Sunday spotlight - Mociun

Happy Sunday! I wish I could say it was a "sunny Sunday" but nope, we've had a visit from the April showers today. But hey-ho, it has meant that I have been able to obsessively research things for the wedding & cook a lovely roast pork dinner. I'd love to take credit for the roast pork dinner, but the ingredients came from Waitrose and I don't think anyone could cook a bad meal from Waitrose ingredients! 

Anyway, back to the jewels. An email from YLANG23 reminded me that I've not shared one of my favourite designers with you yet - Mociun [pronounced motion]. 

One of my favourite things about Mociun is Caitlin's use of turquoise. I love the stuff; it's vibrant & eye-catching and pairs so very well with gold and diamonds, and Mociun uses a lot of all three of these things. 

As it was inspiration from YLANG23 that encouraged me to write this blog entry, it's only fair that I start with my favourite items from their website.

Mociun's mismatched stud earrings are delightful. I adore mismatched jewellery, and these are a great balance between being fun and not cheap! 

Squares: 14 karat yellow gold; turquoise and two baguette diamonds; £542.47. 

Triangles: 14 karat yellow gold; turquoise and diamonds; £246. 

[There are also oblongs and circles, and triangles in black onyx and lapis] - black onyx and lapis are another two of my favourite stones. 

Peach sapphire mix ring: One of a kind; 14 karat yellow gold; peach sapphires; £2,031.11. 

Now on to the Mociun website... 

I discovered Mociun when I was shopping for my wedding rings. The following ring was in my top two and lost out only to the one I finally ordered. I am at peace with this as I think I'll still buy it one day. 

Single band moon and stars ring: $734. 

Turquoise and diamond ring: $1,587. 

Etched lines band: $345. 

Stacked sapphire ring [with red diamonds]: $874. 

Moon and stars ring: $2,277.

 Turquoise and diamond square circle triangle necklace: $1,898. 

There we have it, some of my favourite pieces [not all, I need to save some for another time]. I hope you've seen many things that you like. 

What else have I been looking at today? Well... 

This beautiful running fox locket from Heather Scott. It's hand engraved and just perfect, in my opinion. It even has a lovely heart on the catch. 

I've also been eyeing up some vintage Chanel pieces. I need to have at least one piece in my life pretty soon. Here's a gorgeous bracelet for us to look at for now. Don't even get me started on all the lovely earrings and necklaces. 

Finally, from Anthropologie, I cannot stop popping by to look at this Azolla bib necklace. I'd love to team this up with a black maxi skirt and black vest. 

 

And I was going to treat myself to these bracelets, but the website says they run small at only 6.5 inches. My wrists struggle with a 7 inch, so it's a no go for me, which is sad. 

We've also spent part of today looking at vintage watches and tie pins for my Groom to wear for our wedding. I'd give up new before I gave up vintage. There are so many lovely pieces already out there for us to enjoy. 

Anyway, I've rambled enough. I'll be back soon...

Thanks for reading, 

L. x

Coachella weekends - what to wear

It's Coachella in California this past weekend and next and I thought it would be nice to recommend some accessories to wear to such an occasion. Of course, with it being so far away, it's more likely that most of us will be bopping along to Radio One in our gardens this weekend, but we still have to look good, right? 

I'm going with ASOS for this one; we don't want to wear our diamonds to a festival, oh no. We want bright, fun fashion that won't break the bank. 

What am I looking for? Well, when I think of music festivals I think of colour; coral and turquoise come to mind, as well as the hippy vibe - feathers, beads, charms, and trinkets. Also, a girl just wants to have fun so I'd do a lot of layering. Let's hope ASOS doesn't let me down....

Colour: 

This coral coloured bracelet by Warehouse is a steal for £8. It'll add a splash of colour to any bracelet stack. Perfect for the festival scene. 

Another gem by Warehouse is this mist green beaded bracelet and again it's £8. 

These ASOS feather and bead earrings will make you stand out from the crowd. £6 for these turquoise feather stunners. Could they be more "festival"? 

If those earrings don't get you noticed, this fringe necklace will do. Again, it has just the right amount of colour and will look fabulous as you dance all night... £12. 

This hammered necklace by Ottoman Hands is a little pricier at £62, but it's stunning and perfect festival-wear. This piece is right up my alley. 

For £8 you can add this coral coloured bead necklace to your colour collection. 

Shapes:

This ASOS triangle necklace is super fun and great for layering. It's really long and oversized, and I think it looks great on the model. 

Another treat from Ottoman Hands is these stunning earrings. Triangles, and stones, and hammered metals - oh my! 

Perfect triangle stud earrings for only £10. 

