Is “get noticed more” one of your New Year’s Resolutions? It should be! Take it from ‘Bama, self confidence pays off handsomely. One way to achieve it might be to don the wearable art by Rina Limor, who has been designing jewelry for more than 30 years. No wonder her style transcends generations. I could see both Diane Kruger and Diane Keaton wearing the pieces.

Hot Tip:
Although bold bangles and cuffs complements any outfit, dressy or casual, you should spotlight the piece in a sophisticated way by simmering down the rest of your ensemble. Think a cream color pantsuit, or even a white tee and jeans! Maximize your wrist; I guarantee great returns.

Visit the Rina Limor website for more info.

If your birthday is in January, then your birthstone is the garnet!

I first discovered the beauty of this gemstone last summer on a trip to the Czech Republic. And everything I’ve seen of them since then has only made me love them more!

The garnet gets its name from the Latin word for pomegranate – these juicy red gems do look an awful lot like pomegranate seeds! They’re a nesosilicate and can range in color from the standard red to blue or green – they can even be colorless! At a 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs scale, I’d say that this deep red gem is a pretty solid investment.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the ways to wear this beautiful birthstone!

Affordable Accent

A glint of gold is a subtle way to set off this gorgeous pendant. Dana Kellin’s classic pendant showcases everything that this deep red beauty should be. And the best part of it is that it’s totally affordable!

The Investment Piece

Ever feel the need to relax? Well, Sydney Evan knows just how you feel. Her simple bracelet of garnet beads also boasts a sacred om symbol. So you can rest easy, knowing that you can relax and look great!

Living in Luxury

You January garnets have sparkling personalities, but these brilliant David Yurman earrings might give you a run for your money!

What a great way to start off a whole new year of birthstones! So to all you passionate January garnets out there, get down to the depths of your souls and be the beautiful people that you are!

Warmly,
Olivia

I spent my entire childhood trying to be cool. I would watch TV and see some bad biker girl wearing a zippered leather jacket, riding a Harley, and I would wish that I could be cool enough to pull that off.

Well, that was a long time ago, and I no longer want to be a biker girl. But jewelry designer Kate Cusack (actually, she prefers “visual artist”) has the perfect fix for my inner bad girl.

Kate Cusack designs jewelry out of fabric zippers. I love that her designs are so surprisingly elegant, but still have that “bad girl” edge! Jewelry made out of zippers! So innovative!

It’s so nice to know that I can be a well-dressed good girl without stifling the bad girl within.

Paradoxically,
Olivia

When I was in junior high, my mascot was the owl. I hated it. I wished we at least had a mascot that wasn’t portrayed as a geeky professor in cartoons.

Well, I’m much (much) older and (a little) wiser now, so I think I’ve earned the right to wear my old mascot proudly. And since I don’t wear stonewashed jeans or layered socks anymore, I don’t have to do it in a way that makes me look like a dork.

This adorable brooch by Tiffany & Co. shows so much more than school spirit. This brooch oozes class (thanks to the simple, but still adorable, design), fashion sense (owls are so in right now), and luxury (what part of “Tiffany & Co.” did you not understand?).

I’m almost two decades too late, but I think it’s about time I started supporting my school’s mascot, don’t you?

Spiritedly,
Olivia

January 1st marks the beginning of a new year and the end of the holiday season.

It also ushers in the time for New Year’s Resolutions. Losing weight is always a popular resolution, especially after so much holiday feasting. Well, this New Year, maybe jewelry and the healing power of gemstones can give you a little extra help.

Amazon.com jewelry vendor Seeds of Light creates jewelry that utilizes the energy of gemstones to help you achieve your resolution.

In this Dream Seeds weight loss amulet by Seeds of Light, sodalite regulates metabolism and aids digestion. Amethyst heals food and substance addictions. Obsidian fights cravings and shields you from negative energy. Tourmaline encourages energy flow – very helpful when exercising. Last, but not least, clear quartz activates and focuses positive energy, and ushers out negativity.

