Kate Cusack

There’s no definitive age when a woman crosses over from being wholly interested in wearing what’s hip to embodying her own natural style. But at some point we all wise up and realize that owning what everyone else is buying isn’t all that much fun. And the moment you turn that corner is when you start to build a wardrobe filled with classic, quality pieces, and a jewelry box stocked with truly artistic adornments.

Some designers are drawn to classic jewelry materials, such as metals, gemstones, enamel and glass, and then there is Kate Cusack who abandons that conventional path entirely and fashions her collection entirely out of metal-teethed zippers. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are fluid, flaunting kaleidoscope patterns that spiral in unexpected, playful directions. Some pieces sport complex circular arrangements that resemble beehives, and others have streamlined asymmetrical drops.

Her necklaces are understandably expensive, but she also offers flower-shaped zipper pins in a variety of colors at a wallet-friendly price. To view styles visit the designer’s Web site To purchase, email Kate at kate@katecusack.com.

Elke Kramer

You'd love to fill your apartment with bright white accoutrements and Florence Knoll furniture, but the reality is, it's a challenge to even get the dishes done, let alone find time to organize and decorate your humble abode. But the thing is, deep down you're a minimalist who hates clutter, and in a heartbeat you'd swap everything you own for one perfect Pierre Paulin orange slice lounge chair. You shop for personal adornments in the same manner - opting to own one amazing piece, than cram your drawers with a bunch of mediocre stuff.

Australian Elke Kramer spreads herself across many creative mediums, from graphic design, illustration and art direction (she did the backdrop artwork for the Holly Throsby and Joanna Newsom tour) to textile design. But it’s her role as jewelry designer that we love best, producing artistic pieces that are infinitely wearable yet deliciously off-beat. Her limited edition collection of necklaces and earrings flaunt abstract elements that are laser-cut from plywood and then laminated. Evocative of insect forms, Aztec motifs and clockwork mechanics, the shapes are hung from copper-plated chains.

To view styles and purchase visit Style-Scene.

Draugsvold

Glamour. For you it's about wearing saucy lipstick when no one is looking, ordering a sparkling Bellini with breakfast, and slipping into vintage stilettos for a trip to the corner deli. But it's a lifestyle after all, not just a state of mind, and so it's the little splurges and guilty pleasures that count. And of course, your secret weapon is your jewelry choices, utilized cleverly to make even a simple jeans and t-shirt combo, look nothing short of spectacular.

For her Spring '08 collection, designer Melissa Draugsvold pairs her signature vintage brass chains and findings with pale pink, peach and lilac gem stones which give the heavyweight pieces an infusion of lightness and femininity. Sculpted antique glass beads and printed Lucite drops add intrigue, as does a well-placed green Egyptian Scarab.

To view styles and to purchase visit the designer’s Web site.

Madame Fortuna

Everyone has perennial, hard-and-fast rules when it comes to dressing, but in your book, unoriginality is the only cardinal sin. But that’s the gypsy in you, the free spirit who may get caught up in the quest for the jean du jour, but ultimately settles on clothing and accessories that are anything but ubiquitous renditions. Pieces that meow, whisper, coax and captivate.

Guaranteed to be the most novel jewelry selection you’ll ever own, Madame Fortuna’s Relic necklaces capture personal artifacts within dainty hand-blown glass globes where they can be treasured forever and ever. Allison Nowlin Ward, the designer behind the Madame Fortuna moniker, fills the pendants with bits of moss, colorful feathers, pearls or Victorian lace, but will custom produce the piece with a customer’s chosen keepsake…a lock of your child’s hair, a lover’s note, sand from your favorite beach…you decide. The globe dangles on a 24” gold-filled chain, and fastens with a spring ring clasp.

To purchase visit the designer’s Web site.

Elisa Solomon Jewelry

Reinvention is a wonder to behold. Someone, not just anyone, sees beyond the expected and boldly rearranges what everyone else saw as expected and true. Philippe Starck interpreting the martini glass as a chair or Hendrix transforming Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower from an obscure acoustical ditty to a Hall of Fame guitar assault. Of course, retranslating is not the hard part. The magic trick is to astutely preserve the critical elements, and alter the ones that could survive a creative shake-up.

By taking gemstones, and smashing them to pieces, designer Elisa Solomon presents an intriguing reinvention of the traditional jewel pendant necklace. Sparkling rubies, brown diamonds, emeralds, sapphire, and earthy turquoise, are cracked into small nuggets and then encased within a glass frame, presenting a shaking visual, much like a tipping sand hourglass, except bolder and chunkier. The “shake” pendants are then hung from 14k solid yellow gold chains.

To view styles and a store list, visit the designer’s Web site.

Fenton

Sass and spirit, yes they can reside on the same wavelength as sweetness and light. Genuine sunshine, after all, can take many forms…a wicked smile, a contagious laugh, an inclusive whisper. Which is why flowers, the ultimate token of beauty, should never be mistaken for a one-trick pony reserved for perky girly-girls. They are in fact, best suited for complicated women who dabble in shades of gray, but are smart enough to count their blessings.

For her Fenton line, designer Dana Lorenz has created a series of heirloom quality pendants handcrafted from fossilized ivory, that flaunt intricate floral designs using the scrimshaw technique (the picture is first skillfully etched and then filled in with ink). Harmoniously mingling modernity with old world beauty, the dreamy and feminine pendants are hung from sterling silver chains.

To view styles and purchase visit Dilsey Coal.

Bonbon Oiseau

You carefully weigh every word, because you know that confessions blurted out are often regretted, and can never be taken back. But just because you're restrained, doesn't mean that you're uptight. You'd just rather reveal yourself when the moment is right, because timing is everything, and giving everything away, right away, seems tacky. Which is why you adore jewelry pieces that inspire meandering conversation, rather than ones that can be sized up quickly.

The Le Tour du Monde Nouveau collection from Bonbon Oiseau suits your style perfectly, delivering love-at-first-sight pieces with an arsenal of unfolding details. Deborah Stein, the designer behind the line, is a raconteur at heart, and each selection she creates has a very specific, entertaining story to tell, whether it is capturing the excitement of the racetrack, or imagining the bank robbing adventures of Bonnie and Clyde. Her pieces are precious, adorned with pearls, gemstones, and antique charms, and arranged in thoughtful sequences. Our current favorite is the New York necklace, dressed up with a square glass cabochon celebrating the 7th race at Belmont Track in May 1955.

To view styles and purchase visit the Bonbon Oiseau Web site.