Chan Luu Fashion Jewelry

Chan Luu is a designer of fine fashion jewelry and accessories. Originally from Vietnam, Chan Luu moved to Boston and later Los Angeles to earn a degree in Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising earning a degree in Fashion Design in 1975. She opened her own boutique in 1982, and began designing her own accessories in 1996.


Chan Luu Bone 33" Necklace With Charms
This distinctive piece by Chan Luu is other-worldly in its exotic charm. Sterling silver with carved bone "tooth" pendant and tagua nut and ring charms.
Pendant measures approximately 2 1/2" long.
Leather cord measures 33"
$159

Chan's pieces have been featured in Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, and InStyle. Her designs have been worn by celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Mischa Barton, Sandra Bullock, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore, and Janet Jackson.


Gold Vermeil Cuff Bracelet
Unique gold vermeil cuff bracelet, as seen in Marie Claire.
$495

In 1996, Chan decided that although she loved all of the buying trips and truly enjoyed dressing her customers, her passion was designing. Her company started with 4 employees producing her first jewelry collection using precious metals, semiprecious stones, and pearls.


Faux Pearl And Sterling Silver Necklace
As Seen In Lucky magazine. Faux pearl tear drop beads and sterling silver handmade rosebud charms hanging from sterling silver chain and rings. Sterling silver toggle closure. Approximately 21" inches long.
$230

In November, 2006, CHAN LUU launched the Online Store, where shoppers can purchase Chan's original creations, from fashion jewelry to fine jewelry. The store even features popular vintage Chan Luu designs that have been brought back exclusively for the online store.

Chan has taken her business globally with major retail stores such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman in the U.S., Harvey Nichols in London, Isetan and Mitsukoshi in Japan and many other specialty stores.

Using hand-cut semiprecious gemstones, beads, and colored freshwater pearls, Chan Luu's trademark is her artistic skill in combining unusual forms with beautiful colors to create truly striking pieces that set the trend in fashion jewelry.

Each Chan Luu design incorporates organically-inspired shapes with fresh and modern ideas to create a line that's fresh, unique, and very wearable. Chan Luu uses high quality materials such as sterling silver, gold vermeil, leather, freshwater pearls, and semiprecious stones.

Chan is an avid tennis player and scuba diver. She also enjoys gardening and cooking for her friends. She currently resides in Pacific Palisades with her dogs, Henry and Benji.See full article.

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Jewelry and the Economy

I do not want to make light of our troubled economy, but I had to shake my head when I read in my WWD (Women's Wear Daily, the insider rag for fashion retail) about a scenario reported on by one of the editors of the paper. Apparently, a woman was looking at two sweaters, one very trendy and wildly patterned and one plainer in a neutral colour. According to the editor, because of the economy, the woman chose the plainer, neutral sweater - and this was a bad thing. Now, I fail to see this as a sympton of our problem economy at the moment, and more as evidence of the woman's savvy as a good shopper and possibly a true fashion lover; I would have done this in the money-flowing '80s (and did) , the '90s, and I still do.


What does this have to do with jewelry? Well, first of all, although many people believe that jewelry is generally an impulse buy, I don't think that is often as true with the people who buy handcrafted jewelry, especially those who buy on a regular basis. First, they know the worth of what they are buying, jewelry that is made with sterling silver that will last with real gemstones, not costume jewelry that often sells for the same price but is made with base metals that "turn" making the piece unwearable, made with glass or plastic stones that are glued in, with no intrinsic value to the piece past the season when it is bought. Handcrafted jewelry made with genuine gemstones, artists' lampwork beads, and sometimes goldfill and vermeil (both of which will last a lifetime if cared for properly) is the equivalent of the neutral sweater - only better because it lasts much longer. An added benefit is that you can "go wild" with handcrafted jewelry since unusual colour combinations and designs will change the look of all those neutral outfits that make so much sense to buy. And even if you wear a piece for a few years, then put it away for a while, ten years later, you will pull it out again and it will give a whole new look to whatever clothes are current at the time!

What usually happens during times when the economy is slow is that people don't really stop buying - they stop buying poor quality, they consider purchases more carefully if they are smart, and they will spend more money buying one good thing instead of the same amount (or larger) buying many cheap ones.

Above, the first bracelet made of fluorite is an example of a bracelet that will dress up the neutral outfit - and a piece of jewelry that will last, even though fluorite is a softer gemstone. Below are fluorite earrings with a classic look.

The look of jade never goes out of style, and the jade bracelet has the added appeal of lampwork beads (by Lynn Nurge) as well as some candy jade beads.

Finally, below are chalcedony earrings and a chalcedony bracelet made with my favorite chalcedony smooth nuggets in aqua (called Peruvian chalcedony from the dealer I bought them from). The bracelet has the most marvelous taupe and aqua lampwork beads by Suzette Celestin of Gaslite Lampwork.

Although all the jewelry I've shown today is made with sterling silver (which does occasionally need polishing a bit), the goldfilled and vermeil jewelry on the Cluny Grey Jewelry site will also last. The secrets: keep the jewelry in a plastic baggy when you're not wearing it or inside the pouch that comes with it; do not swim or bathe while wearing it, especially in a chlorinated pool, and you'll find that the gold jewelry stays bright and shiny as well.

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[Source: The Jewelry Blog]

October Delights!

One very delightful thing about October is that the heat and humidity has finally let up a bit so that I am able to breathe! Respiratory illnesses abound where I live, a small town in the middle of a farming community, probably because of all the chemicals associated with farming (I call this month's chemicals, the cotton defoliants, Agent Orange), but the weather certainly aggravates the symptoms of these illnesses making it very difficult to breathe and an air purifier a must. I have been busy though, and have decided just to inundate you with pictures! So here goes:

Handmade necklace features the largest amethyst nuggets ever!

Unique bracelet (below) would look great with the necklace above. Celebrating my affinity for purple and green, this gemstone bracelet (called Move Over Mondrian) also features wonderful lampwork beads and marquise freshwater pearls.Amethyst earrings are always good to have around. Below is a unique braceletwith orange carnelian, lampwork beads from Lynn Nurge, and gorgeous lapis.

These dangle earrings would look great with the chunky bracelet of blue chalcedony and Sand Opal Swarovski you see below. Below that is another chunky bracelet created from leopardskin jasper and Grey Opal Swarovski crystals.


Finally, a sweet pair of pearl earrings made with those pretty marquise pearls that you saw in the bracelet above (Move Over Mondrian>.



To finish, pink opal earrings, large, elongated lapis earrings with sterling silver wire, and pretty aquamarine earrings topped with sterling butterflies from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes.

jewellery accessories jewelry fashion shopping braceletsbeads handmade beaded jewelry beading helmi gioielli smykker taki juvelen lampwork beads The Jewelry Blog jewelry trends accessories jewelry Swarovski crystal handmade necklaces

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[Source: The Jewelry Blog]