Picture it: Las Vegas, 2016.  It was a bright, beautiful Las Vegas morning, during the annual COUTURE Week, at Wynn Las Vegas; and I was in one of the property’s Fairway Villas, where Amedeo Scognamiglio and Roberto Faraone Mennella (co-founders and designers of Italian luxury brand Faraone Mennella by R.F.M.A.S.) were holding court, celebrating the company’s fifteen years (a happening they’d dubbed FMXV, for obvious reasons).  That morning, they were hosting a panel discussion – led by Pamela Fiori and Elaine Wynn – entitled The Meaning of Fine Jewelry in the 21st Century’s Luxury Market.

At one point, as the discussion passed around the room, I looked up and stated “I look at jewelry as wearable Prozac.”

After everyone had a brief chuckle, Fiore (who’d helmed Town & Country for nearly two decades) looked at me and said “Michael, I have no idea what that means, but I can’t wait for you to explain it to me.”  This time, the chuckle became an outright laugh.

I proceeded to explain it, thusly. “I feel strongly that jewelry (regardless of the price-point) should put a smile on your face.  It should make you stand-up a little bit straighter, and make you feel good about yourself, and give you a sense of empowerment.”  Seeing the room nod its agreement, I continued, “I’m of the opinion that if your jewelry isn’t doing this, then two things need to happen: first, you need different jewelry, and second, you need to call your doctor to adjust your meds.”

And that, as they say, was that.

Fast forward, a few months, and it’s mid-September.  I was in the midst of curating a 5-part series about opals (with articles focusing on boulder opals, white opals, Ethiopian opals, fire opals, and black opals); and realized I’d been spending so much time writing and tracking-down images and specs (the series contained 74 pieces, by 42 designers, from 11 countries; so there was a lot of cyber-legwork), that my social media feeds had ground to a virtual halt. 

So, as I was arranging images of these incredible pieces of gemological artistry, I realized that it would be fun to share some of them with my followers on Instagram, build a bit of awareness for my upcoming opals series, and finally have a use for this phrase, that I’d so wittily coined!  And I had the perfect piece to use to kick the whole thing off – Arunashi’s “Dome” ring (it’s simply breathtaking).  In addition to the jewel, itself, I try to include a description, as well as the designer's logo (so readers interested in purchasing can contact the designer/company, directly).

The response has been wonderfully positive.  Since its inception, there have been more than 70 #WearableProzac posts, featuring pieces by the world’s most talented and collectable jewelery designers, from AMEDEO to ZORAB Atelier de Creation, with no end in sight.  When all is said and done, I just hope these images make the people who see them, as happy as they make me.

Wearable Prozac
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