Bracelets, bracelets and more bracelets. This season bracelets are seen everywhere. From pearls to wood and of course bangles, you see them on everyone. What I love about bracelets  is you can wear them with anything. T shirts and jeans to a cute flirty sundress. This season I love to layer them with metals and wood designs, oh and don’t forget lots of color. It’s great because you don’t have to worry about necklines and lengths, you just put them on and go.

Some of my favorites this season are the Olive Wood Tassel Bracelets and the Pearl Bracelets.

Have you ever seen Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie on the cover of a magazine and wondered how it all works behind the scenes to eventually get the photos that we see. Well, I got to witness exactly that. Watching Leslie outfit the models with the clothes and jewelry and Cory set up the scenes up with lighting and location was really a fun and interesting process. This process from start to finish probably took around 6 hours. That doesn’t even count the work that went into it before the photo shoot took place; such as selecting the wardrobe and jewelry that would be used and setting up the lighting prior to the photos being taken. Or does it count the hours after to touch up(that’s right, nobody looks perfect) and select the photos you are going to use. It definitely gave me a real understanding of all of what goes on to eventually get the shots that are used in the final product.

I thought it might be fun to include some behind the scenes pictures to give you a better understanding of the process and how raw it looks before Cory uses his magic to create the final product.

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Everyone loves to have something that is unique and no one else has. With jewelry this is also the case. Having a one of a kind piece that tells a story from another place in time or a stone in which there is no other one like it sets a piece apart.

Cheryl Dufault got her start with these types of one of a kind designs and this is still true today. I remember her telling me a story about a piece I saw in her studio one day. It was a Chinese carpenter tool that was about 200 years old. She had re-purposed it to create something modern that can be worn today. You can only imagine this carpenter using it to create their own creations in days long ago.

Today’s men’s  jewelry is not what their father or grandfather wore. It’s modern, hip and trendy. It used to be that the only piece of jewelry a man wore was their wedding ring or a nice watch, but that is not the current trend in mens designer jewelry.

Thanks to trend setters David Beckham and Johnny Depp, men are wearing all types of jewelry. Leather and metal are what is currently being featured on bracelets and necklaces. Chunky(but don’t think of Jersey Shores) and hip is what keeps this look masculine and modern.

Fashion trends for men are the same as for women this season, chic, loose and bohemian. The jewelry trend fits right in with layers and mixing of the types of materials used. When you mix up your styles it keeps the look casual and fun.

Check out some of these current looks HERE. ( add link to store of a particular item)

Are you in the mood for a little leather? Or maybe you are in the mood for something more primal? If that doesn’t do it for you, you can always channel your hipster/bohemian side. All these looks and more are in step with what is going on with jewelry’s top trends for 2012.

Leather-You see it all over. From pants to dresses, leather is everywhere (think Victoria Beckham and Angelina Jolie). In the trend for this season, leather is showing up all over in jewelry. Leather bracelets are huge. Whether it is in a wrap form or a cuff form or better yet layered, they are on the wrists of everyone from Jessica Alba to Jessica Biel. Check out this one(put a link for one of Cheryl’s)

Tribal-This trend is all over the runways for Spring 2012. From Michael Kors to Donna Karan, you are seeing it in their animal inspired prints as well as gladiator style shoes. This is also showing up in accessories, particularly in bracelets that are colorful wood and can be multi-layered. (link here to one of Cheryl’s products)

Tassels-This trend seems to piggy back with the tribal look. The jewelery is very earthy, has a bohemian feel to it and can be mixed with wood or metal bases. Although this can be worn all alone, layering this look with seed beads or colorful strands really helps add to this current look.

Pearls-This is definitely not the pearl that your grandmother is wearing. This seasons look is all about colored pearls with a chunky  silver cross or circle design attached to it. The pearl necklace is being worn long and it too can be layered with other necklaces of different lengths. (Link to one of Cheryls items)

This years jewelery trends have lots of different options and styles, but the main thing to keep in mind is make sure your look chic and hip. In other words, polished but don’t look like you are trying to hard.