The Cocktail Ring

With Christmas party season getting underway, there is no better time to indulge in a bit of bling. I'm the sort of girl who will take any opportunity to dress up, so this is definitely one of my favourite things about this time of year. As well as the dresses and full on makeup, it's the perfect excuse to bring out the statement necklaces and chandelier earrings... and the cocktail rings, like this one I was lucky enough to be sent by Gemporia recently.

You don't tend to see that many cocktail rings around these days. It's more about wearing a selection of delicate rings. As much as I love this trend, I still think there's nothing nicer at a party than sparkly nails and a statement ring, especially when you're holding a glass of something and your hand is on display. (And if you're not holding a glass of something, you're at the wrong party!) 

Although I had heard of Gemporia before they contacted me, it wasn't a brand I knew much about. I spent a long time browsing their site and was amazed by how many beautiful designs they had, and the prices are fantastic considering the quality of the materials used. My ring is sterling silver with a morganite stone - a beautiful, milky, cloudy pink - and retails for £44. It's quite a simple design as cocktail rings go, with the emphasis being on the large, square stone. They sized it for me before sending it out and it arrived well packaged and protected and with a nice little cloth pouch to keep it in. It feels solid and well made (though it's not at all heavy to wear) and all in all I'm thrilled with it.

Light pink isn't perhaps the most obvious colour to go for at this time of year, but as soon as I saw it on the website I could see the whole look in my head, (or at least my hand wrapped around that champagne glass!) and I imagined sparkly silver nail varnish looking perfect with the ring. A sort of "frosty" look - still festive, but a bit of a change from the usual rich tones of burgundy and gold. All I need now is the dress to go with it!

For the nail varnish, I used Ciate Fit For A Queen (a shimmery silver) as a base, and swiped a couple of coats of Ciate Locket (silver glitter) over the top. Someone with longer nails/more skills than me might choose to just coat the tips in glitter, which I think would look very cool too.

Finally, one of the best things about Gemporia is their ethos. They believe that jewellery should be special, not mass produced, and use only genuine gemstones and precious metals to create their pieces. They also work with The Colourful Life Foundation to give back to the developing communities from which their gems are sourced. Such a nice thing to hear from a jewellery brand! You can read more about it here.

What are your thoughts on cocktail rings? What will you be wearing to festive parties this year?

Kate x