Summer Accessory Style: Shopping for Fashionable Jewelry

Vintage Halo Diamond Ring from Robbins Brothers (photo: M. Hall)

Summer is here with its shimmering parties, graduations and special events.  If you love fashion, like me, it’s literally the season of the bling! You don’t have to go shopping for new clothes, all you need is the right accessory to sparkle and make a fashion statement all summer long. To do that, I recently spent an afternoon at Robbins Brothers in Torrance, CA looking through their gorgeous jewelry selection. Although Robbins Brothers is renowned for their gorgeous engagement rings, they have many more items in their stores (and on their website) for fashionable wear. They have gorgeous earrings, vintage styled rings, diamond studs, hoop earrings and much more.  Some of you may wonder, why visit a jeweler when you can just get inexpensive costume jewelry at a fast fashion retailer?  Well, just like Coco Chanel thought that every woman should invest in one great dress, a little black dress, that she could wear everywhere, I think every woman should invest in at least one piece of quality jewelry that she can wear everywhere from christenings (think the Duchess of Cambridge with her sapphire ring ) to an elegant evening out.

The author modeling a Padparadscha sapphire ring at Robbins Brothers Jewelers.

So what is enticing at Robbins Brothers?   I have fallen in love with the Padparadscha sapphires  from the Chatham collection. If you haven’t heard of Padparadscha you need to discover these beautiful ruby and pink stones asap. These gems are not yet widely recognizable to the general public, but amongst jewelers, they are known to be very special. The Chatham collection at Robbins Brothers offers sapphires, diamonds, amethysts and morganite stones in gorgeous rings and pendants.   

Kirk Kara Rose Gold Engagement Rings

Another hot fashion trend that you’ll find plenty of at Robbins Brothers is rose-gold set rings and even pendants.  The Svelte rose gold diamond ring is stunning and a best value at  $149.00. Blue stones are very popular during summer months as some of us visit beaches and stunning resorts where we are surrounded by water. If you love blue tones for summer you’ll want to see the Tacori Topaz and Sapphire rings and pendants at Robbins Brothers. Some of the rings are multi-stoned, allowing the wearer to show off various shades of blue.

If you think Diamonds are out of your reach, think again. You could invest in a small diamond ring at first, and then invest in a larger ring down the road. Robbins Brothers has a unique upgrade program that allows you to buy a ring now and upgrade it later to a larger gem.

Another strategy for getting your diamonds on is,  investing in a good pair of stunning diamond studs that you can wear everywhere just like Channel’s theory of the Little Black Dress.  Forevermark and Northern Lights offer some stunning diamonds.

Mocha Collection from Robbins Brothers

The jewelry collections at Robbins Brothers, particularly the diamond rings, are divided into classic, vintage and modern. Vintage styles have been extremely popular for the last 3 years, with women loving the resurgence of 1920s and 1930’s styles. Designers featured at Robbins Brothers include Tacori, Mocha, and Echo Diamonds. The Mocha collection of diamonds looks particularly vintage styled to me.  Mocha offers various shades of brown, champagne and white sparking diamonds accented by the unique and stylish jewelry settings in rose, yellow and white gold.  Many of the designers are Los Angeles based, so they work closely with Robbins Brothers.

The great thing about Robbins Brothers is that they warranty their pieces and offer regular cleaning and repair on the premises. They also offer a shopping experience customized to each customer’s need, whether you want to spend 20 minutes shopping for jewelry or 2 hours looking at everything in the store. If you stop by the Torrance store, do ask for General Manager Raja Muzaffar to help you make your selections. Mr. Muzaffar is truly a wealth of information and he is happy to share his deep knowledge of jewelry with customers. As a shopper, you’d be hard pressed to find a higher level of customer service. With Robbins Brothers you get a quality product, warranty, product care and personal service. They also have a “designer service shop that can customize the gems you pick” into a piece of jewelry, notes Mr.  Muzaffar. “Clients can be part of the entire process from selecting the diamond to sitting down and watching a master artisan bring it to life,” said Mr. Muzaffar.

Padparadscha sapphires from the Chatham collection at Robbins Brothers

So if you’re thinking of upgrading your jewelry wardrobe and treating yourself to a great investment piece, take a tour of the Robbins Brothers website and then pay an in-store visit. You have to see how their gorgeous selection of bracelets, fashion rings, pendants and earrings can make any outfit sparkle.   Jewelry is always in fashion right?