Pretty, pretty. These amethyst and diamond drops by Madstone could easily go from day to night, jeans to bejewelled.

The stones are literally caged in 18k yellow gold, and the posts are accented with .30 of diamonds. I was surprised when reading owner Kerry Halpern’s bio to find that she is a goth at heart, a lover of skulls and cemeteries and black. I wouldn’t have expected it from this design. But it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised.

More about Halpern:

“A self described minimalist with a substantial background in fashion and art, Kerri has finally completed her search for the ideal piece of jewelry to wear around her neck. She is designing for women like her—who aren’t interested in romantic, Edwardian or Victorian inspired jewelry. Her first collections are wild, wearable and distinctly Kerri—named after her favorite cocktails (Bubble), textures (Tufted) and collectables (MadAnimals).

Kerri’s home in the West Village features works of art by Damian Hirst, Robert Mapplethorpe and Peter Doig (one of her favorites of the living British contemporaries).  A pop art painting of Batman adds a splash of color to deep grays, soft ivory and black tones throughout the living area. Chartreuse bar stools surround a white dining room table under an Italian stainless steel chandelier that looks like mercury dripping from the ceiling. Dark purple velvet skulls decorate the wallpaper in the bath and the only touch of flamboyant femininity is the dark pink stiletto etchings in Kerri’s walk-in closet. She designed her office/bar area with a custom desk that turns into a banquet in time for cocktails. Her instincts in designing this apartment (with sprawling floor to ceiling windows) allow her art do the talking, making guests captivated and calmed by the subdued colors and dark wood furnishings. These stylish choices are echoed in her Tufted and Random collections.

Kerri Halpern has always loved a challenge. She lived in Paris for a year in high school and moved from her home in Colorado to New York City right after college. With a degree in journalism and a keen fashion sense she landed a PR job for Escada. When she married her college sweetheart she designed her own ring, and later re-designed all of her jewelry that was given to her as gifts.”

The Le Cage earrings are USD $3200. (Note to Ms. Halpern…. it should actually be La Cage, but hey, they are pretty regardless of the correct article.)