More Social Media Mania or Follow Us on Instagram

What can I say...we've been busy here at Beladora
But we have finally gotten around to posting on Instagram.

Here's an example of some of our photos

What do you think?

If you are on Instagram check us out.

Of course you can also find us on Facebook and Pinterest too.

Yesterday we had a photo shoot with our gorgeous model Emily Montague.
She is a sweet as she is pretty and such pleasure to work with.

Here are some behind the scenes shots.

The finished images will be up on Beladora.com soon.

The Awesome Aldo Cipullo

Yes, it has been many many months since I've posted to this blog
Of course I've been busy,
not just with business, and the new Beladora.com which we launched a few months ago,
but with family life
Which is a really good thing

But so much has happened out there in the blogosphere
which I have been barely keeping up with
Pseu has launched an amazing new blog
Lisa has become engaged and is getting married soon
and both of these brilliant and hard working bloggers
kept up with their busy lives,
and
they've kept up with their regular posting
and
even guest posted for Already Pretty
here and here
Their perseverance and work ethic inspires me

I've actually been deleting old random posts
It is long process and I still have more than 1600 posts to edit
One of these days I will get to finishing this project

In the meantime
Here I am in all of my vintage Aldo Cipullo for Cartier glory

I've seen a lot of vintage estate jewelry over the years....and I mean A LOT
Honestly, I don't really get exited about it unless it is really special in terms of its uniqueness, design and provenance
Recently we purchased a group of items by the great designer for Cartier, Aldo Cipullo

Yes, that Aldo Cipullo, the man that created the Love bracelet and the Nail bracelet for Cartier
and yes, I am excited about them
You can read all about the amazing Aldo here on our Beladora blog
And here are a couple of his pieces

Big, bold, geometric and gold
What's not to love?

Aldo Cipullo for Cartier Black Onyx Circles Pendant

Aldo Cipullo for Cartier Black Onyx Circles Bracelet

I can just imagine some 1970's disco babe wearing these items 

with her sexy Halston jumpsuit at Studio 54

can't you?

These pieces aren't for everyone, they are certainly for collectors

but we are so happy to be able to offer such an important collection of jewelry

After the last time I posted my image on this blog, I swore that I would never do it again

But this jewelry needs to be show being worn

Et voila

Beladora 2 - Shop The Sale!

 

The little elves have been busy here at the Beladora HQ

because we have big changes in store for 2013  

So, now is time to shop the Last Chance sale 

at Beladora2.com

  

We've marked prices down to below wholesale levels

and

Whatever doesn't sell is going to disappear forever 

to the world of melt-ville

So, if you are looking for a vintage jewelry gift

Here's the link to the sale page

 

Playing With Polyvore - End of Summer Style

It's hard for me to believe that Labor Day coming up this weekend and we are at the end of Summer.
Summer, like my two week vacation,  flew by.
Not quite ready to get back to business here at Beladora
I've put together this pink and green polyvore ensemble, with antique pink sapphire and ruby jewelry, to remind me of day along the shore of  Lac Lehman in Montreux.

Sizzling Summer Color on Lake Geneva by belledeville featuring an origami shirt

J Crew floral pencil skirt
jcrew.com

Kenneth Cole bow shoes
zappos.com

18k ring
beladora2.com

Ted baker eyewear
tedbaker-london.com

Origami shirt
sanctuaryclothing.com

Flower brooch
beladora.com

Teardrop earrings
beladora.com

Around Town - Moncler Comes To Rodeo Drive

Summer has finally arrived in Beverly Hills
but with a new neighbor like this next door
I feel as though I should be expecting arctic temperatures

 Moncler makes magnificent winter wear

but it is so strange to see such heavy parkas here in Beverly Hills in high summer

But Autumn is in the air at Beladora
and at ELLE and InStyle magazines

 I love this blue and green enamel flower brooch on this Mod patterned suit in this month's ELLE

 

Blue and Green Enamel Flower Brooch with Diamonds in 18K

and these antique diamond rings from Beladora 2

on Jessica Biel on the cover of this month's InStyle

Finally, I will have certainly Fall weather to deal with next week when I arrive in Dublin

Here is the weather forecast

Yikes...or rather Brrrrrr!

 Next summer I will plan my vacation in a country whose latitude isn't the same as southern Alaska.

