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| El Paso-owned and proud |
Jul. 25 - Jul. 31
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Jewelry road trip
by Nan Napier |
 Last weekend I had the delightful experience of a girls’ road trip. In this age of “girl weekends” to Las Vegas, “girl spa days,” and “girls’ nights out,” what could beat a “girls’ road trip?”
The raison d’etre? Tucson turns into a city of gem shows in February. Gems as in semi-precious stones, diamonds and minerals. There are more than 40 shows in Tucson selling fine jewelry, beads, fossils and minerals. The venues range from ultra luxurious resorts to tarpaulins set up outside economy hotel rooms to blankets on street corners. The products range from exclusive designer jewelry to stones that must have been dug out of the ground last week.
It’s just as easy to drive to Tucson from El Paso as it is to fly, so four Tres Mariposas women loaded into my car early Sunday morning and headed for Tucson.
The good news is that our destination was the Centurion Jewelry show held at the gorgeous Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa. Oh, boy, do they do it up right! A relatively small group of high-end luxury jewelry designers, buyers and retail stores gather each year to catch up on new trends, network, buy and sell, and be entertained. Attendees could partake in the salsa party, the Super Bowl dinner and party, the headliner entertainment evening events, Spa Days, golf outings, tours of Tucson, you name it.
The bad news? It was a day trip and we didn’t get to partake in the spa or entertainment experiences. Additional bad news was that while we had time to shop and enjoy the Centurion Show, our main mission, we didn’t have extra time to rummage through the flea market type shows in Tucson. Ah ... life is too short!
The Centurion Show was a delight. Incredible jewelry lines were represented: sleek, clean modern art jewelry adorned with semi-precious stones, amazing pearls mixed with filigree gold, over-the-top lavishly ornamented pieces with diamonds.
The goody bag each buyer received upon arrival included the book, “Jewelry Savvy: What Every Jewelry Wearer Should Know,” by Cynthia Sliwa and Caroline Stanley. The book is a primer of great information for any woman who wants to enhance her personal style and image with jewelry. I enjoyed some of the wisdom and interesting tidbits.
• “Consider having a signature piece of jewelry, one you wear frequently. It may be that the actual piece is unique or it may be the way you wear it that makes it distinctly yours.” It could be jangling charm bracelets, an armful of bangles, or a signature color.
• “Consider your ears. Look at the size and shape of your ears. Ears can be large or small relative to your head and facial features. They can be set prominently at an angle or they can unobtrusively lie flat against the side of your head.” All of these variations are dealt with differently. The authors advise wearing earrings that completely cover the earlobes, such as button shapes, if you dislike the appearance of your ears. If your ears are prominent, try earrings with width rather than narrow designs. Wow! I never gave it enough thought.
• Aging alert! “Dangling earrings have a tendency to emphasize drooping and sagging features.”
• As with everything that has to do with style, “Your personality is key. Always select pieces that reflect your own personal style.”
• Earrings that work for most ears and most personality types are stud earrings and medium size round or oval hoop earrings.
• Use the blink test to emphasize one focal point with your jewelry. Stand at least five feet back from a full-length mirror and close your eyes for several seconds. When you open your eyes take note of where your attention focuses first. This is what others will notice about you first.
Nan Napier is owner of Tres Mariposas, an El Paso women’s fashion specialty store.
She can be reached at Nan@TresMariposas.com.
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