MAGNETIC APPEAL--WHAT AN ATTRACTION!

I don't like surprises, but I do like being pleasantly surprised. (Yes, there's a difference.) Such was the case when jewelry designer Petra Azar (someone I hadn't known) phoned to tell me she'd just read an online Guest Editorial I wrote for Silver Promotion News/Silver Institute about designer sterling silver. "You should know about me," she opened our conversation with, "because I make sterling silver jewelry like you've never seen before." Why is that, I asked? "Well, for one thing, I hold a patent on a special magnetic clasp."

Oh . . . as nice as Petra sounded, my kitsch antenna started to become extra sensitive. I can't help it--occupational hazard, I suppose. As soon as someone starts to mention magnets, two-in-one gadgets, "hidden" pieces and the like, my jewelry journalist's instincts kick in and I start to wonder what's the catch?

No pun intended, part of the beauty of Petra's pieces is about the catch. She holds the U.S. patent on what is called The Magnetic Power Clasp, which effectively eliminates the need for a clasp. About a week later, when I first picked up one of Petra's neckpieces, even knowing about the magnetic closing mechanism, I kept searching for a clasp! This is the point: The magnetic closure is so seamless, that you can't tell where the two sides of a pendant meet. Another practical feature of this Pennsylvania designer's patented necklaces is the proprietary "magic double chain." You simply hold onto the signed logo tag in the back of the necklace and the 18-inch double chain instantly converts to a 36-inch single chain while the pendant--heart, circle, rectangle, whatever--glides down to the bottom of the chain.

In this still-uncertain economy, there's something about a piece of jewelry that does double-fashion-duty, is affordable in precious stering silver, and is so well-made that even a sometimes jaded jewelry editor like yours truly is super impressed.

So thanks, Petra, for giving me a call. And you were right--you are a sterling silver jewelry designer that I--and my readers--needed to know about. More later . . .