Silhouette rings

Check out how cool these silhouette rings are from Cameo by Rux:

$1,700 Stackable Silhouette ring

They are completely custom so you send them a picture of a profile you want and they create the ring from that.
I think this would be an awesome choice for wedding rings or as a push present for new moms.

At first glance they just seem like ridged rings, but looking at the sides shows you the profile of someone you love.

They come in 18k yellow, white, or rose gold and you can get the skinnier kind or the thicker kind. Thicker ones cost more.

The site also has plastic bangles that feature the same custom profile look, and busts and tops, but I think the rings are the nicest.

3 Beautiful Vintage Gemstone Rings

These rings are so lovely that I've had them up in my browser for weeks, just waiting for the day that I stumble on to a few dozen thousands of dollars that I somehow misplaced.

Looks like I won't be finding the cash to buy these (or even 1 of them) anytime soon, so I'll share them with you and give someone else a chance to take them away from me. :(

$8,750 Edwardian One Carat Diamond and Natural Pearl Ring

"This regal and ravishing early-nineteenth century diamond ring presents a bright-white old mine-cut diamond sparkling from within a majestic setting composed of platinum over 18 karat gold and containing three-quarter carats of smaller old mine-cut diamonds. One end is crowned with a shining quatrefoil and the other with a 6.5 millimeter natural pearl. Fit for a princess ...  "

Fit for a princess indeed! Can I be one?
I love the shapes and graceful curves of this ring, and that it manages to mix cold hard diamonds and platinum with warm yellow gold and a soft pearl. That is pretty unusual to do so well.
The ring is size 6.5 but can be sized up.

$9,750 Edwardian Ruby, Diamond, and Natural Pearl Ring
I think this might be my favorite out of the three.

 "A sophisticated Edwardian ring in platinum over 18K yellow gold. This lovely ring features a central round white 6.9 millimeter natural pearl framed by an octagonal pierced platinum plaque set with four sparkling European-cut and thirty-two rose-cut diamonds accented with a calibre-cut ruby border. A superb and stunning Edwardian jewel, circa 1900."

They had such great taste in the Edwardian period!
The ruby border on this ring is stunning and you can't even see the settings behind the gems. Again, this ring mixes stones and metals incredibly well.
And I love the cut corners that make this ring octagonal instead of square.

It's even beautiful from behind!
 (that's what she said)

 $6,750 Antique Emerald and Diamond Ring

"A modest size, but gemmy, deep crystal green, old mine Colombian emerald glistens brightly from this exemplary platinum and diamond gemstone ring from the turn-of-the-twentieth century. The emerald is framed by a double tier of sparkling octagonal frames set with teeny-tiny old mine cushion diamonds with finely milgrained settings. A dazzling, darling and dainty Edwardian jewel, too delicate for everyday wear."

This emerald is so clear and pretty, and you know I like the octagonal border. Milgrain is the ridged pattern of the platinum setting, and it makes the whole casing look more intricate. I have it on my engagement ring too! I like the way milgrain looks especially with small diamonds, because it adds to the sparkle and the diffraction of light and it all becomes a blur of little sparkly facets.

So, which one do you like best?

A couch I am thinking of buying

As you might remember, I am on the hunt for a gray sectional for our new living room.
I've been checking Craiglist just to see what is out there, and I actually found one I like!
E likes it too. It's still really expensive but if it is going to be our couch for a long time, it might be worth it. And of course since it is 2 years old already, it is way cheaper than it was originally.

Here's the pic:



It is the Room and Board Hayes sectional sofa with 2 end pieces and one angled middle piece.


So basically this but with another end piece/corner on the angle chaise side:

$6kish? Room and Board Hayes sectional

The 3 piece sectional is officially $5,197 and the two piece shown here is $4,198. I am not sure what the two piece plus one more piece would end up as, but I am guessing about $6,000.

In the Craigslist ad the owners say they paid over $7k originally. Not sure if that is true but probably close.

They want $3,000 for it in the used condition, which is still a lot but half off.

I'm concerned that it will be very large in our apartment, but I guess we could just get a smaller coffee table.

I like the idea of having one end and the chaise on one side of the room and having the other side facing in, below the tv (once that is mounted on the wall) so our living room will be arranged so that people can talk to each other.


What do you think, should I do it?

Let's buy an island

This private island in Nicaragua looks great, and it can be ours for only $75,000. Anyone want to split it with me?
We could probably make it our own country and proclaim ourselves royalty and design money.
Just saying.

