We've been seeing a lot of gorgeous hard-edged, almost lethal looking jewelry these days from lines like Eddie Borgo, Lady Grey, Fenton/Fallon and Pamela Love. Bijules NYC, designed by Jules Kim, is a favorite of Rihanna, Beyonce and Fergie, and definitely falls into this category. Kim's inspirations are never obvious, and this time is no exception. Recently, she says, she's been inspired by Tycho Brahe, a 14th century Danish astronomer and alchemist. After the nobleman lost part of his face in a duel, he became known for wearing a gold nose. "He literally accentuated what he didn't have in a creative way," says Kim. The designer, who's previously created diamond-encrusted nail rings, teeth-shaped necklace charms and golden ear caps, has continued in this vein with her new Bijules Haute collection.
Her new "gold finger" (above), which comes in 14k rose, white or yellow gold ($11,000), is a reptilian-looking, articulated ring in three parts. The tip brandishes an iconic Bijules Nail.
For the even more daring, she's also created 24k "contact lenses" (above) that are sold as a pair. Jules says she likes to call them the "Golden Eye experience." The pair -- wear it swimming at your own risk -- costs $6,000.
It's worth noting that Kim doesn't even limit herself to jewelry. Last year, she presented a gold-plated lingerie collection that Lorenzo Martone (aka Mr. Marc Jacobs) fell for. Martone and Kim are now collaborating on an forthcoming luxury swimsuit line, called Nycked. It launches in January.
