I had a very busy and enjoyable holiday trunk show season in Tennessee, New Orleans, San Mateo, SanFranciso and locally in Bronxville.  Thanks to those who came out to say hi and bought jewels.  I love seeing you all.

Canal Street (New Orleans) looked so sparkly and festive

With my gorgeous friend Jackie in Muir Woods (just across the Golden Gate Bridge)

My delightful nieces Sam & Ash flew in to meet me San Francisco from Australia to stay with me for the holidays.

What a thrill to get a Holiday card from the OBAMA FAMILY!!!!!!

At this time I always find myself reflecting on the year that has passed (much too quickly).  Some of the highlights of my year have been:

Moving into our fabulous new office space, if you are in town you really must come and check it out.

There has been lots of traveling this year, mainly for work but luckily also some for pleasure.  My trip to Brazil with 3 of my best friends was amazing.  But of course my recent trip to China, Japan and Hong Kong really did get me excited about the world.

These things  fueled me creatively so I feel that my greatest achievement this year is the jewelry we have created.  The collection is the best its ever been and there is so much more to come in the New Year.  Its a very exciting note to end the year on!

My holiday plans include preparing a wonderful meal with my gorgeous nieces, showing then my New York and then sailing off into the sunset on a NYE cruise from Miami to the Caribbean.

Whatever you have planned I hope it is fabulous!

Happy Happy

Ray

Its been far too long between blog posts, I have been (literally) to China and back!

I spent the majority of October on ships in Asia, I went from Shanghai to Osaka to Fukuoka to South Korea to Shanghai to Naha to Taipei to Hong Kong…….it was exhausting, exhilarating and inspiring

I took this photo from the deck of the ship whilst sailing out of Shanghai.  One of my favorite buildings is the Oriental Pearl Tower, its particularly beautiful in the evenings when it changes color.
An obligatory “Up Shot” from the deck of the ship, taken in high wind!

Whilst in Taipei I was fascinated by these amazing doors at the Taipei War Memorial.  Red symbolizes good luck and joy in Asian culture and there is so much of it everywhere, which made me very happy and I found very inspiring.

I took this in Osaka, everyone was riding bikes.  I was particularly inspired by this old man who was so fit and agile.  I love riding my bike and I hope I am like that when I am 80

In Hong Kong I had with dinner with an old friend Guy and he took me to a fantastic restaurant called Hutong on the Kowloon side. This is chicken in whole chillis…HOT HOT HOT and delicious.  This meal was the perfect accompaniment to the nightly laser show from the top of the Hong Kong  buildings.

Many years ago when I was an apprentice to a master, one of the techniques we studied was enamel, which is the process of baking glass at high temperature in a kiln until it liquifies.  I have always been fascinated by Plique A Jour which is when the enamel is locked into the framework  rather than on the surface of the metal, creating a translucent stained glass effect and have always wanted to incorporate this into my jewelry.  After much trial and error we discovered this technique lends itself perfectly to the crownwork and has allowed me to produce one of my favorite lines to date.

Obviously my Asian trip inspired me, the red adds a richness to the jewelry

We got some great press this month, big thanks to InStyle, Veranda and JCK

http://www.jckonline.com/blogs/style-360/2011/10/18/get-to-know-ray-griffiths-ray-griffiths-fine-jewelry

I can’t believe its Thanksgiving next week, I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and I hope to see you somewhere soon

Ray

I just got back from the most fantastic mini-break to Rio.  I met 3 of my dearest friends in the world and we just had a blast.

  My traveling companions; Kevin Clarke (Bangkok), Keith Chee (Sydney) & Lee Moore (LA)

Mid Century Mural at the Instituto Moreira Salles (Museum)

The Swimming Pool at the Instiuto Moreira Salles, it used to be a private home (wishfully mine) and is now a museum.  The columns behind the pool were the changing rooms, so clever!

The Sidewalk in Ipenema, even the streets in Rio are beautiful and decorative

The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, another spectacular achievement by the celebrated Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer

This exhibition inside the Museum was actually photographs of molded clay mounted on brass stand to create the illusion of poring liquid – just fabulous!

The view from underneath the museum, the infinity pool with the mountains in the back is magical and inspiring.  For me this captures the spirit of Rio.

I spend so much of my time traveling and doing trunk shows so it was very creatively inspiring to have some time just for fun and exploring.  One of the things I love about Rio is the amazing mid century architecture juxtaposed against the stunning natural landscape.

All of my constant traveling leads to much packing and unpacking and people are often asking me the best way to travel with your jewelry.  I suggest packing it in a flat double sided jewelry pouch, its always best to separate every piece so nothing tangles or bends.

Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store both offer great options for a similar travel pouch

The design direction I am heading into for fall and the holidays was definitely influenced by my trip.  Juicy colorful cabochons for earrings, pendants and rings; linear oxidized silver and gold necklaces and lots of plique a jour enameling (including a new ring that is to die for).  I can’t wait to share it all with you.

And lastly I would like to share this faboo article that Vogue Living just ran on our new(ish) space.

