Harry and Sal's Design Blog

Mother's Day is here again - and being a relatively new Mom - well just 3 years in - I am beside myself with excitement as Liseanne Frank is having a Mothers Day Shopping Event! But here's my question - do I go and shamelessly buy myself something exquisite and extravagant - or do I send my husband? Both seem terribly gauche, I may just have to suck it up send him an email with a none-too-subtle hint and hope for this best. Anyway ladies - enjoy, indulge - be it for yourself or for your own Mom - and smile as you think of sleepless nights appeased.

Labels: Holidays, Jewelry, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 5/02/2008 1 Comments

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SAL: Thanks to Peggy Li for sharing with me her wonderful creations. The work of this San Francisco-based jewelry designer has been seen on Grey's Anatomy, Oprah and more - her pieces are simple, elegant and affordable. I'm very into silver and gold right now, but I've been limiting myself to ad hoc combos that usually involve me getting at an old pair of earrings with the pliers and adding them to a new chain to mix things up a bit - so this piece above really appealed to me.

Labels: Jewelry, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 2/21/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: I posted a while back on the silver/gold trend. Barney's has this great monocle pendant - 18k gold disc suspended from a blackened silver chain. Sadly, my birthday isn't til June! I also stumbled across my friend Vanessa's website. She's a graphic designer and jeweller. I used to work with her at the Sydney Morning Herald. I've got a ring and a necklace of hers and I love her new stuff. Check out the bracelet and rings below.

Labels: Harry, Jewelry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/07/2008 0 Comments

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SAL: Today's post comes winging its way to you from Austin, Texas where I have hitched along for the ride with my husband on a work trip. We have friends here so I have been hopelessly spoiled with all manner of culinary indulgences. I love Austin so far. I like the accessible scale of the place and I like the TexMex cuisine (although the whole BBQ thing is a bit heavy on the meat for me!) It's been a flying visit so I haven't had a chance to check out some of the cool finds from Grace's Austin city guide, which I would recommend you check out before you visit. That will have to wait for the next time.

In the meantime, another great jewelry find from a woman I met at Harry's LA party on Saturday night (yes she's back, if only for a fleeting visit). I have been to Hilary Druxman's store on Montana in Santa Monica a while back, but haven't checked out her collections for a while. Very simple, classic pieces. Beautiful, enjoy. Thanks Michelle!

Labels: Jewelry, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 12/04/2007 0 Comments

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I asked a few of my most tasteful girlfriends recently to suggest some of their favorite jewelry designers to share with you all. Beth pointed me in the direction of Susan Fleming (below). Her website profiles her work incorporating different Japanese paper, which is pretty, but I've recently seen Beth wearing some of Susan's more recent pieces with semi-precious gemstones which are even more lovely. Look forward to seeing some of those of on Susan's website soon.

A couple of folks recommended Becky Kelso (below) - semi-precious gemstones in classic settings- stunning! You can't buy anything at her own website, but online jewelry boutique Ylang | 23 (thanks Mickie!) has a small selection. Ylang |23 has an interesting range of designers well-worth checking out.

Liseanne Frankfurt now has her own store on - yes you guessed it Abbot Kinney. Unfortunately you can't view any of her pieces online, but you can download a PDF of her catalogue. Her chunky, burnished silvers and gold aren't cheap, but they are exquisite.

And lastly, my own personal favorite, Sonya Ooten. My husband has a habit of going to Sonya for birthdays and holiday gifts and I consider myself a very lucky woman! Her designs are beautifully delicate and you can personalize each piece to use the gemstones that mean something to you.

Labels: Christmas, Gifts, Jewelry, Sal, Style

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 12/01/2007 1 Comments

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HARRY: There seems to be a bit of silver and gold coming together in jewelry right now. I found some lovely necklaces...perfect Christmas presents. Plus a rather wonderful pair of black rose earrings (am I influenced by Kate Moss' new perfume campaign? No idea what the stuff smells like but I do like that black rose). Click on the images to find out where the pieces are from...

Labels: Christmas, Gifts, Harry, Jewelry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/25/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Moss, New York's best design store, has opened in LA...finally. Unfortunately, we left a few days before the 3500 sq foot Melrose Avenue store opened. But Sal, I am sure, will be beating a path to their door. Murray Moss was recently the subject of a very interesting Vanity Fair piece. And the LA store opening certainly got a lot of press. What I love about moss that it holds design up as art. Murray Moss and his partner Franklin Getchell value good design. Plus they've got a cool blog. And - yeah yeah yeah - I know the stuff is expensive and the shop is intimidating (at least it will be if it's anything like the NY version) but I don't care. LA, here is your chance to wander among the best the globe has to offer in way of design. Relish it. Now if only I could convince Mr Moss that Sydney would support such a store...

Labels: Art, Furniture, Harry, Jewelry, Lighting, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 8/12/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: How great is this ring? I love it. And I love the designer, Kiel Mead's, website. Very cool stuff. The Brooklyn-based designer has taken a piece of twine and somehow cast it in sterling silver (or gold). Clever, witty and pretty. What more could you ask for. You can buy this ring through the online store at Cooper Hewitt. This site is well worth a good trawl through. Check out Tobias Wong's Chanel-esque bullet proof rose. (I know Chanel did camellias but this looks like the kind of thing she would have loved).

Labels: Jewelry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 7/01/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Alright, I'm going to stop after this one. But this little piece is divine. It's designed by Laura Baxter. Love the way the twig sits on the thread and the little 18k blossom. It's a shame about the pic. All her stuff is slightly out of focus. Annoying. But still you get the idea.

Labels: Jewelry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 6/13/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Necklaces are like shoes - it doesn't matter what size you are they always looks great. Etsy offers up so much choice I get a bit overwhelmed but there's a lot of good stuff and their search function helps weed out the rubbish. I always find myself looking at jewelry around my birthday (in the vain hope my husband might be reading this). I love both of these necklaces (click on the images to get to their pages) - and neither are expensive. Although I also had a trawl through Frank Gehry's stuff for Tiffany...mmmm. Love the simpler ones there too.

Labels: Jewelry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 6/10/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I've known Sonya Ooten's work for a while now and every holiday, birthday or special occasion my husband uncovers yet another gem (pardon the pun) amongst Sonya's impressive and truly delightful jewelry. Take a look at her new fishnet designs (above) or check out these adorable crochet earrings. If you find yourself in Larchmont Village in LA, stop by the Gem Bar and Sonya will work with you to create a piece unique to you, with your choice of stones.

Labels: Jewelry, Style

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 6/01/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I've noticed the obsession with coral is morphing into sea urchins and coral used as a texture rather than an overall shape. Interesting. I've already blogged Muehling's cool coral stamped plates. Check out these rings from Australian designers Dinosaur Designs. Oh Joy posted DD's coral inspired bracelets but I really love these rings.

Labels: Jewelry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 5/31/2007 0 Comments

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