I’ve still got my swingy, silver earrings, and I’m dying for a little more time at the pool, but I’ll always equate the days following Labor Day with shopping for all things fall. Year after year, you just get a hankering for something new, something with the power to transform your look not just for the season, but for the next several months.
Of course, this is also when New York Fashion Week kicks off, with plenty of runway trends and street style to inspire you. And if you’re a jewelry person? Please, the boots can wait. Because fall presents the perfect excuse for treating yourself to something with a hint of shine and perhaps a shot of color in the form of your favorite gemstone.
Melissa Quick, president of Steve Quick Jeweler in Chicago, had fall jewelry shoppers in mind when she curated a collection of pieces from Amáli, the Boston-based line by Sara Freedenfeld. “The pieces that have resonated the most with me are her opals,” says Quick. “I knew that was the direction I wanted to go when we debuted the line in our store, so I started with a large boulder opal ‘statement’ pendant and worked my way out from there.”
But the pieces Quick and her team selected also had to tell a story; they had to make sense together and feel cohesive, especially when displayed in the same case. “Layerable necklaces are a huge trend, and I love how Sara has necklaces in a range of lengths, up to 40 inches,” she says. “So we made sure to curate a collection that could be displayed and sold as multiple pieces that go together and can be worn as a set.
“We have not been able to keep long necklaces—20 inches or longer—in stock all year and I anticipate long necklaces being the hottest seller this fall. It gets cold here in Chicago! Long necklaces are the perfect accessories to wear over a bulky sweater.”
Below, two necklace stories—Quick’s Picks, if you will—all featuring work by Amáli.
“Here’s the boulder opal that served as the starting point for curating the collection and we made it the focal point of this look,” says Quick. “Since it has a hint of blue in it, we added a couple turquoise layering pieces to the mix.”
“Funnily enough, yellow gold has been late to hit Chicago, but we’re having a lot of requests for it lately and I think it will also be a big seller going into fall,” says Quick. “We loved the oxidized silver with gold opal accents but wanted to add some richness to the overall look with a few really gorgeous necklaces done entirely in yellow gold.”
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