Bejeweled

One of the most purely fun parts of the wedding-planning process for me was picking out gifts for my "attending" girlfriends. I knew right away that I wanted to get them something from Kris Nations Jewels, so the only hard part was deciding what to choose.

Kris Nations is a San Francisco-based designer who makes gorgeous pieces ranging from earthy to delicate to edgy. The quality of her materials is always really nice, and she pays attention to the finishing details like clasps and other hardware that separate the dilettantes from the pros. I'm acquainted with her through our mutual friend Natalie (who recently wrote about Kris and her sister Kim on the Craftzine blog), and in addition to being a talented designer, she's also just a really nice person (and effortlessly stylish, too). My jewelry box is full of her stuff.

While she does have a special bridal accessories collection, I had fun looking through everything on the site, and then ordering with abandon. For my bridesmaids (they wore chiffon dresses in "espresso" - thanks, J. Crew!) I ended up going with the smoky quartz corsage bracelets, made with two chunky strands of freshwater pearls and a detachable flower pin, and for my maid of honor I chose the quartz brooch, a flower with bigger, clear quartz "petals" and a freshwater pearl center, which looked amazing against her peacock blue silk.

I think the girls really liked their new jewels, and I loved being able to introduce them to the world of Kris Nations. Everything looked fantastic on them, and it felt good knowing we were supporting an independent designer and friend ... an easy proposition when it means you get to wear great jewelry in the process!