What is a Shell Pearl?

CocoVee was recently accused of selling fake pearls - oh my! But we would never dare to do such a thing, and we take pride in the fact that all of our pearls are from the freshwater pearl markets of China.

See! Here's Miss Roberta shopping the pearl markets of China - looks like FUN!

The pearl necklace in question was one made of large, perfectly rounded and brightly colored pearls - and anyone who knows their pearls, knows that this necklace was made from shell pearls - which are of course, real pearls! 

Shell pearls are made from the oyster shell that houses the pearl - instead of being produced within the shell itself. The shell pearl material is cut, shaped, dyed, and strung - in order to make perfectly rounded or very large pearl necklaces at an affordable price. We have shell pearls worked into some of our pieces, seen below, as well as a wide variety of other freshwater pearls!

Left to right: green and dark gray shell pearls, "silver" shell pearls, and brown (somewhat teardrop-shaped) shell pearls on a lariat necklace.

So - what is a shell pearl? 

I bet Diane Keaton knows..

It's a pearl made from the shells that produce pearls - 

and yes, it is still a real pearl! 

There's our pearl lesson of the hour, ladies - thanks for living and learning with us!  

Pearls on Magazine Covers

This month, Scarlett Johansson graces the cover of American Vogue - wearing pearl earrings! It's not the first time pearls are on the cover of a magazine - it's been happening since the dawn of mass print publications!  

Pearls galore almost 100 years ago - this is Elsie Ferguson in 1917!

LIFE - "Pearls: this is their big year" - 1949!

Mia Farrow looks good in her pearls for "Gatsby" - on the cover of PEOPLE in 1974!

This is Australia's Harper's Bazaar, February 2008, with the lovely Nicole Kidman wearing a long strand of pearls with a lingerie-influenced dress!

And of course - this month's American Vogue, with Scarlett and her pearl earring!

In woman's fashion - there are few items that can be so timeless as the pearl necklace or earrings - I'm sure we will see many more on the covers of our favorite magazines!

Pearls are First Choice for the First Lady

Ms. Michelle Obama loves to wear her pearls - check out some of my favorite looks that our First Lady put together - who needs witty political repartee with show-stopping pearls like those?

A classic, white pearl necklace pops against her purple-toned shirt.

Michelle looks ravishing, here, proving that black and white never go out of style!

Michelle's triple-strand chocolate and champagne pearls look just as good as they sound - and look at those matching champagne pearl studs - what a woman!!!

I guess Barack loves Michelle's pearls, too!!!

This necklace looks like the same one she has on in the first picture (above) - and there's nothing wrong with that - a good piece of jewelry is versatile!

Love that Michelle chose to wear pearls for her Christmas card photo. This double-strand pearl necklace has a flower clasp - that is meant to be worn off center, like she has - and, of course, she wore her classic white pearl studs, to match!

Our First Lady has a tough job - but she sure looks good doing it!

Thanks, Michelle!

CocoVee is a Bride-to-be... well, kind of!

We are so pleased to announce that CocoVee will be part of  an "Adventure of a Lifetime" - the 7th Annual Bridal Show in Cocoa Village on Sunday, April 29th. It will start at 1PM in the Cocoa Civic Center on Delannoy Avenue - and admission is free! Brides and all ladies who love weddings will be able to view some of our jewelry fit for a bride, as well as meet our designer - Bobbi - to discuss one of a kind designs for your special day. To celebrate - I'd like to share some of my favorite wedding moments, tips, and fresh trends of 2012!  

This is an Oscar de la Renta (2012) tailored gown - show-stopping!

This gorgeous Grecian-style dress is a Simone Carvalli (2012) design. I love that more and more designers are making short wedding gowns - it's just as breathtaking, if not more so!

Can't decide whether to go short or long for your big day? Neither could model Lauren Santo Domingo - so after the ceremony, her wedding dress designer - Olivier Theyskens - CUT off the bottom of her dress - bravo!

This is Mick and Bianca Jagger on their wedding day in 1971, proving that the bride can wear whatever she chooses to - and still be a beautiful bride - make that a BOLD and beautiful bride!

This is an Alfred Angelo (2012) design - love that splash of color - it's both cheery and playful. This looks like my Sweet Sixteen dress - with a modern bodice and puffy skirt, cut-off in order to make it less formal. The cut-off skirt also allows you to wear statement shoes, if you'd like - making this dress fit for a bride who is a shoe girl!

And speaking of splashes of color - who could forget Gwen Stefani's pink-dipped dress? No one! Girls around the world ripped this picture - of John Galliano's design (for Dior) - out of magazines for their wedding look books in 2002 - and we never looked back!

Cute way to wear your blue? On your nails! Try Essie's "Who's the Boss?" (on the far right) from their Wedding Collection 2012.

Found the gown? Now it's time to find the shoe! I find that wedding shoes look just like that - like they'll be worn one time for the wedding and that's it. Want to know why - because they're hideous! Go for a designer shoe that you can wear again - and again! I chose this shoe - an Aldo Parcel - that sells for $80 at aldoshoes.com - as an example. This coral tone is a hue fit for any season, and by wearing a shoe that isn't white, you can easily add a fun splash of color to your look. The velvet texture is timeless, as well as both formal and casual, AND they look super comfortable for all the dancing you'll be doing!

I know it's your special day - but don't hog the show - dress your bridesmaids WELL. Pick out a fun AND flattering dress - or assorted dresses - that they can wear again. Pastels - like mint green, lemon buttercream yellow (above), or ballet slipper pink - will allow your special ladies to pop - without stealing the spotlight. This is Kate Moss, by the way, looking so pretty, out on a date!

This is one of CocoVee's slim, sleek, and sexy pearl necklaces. It's a great choice for a bride, the bridesmaids, or a guest - and the best part? You can wear it again - and again! If you'd like to own this necklace, call our boutique at 321-632-5444.

