Shamballa Bracelets

I've been noticing this new jewelry trend that men are sporting now.  I see men wearing these beaded "disco ball" looking bracelets.  A gentleman sat down next to me last night at Fox Sports Grill while watching the Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles game and I noticed he was wearing one on his wrist.  I asked him what the name of bracelet was and where they can be bought at.  He gave me the information on where he bought his from (northskull.com) and told me that you can find them all over the internet.

They're called Shamballa Bracelets and are very popular amongst hip hop artists, athletes, and R&B singers.

Shamballa bracelets (also spelled Shambala, Shambhala) are beaded, Buddhist-inspired bracelets consisting of round beads ranging fron 9mm to 13mm in diameter and strung on a string and tied together at the ends.  The beads come in several different forms such as plain, faceted, or set with diamond simulated cubic zirconia or crystals.  The bracelet can be adjusted to fit any size wrist.  These bracelets which are inspired by meditation and tradition of Buddhist culture, are said to represent ancient symbols like karma, inner peace, tranquility, and happiness. According to King Ice, "There are many ideas as to what these Shamballa bracelets represent, however, the general idea is to promote your well being"

Many celebrites have been spotted wearing Shamballa jewelry on their wrists.  Jay Z, Rick Ross, P Diddy, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and T.I. to name a few have all been photographed wearing the bracelets.

Chris Brown wearing Shamballa bracelets on his wrist

Birdman, Baby or whatever you want to call him is seen wearing Shamballa bracelets and necklaces

Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and T.I. advertising wearing Shamballa bracelets

*Photo Credit: kingice.com

Jay Z wearing a Shamballa bracelet on the cover of Gotham magazine

Justin Bieber even wears Shamballa jewelry

Diddy wearing a Shamballa bracelet while sitting front row at a basketball game (next to Nick Cannon).

While this trend seems to be very popular with men, Shamballa bracelets can also be worn by women and have been seen on the wrists of many female celebrities as well

Singer Dancer Ciara wearing a gold and black Shamballa bracelet

Eva Pigford wearing a pink Shamballa bracelet

Singer Fantasia sporting Shamballa beads

Keri Hilson rocking the Buddhist-inspired jewelry trend

*The previous 5 photos (from Bieber to Keri) are credited to: jewelrybynet.com

Shanballa bracelets can be found online at kingice.com, northskull.com, theblingking.com

They can also be found here in Atlanta at Crystyles Boutique located at 2115 Piedmont Rd. NE Suite#3106 Atlanta, GA 30324. The boutique's owner makes them and takes custom orders. 

Teyana Taylor - New Face for French Jewelry Line Nouss Sommes

Teyana Taylor recently did a photo shoot for French jewelry line, Nouss Sommes, known for its "Jesus Piece" pendants.  Nouss Sommes has taken the faces of major contributors to music, fashion, film, photography, and pop culture and turned them into "Jesus Pieces".  Grace Jones, Spike Lee, and Michael Jackson are a few of the miniature pendants found in the collection.  Each are available in black, gold, and old silver.

You can view the rest of the collection and place an order here.  You can also see some other pieces not shown on their website on their blog at www.noussomesblog.blogspot.com


Here are some of the photos from Teyana's hot shoot:

*Photo Credit: http://noussommesblog.tumblr.com/

While I don't think that I'll be sporting a "Jesus Piece" anytime soon, I feel that Nouss Sommes could not have found a better person to represent their unique jewelry line. I've always loved Teyana Taylor's eclectic style, not to mention her body is ridiculous! I love the pieces they dressed her in for the shoot. I immediately noticed the neon background....similar to the one used in Beyonce's promo pics for her "4" shoot (you can see one of the pics up top in my header).

Here is a "Behind the Scenes" video from the photo shoot:

What do you think of Teyana's shoot and the French jewelry line? 

Trendsetter Jewelry

  Crux New York is a jewelry company created by two California Natives, Sennie Clark and Ahyiana Angel, who now reside in New York.  The two friends used their creativity and their love for fashion to design a jewelry line to help them survive the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.  Each piece is designed with the trendsetter in mind.

 

 The pieces shown above are made of an intertwined, mesh piping material.  I'm loving the bright colors!

 

  I absolutely love feathers, so I was instantly "sold" on these exotic earrings made from pheasant feathers. 

These red faux flower petal earrings make a bold statement. You are guaranteed to turn heads and be the center of attention in these silk beauties.

These royal blue and black feathered earrings hang approximately 8" long, thus adding a bit of exotic flair to any outfit.

Now these are very unique and one of a kind.  They are made of pink leather, purple lace, with a gold coin trim.  As soon as I saw these, I thought of Madonna and her "Material Girl" days.  These are very cute and give off an 80's/Retro vibe.

If you're a diva who likes to be in the spotlight, then Crux New York is for you.   Go check 'em out at www.cruxny.com

Stylishly Different Jewelry

I always love to hear stories of how successful fashion designers got started in the industry. Ken Leung and Dana Chin were college roommates and Wall St. workers.  In 2003, they both quit their lucrative careers to pursue jewelry making. In 2004, their handmade jewelry line Ken and Dana Design was introduced to the world of fashion.

Their Fashion Jewelry line is known as the "b-side"

The "b-side" features three collections: Rights, Graffiti, and Cubes

My favorite is the Graffiti Collection:

 

 

Here are just a few of my favorite one-of-a-kind pieces from the Graffiti Collection:

Graffiti Handcuff Bangle

Graffiti Bangle tagged with the phrase "Legalize Art"

Red Enamel Graffiti Ring tagged with the statment "Legalize Art"

Abstract Street Graffiti Necklace 

Graffiti Stones and Chains Earrings also bearing the phrase "Legalize Art"

Check out the rest of this colorful collection here

The Rights Collection is unique because each piece represents four Supreme Court Cases with the actual case numbers inscribed on the jewelry

 

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the Rights Collection:

Rights Multi-Case and Chain necklace features all four Supreme Court Case numbers

Silver Two-Finger Ring

Rights Asymmetrical Silver Earrings

Check out the rest of this symbolic collection here

The Cubes Collection features jewelry cubes on each piece:

 

36" Necklace

Cubes and Chain Necklace

Geometric Bracelet

Check out the rest of this geometric collection here

Ken and Dana Designs have been featured in many fashion magazine publications such as Lucky, W, and Harper's Bizarre to name a few.  Beyonce and Keri Hilson have been spotted out and about wearing Ken and Dana Design jewelery:

Beyonce is wearing the Geometric Brass & Leather Long Necklace from the Cubes Collection

 

Keri Hilson wore the Long Brass Plate and Chain Necklace from the Graffiti Collection to the 2009 BET Awards

Also be sure to check out Ken and Dana Design's Fine Jewelry line called BYLU here