Things Our Friends Say That Are Worth Remembering #2

"HI COOL GUYS!!! So you're like the Jonas Brothers?"
-the terrific jewellery designer M. Cohen, to a trio of long haired, fresh-faced brothers who just happen to be in a band together.  Their manager/agent/mom was not amused.

You can get really freakin' awesome M Cohen designs at MP3 in late fall.

Just In From The Desk of Our Favorite Emmy Award Winning Jewler

I've always wanted to have a moonlighting profession. If someone asks me about my profession at a party I really always want to say, "Oh I'm a retailer, but I moonlight as bartender/player of an obscure rock instrument/shortstop for the St. Paul Saints/art thief/assassin/advisor of foreign policy for a small island nation." Sadly I'm none of those things, nor would I really want any of those jobs, unless being an art thief is what Vincent Cassel leads me to believe it is. Either way none of those professions are really doing the general public any good, unlike the delightful Robyne Robinson. Ms. Robinson is a jewellery designer who moonlights as the best darn news anchor in the Twin Cities* and she has the Emmys to prove it. I'm not really sure if she would describe herself that way, but I don't really think she'll jump in to correct me either.

Robyne has been the sole proprietor for the jewellery brand Rox for the last few years, but is just starting to ramp up her men's business. Part of that incline is the announcement of her first men's retailer: you guessed it, MartinPatrick3. That's right. Nowhere else ('cept online, but whatever). The collection is an amalgam of pendants, chains and stones from her travels, resulting in a group of patinaed yet colorful bracelets and necklaces. The fact the each one is absolutely unique is just an added bonus.


*I'm going to put weatherpersons in a separate category for this one. If I were to include meteorologists then Sven Sundgaard would win hands down. You see, Sven lists his favorite sport as Ski Jumping and while I had the opportunity to ski jump as a child, I didn't. Not having a promising ski jumping career is the greatest regret of my childhood.

$45-250

Things We Like #2

Alright, I have a confession to make. Despite my position at the helm of an accessory shop and my propensity to overdress myself with hats, ties, boutonnieres, belt buckles shaped like birds, funny socks, tie bars, cufflinks and lapel pins, I've never really been that into jewellery. I went through a necklace phase a very long time ago, but for the past few years I just haven't really gotten behind bracelets, rings or necklaces (that being said, I am really excited about our newest line, Nikolai Rose). The above list features a few things that technically are jewellery, but I think you get the gist. I'm certainly not opposed to men wearing such adornments, and in fact I've admired a number of well designed pieces that we've had in the store, especially from Tateossian, that I could just not bring myself to wear. It just isn't my MO... save for one very specific type: the ID bracelet.

The primary reason I like ID bracelets is kind of tacky. Most people know that I go nuts for things that have some type of back story or historical pretext (case in point, things we like #1). The thing that tips the scale for me on such a specific piece of jewellery is that its very rare to find a person older than the age of eleven that has engraved anything on the ID plate itself. We have an item that is intended to identify its owner and yet the vast majority of such pieces live their lives unpersonalized. This fascinates me.

Now, I'm a fan of most ID bracelets, but this one has such a feeling of inconspicuous consumption that I just can't help but gush about it. If you see it on a person's wrist, its just a stainless bracelet. With a closer look though, you'll notice that this particular model has 18 karat gold studs in it: a subtle and unique take on something so recognizable.

We have several things with ID links and all are new, so the interesting lack of back story doesn't really apply. But, I hope the next person to buy one will think a more about that little plate.

$115

I'll take Buster Keaton over Charlie Chaplin, but that's because I like porkpie hats.

And speaking of depression era dandies, we received a pretty fantastic new jewellery line in the store this week. The collection, named Nikolai Rose for an amalgam of the founders' elders, was designed with men like the actors above in mind. Whether the line makes you think of foppish prohibitioners or of grunge proper, the rings, key chains and necklaces feature nicks dings and a health dose of patina. The coolest piece however, is a little pin that could be used to either hold one's tie on his shirt or to call attention to his lapel conveniently shaped like a housefly. And conveniently, you can purchase it with or without yellow diamond eyes.

$35 to $ 145