Keep in mind that another popular New Year’s Resolution is to be more open-minded, and I think we have a winner in this weight-loss amulet. Just because chunky jewelry is in doesn’t mean that your body has to follow suit!

Energetically,
Olivia

I can’t believe that tomorrow will be 2009.

This year has just flown by! It seems like only yesterday that we posted our very first blog. We’ve come so far since we began, and it’s been a wonderful journey.

I think it’s fitting for us to close out 2008 by looking back at it and remembering our (well, my) favorite blog posts of the year.

10. Interview with Crickette Brown Glad

You never forget your first.

Jewelry designer Crickette Brown Glad of Between the Cleavage was my very first interviewee here at WooMeOver. It was a real pleasure to meet Crickette and her bright, joyful jewelry designs!

9. Opal

I just can’t get over how beautiful my birthstone is! After so many years coveting the sapphire, it’s such a relief to finally fall in love with my own birthstone: the opal!

8. Palladium

This precious metal gets my vote for the best value in precious metals today! I can’t believe it’s as strong as it is, but still so affordable! And palladium is as beautiful as platinum!

7. Pendant Watches

This was probably my favorite jewelry trend of 2008. So adorable, but so functional! I love it when practical meets pretty!

6. Interview with Rita Chung

Rita Chung of Asian2Woman was the first jewelry designer that I was able to meet and interview face-to-face. Her personality is even more vibrant than her beautiful jewelry designs! I had so much fun interviewing her!

5. How to Find a Great Engagement Ring

Since so much of our website is geared towards women, it’s great to throw something in there for the guys to read every once in a while – while helping out the ladies at the same time!

4. Alice (on Acid) in Wonderland

One of the best things to happen to WooMeOver this year was the addition of blogger Jewelz to our staff. My personal favorite post of Jewelz’s was this one about Summerpoet Studios’ jewelry inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

3. Markéta Hrabetová

What would WooMeOver be without our Woobies? Since we haven’t launched anything but our blog at this point, I haven’t gotten to meet very many of our fans. But this jewelry enthusiast from the Czech Republic was more than happy to show off the inside of her jewelry box.

2. Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bras

The number one post on our entire website is Jewelz’ post about Victoria’s Secret’s Fantasy Bras. It’s got bling, babes, bras – what’s not to like?

1. Frank Gehry

I know that I keep coming back to this one, but I can’t help it. I’m head-over-heels in love with Frank Gehry’s provocative jewelry designs!

It’s been a great year. And we here at WooMeOver just want to thank all of our faithful Woobie readers for frequenting our Bling Blog and supporting us!

Thanks for a wonderful 2008. Here’s to an even better 2009!!

Celebrating Good Times (Come On!),
Olivia

We recently did a feature in our Trend Watch on candy-colored jewels. Well, the only things that girls enjoy as much as sweets are flowers!

A recent trend is combining all of our favorite things: bejeweled flowers in an assortment of candy-colors! These days, there’s no such thing as too big, too bright, or too bold.

Unlike the pastel posies of old, these blooms are anything but sickly-sweet. This trend isn’t for the prim, old maids of yesteryear, but for the floral fashionistas of today!

Personally, I’ve got awful sinus allergies, so the jeweled flowers are the ones I enjoy the most. I get all of the beauty with none of the runny noses. And with the New Year and its resolutions just around the corner, candy will soon be scarce in Olivia’s cupboards. So this trend comes right in time!

What a great way for a girl to get flowers, candy and jewelry without sneezes, weight gain – or even a boyfriend!

Stopping to Smell the (Fake, But Gorgeous) Roses,
Olivia

When I was a little girl, I thought that “costume jewelry” was the jewelry that you use to play dress-up.

I wasn’t that far off. But instead of dressing up like a princess, the idea is more to dress up like a fashionista.

Dictionary.com defines costume jewelry as “jewelry made of nonprecious metals, sometimes gold-plated or silver-plated, often set with imitation or semiprecious stones.” This is what separates it from fine jewelry, which uses precious metals and precious stones.

There used to be a bigger distinction between precious and semiprecious stones back in the day, but the line between the two have gotten fuzzier in recent days.