How To Wear Estate Jewelry - The Chanel J-12 Watch in White For Summer

I love white jeans for the summer
don't you?
They pair perfectly with navy, black and tan tops and blazers
which are all staple colors in my wardrobe
This summer in addition to my white jeans I would like to wear this Chanel J-12 diamond watch in bright white.
It's not too fancy and it's not too fussy.

Here's the close-up shot

I'm not necessarily a fan of all things Chanel, but I do think that this watch is cool.
What do you think?
What will you wear with your white jeans this summer?

How To Wear Estate Jewelry - Cuffed Like Charlize Theron

We were very happy to provide jewelry for the feature shoot with Charlize Theron for InStyle Magazine.She looks so pretty on the cover.

And I love the way that the stylist paired this coppery goddess gown

with this Tiffany Cuff bracelet from Beladora.com
Engraved with a date from 1914, it is amazing to think that this vintage Tiffany cuff is almost 100 years old. It is certainly as wearable today as it was in the Art Deco Era.

And then we have Ms. Theron looking long, leggy and lovely in these feature shots in basic black
mixing it up with these bracelets from Beladora.com

I have no special plans for this holiday weekend but I am looking forward to what I hope to be a couple of warm sunny days to relax with a book.
Do you have special plans for this weekend?

How To Wear Estate Jewelry - Amethysts With Gray For Workwear Everyday

Inspired by Lisa at Amid Privilege who gets to wear jeans and a sweater to work
(and she looks great in them)
I thought that I would post my work wardrobe today.

It won't be a surprise to anyone who reads BHB and who knows my uber thrifty ways
that I spend the minimum on my clothing
and on the kind of trendy accessories that will either wear out and/or go out of style in a matter of months.
Since simplicity is the key to my work wardrobe, I tend to wear only gray, navy and black clothes at the office and accent those clothes with scarves and jewelry.

So voila, my outfit du jour
a charcoal gray suit by Calvin Klein ($39 at Ross), a purple t-shirt by Anne Klein ($12 at Marshalls) and a purple floral scarf by Mango ($29 at JC Penny).

But I do invest in things that are durable and that have actual intrinsic value, such as estate jewelry.
(Costume jewelry may be on trend but it has zero intrinsic value, trust me on this)

I love purple and gray as a color combination so I tend to pair amethysts with my gray wardrobe.

Amethyst and Diamond Ring in 14K from Beladora2.com $495

Amethyst Collar Necklace in Silver from Beladora2.com $395

Do you have a a particular color combination that you favor?
And, does your work wardrobe tend to have a different color palate than the rest of your clothes?

Around Town - The Los Angeles Garden Tour

Today we had a perfect sunny day for the annual Los Angeles Garden Tour

sponsored by the Friends of Robinson Gardens



Most of the ladies at the event were in floaty flowery frocks and big hats
but I dressed down for the occasion
in a khaki cotton suit by Nine West ($24.99 at Ross!),

and hot pink Escada loafers and Celine bag, both vintage 2001

After seeing my my belted khaki suit...perhaps more appropriate for an African safari...
(yeah...as if I had my own Denys Finch Hatton to take me big game hunting...and then wash my hair alfresco)
my daughter kindly asked me where my bolt action rifle was.
I responded by accessorizing with vintage jewelry rather than buck shot.

like this antique Victorian diamond flower brooch in 18K
appropriate I thought for spending time some of the prettiest gardens in the city

and these adorable diamond earrings in 18K

and in the spirit of keeping it simple
a Cartier watch and a diamond line bracelet in 18K.

I would have posted some images of the amazing gardens that I walked through today
but we were not allowed to take photos on the tour in order to protect the privacy of the homeowners.
Fair enough. 
The last garden on the tour, which I missed because I had to get back to the office,
was at the Playboy Mansion.

I heard that it was amazing with mature redwoods, the famous grotto, peacocks and even a zoo!
Apparently, there were no bunny sightings on the property.

Estate Jewelry Look of the Day - How To Wear An Antique Slide Necklace

Have I mentioned before that I love jewelry?That would be pretty much all jewelry, old and new,
and I especially love seeing antique or vintage jewelry
worn in a modern and fresh way.
Here's an example

A caftan style shift with simple lines worn with an antique necklace from Beladora2

Antique Victorian Turquoise Slide Necklace in 14K

Every time I pick up a piece of antique jewelry I wonder about many things.

Who was the original owner?

Did she get the item as a gift and if so for what purpose?

What was her life like when she was wearing the piece?

Was she happy or sad?

