Popesco jewelry includes a certificate of authenticity, custom organza gift bag, and story card detailing how the intricate jewelry is handmade. As with all of our Deco Belle shipments, the order is gift wrapped in our chocolate brown jewelry boxes and tied with our teale gift ribbon, perfect for gift giving, or a gift for the self.
Free shipping on all USA orders of $30 or more, international orders incur shipping charges respective to the destination country. We have many satisfied customers all around the world.
Labels: bracelet, crystal, earrings, magazine, necklace, paris
by: Deco Belle Inc.
 Our latest editorial photo shoot features Paris handmade jewelry with hand-painted enamel jewelry that is from our Catherine Popesco collection, made in France. Also pictured are Shiva Eye double-sided, completely intact, pendants.
Photographs courtesy Gene Kosoy of gkweddings.com, used with permission.
Our Shiva Eye shell jewelry as illustrated below features only intact, double-sided shells. Natural Shiva Eyes are like genuine pearls as they are made up of calcium carbonate and care should be taken not to clean this jewelry in an ultra-sonic jewelry cleaner, nor using a treated jewelry cloth on the surface of the Shiva Eye (nor pearl) shell as the chemicals in the jewelry cloth could react with the calcium carbonate. For more jewelry care tips, please see our articles on the subject.
 This Shiva Eye pendant can be worn with the spiral front, or the clouded back, both are beautiful, and the significance of this can be read on our description of how the Shiva Eye is formed in the shell. The image above also features our hand-painted enamel and 14kt Gold plated Catherine Popesco of La Vie Parisienne earrings.
All of our Catherine Popesco jewellery is gift wrapped with certificate of authenticity, custom organza gift bag, and story card of how the intricate jewelry is handcrafted.
 As with all of our Deco Belle shipments, the order is gift wrapped in our chocolate brown jewelry  boxes and tied with our teale gift ribbon, perfect for gift giving, or a gift for the self.
Free shipping on all USA orders of $30 or more, international orders incur shipping charges respective to the destination country. See what our international and USA customers say about us.
Labels: care, earrings, gift, magazine, necklace, paris, shell, silver
by: Deco Belle Inc.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
 Maria Félix, the most famous star of the golden age of Mexican cinema commissioned two of the most famous Cartier jewelry pieces and is known for her daring and exotic jewelry collection.
At left is an infamous example of an inspiration (the Cartier La Doña de Cartier Watch was developed in 2006 as a tribute to her) that probably shocked even the Cartier Paris salespersons whom attended to her in 1975.
 Ms. Félix was known to love her exotic pets while living in Paris. Having had other pieces commissioned and appreciating the fine craftsmanship from Cartier, she walked into the Paris shop one fine afternoon, and brought a baby crocodile in a jar, asking to have a necklace made to feature the likeness of the crocodile. It is reportedly said that she commented that they should hurry, before the crocodile gets any bigger. And that the designers did, her exquisite jewelry was crafted but a couple of months later.
 It is believed that Maria Felix chose the crocodile to be her amulet as it is a death and rebirth of dynastic beginnings symbol as represented in the Aztec calendar, known as Cipactli. It is also a sacred creature in Egypt, named Sobek and often referred to as Neith, represented by a woman nursing a baby crocodile.
The resulting design was that of two crocodiles, which would be worn together to create a necklace, or separate to be two bracelets. The bodies of the crocodiles contain 524.9 grams of Gold, and are set with:
- 1,023 fancy yellow diamonds
- 1,060 circular-cut emeralds
 Another famous design commissioned by the actress was the famous snake necklace in 1968. This serpent design is made of platinum and white gold, and set with 178.21 diamond carats (2,473 diamonds total). Elongated diamonds are perfectly tapered to fit into the head of the serpent.
The fine craftsmanship allows for hinge movements throughout the entire necklace and it is said that it has the slithery feel and weight of a real snake of that size. The underside is enameled to allow comfort for the wearer of this gorgeous necklace.
The Cartier in America exhibit featuring this and more (especially Art Deco) jewelry at the San Francisco Legion of Honor through May 9th 2010 (extended from its original showing).
 At DecoBelle.com we enjoy exotic animal jewelry as well, from snakeskin patterned 100% Argentinean leather, frog, owl, dolphin, butterfly, bird, dragonfly, bee, to ladybug jewellery and more.
We offer free shipping in the USA on all orders of $30.00 or more, plus free gift wrap on all orders. We ship to all corners of the globe, please see our international mailing rates for more information.Labels: art/lit/film, bracelet, designer, ethnic, fashion, gold, necklace, paris, style, vintage
by: Deco Belle Inc.
