Oh It's Magic: Kazuko

Oh, oh, oh it's magic, you know
Never believe it's not so
It's magic, you know
Never Believe, it's not so
-Magic by Pilot 1974

(and redone fabulously by Selena Gomez or so my daughter says - alright!  Truth be told, I have heard Selena Gomez's version and I actually like it better then the original. ) 

In my first post on the jeweler Kazuko I referred to the magic of her pieces.  And in speaking about Kazuko recently with two people who knew her very well, the word 'magic' came up again and again.  What was it that was so magical about her jewelry?  Was it that each piece was unique? That she had so much of herself invested in each piece that she created?

Here is an excerpt from a tribute that Simon Doonan from Barneys wrote for the New York Observer after she passed away:

'One steamy afternoon I was accosted on the sidewalk outside the Barney windows on Seventh Avenue.  The accoster was on this occasion a little fairy shrouded in black Yohji silks.  She told me her name was Kazuko Oshima, but everyone called her Kazuko.  She was a one-namer.

Kazuko said she liked the display, but felt it needed a veil.  From her purse, as if by magic, (there is that word again!!), she pulled out a massive chunk of silk tulle, the edges of which she had painstakingly stitched with rock crystals.  She waited outside the windows while I shooshed her creation over the head of the mannequin.  Voila!  We both agreed it was sugoi ("wow").'

After I was shown this substantial necklace, which was made especially for the original owner and was never available at Barneys, with its contrast of rough and smooth, all I could say was, oh, oh it's magic!

Kazuko gold wire wrapped crystal necklace and semi precious stones necklace.  

Why don't you wear it with... a flowing Madame Gres ensmeble a la Rosamond Bernier?

1970s Madame Gres at RARE vintage

Rosamond Bernier in Madame Gres and an oversized necklace in 1968:

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All That Glitters Is Not Necessarily Gold

And I say hallelujah to that because the price of gold has just hit a record high.  But here at RARE vintage we are just simple girls with couture dreams and champagne tastes but with an eye for sound investments and a good return on our money.  We also know that when someone says, "There is gold in them thar hills!"  that gold, if it is there, is going to cost you a pretty penny.  

But we also know that all that glitters is not necessarily gold and that costume can sometimes be even more fabulous and fun then the real thing.  As a client of ours said to me in Hong Kong, "You know it is not so convienent to go around wearing two million dollars worth of jewelry anymore".  Girl, it sure isn't.

So what do you do?  You don't want to bedeck yourself in $2,000,000 in jewelry for a cocktail party tonight but you don't want to go unadorned either.  RARE vintage to the rescue!  It's fabulous, it's fake and it's by anonymous.  It's glamorous but with a edge.  Interspersed throughout the gold beads are 'nails' with rhinestone heads.  So look beautiful!  Have fun!  And don't break open your piggy bank for a necklace that will amaze your friends  (& make them envious!).  And that is golden.

Circa 1980s gold and glamourous beaded necklace

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Tina Chow Meditation Rock Crystal Necklace

I confess to being a complete failure when it comes to meditation.  Faster then you can start to say "Omm..."  I am sound asleep.  So I get more of a "Zzzzz" then an "Ommm".  But, Jodi, my yoga teacher is threatening to teach me meditation anyway (yawn).

Despite my failures at meditation, I love the idea of Tina Chow's meditation necklace.  A beautiful and sensuously shaped rock crystal necklace that when unhooked is intended to cover all seven major chakras.  So it is not only beautiful to look at, wonderful to feel on the body, it also has healing qualities.  And don't we all love a necklace that can multi-task.  And offer style with substance.

We are thrilled to be able to offer another extremely rare piece of Tina Chow jewelry. 

The smooth rock crystal pebbles feel wonderful and are almost like holding worry beads.  There is something very relaxing, soothing and reassuring holding the pebbles.  The necklace is extremely long and can be wrapped twice around the neck with the tail hanging in the front or if you are wearing an open back top, can be worn in the back which looks really beautiful.

The tail of the necklace has a prism shaped pendant.  The rock crystal has been left in its natural state on this piece.

The rock crystal pebbles are extremely sparkly.

Tina Chow Rock Crystal and Sterling Silver Meditation Necklace

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