I always get very excited when I make a new discovery… and this month it’s the fabulous Sultanesque. Recently whilst idly wandering around the Ideal Home Show - yes I know, not very me but was there purely to satisfy my sad addiction to gadgets - a small jewellery stand close to one of the stages caught my eye. There’s nothing like a bit of twinkle and shimmer to draw me in to take a closer look. This is where I met the two young designers Havva and Berrin who are the founders of the newly launched Sultanesque. They are indeed the purveyors of the finest and most affordable contemporary handcrafted Ottoman jewellery. These two Turkish friends formed an alliance in 2011 in order to follow their passion for jewellery making. Thus they’ve combined their creativity and vision to produce these authentic statement pieces.
Each of the items is traditionally made by special workshops in Turkey. A favourite with The Amazing Blog are the rings that are made using bronze that is then hand plated with 22 carat gold and have either three or four large semi-precious stones from just £30 (very YSL catwalk a/w 12 we think!). I bought the Aydan Three-in-One Rings which are crafted from 925 Silver, with white zirconia and semi- precious stones. These fit snuggly as either all three rings together or can be worn separately and for such well-constructed rings, they’re an absolute steal at £45. Ahem… and my purchases didn’t stop there, I couldn’t resist the real freshwater pearl Vahideh Bracelet with its intricate design great attention to detail; a stunning clasp fashioned in bronze then hand plated with 22 carat gold, with semi-precious stones all of which gave it a truly vintage feel. And with the temptation of yet another exceptional price-point from Sultanesque at an astonishing £55 for this finely crafted item – it was a done deal. All pieces are limited so don’t wait too long to purchase. Best of all you’re not going to find yourself wearing the same jewellery item as your peers (i.e. you know, like from that well-known emporium Top****).
Stylish Sami Bracelets
I am a person who absolutely loves to accessorize. Yet I find it incredibly difficult to discover a special product that looks unique yet fabulous all in one. I believe I have found one of those uniquely brilliant products with Comfy Clogs line of Swedish Samibracelets. The Swedish Lapland leather bracelets are gorgeous and unique mixed with all sorts of creative energy.
The collection of bracelets features traditional braiding used in original Sami culture as well as modern and hip new styles with beads and pearls. There is a style for every personality, and even every gender! The products are great for women as well as men.
The bracelets are made using Sami embroidery with pewter wire on reindeer leather or top grade lambskin. This traditional Sami culture craft is coveted throughout the world and normally sold at insane prices. All of the work is so intricate and well made it is hard to imagine sitting down and making! No wonder the beautiful bracelets are so coveted.
The company also has a wide range of clogs (hence the name Comfy Clogs) that use the same quality of craftsmanship and style of the bracelets. You can order the browse and order products on their website. For additional information you can call Cecilia on 0781 575 0340 or 020 8780 9767.
So whether you are looking for the latest addition to your jewellery collection or just looking for a way to treat someone you love (don’t worry that someone can be yourself), check out Comfy Clogs’ brilliant Swedish Samibracelets.
Hello! I’m a 10:10 Tag
Yes, there's more to this cute little carbon-cutting charm than meets the eye...but what is it you ask? That's exactly what I was wondering when I saw it in a women's glossy last month. Lucky talisman? Eco symbol? Carbon cutting fashion statement?...Well whatever you want it to be really... this little "charmer" is probably one of the few pieces of jewellery ever to have been made from a plane that should have crashed but didn't. The 10:10 Tag is part of a worldwide carbon emission cutting campaign that's celebrated on Sunday 10th October (10:10:10). On this globally recognised day people around the world will be doing their thing, big or small, to help cut carbon emissions by at least 10% and make our world a better, cleaner place to live.
The tag is made from the body of a Boeing 747 jet forced to make an emergency landing in 1982 when it flew ito a plume of volcanic ash en route to Auckland from Heathrow. Frighteningly, all four engines failed almost simultaneously, it should have crashed, but amazingly the plane managed to land in Jakarta and no one died. The lucky near-miss made headlines and became known as the "Jakarta Incident".
So what happened to the plane? Well she's been melted down and forged into 150,000 lovely little 10:10 tags, a stylish way to show the world you're cutting your 10% in 2010. (Mine came in the post with a black bracelet/necklace cord and I haven't taken it off since it popped through the post box).
Worn by Hugh Jackman, Sienna Miller and Daisy Lowe to name a few, this extraordinary, symbolic mini chunk of metal has just sold out on the 10:10: website but it's still available (£3 from O2 shops nationwide) - so if you want one you had better be quick!
You can even watch how the tags were made...click on the "747 to 10:10 in 34 seconds" video link on this page:
http://www.1010global.org/uk/tags
For more info see www.1010global.org/uk
FK