by Jenny Lauren
I grew up in New York City where winters might have been cold, yet there was nothing more exciting than the holiday season, especially when it snowed. My friends and I would dress in layers of warm clothing with goofy pom pom wool hats and walk the white covered streets with cups of cocoa from the deli giggling and singing like we owned the city. We would peer in the windows of shops at all the decorations, or frolic in Central Park until we had thrown enough snowballs and made enough snow angels. I love the purity of fresh white snow that I associate with my memories of the holiday season and also with the wonder and beauty of a winter fairy land.
So it’s not a surprise that I love wearing white jewelry in the winter: whether it is necklaces or earrings made of crystal quartz, pearls, glass, bone, shell, or any white material because it reminds me of the beautiful snowy days when holiday spirit is in the air and people are hustling and bustling around the city. I love the way long crystal quartz earrings illuminate rosy cheeks and it can be paired with a warm white or cream wool coat and turtleneck, or mixed with any color! They remind me of elegant clear ornaments with silver or gold that brighten up a Christmas tree in a home, at a restaurant or at Rockefeller Center. It’s all about bringing light to the winter days and about celebrating!
Then there are the trips I’ve been fortunate enough to take with friends or family to spend the holidays in a warm place near the beach, in the southwest, or at a ranch! The jewelry I always want to wear on the beach is a combination of white shells, pearls or exotic white combinations with pops of blues, or tans or golden hues! I wear these pieces with light weight white dresses or even black for a dynamic look. If I go to a ranch or the southwest, I throw on brown suedes and cowboy boots and put on my cream necklaces with patterns that remind me of the textiles often found there. For New Years, I always want to layer on elegant sparkling quartz earrings with gold or silver and many strands of crystal quartz necklaces paired with a metallic gold or silver dress!
White jewelry is refreshing and uplifting in the winter, during days that are darker, when I sometimes want to hibernate. It wakes me up, lifts my mood, clears my mind, and fills me with renewed energy for the new year that awaits.
I am excited to offer you the JLJ Winter White Holiday Gift Guide with over 80 diverse pieces from various Jenny Lauren Jewelry collections that I have loved creating through the years. I hope these pieces inspire you, bring you joy, and uplift you wherever you spend this holiday season and bring in the wonder of the New Years. Cheers to 2024!