Come visit me next time you are in the neighborhood

The absolute highlight of my month (and year) was the opportunity I had to shake the hand of the President of the United States.  It was a thrill and an honor to attend the Obama for America’s 2011 LGBT Gala.  I attended with some great friends and was lucky to sit at a table with Christine Quinn.  Obama gave a fantastic speech about issues that are close to my heart and when he was finished I saw my opportunity to meet him and I took it.

Unfortunately my camera took that opportunity to run out of battery so the absolute moment was not captured for all to see as I hoped, however it did come back to life  enough for me to get a great shot of the President after our hand shake.

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum I am sure you will agree that meeting the sitting President of the country you are living in is a great thrill!

The Gala was hosting brilliantly by the extraordinarily talented Neil Patrick Harris, as you can see I cornered him for one my signature “Up Shots” (many of you have been the photographic subjects of these too)

I have just finished the JA Winter Show at the Jacob Javitz Center, its always such fun to spend time with my fellow designers and show my new pieces to the Editors and Stores.

The Pave Rings were our stand out star of the show…

This one is Black Diamond, they also come in Emerald, Ruby, White Diamond and my current fave Sapphire (I have one in the most amazing Cobalt Blue in the collection at the moment)

I have been having so much fun working with turquoise lately, my lovely friend Beth Bernstein was kind enough to give me a little high five in her fantastic jewelry blog B-Jeweled….. http://bjeweled.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/young-turqs/

I am putting together a turquoise and black diamond collection for the holidays, here is a sneak peek ……

It’s no secret I love Gold, its my metal of choice and I have been fascinated by its possibilities all my life.  We all know that the cost of gold has risen astronomically.  I only work in 18ct,  due to the fact its 750/1000 parts gold it has the most fantastic color and durability.   A classic piece of gold jewelry is a great investment both financially and fashionably, it will hold its value really well and is timeless.

Here is my pick for the Gold jewelry all women should collect over their lifetime:

A classic pair of gold hoops, a gypsy style like the ones above frame the face beautifully and translates really well from day to night & casual to dressy.

A cable link bracelet is always the chicest addition to any wrist and will work well stacked with other pieces or on its own

A classic gold chain will never do you wrong, worn every day it will almost become a part of you.  (I like to finish my chains with a diamond on either side of the bale, its a little secret luxury just for you)

A classic chunky gold ring is an everyday staple, don’t be afraid to mix them with your other rings.  I love the look of yellow, white and rose gold mixed together and they always look great with any jewels you may have inherited from Grandma.

My current fave is a big fat hammered ring that I made by melting down some of my old pieces, in these challenging financial times it pays to recycle and reinvent!

So if you are thinking about investing in some gold pieces and are wary of the price remember that real jewelry is not seasonal,  it will hold its value both in your wallet and your heart…

I am off to Jackson Hole to do a trunk show with Goodies 2 Shoes (come say Hi if you are in the area) and then I am off to Rio for some MUCH needed fun in the sun.  I’ll take lots of pictures to share and fill you in next month.

Stay cool in the heat

xo

I just returned from a whirlwind week in Vegas for the Couture Jewelry Show.  It was very successful and the response to all the new jewelry was amazing.  Spending time with my peers in the Jewelry Biz is always fun and very inspiring (or maybe it was that 3rd martini that inspired me).  As you can see by this photo of me modelling one of Arman’s award winning earrings a good time was had by all!

4th of July is near and that has me thinking about all things American.  As a transplant in this fine country I have always admired American style and the style icons that inspire me personally and creatively….

So I present my Pageant of American Muses…..

Jackie O – you can’t go past the original first lady of style.  She really bought American style to the forefront of the world and changed the way women dress. 

Diana Vreeland – her striking fashion presence and celebration of uniqueness in style remains unmatched today.                                                                                                

Princess Grace - The ultimate movie star who stepped into Royalty as though she was born to it…she bought the fairy tale to life.                                                           

Elizabeth Taylor – Her unashamed love of  jewelry is legendary but it was her fascination with the stones themselves that I really relate to.                                      

Isamu Noguchi – his clean, simple and naturally complex designs inspire my jewelry  in every way.  Form and function are always at the forefront of his pieces but its the simple symmetry that runs through the designs that really speaks to me.

Ray Griffiths Classic 18ct Yellow Gold Crown Work Set 14mm RED (Mediterranean Coral), WHITE (White Topaz) and BLUE (Sleeping Beauty Turquoise) Earrings                                                                                                                                       

We have had some great press this month, Martha Stewart weddings featured one of our all time best selling earring styles in their colorful summer issue:

This simple drop earring always packs a punch with a juicy stone nestled into a crown work setting and a long dramatic drop….We do them in a wide variety of stone combinations and they never fail to dazzle.  Some of my favorite combinations for summer are – White Topaz/Crysophrase, Blue Topaz/Green Amethyst, Citrine/Rutliated Quartz (pictured above) and Zircon/Turquoise

One of my favorite NYC blogs PUREWOW did a fab little feature on the studio, the jewels and moi and I could not have been more thrilled…

I plan on staying local for the rest of the month, weekends in the Hamptons and a dinner with President Obama are on the calander for me. Stay tuned for pics and recaps.

xo