Since the materials used to make costume jewelry are less expensive, costume jewelry is a great way to keep up with a trend without breaking the bank.

Much of the jewelry we’ve featured in our Trend Watch has been costume jewelry. It’s the best way to get the trends on the cheap!

One of my favorite places to go for good costume jewelry is Neiman Marcus. They’ve got an excellent selection by a variety of top designers.

I love this Kenneth Jay Lane pavé crystal cuff! It’s the look of pavé diamonds (a trend that we recently covered) at a fraction of the cost!

I used to have a chemistry teacher whose motto was: “Work smarter, not harder.” And when it comes to finding great jewelry, I think what Mrs. O’Donnell said totally applies.

Smartly,
Olivia

Habari Gani (the traditional Swahili greeting on Kwanzaa – Swahili for “What’s the news?”)! Joyous Kwanzaa, everyone!

Kwanzaa was created to help African-Americans reconnect to their African heritage, but has evolved into a holiday celebrated by people of all races that believe in the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba).

We’ve found some jewelry this Kwanzaa that embodies each of the Seven Principles so that you can show your solidarity through jewelry!

1. Unity (Umoja)

This Ippolita ring looks like a bunch of stackable rings, but is actually one ring. What a beautiful symbol of many people coming together as one on Kwanzaa, a holiday that celebrates unity!!

2. Self-Determination (Kujichagulia)

This principle stresses the importance of knowing thyself. And we’ve found these beautiful earrings by jewelry designer Jeanine Payer with a poignant quote by Henry David Thoreau: “Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.” Feel the dawn in you through jewelry this Kwanzaa.

3. Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima)

When two people work together, the collaboration can often be a beautiful marriage of two different styles. This is certainly the case for my favorite collaboration in jewelry history – that of Tiffany & Co. and architect/jewelry designer Frank Gehry. I think that Gehry’s Flux Cuff illustrates my point. What an appropriate Kwanzaa jewelry gift!

4. Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa)

It’s not only important for people within a community to work together, but also for them to build and maintain businesses together. The business collaboration between San Francisco’s Art People Gallery and jewelry designer John S. Brana is a symbiotic relationship. They help each other, and the consumer gets great jewelry, like this amethyst pendant. Jewelry lovers always win on Kwanzaa!

5. Purpose (Nia)

If we want to do anything positive with our lives, we need to remember that we have a purpose on this earth. And the Karma necklace by Dogeared is a great jewelry reminder that “what goes around, comes around.” So maybe we should do our best this Kwanzaa to give as good as we want to get.

6. Creativity (Kuumba)

This Kwanzaa, leave our world a more beautiful place than when you came into it. One of the best ways to do this is to go green! These Coffee Cuffs by Bentwood for Contexture Design are made from reclaimed architectural veneer offcuts, so you know that no trees were cut down to make them. And since they’re formed around real coffee cups, they’ll slip easily from your wrist to your morning latte, so that you can save a few trees from being turned into coffee cup sleeves. What a creative way to combine jewelry and eco-awareness!

7. Faith (Imani)

Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admit that the election of our country’s first African-American president is a monumental event. And if you believe that our nation can become a better place, then you have to have hope. ALF Jewelry and Metals has created an exclusive Hope pendant based on Barack Obama’s campaign logo (the entire Obama family sported them on Election Day). Show your faith in our great nation! This Kwanzaa, that you have hope for a bright future!

Even if you aren’t African-American, you can still celebrate Kwanzaa. And, better yet, you can celebrate Kwanzaa with jewelry!

Joyously,
Olivia

Happy Holidays, everybody!

We’ve talked all year about bling for you, but how about a little bling for your Christmas tree?

Tiffany & Co. makes a beautiful ornament based on their famous “blue box.” What a great way to bling out your Christmas tree – and drop a fatty hint, too.

You’ve been good all year and wished and written to Santa. Now the holidays are finally here and you can just celebrate! May you find something shiny with your name on it under your Christmas tree!

Happy Holidays to Woobies everywhere!

Merrily,
Olivia