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Sometimes, it’s good to leave well enough alone, as in not to dig into the past for inspiration. Sometimes, I want to push the envelope, tap into the future, move forward, get things done, be progressive, and so on. And why would I want to feel that way? Well, when things around my neck of the woods begin to feel a little stagnant, I reactively think that the future will hold something more promising (although I don’t know what). It’s an unbelievably optimistic viewpoint and perhaps even a little naive, but for a cynic like me, being so blatantly hopeful lifts my mood. It’s like that guilty pleasure in watching a feel-good movie, knowing before it begins that it will end up happy. The future can be grasped like a precious nugget, not panned from the past, but procured from the nebula to elevate our present state….and I want to WEAR that!

It should be precious, covetable, and something that I can have before me at all times when a muse is needed to engage in meditation. To this end, I am choosing jewelry made in humble metals such as silver, steel, and titanium, whose tensile strength are admired and their cool silver demeanor celebrated as a symbol of modernism, science, and inventiveness. The jewelry, if like a font, should be like Arial or Helvetica, deliberately eschewing Times Roman by casting off the serif. If like architecture, it should rise boldly and arrogantly among Beaux-Art in their functionalist, streamlined glory and exalt the common materials of steel and concrete. Today, works by such greats as Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and the experimental geniuses involved with Art & Architecture’s Case Study Houses, can be admired with just a upward flick of my wrist.  On the other hand, if I was adorned with enough diamonds, from rings to the even the ugliest engagement rings to necklaces & pendants, with bloomful of stones, I don’t think I would be that sad….

Starting from left–

• Paloma Picasso, Turbo Ti Ring, titanium, sterling silver, $375, @ Tiffany & Co.
• Mont Blanc, Boheme Cube Bracelet, rhodium-plated sterling silver with amethyst and blue topaz, contact and store locations available @ montblanc.com.
• Pianegonda, Diamond-Cut Soul Ring Set, sterling silver, 7 individual bands (four polished, three diamond cut), rings measure 0.75″w when worn together, $220, @ eLuxury.
• Pianegonda, Bypass Bracelet, sterling silver, hinged, $290, @ Minata.

Stumble it!