In some ways, holding an antique in my hand is like having one part of a story or one piece of a historical puzzle, and I can't help but want to have the rest of the pieces in order to put the puzzle together and to know the whole story.

But since that can't be done, I'll settle for wearing that antique piece now and creating a new story to go with it.

Flower Gifts For Mother's Day - Beladora Style

Since a bouquet of actual posies can bring on an allergy attack...I actually saw that happen last week,
may I suggest giving Mom a non allergy inducing floral gift from Beladora or Beladora 2.

Vintage Retro Blue Zircon Ring in 14K from Beladora2.com for $295

or

Multi-Gemstone and Diamond Flower Ring from Beladora.com for $995

You know she's so love these...
I'm off to spend Mother's Day in Laguna Beach with my mother.
I hope that you are spending the day with your mother too.

All Kinds Of Awesome

What I'm crazy in love with now

Antique Diamond Bracelet in 18K and Silver

history and art combined
it is all kinds of awesome

How To Wear Estate Jewelry or Not Your Grandmother's Pearls

Pearls, as we all know come in a variety of sizes.
So...what is the correct size to wear?

Our favorite pearl expert at  Passage des Perles blog addressed this question today
She likes her classic pearl strand in size 9 mm and larger,
and agree with her that larger sizes are appropriate for women of a certain age
like me.

I like all pearls, the classic single, double and triple strands as well as opera length.
Who doesn't?
Some my find them boring, but I don't.
But that's not to say that I don't also adore pearls used in edgier more contemporary jewelry designs
such as this Tahitian Pearl negligee pendant necklace

Here's the close up

The necklace is designed with faceted fancy colored diamond beads from which two large Tahitian pearl drops (16 mm), hang unevenly and thus the name negligee...as if this was the base of a bow tied loosely.

Totally wearable or over the top...

What do you think?

September Stories and Garden Galas

Over the summer I like to take a break from serious reading.
What about you?

Here are some of the books that I've read in the last month.

The George R.R. Martin series starting with the Game of Thrones.
If you like an epic story with political intrigue among competing clans, characters with unbridled ambition who are willing to destroy all in their paths in their lust for power, kind of like Washington D.C., these books are for you.
Consider them to be a sort of a Lord of the Rings type fantasy, except darker, much darker.
Jill, has read these books too and she's as anxious as I am for the final book to be released.

The 19th Wife, is the story of Eliza Young, the apostate renegade wife of Brigham Young who publicly denounces polygamy, cleverly interwoven with a murder mystery involving a contemporary 19th wife of Fundamentalist LDS cult member.  Ebershoff combines the development of Mormonism in 19th Century with the cult's bizarre behavior in the 21st Century. Of particular interest to me was the history of "hand cart" migration of European immigrants.  Their treatment was deplorable.

If you enjoy well written historical fiction you will like Cleopatra's Daughter.  Did you know that Roman women worried about stretch marks from pregnancy?  I didn't either.

I'm a huge fan of the New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva.  He writes amazing international thrillers centered on a main character who is an artist and art restorer.  I recently finished The Rembrandt Affair and Portrait of a Spy. If you like thrillers, I highly recommend these books, but start from the beginning of the series because the story and the characters evolve with each new book.

When not reading it's been all fancy pants parties and soirees for me.

Well not really but I was happy to attend the 100 anniversary gala for the Friends of Virginia Robinson Gardens.  It was a beautiful event held in the gardens of Viginia Robinson's home, the first estate built in Beverly Hills in 1911.

Look how pretty the tables were under the lights suspended above the lawn.  And I loved the way that pink shawls were provided for all the ladies because it was a little chilly after the sun went down.

The guests were treated to a water ballet as pre-dinner entertainment which I thought was charming until the silk chiffon of  the hem of my dress sopped up water left by the swimmers on the brick path next to the pool. Luckily, no permanent damage was done, because I really loved my dress.

You might think that my gown was a little too 'mother of the bride-ish', but I thought that it was rather Edith Wharton-ish.

My peeps from Patrick McMullin liked it too...and why will they only sell hard copy prints instead of digital jpegs?

I thought that the french blue color of my dress was perfect for this suite of moonstone and diamond jewelry as you can see from the before photo.

And here is the after photo...specifically after a couple of glasses of wine photo. 

The jewelry looks good but what's up with my shiny forehead?

We've been busy buying at Beladora and hopefully I will be able to show you some awesome Art Deco pieces soon.