Stephanie G creates one-of-a-kind designs

Family heirlooms sparkle in custom wedding jewelry

“What’s old is new in bridal this year, and heirloom jewelry is seeing a resurgence,” said Stephanie G., owner of Stephanie G. Jewelry in Hopkinton, who is a fourth generation jeweler renowned for her custom designs.

“There is a lot of emotion and sentiment that comes with family jewelry - love, loss, remembrance. Jewelry helps us remember loved-ones through the creation of unique, custom designs.”

Stephanie G. advises that when using heirloom pieces, the gemstones be kept because metals eventually wear down. Often, she can replicate a piece if the metal has deteriorated. She is able to use 2-D and 3-D CAD work for jewelry design along with wax molds. These technologies allow customers to envision their piece before it is completed.

caption

By Kathryn Acciari Contributing Writer

TThis year’s post-pandemic bride and groom are infusing a more carefree attitude into their big day while also involving family legacy. Shifts in wedding jewelry trends reflect a preference for personalized pieces, and one common thread is the weaving of family heirloom pieces into the wedding plan.

“Frequently, we will take a larger piece, such as a grandmother’s necklace, and divide it into smaller pieces among the members of the family. For example, we may take a necklace that contains multiple gems and make a ring or bracelet for each woman in the family,” she said.

“It’s a wonderful way to share elements from heirloom pieces and make the wedding day that much more personal and sentimental.”

Colorful gemstones are gaining popularity. Another trend that incorporates heirloom jewelry is the two-stone engagement ring, called “toi et moi,” which means you and me. In this design, a diamond may be paired with another gemstone of significant meaning.

Jewelry selection typically complements the overall style of a wedding. Whether vintage or modern, that style travels into the dress and the overall design of the event. When it comes to selecting jewelry for weddings, Stephanie G. recommends that members of the bridal party make time to try on different pieces in person.

“Trying something on is much more helpful than purchasing online. It’s one thing to look in a magazine or online, but frequently people come in to try on a specific piece and realize that they don’t love it,” she said. “We give them time to explore other ideas and help them pinpoint what they are looking for.”

Other trends in bridal jewelry this year are the return of shaped diamonds and a preference for yellow gold.

“We are seeing more simplistic ring designs,” said Stephanie G. “Pear-shaped diamonds are back in style, and while the halo is still popular, now there is a trend for a hidden halo around a single diamond. It looks like a classic single from the top, but the halo is visible from the side.”

Also popular are lab-grown diamonds, which are more budget-friendly but just as high-quality as earth-mined diamonds.

“A lab-grown diamond is grown from the seed of another diamond. With labgrown, you get a larger stone for less money,” she said. “These have become popular with couples who are in their second marriage and want a larger diamond at a great price. Lab-grown diamonds are also conflict-free, which appeals to many brides and grooms.”

Stephanie G.has an extensive selection of bridal jewelry in her Hopkinton showroom and offers one-on-one appointments to her customers. This lessens the customers’ waiting time, and she has found that people enjoy the individualized attention with her and her staff.

“You want to have time to brainstorm ideas and explore them. Once we conceptualize how we might reconstruct a special keepsake, we can create a memorable, timeless piece that can continue to be handed down from generation to generation,” she said.

“Our consultations are scheduled by appointment. For one special hour, the customer gets a lot of attention. It’s all about them,” said Stephanie G. Bridal and wedding consultations can be scheduled with Stephanie G. at stephaniegjewelers.com.

Weddings

Wedding tiers

Cake artists create edible masterpieces that reflect the wedding couple

WWedding cakes are the sweet finish to the big day and the sweet start to a life together. Make a statement with a cake that looks as amazing as it tastes.

“Engaged couples want to design a wedding cake that reflects the couple’s personality,” says Ksenia Bitter, the owner and chief cake artist of Berrycake Bakery in Austin, Texas. “That’s why finding the right cake artist to guide the couple in the creative process is so important.”

She recommends that couples make a list of what’s important for them in their cake, such as pastel or bold colors, traditional or contemporary design and fresh or edible flowers, and bring those ideas to their wedding cake consultation.

