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Tucked away below the graffiti and wrought iron of the Bowery, the one-day-only Bijules sample sale that opens to the public at noon is like entering a treasure chest of wearable gems and metalwork—flashes of Ariel's secret grotto in The Little Mermaid immediately come to mind. ("Look at this trove/Treasures untold/How many wonders can one cavern hold?")
At the preview last night, designer Jules Kim showed us her collection of both simple and intricate jewelry pieces set up in the basement at 355A Bowery, all basking in rose pink lighting. So that you aren't tempted to just buy it all (we were), here are some examples of what you might find.
The top cases contain samples that have traveled with the Bijules collection all over the world, so they've been reduced in price accordingly. An aquarium case holds more current—and expensive—creations. The first item Jules designed was her "bar ring," which sits across all four fingers and incidentally turns you into a trendy badass (see: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). Go for minimalist silver, gold, or rose gold ($150—$350, depending on metal and size). For an even more unique piece, see the bones version (in the slideshow above), available for $156 in silver and $176 in gold.
Nail rings run between $90 and $104, which is a steal for a piece that Beyonce once had customized for herself (with diamonds, no less). They sit right at the top joint of your finger, over your actual nail. Plain metal knuckle rings, which sit in an "x" underneath your finger joint, start at $70, with accents like pearls bringing the price to $110. Pricier styles with precious stones were displayed in the aquarium case—we tried on a version with diamond, garnet, pink tourmaline and rubies, and even though that tips over the $4,000 mark, we were a little sad to take it off.
Three-piece stackable rings, like the one Alicia Keys wears on her latest album cover, go for as much as $1,500; the less-heavy, white-gold version sans pearls is $700. Median rings that rest in your "finger cleavage" are all around $95, while handlets, which wrap around over the top of your hand, run between $150 and $350.
Some intriguing standouts: a gold smoking device ($998), gold nipple caps ($720), and a pearl cross (yes, made by an oyster) double-stud earring.
Everything here is carefully crafted to a precise amount of edginess. But It's also somehow ethereal, like mythical jewelry sirens to us wayward city shoppers. If you're looking for something genuinely one-of-a-kind to add to your arsenal, be it a simple bar ring or a bedazzled look to channel Queen Bey, the Bijules sale is a little cave of wonders. But be sure to get there before it closes, though—this one-day sale only runs through 8pm.