Gypsie Bella - Leather & Pearls
July 23rd, 2008 @ 3:55 pm by Mrs. Cherry Pie
I hadn’t even really been looking for wedding jewelry…but sometimes, when you’re NOT looking is when you’ll stumble on something wonderful.
In this case, I was shopping for dahlias to make my hanging jar mock-ups, so I wandered into Willow and Bloom, a floral boutique near my office. Besides amazing flower arrangements, Willow and Bloom sells a variety of delightful gifts, party favors, and jewelry.
What first caught my eye was this beautiful necklace by Seattle jewelry designer Christa Hope:
Christa’s line of custom bridal jewelry perfectly fit all of my requirements for suitably simple yet elegant jewelry: not heavy, not complicated, not cheap-looking, and not gaudy. She makes wonderful things:
After looking at some of Christa’s jewelry, my eye was drawn to a little display mannequin sitting on top of a high shelf. On it was a graceful choker made of a delicate leather cord strung with colorful and shapely Akoya pearls. And I just knew that this was what I had to wear:
How rustic! How elegant! How shabby! How chic! How…now…brown cow?
These lovely pearls found their way to Seattle via Sayulita, Mexico, where they were made by a husband and wife team called “Gypsia Bella.” Willow and Bloom carries many of their necklaces, but for some reason I glossed them over until I saw this very one.
Gypsie Bella necklaces have been featured in Travel & Leisure Magazine and are soon to be featured in Vogue, but they’re hard to find except in choice locations: San Tropez, St. Bart’s, Miami, New York, Sardinia. I had an exceptionally difficult finding ANYTHING about them online except to see one (expensive!) tahitian pearl wrist band featured in a New York Times photo (bottom right, cut off):
Let me tell you, I already love this necklace to death. The length is adjustable, so it can be worn loosely or as a full choker. The leather and lumpy, variable-colored pearls make it quite rustic and not distinctly “bridal,” but it’s still gorgeous and eye-catching. I think it will be a nice addition to my wedding attire. And to think, I was considering skipping a necklace altogether!
I’d mostly been thinking about what earrings to wear, if any. So now, necklace in hand, I’ve begun working with Gypsie Bella (and a local artist as a backup) to create matching four-pearl, leather corded drop earrings. Like so:
Pardon my wacky Photoshop mock-up.
What do you think? What are you wearing for your bridal jewelry?
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14 Responses to “Gypsie Bella - Leather & Pearls”
My gown is very simple, so I wanted a dramatic necklace to add oomph to my outfit, and wanted something that matched my sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring. Problem was, I couldn’t find anything in the style I wanted for less than $10,000! And that’s just ridiculous - it’s a necklace, not a car. So off to Etsy I went. I saw a piece in the store of Morning Glory Designs that I loved - it even had birds on it, which is a recurring theme for our wedding - but the colors were wrong. She made a custom piece with the exact stones I wanted for the same price. I received it last week and it is absolutely gorgeous. It really could not be more perfect! And for only $65.
Since I have a big necklace, I am wearing simple earrings that my mother gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago - a square sapphire surrounded by diamonds, almost exactly like my engagement ring.
I think that would completely go with your rustic wedding theme
Ha, I’ve actually spent the last two days scouring etsy for jewelry. I’ve found two necklaces I like, and they’re inexpensive enough that I think I’m just going to buy both of them and see which looks better with my dress. Unfortunately, neither seller makes earrings that I like, so I’m still on the hunt for those.
The choker is very, very cool. I LOVE that the pearls are all different shapes!
I so love your style! I’m a proud winner of the Tigerlilly $500 give away - Thanks Weddingbee! - I went with some dramatic earings - Ginger, I think was the name and had a lariat made to match. They are simple, and I’ll wear them again after the wedding. Who am I kidding, I’ve been wearing them for weeks already.
i actually ended up wearing no jewelry except my mom’s diamond studs (my something borrowed). My dress was pretty dramatic and it didn’t seem right to add to it. But it’s funny you mention this company–some of my favorite memories are from Sayulita (pretty good surfing and amazing fish tacos) and i bought some beautiful pearls while there. Great find Miss CP!
Love Christa’s designs - hate the website. Really, they can’t post a price for any of their jewelry? Not terribly user-friendly. I guess I don’t love any of it enough to pick up the phone and call.
And one piece of advice about wedding jewelry - as far as your necklace, something without an obvious center is a good choice. Otherwise you’ll find yourself adjusting it all night, or looking at dozens of pictures in which it’s obviously off-center.
For some very unique, stunning jewelry check out summerellis.com/bridal.htm
She does custom work and full bridesmaids collections, as well as vintage hair pieces. Everything is customizable with Swarovski crystals and pearls.
Email me if you would like a pdf full catalog of her bridal collection! She did such a great job with my wedding and I love to recommend her!
That’s an amazing necklace- it’s the perfect blend of rustic(ness?) & femininity!
[...] can sort of see my necklace in the video & photos above. Here are a few close ups of how it looks with the dress. I think [...]
[...] yes, I decided not to wear my leather & pearl necklace until later in the evening (I felt like it was too much with the veil and earrings and didn’t [...]
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, Montana
Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse Practitioner
Engagement Date: August 26, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: April 1, 2008
Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National Park
About Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
Wow! How great is that necklace?? Willow and Bloom has been a lovely little addition to the Seattle bridal scene hasn’t it??