Trinkets & charms:

This necklace is really long and really cool. I adore things with moons and stars on them; it's so 90s and I can't get enough. £12. 

This necklace is really fun for £12 and the pink tassel adds an element of fun to any look. 

I love, love this charm necklace. It has stars, and skulls, and tassels - seriously, it's fab. £15. 

Does it get cooler and more 90s than a choker necklace?! £5.

This moon charm necklace is a great combo of moon and sparkle. £6. 

OTHER:

This is the "other" section, for the bits and bobs which don't fit in the above categories... 

I couldn't leave out this amazing Aztec necklace by New Look. It's oversized, it has chevrons, it has a fabric "chain", what more does it need?? £7.99. 

This double row necklace is great for layering. I love layered necklaces and this one is really pretty. £12. 

FINALLY, there's this amazingly pretty and beautiful unicorn ring by Dogeared. £33 and it looks like it's worth every, single, penny. 

Well, that's everything from me. I hope you found something you like the look of. All of these pieces would look lovely whether you're bopping along at Coachella or strumming to the radio whilst BBQ'ing your sausages. Make a statement, be bold, dance like no one is watching. 

Thanks for reading. 

L. x

Alex Monroe @ Fortnum & Mason

Right, I just this minute got in from work, but I just *have* to show you this absolute beauty of an Easter egg from Fortnum & Mason... 

It has Alex Monroe in it. Seriously. It does. 

You can choose between the bunny, for £200, or the bird for £225. Look at the stunning display that it comes in, with an egg covered in edible gold leaf. Could there be an egg more opulent? No. Just beautiful. Which one would you pick? If someone gets one of these beautiful, beautiful eggs please let me know by commenting & I'll share the link to your blog. I want to see REAL photos, please. I won't be jealous at all [I will, but shhh]. 

Whilst we're at it, what else do Fortnum & Mason have to offer in the shape of Alex Monroe goodies? 

They have the wonderfully intricate Buttercup fern bud necklace, for £120. 

The amazingly sweet Citrine buttercup necklace, for £120. 

The delightfully decadent Calabria flower and diamond necklace, for £155. 

And finally, the wonderfully spring-like matching Buttercup & citrine earrings, for £150. 

There are of course other goodies to be had at F&M, just search for Alex Monroe or have a wander through the jewellery section, here [link]. 

I've got to cook dinner, so I'm off for now but I'll pop in over the weekend to share some more shiny things. 

Thanks for reading, 

L. x

If I had £1,000 right now... Monica Vinader

Good evening, folks. I've had a full Monday at work, I've just finished watching the last ever episode of Gossip Girl and I would like an imaginary £1,000 to spend. 

Of course, if you gave me £1,000 right now, it would go into my "dream ring fund", details of which I'll share another day, but for now let's play the game...

I don't want to go too far to spend my £1,000 so I'm going to make a single trip... to Monica Vinader. I adore her use of liquid-esque metals and stunning gemstones, as well as her combinations of lapis and yellow gold, and rose quartz with rose gold. Her designs are some of my favourites, so it only makes sense for my imaginary shop to take place there. It's just very tricky narrowing it down to £1,000!

So, MV has creating an amazing collection where you can mix and match various pendants to create a beautiful necklace. They have one of those nifty online tools to make your own and I've done just that. This stunner can be yours [or mine] for £575 [breakdown to follow]...

1. I chose the 32" sterling silver Lungo chain for £210. I like the little hoop that you can use to attach all of the pendants. 

2. I then added my favourite pendant, the rose gold vermeil Marie. It looks like an old Pirate coin and I love it. Of course I'll be mixing my metals for this necklace, it's what I do! £125. 

3. Then I added the Riva gold vermeil ingot for £105. This isn't my cup of tea on its own, but when added in this combination I think it's just stunning. 

4. Then the Ava small round pendant in sterling silver. A bargain at £40, and a well-balance addition, in my opinion.  

6. Then, last but not least, I added the siren bezel pendant in yellow gold vermeil with blue lapis [one of my favourites]. £95. 

Isn't this the perfect necklace?! Here are a couple of ready made ones from the MV website so get the creative juices flowing. 

Anyway, I've got a further £425 to spend, so I want some things to match this lovely piece... 

For £130 I would buy the Siren ring in 18ct rose gold vermeil with moonstone. I love the natural shape of the stone and the rose hue of the pink gold. Beautiful. 

That leaves me with £295... 

Which is exactly what these Siren medium drop earrings in rose gold vermeil and rose quartz cost. Handy, right?

I don't think my choices are too bad at all and that was really fun. I'll be spending more imaginary £1,000, I can assure you of that. I think I need to play the Lotto this weekend! 

Take care, thanks for reading. 

L. x