Warmest wishes for the season!

Ben-Amun jewels pictured above:

Swarovski Crystal Diamond Shaped Pin

Swarovski Crystal Small Deco Button Earrings
Swarovski Crystal Feather Shaped Chandelier Earrings

Luxury Love With Ben-Amun!

For a woman who married seven men and was loved by millions, you would think that Elizabeth Taylor would have had a difficult time identifying her greatest romance. It seems, however, that the most passionate affair of her lifetime was also the longest lasting, and in true celebrity style, Elizabeth Taylor herself revealed the details of said affair in a tell-all book entitled My Love Affair with Jewelry.

Yes, trumping both the tumult of her romance with Richard Burton, and her fascinating friendship with Michael Jackson, was Elizabeth Taylor’s constant, and abundant love for jewelry. The collection she acquired over the course of her lifetime was unsurprisingly extensive, and its value was estimated to be unsurprisingly high, but how high was only just determined by a roomful of bidders on Tuesday night.

Breaking the world record for the most money spent in the auction of a private jewelry collection, Elizabeth Taylor’s well loved jewels went for $11.8 million. If that sum makes you cast an underwhelmed glance over your own collection, turn that frown upside down and reignite the flame between you and your jewelry box!

You don’t have to marry a long line of rich men or rise to movie star status to curate a collection you can love as much as Elizabeth Taylor loved her own. Instead you can buy yourself those “Saturday night presents” on www.ben-amun.com ! Take some style tips from Elizabeth Taylor today and perhaps in fifty years bidders will break the bank scrambling to snatch up your jewels!



                       

                            Pearl and Crystal Fan Earrings



Pearl and Crystal Teardrop Necklace





 

         

         Large Crystal Chandelier Earrings



       

Crystal Vintage Deco Bracelet









Do you love our brooches but can’t quite figure out how to wear them? Elizabeth Taylor was known to use brooches as hairpins to add sparkle to her famously dark hair. Update your up-do with one of the pins below!

  


                     

                          

                                      Jonquil Crystal Deco Leaf Pin

 

Vintage Crystal Pin



For more ways to channel the glamour or Elizabeth Taylor check out http://www.ben-amun.com, and just because the auction on her jewelry is over, doesn't mean you have to quell your craving to bid on something! The Goddess Adorned auction is still open! Check it out here! 



-Kristin







Crystals for a Cause!

Isaac loves adornment. He loves beautiful things, and he loves art. The expression of these loves most often leaves his loyal fans and fashion aficionados with covetable collections of jewelry. Recently, however, Isaac was given the opportunity to put his creative energies towards a different project, and though the fruit of his labor was no less beautiful or distinct than his jewelry, the figure to be adorned was not a woman but a glass vase.

The project is called “The Goddess Adorned,” and has culminated in an online auction of one-of-a-kind vases (live now!) the proceeds of which will go entirely to Housing Works, a New York City based charity. The mission of Housing Works, as stated by the organization, “is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.”

In support of Housing Works, Swarovski Elements and luxury interiors brand Gaia&Gino created “The Goddess Adorned,” the auction of limited edition vases designed by Harry Allen and then “dressed” by 15 different celebrities and designers. Those doing the dressing were given one of three versions of Harry Allen’s Gaia Vase to transform via an array of Swarovski Elements’ materials, and transform them they did.

The inspirations behind the one-of-a-kind vases produced were as varied and intriguing as the group of people behind their creation, however, being biased, we were most interested in the story behind Isaac’s vase, pictured below.

Upon seeing the Swarovski Elements that he would be using to embellish his vase, Isaac recalled a moment of awe he’d experienced years ago on a trip back to Egypt. He’d been at the Queen Nut tomb in Luxor, and looking up into the ceiling of the grotto, had been struck by the shade of lapis lazuli encapsulating the tomb. It was a beautiful departure from the reds and oranges that traditionally saturated these spaces, and it honored the “Queen of the Night” as Queen Nut was most often called. The special shade of midnight recalled a midsummer sky scattered with stars, and the Gaia Vase provided the perfect body on which to recreate it.

Isaac’s vase is on display at the Swarovski Crystallized Concept store at 499 Broadway in Soho, as are all of the “The Goddess Adorned” vases for the duration of the auction. However, it is looking for a new home! Not only is this the perfect opportunity to bring Isaac’s art from your wardrobe to your household décor, but 100% of the profit will go to Housing Works, so it’s also a wonderful way for you to support their cause!

Follow the link below to get a closer look at the vase and bid! The auction is open now and ends at 10 pm on December 20th!  

Ben-Amun vase for "The Goddess Adorned"

Before you dash off to duke it out for this priceless piece of Ben-Amun art, we have one more piece of exciting news to share. On Tuesday evening Swarovski Elements and Gaia&Gino hosted an event to kick off the auction. In attendance were several of the project's participants, and we were particularly thrilled to see both New York socialite Tinsley Mortimer, and Dancing with the Stars Contestant Carson Kressley sporting their favorite Ben-Amun pieces! Check out the pictures below!




Tinsley Mortimer in our Pearl Tassel Earrings and Crystal Bracelet
and Carson Kressley in the crystalized version of our Breguet Pin!

 

Tinsley and Isaac!

 Ok, now bid!

-Kristin



Time to Get Timeless at Ben-Amun!

Swanky and prestigious Paris department store Le Bon Marché has sent out its annual Holiday catalogue. A glossy source of eye-candy for the accessory lover, the catalogue features a mere fifty of the most coveted holiday wardrobe must-haves, and yes, you guessed it, Ben-Amun was included! With a caption that speaks to the timelessness of the jewelry, the bracelet featured is said to transcend time with its promise to deliver moments of supreme refinement. Oo la la how desirable! Check out the star treatment they gave our bracelet in the shot below, and perhaps treat yourself to some timeless refinement at www.ben-amun.com!

While the holidays are the perfect time to splurge on accessory merriment, if your wallet has a leash on the gift-giver in you, we have good news. The bi-annual sample sale at Ben-Amun is just around the corner, which means that glamour can be yours at a fraction of the price! In keeping with Le Bon Marche’s flattering observation that Ben-Amun jewelry is timeless, we’ve decided to showcase a few pieces from the sample sale loot. Much of the jewelry on sale this Wednesday and Thursday at the Ben-Amun offices is either from seasons past (so if you missed it then you can buy it now!) or is a one of a kind piece. That said, there are pieces from current collections mixed in as well, so the lucky shopper may just snag a deco necklace for under $75 or a pair of Kasbah earrings for under $50. See the pictures below for a little taste of our sample sale selection, and join us this Wednesday and Thursday from 12pm to 6pm at 246 West 38th Street, Suite 12A, to pick out your own timeless treasures!  

Looking forward to seeing you soon!
-Kristin