It's that time of year!

No, not Santa Claus. It's wedding season and I'm lucky enough to be involved in both planning and attending some great affairs this spring and summer.

Lots of brides-to-be visit us for help with their wedding party jewelry, it's a lot of fun to meet the brides and bridesmaids, look at the gowns, check out the venue and pick the nicest jewelry for the affairs. Jewelry from robertachiarella.com is featured in current issues of The Knot, Bridal Guide and Brides magazines.

My jewelry also was featured at the totally fabulous wedding of Kim Solow and Adam Pomeranz, held at Temple Israel on Long Island a few weeks ago. My whole family was there to see this wonderful couple get married, and we had a terrific time.
 
Kim looked great, and so did the whole wedding party. I was thrilled to help with the jewelry, though you can't see much in these pictures, the bridesmaids were wearing some special items from my collection.

 The reception was unbelievable, the facilities were totally magnificent and the food was superb. They had a great band, which is so much better than a DJ, and we literally danced the night away while sending all our love and best wishes to the newlyweds.

Kim and Adam will be living in California, where there are plenty of great places to get married- but I am really glad they had their wedding here. You never know when you'll see so many cousins, aunts and uncles together again, it was a really enjoyable affair.

I just finished looking at some photos that another bride-to-be sent me to help plan her wedding at another great place, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. I think that's the most wonderful place, I've stayed there a few times and nearly every time the hotel was gearing up for a wedding. They have the most beautiful set-up high on a cliff over the ocean, and when there is an outdoor service it is so exquisite.

The bride wanted jewelry that would sparkle in the sunset- can you imagine how nice that's going to be! We're happy to oblige, I suggested the red carpet couture collection earrings, the crystals will reflect the lights and hopefully bounce the colors of the sky and the bridesmaids gowns for all to enjoy.

Another wedding we are working on is going to be held right in our own back yard, at Leonard's of Great Neck. Home of many family weddings, and the setting for a "Sopranos" wedding on TV, this over-the-top place is always a great choice for a wedding.

The bride has 5 bridesmaids, so we chose Lucy in the Sky hoops and a complementing bracelet and they got our wedding party discount! I hope they send me some photos and I'll post them so you can see the look. Hoops are one of the hottest trends these days, and they are not those giant things we wore years ago, new designs are elegant and sophisticated and almost anyone can wear these. If you're getting married give us a call or send an email, I love to help with your jewelry and any advice I can give. We offer appointments for consultations if you are in NYC, so feel free to take advantage of it. Ciao!

whats new?

New York is starting to heat up for summer, although you'd never know it from the weather. It's been so rainy we all feel moldy! I've been spending as much time outside as I can, getting some exercise and taking long walks with my pups all over manhattan. It is one way for me to get some inspiration- New York is full of tourists and you want to see what they are wearing. It's funny, in the past you could tell who the tourists were by the fact that they were so well dressed, in smart, modern european fashions.

These days, the guidebooks must be telling potential tourists that baggy pants and t-shirts are just fine. Maybe on the weekends, or at the Bronx Zoo, but midtown Manhattan is full of business people who, for the most part are a pretty fashionable bunch.

I just love meeting people visiting the city, so many come to my jewelry counter at Henri Bendel, we get some time to chat and I can show off my newest designs. I've met a few brides-to-be, thanks to the great press from Brides Magazine, The Knot and Modern Bride; my jewelry is featured in the issues on the newsstands today. Brides today want something 'super special' for themselves and their bridal party, and I've just started selling the grand super nova earring that really fits the bill.

It's an elaborate earring made with a micropave treatment of the swarovski crystals on the cage of the earring and it is stunning. These tiny swarovski crystals are so beautiful and sparkly, and micropave is a technique that you won't find from many designers, it is quite hard to make. The larger stones are inspired by the current trends in wedding and engagement rings, these are the most popular cuts and shapes out there today.

So, whatever ring the bride might be wearing, these earrings will complement it for sure. There are also some fun new items now available, the lucky 7 bangles is the perfect summer bracelet and comes as a set of 7 to give you the look that is so hot these days. We made it with many colors of stones so it's impossible not to find one you'll just love.

If you want to see some really outlandish beads and stones, be sure to head over to Coney Island. Today is the annual Mermaid Parade, it's sort of our answer to Mardi Gras. You won't believe the costumes, and the crowd goes wild when they see so many people dressed up as exotic sea creatures. There are lots of floats too, as it is undeniably hard to walk when you have fins where your legs would normally be! Check out this only in New York event, today at Coney Island, Harvey Keitel is the parade king this year. We hope to be out there with our cameras, see you there! Ciao.

75 and still beautiful

Brides magazine is celebrating its 75th anniversary. For the occasion, they had a little party at the 'top of the rock', the observation deck atop 30 rockefeller center. It's always special to be here in this complex, which (at age 78) is even older than brides magazine. We came to see the mile high honeymoon suite, an incredible creation with views to die for! The top of the rock was completely renovated and re-opened a couple of years ago, and although not quite as high as the empire state building, the combination of an indoor observatory and a fence-free outdoor deck makes this a favorite spot for both tourists and native new yorkers.

There is plenty of room, it's warm (the indoor observatory) and the exhibit and the reception were perfect! Imagine having this place for you and your spouse- well maybe not for me as I would spend the whole night staring at the skyline of new york.

When you get inside the lobby of Rockefeller Center, there is a plaque honoring John D. Rockefeller. It's not well known that he built this complex, on 22 acres of prime midtown manhattan real estate, with his own money at the beginning of the great depression. He leased the land, got the loans, and put together the project at a time of massive unemployment and financial hard times.

Originally, the site was to hold an opera house, but rockefeller wisely changed the plans and built this office complex, which also contains radio city music hall and NBC studios. I'm sure this was the biggest thing going on in the city during that terrible depression period, and this project likely saved many new yorkers from hunger and poverty. And no, he didn't ask for a bailout!

Brides magazine has 75 years worth of wedding gowns in this months issue, and many were right here for us to look at. The styles change with the times, but one thing about a wedding gown, it is always incredibly tailored. The designer in me just marvels at how these things are made. How many seams, the lace, the embroidery, the beading, oh it is too much to imagine! Even the peasant girl look of the 70's was here, in a gown that was so unbelievably tailored to create the relaxed look everyone wanted back then.

I'm glad that style had passed when I got married, after all, you are only going to wear your wedding gown once, it had better be the most beautiful, most complex, most incredibly decorated dress of your life. Peasant girl look? Not for me! We spent a nice evening with the brides magazine staff, and assorted public relations folks, photographers and a fair number of new yorks top designers.
They had wonderful food and plenty of champagne. And did I mention the view? Just lovely, and with valentines day coming soon, it was a great evening. Love and wedding gowns, they go together very well. Ciao!