Voted piece I’m most likely to go home with in 2016

Can you believe yet another year of JCK Las Vegas has come and gone? What the heck? I’d just barely processed everything that happened in 2015. My time in Vegas was on the shorter side this year, which meant I had the challenge of trying to fit in as much as I could in the span of three days. And—as you well know—seeing it all was impossible. It’d never happen in a week, it certainly wasn’t going to happen in the span of a long weekend.

But those days were filled with truly magical finds, and yet again, I had come away with such a wonderful feeling that, when the boarding process at the airport was delightfully enhanced by pushing passengers and delays, I didn’t even care. I was living in la-la land—make that jewelry land—my head swimming with memories of sparkling gems and people that have made another show an incredible success in my book.

On the long list of highlights I amazingly amassed during my visit: these earrings presented by VTse. I’d seen so many beautiful things on the show floor at JCK—ones that made my jaw drop, others that were added to my mental shopping list of things I could actually, maybe afford to own—but these, above all, were my favorite. Since I’m persuaded by a great snake motif and fall head-over-heels for moonstone every damn time, these were the ultimate find. Designer Victoria Tse had an impressive number of gemstone pieces on display in her Elite Enclave showcases, many of which would make anyone swoon with admiration (or, ideally, place orders), but if these were snakes (and they were), they would have jumped out and bit me (and, they did).

The best part was the moonstone, though: huge, delicious drops that radiated color when hit by the light, heavy and swingy and sexy. I couldn’t resist trying them on, even taking a selfie (which you’ll never, ever see), and they felt amazingly good, too. The dramatic, glittering snake sits so nicely on the ear, making its home on the earlobe like an oversize stud, while those luminescent moonstone raindrops dangle below, a hugely impactful look that, though I expected it to, didn’t feel too heavy. I think the lack of weight is thanks to how expertly Tse designed the snake: an anchored connector that feels so secure when worn, it bears the brunt of the weight that the dangling gemstones possess. Did these go home with me? Yeah, in my dreams. But I’ll always have my selfie and the memory of how amazing these felt to wear, even for a short time. Congratulations (and envious thoughts) go out to their future owner. Want to adopt me?

Snake earrings in 18k blackened white gold with moonstones, sapphires, and diamonds, $19,000

Brittany Siminitz

JCK Contributing Editor