Friday, November 27, 2009
What is the difference between Cubic Zirconia, Moissanite, Crystal, Glass, and Rhinestone?(This is the original article, edited version appears in Bride 9 and Mocha Bride Fall 2009 Magazines) In these recessionista times, shiny, budget friendly alternatives are being sought out in lieu of traditional diamonds for necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and even rings, but what exactly is the difference? Diamonds, the standard in clear, brilliant quality, and luxe jewelery is the bar for all other simulations.  Cubic zirconia (CZ), is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium, a metal. Since only the finest and rarest of diamonds are truly colorless, most having a tinge of yellow or brown, cubic zirconia is a good alternative in clarity as in most cases it can be made entirely colorless, equivalent to a perfect "D" on the Diamond Color grading scale.
 The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors to simulate gemstones. Due to its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamonds, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most economically important competitor for diamonds since 1976 when commercial production first began.
 In 1973, Soviet scientists perfected the technique of creating a CZ gem, which they named the jewel Fianit, but the name was not used outside of the USSR and the Soviets published their findings. Once commercial production began in 1976, annual global production grew to 50 million carats (10 tonnes) by 1980. Contemporary production of cubic zirconia is virtually flawless, whereas most diamonds have some sort of defect. Deco Belle.com carries a wide selection of clear, and simulated gemstone Grade A quality CZ jewelry in our China section.
CZ’s main competition as a synthetic gemstone is the more recently cultivated material, synthetic moissanite (named after its Nobel Prize winning discoverer). When first discovered while examining rock samples from a meteor crater located in Canyon Diablo, Arizona in 1893, moissanite was mistaken for diamonds. Its double facet edges (as opposed to single facet edges of a diamond) and its nearly colorless with a grade range of I-J-K on the Diamond Color Grading scale make it difficult to distinguish from diamonds by the untrained eye. Its impressive properties include comparable index of refraction and better than twice the fire of diamond. It is only slightly less expensive than diamonds due to the difficulty in growing the crystals.  Speaking of crystals, all crystals are glass, but not all glass is crystal. What separates the two? Lead. The significance of lead lies in how the refractive index of the finished product increases, straight out shine! In addition to lead, special cutting and polishing processes are used to give crystal glass even more sparkle.
Crystals are often heavier, more delicate, and more expensive than glass, with the ultimate standard in crystal jewelry being Swarovski Austrian. This brand has more fire and brilliance (by adding 32 percent lead creating a high refraction rate) than any other crystal jewelry on the market. In addition different chemical coatings are added to the crystal surface to enhance color and sparkle. The difference is quite remarkable and affordably priced, much less expensive than jewelry made from precious stones. These lovely crystals can be found in our Paris section at DecoBelle.com
 Glass in its most basic form is molten sand that is combined with various additives and cooled with such celerity that crystal structures have no time to form. There is not much brilliance, or fire on the surface of glass jewelry. The best and highest quality glass is handmade Murano glass from the island of Murano, in Venice, Italy. At DecoBelle.com we have a wide selection of handcrafted Murano glass jewelry.
Glass goes even farther with some rhinestones being made of glass. Other rhinestones (so named as originally the rock crystals were gathered from the river Rhine) are synthetically made of crystal or acrylic. The difference between the crystals and rhinestones is not that clear-cut. Rhinestone has a metal or foil backing to reflect light and make the stone glitter. Crystal, on the other hand, requires no backing and is always made of glass and lead that give the stones extra sparkle and brilliance. For dazzling craft projects, rhinestones are fine, but crystals fare better in jewelry presentation and quality. Labels: cz, gemstone, glass, magazine, millefiori, murano, paris, venice
by: Deco Belle Inc.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
 Since ruffles, tulle, and flowers are the Fall 2009 wedding trends (our bestseller page features the latest popular items), lace filigree jewelry is a perfect pairing to complete this look. Lace provides a delicate, vintage feel.
When elegant beading and intricate dress decoration take center stage in this rustic charm trend, jewelry should be simple, and on a small scale to balance the entire look. Browns, creams, grays, gold, crimson, and deeply rich aubergine shades can give a pop of color in the form of colored gemstones, CZ, or crystal jewelry. Pearls are also a hot trend as the lovely off-white color is perfect for fall. Have any questions or seeking jewelry advice from Deco Belle? Send us an e-mail with your "Ask Deco Belle" questions, and it may be featured in a blog.
Labels: art/lit/film, fashion, magazine, paris
by: Deco Belle Inc.
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