BY LANA JEWELRY
Lana Fertelmeister models her own designs.
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The glamorous life
It makes perfect sense that Lana Jewelry should grace the stars of the new ABC TV series "Cashmere Mafia," about four women juggling careers and personal lives in the big city. In many ways, designer Lana Fertelmeister, who creates pieces partially with her own lifestyle in mind, is one of those women.
Lana Jewelry trunk show
» Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, with video presentations at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. both days
» Place: Neiman Marcus, Designer Jewelry, Level One
» Admission: Free
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Well ... maybe without the drama queen antics.
"The women in the series work in New York. They would probably cry if they broke a heel on their Manolo Blahniks or Christian Louboutins, but I'm in Chicago so I'll wear a pair of Uggs once in a while," said the designer, who will be in Hawaii tomorrow and Saturday to show her newest jewelry designs at Neiman Marcus.
Otherwise, the similarities are there.
"I've been traveling nonstop, although I took off in January for a few weeks," she said. "I never get to relax in this business, but that's exactly the life I like to live. I'm a woman who runs a company, I have a fiance now, I'm planning a wedding (in 2009) and holding down the fort trying to manage everything."
BY LANA JEWELRY
Fertelmeister's Luck N' Love bracelets sell for about $1,220 each.
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Her no-nonsense attitude carries over to her collection of sleek, sexy lightweight gold and diamond jewelry, which seem to fit effortlessly into women's lives.
"For me, fashion really has to be functional," said Fertelmeister. "I'm not really into creating unusual, unwearable pieces. If you can't wear it to pick up your dry cleaning, pick up the kids, it doesn't make sense.
"I want people to think of my jewelry as something to wear with their favorite pair of jeans and T-shirt, something they can wear all the time."
BY LANA JEWELRY
Miami necklace, $2,750.
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ONLY five years old, Lana Jewelry already has a faithful following of Hollywood celebs as well as readers of In Style, Lucky and Women's Wear Daily. Those able to look beyond the more obvious attributes of the bikini-suited models in Sports Illustrated's latest Swimsuit Edition might also notice they're wearing Lana Jewelry's Petite Boheme necklace and Affinity ring.
These will be on view at Neiman Marcus, along with the newest additions to Lana Jewelry's Luck N' Love collection of pieces marked by a double "L" design.
Coming from as chilly a city as Chicago, Fertelmeister makes no secret of the fact that she is drawn to sunny places like Hawaii and Miami, where she's noticed the abundant sunshine adds extra sparkle to her work.
One of her newest creations is the Miami necklace, created to make maximum use of sunlight. "I've been working with diamond cut and three golds -- yellow, white and rose -- so it looks like candy; it sparkles at every angle."
Recently, jewelers and consumers have been challenged by the rising price of gold and other metals, but Fertelmeister, whose line starts at $150, said she's mindful of costs. I'm working on a line of fine jewelry under $500 for a younger clientele."
They might just be the ones aspiring to the "Cashmere Mafia" lifestyle.