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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Penny Preville: Beautiful Links to the Past

By Fabian Toulouse

The desire for women to decorate themselves with rich things dates back to the dim reaches of our past. It was not the ancient Babylonians who thought it up, nor the Romans or Greeks. They are "newbies" compared to the earliest jewelers! Archaeology has discovered mollusk shells in South Africa with drilled holes for stringing. The date? 100,000 years B.C.! Almost from the time people started thinking clothes might be a nice choice, women revealed the instinct to accessorize!

The word jewelry has a Latin root meaning "plaything." How correct! What better toy for a grown woman than an exquisite diamond bracelet or maybe a pair of dangly scrollwork earrings. Penny Preville always treasured jewelry. Some of her earliest memories are of going through her grandmother's jewelry. Naturally artistic, she went from playing with jewelry to designing it.

For almost thirty years she has been an award-winning figure in the jewelry business, and her creations are sought out by some of the world's most celebrated beauties. "Penny pieces," as her fans call them, have been seen on such gorgeous women as Anne Hathaway, Felicity Huffman, and Maria Menounos.

Inspired by jewelry designs of the past, Preville moved from an early interest in the Byzantine era and jewelry inspired by the Middle Ages to her modern interest in late 19th and early 20th century periods. Her work shows the influence of Edwardian, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau periods. Feminine, intricate, and delicate, her work is lush in detail. Curlicues, swirls, and flowers intertwine, reminding one of Celtic knots or perhaps of rose windows on a cathedral.

The timeless beauty of Penny Preville's work is immediately apparent. These are pieces that transcend time and trends. Her knack for knowing what women want before they know they want it has pushed her to the top of her trade. She has a genuine affinity for her customers infrequently seen by designers, and women love her for it.

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