I stumbled on these when browsing at Club Monaco the other day. They’re pretty and well made, sterling shells for the most part. Two of the pieces are also strung with bits of beads, pearls and coral. I did some quick research on the designer and came up empty, though the Club Monaco sales associate with whom I chatted says she is a Portuguese designer.

The company’s web site is frustrating, as it’s basically a slide show look book with no prices or information on the items. In store wasn’t much better. In one store, few of the items had price tags; in another, everything was in an inaccessible glass cube. I think jewellery really needs to be touched and tried and this stuff wasn’t so precious that it couldn’t be left out for people to do just that.

Prices were, I thought, on the high side, from $89 for a large sterling ring to $159 for the two most ornate pendants. Single charms were $99. Almost all the designs were strung on extremely fine cord with no bail so if the cord snaps, you’re out of luck. It’s also worth noting that the pieces in person were not as ornate as the ones in the photo below, which I suspect are more embellished designer samples. There were also none in the stores with coloured cord, and I happened to be there the day the collection was unpacked.

Loved the idea. The execution and pricing? Not so much.