This is our new island. It's called Arana Island, but I think Rebecca Island sounds so much better, don't you?
It's not that big, but it has a shelter and some trees and a dried up swimming pool. What else do you need?

Gray sectional sofas for my new apartment

One of the things I most want when we move is a new couch.
I wanted one when we moved into this current place together, but it was so much cheaper to recover E's Ikea couch, especially since the cats were going to destroy it anyway.

The slipcover is fine, but the couch isn't super comfortable and the cushions move around all the time. We are constantly kicking them back into place with our knees.

Also, I we eat on the couch all the time and I will admit, I spill pretty often.
So the white covers, while washable, don't look the cleanest.

I really would like a slate gray couch. And maybe even a sectional.
I don't like super modern flat boxy designs. I like clean lines but I like comfortable plush pillows instead of minimalist couches.

Here are some I like:


$3,699 PB Comfort roll arm left sectional
Twill in metal gray, knife edge pillows with down blend cover
118" w x 87.5" d x 42" d x 39" h
MMMmmm down

$2,799 Crate and Barrel Klyne 3 piece sectional in Slate

Left Arm Apartment Sofa, Corner, Right Arm Apartment Sofa

107"Wx107"Dx27"H

I like the dark color of this one and the little leggies

  $2,996 CB2 Cielo Shadow sectional

This one might be a little too modern for me. The legs look too small for the bulky seats.

$1,847 West Elm Walton 3 piece sectional

96"w x 72"d x 27"h. 

If you special order this in another fabric (it usually comes in velvet) like the basket weave which I prefer, cotton weave, or pebble weave, then it is $2,047.

$2,997 West Elm Dunham Down-filled sectional

106"w x 73"d x 37"h. 

This is the tossback fabrication which means the short L part of the sectional has a low back.  The other kind is the box cushion.

Not sure what I prefer. But I do like down!

$2,850 Room&Board Metro Sofa with angled chair

Metro 140" Sofa with Right-Arm Angled Chaise in Charcoal

The angled part reminds me of the chair and a half concept which I like, and takes up less room than a full L.

$3,297 Room&Board Orson Sectional

Orson 111x111" Three-Piece Sectional in Cement

This looks sturdy and comfortable.

$8,500 Design Within Reach Reid Corner Sectional

H 29" W 117" Seat H 16"

Why so expensive? I don't know. Not sure it is worth 2-4x the others.

$6,075 Dwell Studio Wright sectional

99W x 105L

Another super pricey one but it sounds like the cushions are made of angel wings "the latest “ultra-lux” technology— highest quality foam layered over inner springs and wrapped in down—for luscious cushions that will hold a pristine shape for years to come"

Realistic ruby berry brooch

Blackberry pin and earring set

Isn't this brooch and matching earring set awesome?
It was made by the Italian Buccellati jewelry house around 1965 and features blackberries made of onyx and rubies.
They look pretty realistic to me, and not too cutesy.

It is up for auction now at Bonhams, with an estimated price of $7,600-$11,000.

Very pretty.

Finding a floor lamp is really hard

Right?
There are so many ugly ugly ugly floor lamps out there. And lots of plain boring ones. But almost no cool ones or pretty ones or ones that you would actually want to have as a piece of furniture taking up space in your home.

E and I are going to be moving to a new apartment that has no overhead lighting in the bedroom or living room.
So we need some new floor lamps. But damn is it hard to find a good one!

Here are some of the better options:


$1,570 Michael Aram Enchanted forest lamp
This is really nice but crazy expensive.
Also, I can already see the wads of bunny hair trapped between those spindly legs.


$499 National Geographic driftwood lamp
Along the same theme of the "this is a tree no wait it's a lamp," which I like.
But still more than I really want to pay for a lamp.


$325 Mid Century Cypress floor lamp
I like the natural shape of this one, and the little feet on the bottom (though again, fur traps).
I think it is even prettier than the Nat Geo one above, and for less money. But there is only 1 of it.



$179 Rustic wood curve lamp
This is somewhere between natural and industrial looking. I think it is the frontrunner at the moment.
You can order it in light medium or dark stain. I like the dark.
But it comes disassembled so really am I going to pay for a lamp that I have to put together myself?
Also, I don't think it comes with the shade, but the Etsy listing was a little vague about that.



$402 Wooden adjustable floor lamp
This one is AWESOME! You can configure it however you want and make cool shapes with it.
Ships from Estonia for $39, but I am not sure if it comes assembled.



