It is crazy hard to pick something out for a girl aged anywhere between 12 and 24.  Unless of course you ARE a girl aged 12 to 24.  I have like a million girls this age to buy gifts for (triplet nieces don’t hurt).  I am constantly trying to come up with something appropriate, cool, useful, tasteful, that they won’t hate and for which their mothers won’t kill me.  I start worrying about it in October.

I do know charms, leather wrap bracelets and jewelry with soul are super hot right now, and I was beyond thrilled to find Lenny & Eva bracelets at City Art Works (which is a TOTAL find on Woodlawn at Park Rd by the Total Wine).  (I seriously hate to even tell you about City Art Works, as I secretly love the jewelry at this store so much).

Leather cuff bracelets set up for interchangeable metal “sentiment” tags – as well as little charms – that hook right onto the cuff.  (Also affordable wrap bracelets that can be hooked up with charms, sentiments etc).  Love.  Priced right – about $45 for a completed wide cuff.   Nieces, beware.  Something Lenny & Eva this way comes. (more…)

Brides? Just because you’ve got the diamond does NOT mean that Mr. Fiance has a get-out-of-jewelry-free card until you get hitched. No, ‘mam. He does not. And you with the Mrs. prefix? You still deserve the bling. I believe it is a lady’s right to feel blingtastic at all times.

At. All. Times.

Charlotte’s neighborhood jeweler, Guliani’s Fine Jewelry  in Blakeney can totally help you with that requirement.   I think a lot of people are a bit hesitant to go into a jewelry store without having an idea about what they want. Don’t be scared. Guliani’s sales folks are super nice, really knowledgeable and guess what? They are NOT paid on commission so the atmosphere is relaxed and unpressured. They even have a little area for the boys where they can watch TV and drink beer while YOU shop. How cool is that?  Take a look at some of the items on my holiday list:

(more…)

A long time ago, I loved Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.  Now, I love just Melvin.  I found out about this Aunt and niece duo original to the QC at Poole Shop.  Martha Clifford and Morgan Elvington take inspiration from every surrounding including, architecture, culture, and vintage finds while traveling. Melvin is a Charlotte born collection, handmade in NYC and is currently sold in Poole Shop.  My son calls my new Melvin bracelet (see pic below) Davy Jones.  Which is good, cuz I love Johnny Depp even more.

by Louise Truett, scoopWEDDINGS

This Saturday October 15th  is Guliani’s Fine Jewelry’s Client Appreciation party, with 20% off all jewelry, free appetizers from 131 Main and complimentary beer, wine and sodas.  Plus, you can try your key to their Treasure Chest to win a $500 gift certificate.  Door prizes from 131 Main Restaurant, Bevello, Seventy-Two Shoe Boutique, Massage Envy, Cigar City Co., Gateway Travel, SAS Cupcakes.

Last month I got to spend a little time in the House of Bling, otherwise known as Guliani’s Fine Jewelry. Can I just tell you how fantastic it is to be able to play with gorgeous jewels? I mean, seriously. Who doesn’t like diamonds?
What’s the one thing that can make buying bling better? Champagne, yes. But I mean in terms of jewelry. Okay, okay. Enough with the guessing. It’s customization: making that little special something all that more special . (more…)

An open letter to Laura James Jewelry.

Dear Laura,
Stop.  Just stop.  My credit card cannot take one more piece from you.  This new Couture Collection is possibly my favorite LJJ ever.  The temptation is killing me. C’mon and give a girl a break.  As a friend, please, just stop it already.
(more…)

Remember those jangly gold charm bracelets the grandmothers used to wear?  Back when women dressed for dinner and downtown, wore gloves & hats and matched shoes to bags?  I’m sure on Park Ave. they looked like this gorgeous gem-laden 18K gold version.  In my hometown, it was more like this: (more…)

Remember silly bands?  Like, all over your house and the back of your car?  In case you didn’t know it (or live it) that toy-trend that was soon hijacked by teens and college kids for tongue-in-cheek style.  The anti-chan luu.   A conversation starter.  (on the right girls, anything can be a prelude).

This summer?  Orthodontal rubber bands.  Silly –  yes.  Silly Bands, no.  These are called BRACED LETS. Made from those tiny colored bands used on braces brackets and the brackets themselves.  Lots of colors to be mixed, matched and stacked, retailing on line for $4.99 each.  Created by the designer of much loved jewelry brand Lulu Frost and her orthodontist sister.  Reported on by the NYT and now, sold out.   Available for order for delivery later this month.

In a word.  Wow.

This month, we found what we love at Guliani’s Fine Jewelry in Blakeney.

Owned and operated by Graduate Gemologist (GIA) Shanu Guliani, you’ll find Guliani’s Fine Jewelry in the Shoppes at Blakeney, near Belly Élan and across from Bevello.   A 2nd generation jeweler and an expert on diamonds and gemstones, Shanu has spent her life in the business.  She is well connected in the gem markets in India, and travels there annually to select her stones for the store.  Since 92% of diamonds are cut in India, Shanu Guliani works her contacts to select the best quality stones to sell directly to her customers.  No middleman markups means great quality at an even better price.

In addition to an amazing loose diamond and gemstone inventory, Guliani’s carries several popular brands in bridal, fine and fashion jewelry, like Scott Kay Bridal, Scott Kay Sterling, Edward Mirell, Cherie Dori, and Gravure Commitment.  The inventory is large and well-displayed on custom cases designed to seamlessly showcase the gems.

Best of all, Guliani’s has a resident Master Goldsmith who can create the piece of your dreams.  Or customize, update, modernize and repair a piece you already have.  Other than the colored diamonds, this is our favorite part of this store.  If you (like me) have decades old pieces of jewelry that you never wear because they’re out of style, stop by Guliani’s for a consultation.  They can update it, re-design it, or help you find or design a new, modern setting for the stones.  If you see a photo you love in a magazine, send your husband in with it – if they don’t carry something like it, Guliani’s can create it for you.

The store is big, bright and open.  Spacious.  And there’s a wine bar, where wine, beer, coffee and tea are served.  (In a gemstone situation, you never know when you’ll need to pop the cork.)  There’s even a plasma TV, so that if you need to shop with your man, there’s something to keep him happy while you look around.

Guliani’s can do machine and hand-engraving on site.  They are a certified Rolex and watch repair shop, and they buy Gold and Loose Diamonds.  Guliani’s  does a tidy business buying gold, so if you have some old or broken items you’d like to sell, so you can buy yourself something new, this is the spot for you.  In fact, the last time we were in Guliani’s, a women came it with a bag of old, inherited and broken pieces.  The staff helped her sift through what to keep (with appraisals and inspections) and what to sell.  They gave her a price for her gold, cash on the spot, and she went shopping.  It was that easy.

For more photos of their gorgeous jewelry, check-out Guliani’s on Facebook here. We hope you enjoy this locally owned and operated jewelry store as much as we do.
When you stop by the store, if you tell them scoopcharlotte sent you, Guliani’s will give you a complimentary stone inspection and jewelry cleaning.

Guliani’s Fine Jewelry.
The Shoppes at Blakeney, 9816 Rea Road, Charlotte, NC 28277
Tues – Sat:  10:00 am to 6:00 pm.  Open Sunday by Appointment.
info@addsparkle.com .  704-542-2980

http://www.addsparkle.com

Charlotte’s Best of The Best Award 2008  (Best Place to Buy Jewelry & Bring Your Guy)