Author: Louis Dell'Olio

………………………This is my interpretation of one of my Berber Necklaces…………………I LOVE anything ethnic….I love artisan hand made things that are made with love and the talent and the imagination of the maker…………..The BERBER people are very special….They are a very proud people and don’t like to be compared to anyone else….They do not consider themselves as Arabs as such…..they are Berbers!…….The jewelry and items we bought for our home I will always cherish, because of the wonderful memories that they bring back to me…………………..My interpretation of this Berber necklace is very true to the original. The Berbers used BIG beads all hand carved and polished. Silver was mostly the metal they used. Over the years the silver aged and oxidized. The metal beads were many times fluted or had what looked like….tiny metal bead work. The spacer beads have this bead work and the larger metal beads and caps are all fluted or “ribbed”…..Some of the color beads are translucent and some have a cloudy opaque look, just as the real ones do…..I tried to simulate the real amber in resin. We are calling it Honey. I wanted to call it Amber, but we were not allowed to because it isn’t real amber, but an AMBER COLOR it is!…..The metal is SILVER OX to look like the aged metal beads of the original…..The earring has a smaller bead with two smaller fluted beads on either side. It has a lever back…….This necklace has some weight to it due to the solid resin beads, but will be very wearable for most…….I originally had many more beads in the necklace, as the original, but had to remove some to bring the weight down. Now I think it is perfectly balanced………Do not be afraid to wear these necklaces on prints as they are bold enough to carry their own importance…….This is an accent necklace….meaning it doesn’t have to coordinate with anything……..Wear it as the Berbers proudly would, and do…..with everything they own………..J392832, is the style number for the set……..I am very well aware this is not for everyone, and frankly I wouldn’t want it to be. It is for those who love artisan work….for those who love jewelry from different cultures…..for those who proudly know they are wearing something special……………………………enjoy……………………………much Love……………………………….Louis

……………………….OLIVE is a color I keep going back to time after time. I think it’s the perfect neutral AND accent color. I’m a sucker for anything that has SAFARI or MILITARY colors, and all olive shades are perfect……….The SAND of the DESERT, and the PALMS of an OASIS are so natural and pleasing together, as in the crinkle georgette safari shirt and lace pant…..Add a little spice like the SANGRIA CREPE GAUZE TUNIC with the straw and olive crepe gauze pieces, and the Olive Necklace pulls it all together. The CRINKLE GEORGETTE SHIRT with the DILL Lace pant takes the pant from being dressy to something much more casual….add the necklace and you are ready for a dinner in some Moroccan hideaway…….Again, this is a wonderful necklace for prints. They balance well together…Sometimes you want the accessories to meld, and sometimes you want them to stand out…..It’s all an eye game……………………enjoy……………………..much Love…………………………Louis

……………………………………The beauty of the chiseled beads combined with the smooth barrel beads, and the Brass Ox metal beads, both fluted and bead detailed, held together by the perfect chain are all the subtle details that go into making this glorious BERBER NECKLACE…………………….enjoy……………………………much Love………………………………Louis

…………………………..BLUE and SILVER OX is the third combination this Berber necklace will be avail in. Blue is a color you rarely see in Berber pieces, because there are few natural materials that are avail in a blue color. They use a lot of amber, turquoise, coral, glass, shell and enamel…..anything they can find to use in their one of a kind pieces. They will sometimes dye beads to achieve different colors. I sometimes wonder if they use the same dye that the “BLUE PEOPLE” use to dye their clothing….similar to my SAPPHIRE. It also dyes their skin blue……..The Blue People are descendants of the Berber’s, but are very independent, and also live in North Africa………They are incredibly beautiful…………………………enjoy………………………..much Love…………………………..Louis

…………………………This year I am bringing back the TIGER LILY PRINT SHIRT, A302607, and SCARF, A302608 in a new color……………..MIDNIGHT………………It has all the same colors as the originals, but this time the ground is BLACK and a SMOKEY GREY giving the look of an EXOTIC and MYSTERIOUS GARDEN…………….I chose to use a black tank and my SLIM BLACK PANT, A265615 to finish the look, which is a great back ground for the vivid colors, but any accent color will look great….even all white…….For those of you who are new to this elongated shirt it has a classic shirt collar, and a button front. It has very high side slits, for a very flowing effect….The sleeve is 3/4 length with a flared bottom, but not very exaggerated……just enough to add a little femininity. The back has a stitched down box pleat to add a lovely flow and ease…….The fabric is new also. It has a wonderful pebble surface and a very soft drappy hand…….The necklace is my new BLACK BUGLE BEAD with  twist beads……………….enjoy…………………….much Love………………………….Louis