$2,200 Trinity Floor lamp table combo
Crazy cool and super modern. Though if I had $2k to spend on a lamp I probably wouldn't have this blog because I would just buy everything I saw that I liked instead of posting about it. I'm not going to tell you how much shipping is because you have $2k to buy a lamp so what do you care?


That does bring us into a new realm of floor lamps that I like: lamps that are part of tables or shelves.
Make that lamp do double duty! It can't just stand there, giving light and taking up space. If something demands floor space in my NYC apartment, it better use that vertical and store something.


$385 Vintage tiered shelf lamp
This one is a little "grandma" for me, but I think it could be cool in the right setting. I'm annoyed that the seller decoupaged the shade instead of leaving it plain.




$399 Pacific Coast walnut lamp table
This one looks classic and would be as at home in a log cabin or in a modern apartment.
It would look nice next to a couch.


$270 Pacific Coast two shelf table lamp
You can get this in black or in wood finish.
It looks very mod and clean.
If you had cats, they would love to sit on it and knock all your crap off the shelves. Whether that is a plus or minus for you is your business.


$71.99 Adesso Magazine table lamp
This is the Target cheapo version of that style. Not bad but a little boring.


$67.99 Threshold modern table lamp
Another cheapo Target edition.


$120 Etagere wood lamp
This is more of a shelf style than table style, but still does double duty.
 What breakable shit would you put up there?





$49.99 Threshold Shelf floor lamp
The price includes a CFL bulb, which is nice.
You could put plants on this and put it in a corner of a room.



$428 Antique industrial dominion sunlamp
This one is completely unrelated to the others but I just like the weird vintage style.
I hate the color though. I'd paint it flaming orange or bright lemon yellow.

Fishtank sink

$4,500 Aquarium Basin sink

So cool!
You can fill this sink with anything you want including fish, hermit crabs, your shell collection, plants, pretty rocks, or even bloooooood.
Why? whatever.

This would be the best sink ever in one of those crazy modern bachelor pads that you see in movies but no one actually has.

Fancy gifts from Neiman Marcus

Yay! The crazy expensive gift guides from Neiman Marcus are out!

Here is what you should be getting your loved ones this year. Because otherwise you clearly don't care about them at all!

$170 Magic cube keyboard
Oh, you type on a physical keyboard? How retro.
Mine is made of light.

$175 Cufflink box
Guys! How do you keep your many many cuff links organized?
You don't? Seriously? WTF is wrong with you?
Also, guess how many cufflinks come in this $$$ box?
If you guessed 0, you'd be correct.

$1,495 Stourbridge Quilted jacket
I looove this jacket. It's quilted but slim and has motorcycle styling.
I also could probably love that guy who is modeling it. Heeeyyy, how you doin?

$3,550 Loro Piana cashmere robe
Looks like a normal bathrobe, but costs more than 2 or 3 months rent.
But maybe you could live in it instead of your apartment? Then it would be worth it.

$1,900 Roberto Coin dragon paperweight
You think you're too fancy to shove your papers under the keyboard like the rest of us?

$795 Baby Quasar MD
I have no idea. Ask a Trump or something.

$1,090,000 His and Hers watches Van Cleef and Arpels
This is worth it because uhhhhh they tell time.

$100,000 Luxury hen house
Oh America. I see we have clearly gotten far enough past the housing bust and sympathy for poor people with underwater mortgages to have re-entered the realm of buying pretty things for our animals that cost more than 2 average Americans make in a year.

$99,500 Jet pack
There is no way I would be a multi-millionaire and not own this. I'd probably buy this before getting a car.

Fancy Bar Trunk

$16,000 Waterford Crystal Bar Trunk

Whoaaaa

The rosewood interior is crazy beautiful.
I think you'd really have to like drinking to own something like this, which puts me out of the running.

Also, you'd have to have a nice liquor collection, because I don't think this would look as classy with warm Natty Ices in there. Though the crystal would class up whatever special alcohol you had (coughFOURLOKOcough).

Etsy Find of the Day: vintage swoop table

Check out this insane table:

$8,000 Mid-Century Modern Fiberglass table

Everything is rounded, from the oval glass to the split leg base and attachment.
Looks clean and white and futuristic.

Wouldn't this be awesome in an all white room with a crazy green couch?

What do you think of designer kids clothes?

This article highlights some parents who buy their children the latest designer fashions, costing hundreds of dollars.