For one cake Bitter created, the couple chose a two-tiered cake decorated with edible painted buttercream roses, peonies and field flowers. “Together we looked at the dress, venue, floral arrangements and their colors to tie all of those elements together in a cake centerpiece,” she says.

Michael and Priscilla Sweet, owners of Silver Rose Bakery in Phoenix, notice that every cou-

Weddings

ple has a personality that gets shown in their wedding cake design.

“More relaxed couples will tend to go with simpler designs,” they say. “More detailed couples will opt for buttercream piped borders on each tier or add a touch of gold leaf. We also have some adventurous, out-of-thebox couples that will opt for a black cake or incorporate color into the cake.”

Trends

Classic cake flavors such as chocolate ganache, strawberry, vanilla and lemon are still popular, says Bitter. But she also sees many couples getting bold in their flavor choices, including key lime, blueberry lemon, lavender and pistachio raspberry, as well as cocktail inspired flavors such as amaretto, chocolate Bailey’s and strawberry champagne.

The Sweets encourage couples to try unexpected flavor combinations. For example, one of their couples chose vanilla cake with a peanut butter buttercream and raspberry filling -- reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The backstory? The groom eats a PB&J every night before going to bed.

“It was the most popular flavor of the night, and those curious enough to ask the couple why they chose it were entertained with a fun story,” they say.

Fresh flower cascade placements on a cake are timeless, observes Bitter, who’s also getting requests for lifelike sugar flowers, buttercream flowers and hand-painted flowers. She says boho style and ruffled cakes are on the rise, and individual servings such as cupcakes are still in demand.

“A trend that we love is small wedding cakes,” notes Bitter. “Just one or two tiers beautifully decorated to reflect the wedding theme and the couple’s personality.”

Cake Considerations

Budget is a definite factor when choosing a wedding cake.

“Pinterest cakes come at a Pinterest price,” say the Sweets. “All those little additions like gold foil, sugar pearls, textures, etc. have to be applied manually by the cake decorator so naturally, the labor cost will increase.”

The guest count helps them determine the size of the cake needed. Next, if you want flowers on the cake, will they be real, synthetic or sugar? Do you have a florist? Do you need a cake topper? How about a cake stand?

The Sweets also encourage couples to consider the time of year and weather for their wedding. They explain that “If their wedding is in June in Arizona at an outdoor barn, there is no way we can deliver a wedding cake at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. and expect it to last until cutting.”

Instead, they’d recommend a smaller cake and desserts that could be set out at a later time by the venue staff.

Timeline is another consideration. The Sweets advise cutting the cake relatively soon after dinner, instead of later in the evening. That’s because guests often leave early and don’t get cake and other guests lose interest in cake as the night progresses. If you strike the right balance between all of these factors -- design, flavor, cost and timeline -- you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Dan Berger Creators.com

II believe far too much is made of the “proper” wine and food pairings. I realize that many people have made their life’s work all about telling others which wines go best with which foods, but there are rarely perfect answers here, and even though certain basic guidelines are applicable, even the most authoritative experts often debate with one another.

Many of the food-wine conversations to which I have been a witness have ended up with one person thinking the other is an idiot, and they almost never agree on the specifics.

Generalizations, however -- well, that’s another story.

A hearty plate of pasta with a deep, rich, red tomato-based sauce, most experts would agree, calls for a tart red wine

Flying Dreams

that has enough acidity to contend with the acid that’s in the sauce. Like Chianti or barbera.

And experts agree also that a typical chargrilled steak calls for a gutsy red wine such as a cabernet or syrah -- a wine with enough oomph to handle the protein and fat in the steak.

When you get down to specific recipes, however, experts usually diverge, with one suggesting one thing and another suggesting another. And for me such precious arguments are like discussing how many angels can disco on the head of a pin.

Veal Forestiere, for example, typically calls for a flavorful, fairly intense red wine that can compete with the mushrooms, Marsala, and butter and red wine sauce. I had this dish several years ago with a fabulous older red French Burgundy, and it was phenomenal.

So, I was a little surprised when I interviewed a wine collector decades ago at a restaurant where he ordered that very dish and chose a gewurztraminer from Alsace to go with it. I asked why he chose that wine.