Holiday Elegance

The Golden Rule recommends treating others as you would like to be treated by them. But I live by the adage: Give to others what you’d like them to give to you. It makes the shopping experience much more fun and is great for dropping big, fat hints.

This gift guide takes you on a jewelry and fashion shopping expedition to my favorite haunts. (Hint, hint.) As a recreational shopper I like to patronize local stores where you’re not going to find many of the same name-brand products that malls tend to carry.

When in Louisville, stop in at Charz on South Boulder Road where proprietress Cheryl Gonzales says she has quite a collection of “adorable tops.” Among the more interesting are “cocktail-type tops” in silk, chiffon and velvet with Austrian crystals from $50 to $100.

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If you’re cruising around Lafayette, be sure to at drop into master jeweler Eric Olson’s lovely shop at the Black Diamond Center at the intersection of Baseline Road Highway 287.

Olson specializes in custom work, but has plenty in stock to tantalize you. He predicts people will be looking for large pieces including colored semiprecious stones that carat for carat are less expensive but just as beautiful as precious gems. Olson says stones like amethyst, citrine, Montana agate and rutilated quartz can be made into pendants, rings and earrings for less than $1,000.

Longmont’s Dyeworks is a must see. Co-owners Gail Denton and Donna Brown hand dye silks, wools and other fabrics to create one-of-a-kind wearable art. The cuddly pashminas available earlier in the season are sold out, but Dyeworks has silk scarves in a variety of lengths and “luxury wraps for women for festive occasions,” Denton says. The items are available in “fabulous natural colors,” she says, from golds through reds to purples, and range in price from $40 to $140. The Niwot Road studio is open by appointment. Call (303) 530-4777.

Anna Elmore is Longmont designer whose Goddess Gear designs are available online. Elmore’s forte is comfortable women’s wear in hemp with cotton velvet trim. Her biggest seller is overalls that are available in butternut, berry and pewter for $99. Click to www.goddessgear.net or call Elmore at (303) 485-2179.

If you want to give something functional as well as fashionable, check out Wallaroo Hat Company’s Web site at www.wallaroohats.com. Boulder-based co-owners Stephanie Carter and Lenya Shore design hats with an ultraviolet protection factor of more than 50, the highest rating that a hat can get, according to Carter. “They provide good sun protection and make you look great,” Carter says. Prices range from $24 to $37.

You can shop for jewelry virtually as well. Check out Eldorado Springs-based Alison Blair Stern at alisonblairstudio.com. Stern makes beaded necklaces and bracelets in the $40 to $50 price range. What’s hot this season are colors, Stern says. “Greens, oranges and yellows in natural tones tangeriny orange, olive green, ochre yellow.” Stern also can be reached at (303) 494-3996.

When in Boulder, you don’t have to limit your shopping enjoyment to the downtown Pearl Street Mall. Water Street is an elegant strip of stores on Canyon Boulevard between Folsom and 28th streets.

The Studio is known for fine women’s apparel that’s not only stylish but comfortable as well. Owner Cynthia Blankenship also stocks wonderful jewelry made by local designers. Denver-based Diane Ryon makes bracelets, necklaces and earrings from semiprecious stones, beads and Swarovski crystal “put together in a very interesting way,” Blankenship says, that run between about $30 and $250.

Walters & Hogsett Fine Jewelers owner Gail Hogsett says, “We think diamonds are still a girl’s best friend.” The store carries Hearts On Fire diamonds, stones that are cut differently than standard diamonds. Because of the fire and brilliance “typically the first reaction is ‘wow!'” Hogsett says.

For gift giving Hogsett suggests diamond earrings because “you don’t need to know a size. In most cases they never complain about them being too large.” Diamond jewelry, both custom and in stock, ranges from $600 to $10,000.

A Boulder landmark since 1977, Jila Design is on Broadway just north of the Pearl Street Mall. Owner Jila Maler designs unique, handmade women’s wear. Whether you want to give a ready-to-wear piece or a one-of-a-kind custom outfit, Maler has something for just about anyone.

Depending on budget, Maler recommends looking first at scarves, then at blouses and jackets. Scarves in cut velvet, “very arty” collage or beaded range from $26 to $120, she says. Blouses in rayons and silks range from $98 to $168 in colors like sienna red, hunter green, buttery golden, eggplant, iridescent cross-weaves and earth tones. Jackets, which go for $148 to $500, are in similar colors but different materials including wool, velvet, velveteen and suede cloth.

Mikki Rainey, owner of Classic Facets on West Pearl Street, says this year it’s all about dangling chandelier earrings. Rainey specializes in antique and estate jewelry so her shop is a museum where you can get a history lesson along with a gander at fabulous baubles.

She has a number of chandelier earrings that will knock your socks off. One particularly amazing pair of platinum sapphire and diamond earrings from the 1920s goes for $2,800. According to Rainey, chandelier earrings have been coming into vogue about every 40 years for about 400 years.

If you want to make an afternoon of it, a field trip to Niwot is second to none. Niwot’s 2nd Avenue is home to many charming, locally owned shops.

Although Jan Kahl, owner of Niwot Jewelry and Gifts, agrees with Rainey that chandelier earrings are hot, but what’s even hotter is Hot Diamonds, she says. Hot Diamonds is a British line of sterling silver and diamond jewelry. The designs are sharp and attractive, but the best part is the price. Kahl carries rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces for between $40 and $200.

Lee Bentz bought long-standing women’s clothing store Fine Lines Apparel in May. The store is probably best known for its “casual chic” loungewear dressy sweatpants and shirts — and Bentz has them in teals, pinks and reds for under $100. Other popular styles this winter, she says, run the gamut from men’s wear influenced jackets to frilly feminine skirts, ranging from about $80 to $200. According to Bentz, however, sweaters make the best gifts. They’re available this season in bright colors from golds to blues in the $50 to $150 price range.

The Berry Patch is a hidden treasure when it comes to unique jewelry. “We’re having a marvelous time with new Parisian jewelry made from old molds,” says owner Terry Goetz. Necklaces and brooches featuring Austrian crystals range from $25 to $100. Goetz also is carrying silver bracelets and rings by local artist D’Ette Delforge. The hand-hammered beauties have precious and semiprecious stones in 14 karat gold bezels; rings are $165, bracelets $285.

For your pal or loved one (or yourself) who has all the jewelry she’ll ever need, how about a fashionable place to put that stuff? Step into Tisha Wood’s Casalta for jewelry boxes the likes of which you’ve never seen. Rowallan is a Scottish company that makes jewelry “keeps,” named after the Scottish term for the castle tower where the family jewels are stored. The cool leather cases in amazingly bright colors with interesting hidden compartments range in price from $32 to $105.

Contact Caron Schwartz Ellis at (303) 440-4950 or e-mail csellis@bcbr.com