What do you think about pricey kids clothes?
I don't have any kids but I am pretty sure that when and if I do, they are not going to be wearing Lanvin dresses. Hell, I don't even wear those things.
But honestly I would not even buy kids the designers I can afford and wear.
It seems like such a waste to spend a lot on something they will outgrow so quickly and probably barf or crap on depending on their age.

My view of designer pieces is that they are ok when they are investments in something you will get a lot of use out of and have for a long time.
I wouldn't buy a trendy neon designer top because who knows how long neon will be in?
I wouldn't really even buy a designer gown since I wear them so infrequently and the cost per wear would be so great.
Designer bags or work outfits or shoes are what I would invest in.

Buying designer items for kids totally goes against my system for what o spend money on.

Plus, if your kid was wearing $300 pants, wouldn't yoube worried the whole time she was playing outside with her friends that she was going to rip or stain them?

I would rather have my imaginary kids focus on other things than fashion, even as much as I like it.

While it is true that clothes telegraph messages about who you are and how you want to be perceived, the primary purpose of clothing is to protect your body from the elements. Let's not forget that. You don't need expensive skirts to do that.
And if it is true that what you wear reflects something about you, do you really want your kids to be known or their fancy clothes instead of their personalities or even their own senses of style from the outfits they choose to put together?

Special occasions like a family wedding or the first day of school or a birthday or something might be a time to spend a little more, but there are ways to find a fancy new outfit and feel like you are dressing up without buying a super expensive designer piece.

Two thumbs down for me.

Etsy Find of the Day: Deco style tennis bracelet

$2,475 Vintage 14k white gold and diamond tennis bracelet

Ask me how much I love round diamonds in octagonal or hexagonal settings.... THIS MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(That's a lot).

This bracelet is deco-inspired but made recently. It has a bunch of little diamonds in white gold 
 hexagons with engraved lines on the second hexagon outline.

I have a feeling that the pictures aren't doing it justice and that this will be a real sparkler in person.

Who wants to get it for me?
I promise I'd wear it every day and even in the shower and to bed!

Etsy Find of the Day: Herman Miller Zenith chair

$5,700 Zenith Rope Edge Swivel chair by Herman Miller

This is apparently from the first production of this line, from 1950. The fiberglass shell is elephant gray, which is an elegant color that goes with everything.

I like the juxtaposition of the wooden legs and geometric bottom with the high tech curvy top.

Here is the description from the seller:

:: Amazing and rare first production 1950 Zenith Herman Miller chair often called a "PAW chair" with its swivel dowel base made of birch wood, with the fiberglass shell color being in the much sought after + highly collectible color of elephant hide grey. This chair, in very nice 60 year vintage condition, is an absolutely stunning piece of mid century furniture history and it is just so darn beautiful!

:: We believe this chair to be all original with all original parts -- the awesome dowel base reads "Seng Chicago" on the metal portion, fiberglass shell in excellent condition with no cracks and shows off its exquisite rope edge nicely as well as the swirls of the fiberglass that showcase the beginning days of the company's experimentation, and the Zenith checkerboard sticker fully intact on the bottom of the chair.

:: Conditional notes: the swivel base is a bit squeaky + has some cosmetic rust on the metal portion but does properly swivel and function. Proper and careful oiling will likely fully alleviate this. The light and beautiful birch wood dowel base does show age with some markings which as you can see in the photos, does seem to add in a good way to the chair's awesome vintage look. Fiberglass is beautifully fibrous and there are no issues with the color or anything, very beautiful condition, appears very lightly used.

:: Measurements: seat width is 18", arm to arm is 25", each birch leg measures 16" long, height from the floor to chair bottom is 17" + floor to the very top of the chair measures approx. 31.5".

Etsy Find of the Day: Walnut dresser

$3,200 Custom Walnut Dresser

This is just so beautiful.
The pattern of the wood grain is so clear and perfectly continuous.
Woodworkers, is this hard to do? It looks hard to me, to get all those drawers to match up perfectly.

The thing that comes to mind when I see this is "wood waterfall" which isn't even a thing, but I like the way it sounds.

I like how the drawer pulls are integrated cut-outs in the design, so you don't ever have to worry about replacing handles or anything.

These words might impress you if you know what they mean:
Triple-book match
live edge
Claro walnut

They impress me and I have no idea what they mean.

Ok fine I googled book match:
Bookmatching is the practice of matching two (or more) wood surfaces, so that two adjoining surfaces mirror each other in appearance, thus giving the impression of an opened book. This is done only on ornate objects, such as furniture, violins, guitars or the interior of super luxury cars such as Rolls Royce cars.