Tuesday 18 February 2014


CANDLES, MARMALADE AND OTHER FINE GEMS

It’s been a very active month since I last posted! Showcase –—the trade show for Irish exporters with the creative gene — was just fab. There was a really nice buzz; lots of visitors, lots of orders placed and people were in good form.

Of course my attention was on the jewellers (although I was swooning with the scents from the La Bougie stand. They were the nearest thing to the wildly different olfactory delights from my favourite candle makers – Cire Trudon — that I’ve ever come across. When I mentioned this to La Bougie creator, Lucy Hagerty she confessed this was no co incidence; Cire Trudon is their hero brand. High five girls! And since CT has been removed from Brown Thomas (why, I wonder?) I, for one will be looking to La Bougie to fill the gap.

I was also impressed with the preserves on display in the Grange Crafts stand. OMG...their brown bread and Whiskey Marmalade was just mouth watering. I had a Harry-met-Sally moment as I savoured a mouthful and was really bowled over when the woman on the stand (I think it was Rachel Cubbitt, but I stand corrected. She gave me a card but I can't find it) insisted on my taking a pot of the marmalade home. How nice was that… My husband, who eats marmalade every day of his life, was most impressed when I told him that I brought it home especially for him (!)

Back to the jewellers … All of them had something unique to offer but I especially loved Garrett Mallon’s designs. A month later I can still see them in my mind’s eye. It must be living in such a beautiful corner of Ireland (Garrett works out of Omeath on Carlingford Lough) that inspires his thoughtful pieces with their nod to our Celtic heritage.


After Showcase I headed to Birmingham. More of that anon (hopefully in less than a month or I’ll be talking about Mothers Day at Christmas ….

Meanwhile check out –
www.labugie.com

Thursday 2 January 2014

What to look out for in jewellery trends in 2014

It's the New Year, so a good time to look at what’s selling in jewellery right now. You’ll have to check out JEWEL 2014 for a good overall view but the hot brands this winter are Alex and Ani, (pronounced Aw-nie, I’m reliably informed)  and Chrysalis. Paul Kelly in The Jewellers in Lucan tells me that the Chrysalis Noel and Good Fortune collections are “flying out the door.”
What both Alex and Ani, and Chrysalis have in common is their spiritual dimension. According to their website, Alex and Ani, the mother/daughter combination behind the eponymous brand, design and create bangle bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings that “adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit.” Meanwhile, Chrysalis is tagged as jewellery with ‘a spiritual energy’ that helps strengthen your life’s spiritual journey. Each disc carries a special meaning that will attract positivity and good energy into your life.
Obviously, given their desirability, these brands have tapped into something that women want these days. Even better the designs are very pretty (definitely better than scapulars. Does anyone out there remember scapulars?!!!) and the affordable price point helps too…