I recently came across photos of Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a single visible dangling diamond earring on the red carpet at the 2010 CMA awards. The earrings fashioned by Londoner Elian Fattal for S.J. Phillips were  part of  her “collection of 20 unique jewels, each starting from an original piece of antique jewellery and recreated to be worn in a modern way” _{s.j. phillips}

What can be done with precious jewels can be done with costume jewelry. That got me thinking of the trays of vintage jewelry pieces often found at thrift stores and the “jewelry-remnants” I have stored away. Not only has Ms Fattal’s beautiful unique pieces inspired me to start blogging again but to upcycle the various bits of broken jewelry and unmatched earrings I’ve kept. Look for those upcoming posts, meanwhile see how a master does it. Below (after the jump) are a few pieces that I have found of Elian Fattals collection for S.J. Philips or if you want to buy more affordable pieces you can always check out Etsy
 
 
 
 

Elian Fattall attends a dinner for Coach, Sept. 7, 2011
 
 
Gallery and video after the jump…
 
 
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It would be a good move for you to consider constructing quality custom jewelry for individual clients if you have a great sense of style and creativity. You will soon be flooded with phone calls asking you to construct special pieces for them or as gifts for others.

Making custom jewelry isn’t hard, all you need a sense of style and creativity – the skills needed to make jewelry are very easy to learn. The goal is to create exclusive pieces that will make your client feel special.

It is actually not easy to work with clients because it is very hard to match the picture in your mind with that in their minds. It would be a gross error for you to work in the presence of your clients and expose to them how easy it is to create bespoke jewelry – it is tantamount to teaching them the trade and you run the risk of losing clients.
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