Singapore Style Finder: Bling Out with Elverd Designs

Welcome  to our brand new fashion, shopping and beauty correspondent, Michelle, AKA the Singapore Style Finder. She knows all the best S’pore secrets when it comes to looking good as a mama and thankfully she’s willing to share! This week she’s telling us about a fab new home-grown jewellery brand started by a local mamapreneur… Read on! 

I still recall the very first time we met. You caught my eye from across the room at the W Boutique Fair. I took my time. I didn’t want to rush over like the slowly-building crowd of women who now looked like star-strucked teenagers. I patiently waited, watching from afar. Suddenly, I felt I could not wait a moment longer. Feeling guilty about the ring on my finger, I threw caution to the wind and took a leap of faith. And there sat the object of my lust —  Elverd Designs!

Relatively new to Singapore, Natalie Elverd is the brains behind the most exquisite collection of cocktail rings set in semi-precious stones. What made this talented designer, mother-of-two girls, and NGO volunteer decide to add to her already packed schedule? When someone pilfered all her jewellery (including her engagement and wedding rings) during her three-year stint in Cambodia, the Melbourne native decided to have them replaced using locally-mined, semi-precious stones. Long story short, after receiving so many compliments and enquiries about her rings, the talented designer made the lightning decision to design and launch her inaugural range.

Imagine this: based on only a tip and the name of a street, Natalie used a THREE HOUR break in her schedule (during a social trip to Bangkok) to not only source her stones but ALSO to find a jewellery maker to help bring her designs to life! A mere THREE MONTHS later, Elverd Designs launched their first showcase at the very glamorous W Boutique Fair in October, where nearly every single one of her rings got snapped up! True story!

Fast forward five months, the collection currently features the most exquisite cocktails rings showcasing gemstones like Amethyst, Citrine, Smoky Quartz, Topaz and Chalcedony – all individually selected and hand-cut.  The range is all set in 925 sterling silver and coated in rhodium, a member of the platinum family, giving them a luxurious shine you would expect from much more expensive jewelry. The price is a pleasant surprise, starting from $150 for earrings and up to $550 for rings. I confess I snapped up a few… one for each of my three daughters (for when they turn 18!), one for my mother-in-law, and one for me!  But I digress.

When I asked Natalie which stones were her favorite to work with, she laughed, confessing it depended on her mood but being so hands-on in the whole process from design, to selection, to the actual production of each ring, they were all her “babies”.

Where to get your hands on an Elverd Design ‘baby’?  You can find this talented designer-cum-NGO-consultant at the next Boutiques at Gallery Hotel Fair on May 9^th 2013.  Just head towards the telltale cluster of women eagerly trying on rings. If you simply can’t wait that long, you can find Elverd Designs on Facebook. Just send Natalie a message or call (+65) 9647 9944 to organize a viewing.