This designer wedding cake is from "Charm City Cakes" - love those Japanese fans and the solid white tone that proves you don't need lots of fuss to stop the show.

Want to be the absolute center of attention on your big day, plus make your husband-to-be feel very lucky? Wear this veil (by Badgley Mischka) - and you will! 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed some of our favorite wedding inspirations this 2012 - and that if you're a bride-to-be, may your big day be the first day of the rest of your life!

The girl loves her pearls...

Pearls aren't just for Carrie - of SATC - Sarah Jessica Parker loves them, too!

Pearls, pearls, pearls! on Carrie...

And here is Sarah - in pearls, pearls, pearls!

Here - Carrie expertly pairs a long strand of pearls with a rhinestone collar - magnificent!

 

And here - SJP - wears a 100-inch pearl necklace with her LBD - she looks so sleek and sexy!

LOVE this look - those shoes, that jacket, her hair - and there's those pearls, again!

Here's our girl, wearing a triple strand nugget pearl necklace - love the chocolate color paired with her washed-out pink gown!

 

This unique necklace reminded me of our one of a kind necklaces - designed with pearls and refashioned vintage pieces. SJP's looks like a lot like the rhinestone collar she wore in SATC - but with turquoise accents and pearls attached so that they dangle, flatteringly. 

Ms. Parker - in France - wears over-sized pearl post earrings - and oh my - does she look good?!!!

Thank you, Sarah - for loving your pearls as much as we do!

Spring 2012 Fashion favorites of CocoVee

If you haven't noticed, March is Spring Fashion month, and here at CocoVee, we are paying close attention to this season's new hues and refreshing takes on back-to-classics outfit design.

While pastel pink is still a core Spring color, switch it up this year, and wear bold shades of pink, like this! 

Ms. Rosario Dawson (on the right) and Xiao Lu Li, at the Elie Saab Spring Fashion show, exhibited the shades of Spring 2012 - this earthy green and somewhat washed out sky blue are two of the most popular colors popping up on runways and clothing racks all over the world!

Love this look, modeled on the streets of Paris during Spring Fashion Week - here is that earthy shade of green - in the palm tree leaf pattern on her white dress - with a navy velvet blazer and matching heels - this look is a Spring A+!

Ms. Bobbi Brown - style icon and queen of make-up - looks both classic and modern in this black and white outfit - though if you look closely - her suit is really navy! Master move: she splashed her outfit with a bold shade of pink from her pearl necklace... and did you see those stilettos?!

This is a youthful take on Bobbi Brown's outfit - black skinny jeans, white blazer, and a shimmery navy ("night out") top. For once, we can carry our shimmery looks from the holiday season into Spring - thank you global trendsetters - but what struck me when I saw this outfit - was those thin strapped pumps - classy meets sexy!

Ms. Isabelle Huppert still looks good - her seemingly effortless outfit showcases the mid-length gray blazer and highlights her delicate teardrop pearl earrings. Here, she proves that true style holds no season - but is timeless.

This is by far my favorite outfit seen at Paris' Spring Fashion Week - you don't need bright colors to turn heads - neutral tones - like black-and-white, gray, and tan - are not just for Fall or Winter - but can be worn all year long. This model wears a lightweight, patterned top with a pencil skirt, nude stilettos, and aviator sunglasses, which both modernize and add a hint of youthful playfulness to the whole look.

  So there's Spring 2012 Fashion at summary: bold hues of pink, earthy green, bold shades of blue, and neutrally-toned outfits with splashes of color, youth, and modern accessories! 

Spring looks beautiful this year!

Pearls on the Red Carpet

Every woman loves pearls... here are some very beautiful and famous ladies loving their pearl necklaces - 

on the red carpet!

Ms. Katherine proves that a dramatic necklace will not wear you - at CocoVee, we would call this a "fashion pearl" necklace, with a whopping six-strands - three made up of free-form pearls and two made up of classically rounded pearls in white and cream tones, while the sixth strand incorporates smooth stone beads and an interwoven sheer ribbon that matches her gown - perfection!

Rihanna has her own unique style - she took the traditional pearl necklace look to a whole new level - and she did it quite gracefully! This a two-dozen-plus-strand pearl necklace with different types of pearls - all similarly toned - and all real - I'm sure of it!

Ms. Hilary Swank looks beautiful in this evening look - her triple-strand pearl necklace incorporates green tones that match her gown with complimentary white and gold colored pearls. The seemingly invisible wire that the pearls are strung on create an effect that we at CocoVee would call the "floating pearl" look.

Oh Buffy! - I mean Ms. Sarah Michelle Gellar - looks grand here! She is wearing a very modern (and hip!) pearl necklace that is made up of a silk ribbon that has pearls individually attached in pairs. What makes this necklace unique is the way in which the ribbon looks jumbled, twisted, and knotted, lending to the illusion of the second strand. She did a fabulous job with the pairing of the dress and shoes - the whole look is breath-taking!

Ashley Judd is a master of effortless style. She kept her look here low-key - but she still catches your eye. At CocoVee, we would call this choker, the "Teeny Tiny" pearl necklace. I have one - and what I love about this necklace is that it can be worn with a t-shirt to dress up a casual outfit and is also perfect for formal looks (as Ms.Judd has paired her necklace with a delicate lingerie-inspired dress). 

Here's Sandra Bullock with a very "in" pearl necklace that pairs classic pearls with modern metal accents. This necklace isn't supposed to lay neatly across your neckline and is meant to look twisted and jumbled. It's a dramatic piece that Sandra paired with a simple black dress - effortless style!

Thank you ladies - for rocking your hip pearl necklaces on the red carpet! We love it!