Wedding catering: Cocktail hour food

Go to any dinner party and you can expect a fairly prescriptive turn of events: a drink or cocktail to greet you shortly after you arrive, followed by genial conversation and some nibbles: cheese, crackers, perhaps olives or nuts, and then dinner.

Special events and wedding receptions are big - very big - dinner parties, and they follow a similar script. The cocktail hour, which may or may not involve cocktails, and may or may not be an hour long, is a period of time used to transition guests from the ceremony to the reception. An advantage is that it occupies hungry guests with food and drink while the bride, groom and bridal party can take post-nuptial photos.

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What Makes a Collection, Part 2

Photo: Alexis BittarI've chosen to focus on jewelry designer Alexis Bittar because he is a perfect example of a jewelry designer who truly understands what goes into a strong collection.  He consistently includes silhouettes from modest to statement-making, classic to avant garde while maintaining his own design aesthetic.  By doing this he accomplishes a near universal appeal.  No matter what your jewelry style -- so long as you like his aesthetic-- you will find something that could work for you. 

And this is precisely what we are working to accomplish with our own jewelry collections, right? 

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A Material World

(Majestic Gemstone - Blue Agate)Granite or marble is what usually comes to mind when people think about luxury stone materials for the kitchen or bathroom.  While they are still very popular, there are many other exciting alternatives that are out in the market today.  To name a few, there’s quartz, soapstone, resin, semi-precious stones, and even recycled glass.

One of the most eye-catching, if not the most spectacular, is the surface material made of semi-precious stones.  Yes, semi-precious stones, the same materials used for jewelry.  Majestic Gemstone from Israel presents agates, jaspers, amethysts, sodalite, and carnelian in their collection.  Shown in the above photo is their blue agate stone slab.

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Late summer wedding colors

With August just around the corner and fall not too far behind, there is a hint in the air of a simple winding down. The days are still blazing hot, but dusk brings the steady buzz of cicadas in the background and the most glorious sunsets of the year.

Couples planning a late summer wedding should take a cue from nature when thinking about the color palette for their nuptials. A summer sunset yields a vast family of complementary shades - rich oranges, golds, yellows, chocolate browns, and dark reds paired beautifully with shades of gray, blue, purple, and mauve.

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What Makes a Collection, Part 1

Most jewelry designers have no difficulty with recognizing what a "collection" of jewelry is, but making one --- a strong one at that--- is something else entirely.  Figuring out what precisely goes into making a strong collection can be one of the most difficult things for a jewelry designer to do.  At least until they have some ground rules!! 

Alexis Bittar's "Elements" Collection Photo: Alexis Bittar

The jewelry of Alexis Bittar, by way of example, makes discussion of this subject a breeze as he --yes, a guy, and a striking one at that!--  is a master of the diverse, compelling and cohesive collection. The jewelry featured here is from his "Elements" Collection, which focuses on just that, using elements or components in multiple pieces as a means of creating a wide range of silhouettes or looks-- one of the keys element to a successful collection.  

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