Jewelry

Two Newport Beach residents had thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry stolen from them in separate incidents this week, according to police records. A woman reported Nov. 21 that sometime within about an hour that night, someone broke into her home in the 200 block of Marigold Avenue in Newport Beach and stole $40,990 worth of jewelry and cash. Police said the suspect got away in an unknown direction and no description was available. The burglar caused $500 in damage breaking into the house, according to police logs.

One-a-kind-hand crafted sterling silver and gold jewelry, hollowware and flatware by sixth-generation master silversmith Allan Adler will be on display along with designs by Rebecca Adler at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach today from 4 to 7 p.m. The private showcase will include original designs for Miss USA, Miss Universe Crowns and major celebrities. Portions of proceeds of the sales will go to the Hoag Hospital 552 Club. Allan Adler Silversmiths has created teapots for clients including such notables as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Paul Newman, Clark Gable, Eleanor Roosevelt and Katherine Hepburn.

Lindsey Packer can speak from experience about the durability of vegan clothes. A glass case at the back of Humanitaire, her store at the Camp at 2937 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa, contains a pair of vegan boots that Packer has walked in all over the world — and which barely look used. In addition to shoes, the store offers shirts, belts and other clothing items, all made without a single animal product. Let’s say I’m a guy who wears leather all the time and has never heard of vegan clothing.

Kids can learn about jewelry and how to make their own with jewelry craft books offered at the Newport Beach Public Library. As with most craft books, these cover the equipment and materials necessary to make jewelry, along with some safety tips. Kids will discover the joy of creating and wearing jewelry that is uniquely theirs with the help of some of these titles. “Jewelry Crafts” by Barrie Caldecott gives kids instructions on all sorts of make-it-yourself jewelry projects, including one you can’t wear — a decorated Faberge-style egg. Projects that are made to be worn include a foam bangle, plastic bracelet and necklace, and an ornamental glass stone ring.

The folks at MOD Jewelry like to think outside the jewelry box. The Costa Mesa-based company offers unique and unconventional accessories. And if you don’t see anything you like, they can custom-design an accessory that better reflects your individual style. MOD Jewelry also partners with other companies to fashion jewelry that suits different subcultures. This week, we’re checking in with the company’s chief executive, Christina Lovejoy. Please describe what exactly Mod Jewelry Inc. does.

As a nonprofit organization, the Costa Mesa Senior Center relies on its income from several sources — these can include government grants, donations, fundraising money, and trusts. In these difficult economic times, the center is by no means immune to cutbacks experienced by people and businesses everywhere. We too, face the “devolution” of funding. Devolution is a word used a great deal these days among nonprofit leaders. Essentially, devolution is short-hand for a strong trend of cutbacks in funding; thus, devolution is associated with the end of what is often called “entitlements” to services previously guaranteed.

Bob Koop didn’t keep a low profile as he sold millions of dollars worth of high-end Newport Beach real estate over the last 40 years. It was his habit to drive prospective clients around in a bright red Rolls-Royce, wearing a diamond-studded gold ring that weighs about as much as a small jogging weight and a wide bracelet that spells “KOOP” out in big block letters with 10 carats of diamond. These were staples of his image both in Newport Beach and in Las Vegas where he was a big-money craps player.

Police have arrested two people they say stole $350,000 worth of jewelry from a Newport Beach woman last month, authorities announced Friday. Brandy Watts, 28, and Thomas Watts, 30, will be arraigned next week on charges of possession of stolen property after police traced pawned jewelry belonging to Vonda Simon, a Newport Beach resident and business owner, back to the couple, Sgt. Evan Sailor said. On Oct. 13, Simon called police and reported that a safe containing $350,000 worth of jewelry that was left in the back seat of her Bentley parked in the garage was missing.

Authorities are searching for robbers who forced their way into an elderly woman’s home and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry in an afternoon incident in Newport Beach. “This isn’t something we typically experience here,” Sgt. Evan Sailor said. About 4:10 p.m. in the 2200 block at Golden Circle, someone incessantly rang the doorbell of a 78-year-old woman’s home, police said. When the woman opened the door, she faced a group of people who looked to be in their 20s, with the man closest to her immediately covering her mouth and eyes with his hands and forcing her back into the house.

Diamonds, they say, are always a girl’s best friend. But in Kristine Taft’s case, jewelry is how she makes a living, too. And if you’re looking for a gift this holiday season, you might want to check out Taft’s fine gems. This week, we check in with the Newport Beach entrepreneur for some “pearls” (pun fully intended) of wisdom.   When did you first realize you had a knack for creating jewelry? I started making jewelry when I was 7 years old, living in Wisconsin with my six siblings.