September 2010
Dear Valued Client
September marks spring in the Southern Hemisphere which brings the promises of new beginnings and fresh starts. This year is no exception for a lot of people, including ourselves. The World Cup has come and gone with much success, the UK and Australia have new governments, and Cape Town has lost some iconic landmarks. The Athlone Towers were imploded recently and Barbarellas closed its doors for good.
Endings are better seen as new opportunities or a change for the better. One good thing about the restaurant’s closure is that it will allow us more time to devote to the newsletter and deliver them more frequently. We would like to say thank you to all of you have written to us requesting new installments, and we aim to return to the monthly schedule shortly.
This year has been a tough one for most businesses, but as the World Cup exited our shores, a new wave of business came in. Jacque has been kept very busy lately with more engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings, colourful brooches and even more dog tags. We wish all the newly engaged and about to be wed the very best for their futures together.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Trilogy Platinum Diamond Ring | Silver Modern Crucifix | 9ct White Gold Angel Pendant | 9ct Yellow Gold Tanzanite & Diamond Earrings |
Up until its closure Barbarellas kept customers happy with numerous functions, music evenings and the Grand Prix Club. The restaurant will be sorely missed and we wish all the staff every success for the future.
Barbarellas
This newsletter is going to focus on Jewellery as Fashion.
Jewellery as Fashion
You might think that this concept is pretty straight forward and that it is obvious that Jewellery is Fashion. You are correct, but what we are going to discuss is the reasons for particular trends in jewellery which sustains the industry. If jewellery were not fashion related, you would not need to purchase anything new, so designers and jewellers work hard to create and follow new and innovative ideas to entice the consumer into buying more.
There are a few classic jewellery pieces that will never date and every bride hopes that her engagement and wedding rings are in this category and timeless. This is for one main reason and that is emotional. She does not want to have to remodel the “star” of her collection as it is a constant reminder of the most important day of her life.
Since the birth of jewellery as body adornment, trends changed, some quickly and others took their time and some have not changed at all. In the past jewellery has been used as currency, cultural and religious symbolism, and status and more recently used to modify the body and become iconic in the music industry. It has been functional and practical as well as protective and artistic.
Ancient Greek Jewellery Classic Indian Facial Jewellery
Jewellery has been made to adorn almost every body part and has been made using a variety of materials, from wood, bone to metals both scrap and valuable. Whatever the material used it has always been symbolic, like The Star of David is attributed to the Jewish faith and in ancient Rome only certain ranks of society were allowed to wear rings. The Egyptians preferred valuable gold and expensive looking jewellery as it symbolized power and wealth in life and death. Most Egyptians took their heirlooms into the grave with them, either beside them or wearing them.
The Greeks were not so ostentatious, only wearing jewellery for special occasions or public appearances. The wearer was thought to be protected from the “Evil Eye” and endowed the owner with supernatural powers. It was also used as a symbol of wealth, social status and beauty. Although much of the ancient jewellery was exquisitely beautiful, its main purpose was spiritually practical and had to be functional. This resulted in mainly rings, necklaces and headgear being prominent. With the birth of the renaissance in the 18th Century, new fashions emerged for jewellery and with that functionality took a back seat for aesthetics.
Jewellery still maintained its symbolic character while being updated to be modern and stylish. This continues today, as can be seen with a multitude of interpretations of the Christian symbol of the cross – some plain and straight, some curved, some with stones, etc
By the late 1890’s art noveau entered the world and altered designer’s view on jewellery. Arts and Crafts started and with it came the art of enameling, which established names like Lalique and Wiener Werkstatte. The fashion trend even allowed designers famous for other styles to produce enamel masterpieces as Georg Jensen of Denmark did.
Lalique Pearl and Enamel Necklace
The end of World War 1 established a more conservative feel to jewellery with simpler lines and the possibility of mass production. Art Deco was born and new materials like plastic and chrome became visible in all forms of expression.
Fashion trends changed globally and altered the way in which people lived their lives, and with these changes most jewellery kept up. Towards the end of World War 2 a renewed interest in art and leisure erupted and designers who took this open market succeeded with so called “wearable art”. This period saw new materials such as PMC (Precious Metal Clay) and new colouring techniques as well as the improvement in Pearl harvesting, all of which contributed to the trend of the time for affordable jewellery.
Through the twentieth century jewellery has influenced fashion and vice versa, with stand out trends of pearl strings in the twenties through to the use of sophisticated lapel pins and dress rings in the 1950s and 60’s. The seventies brought out flower power jewellery with bright colours and multi stranded necklaces. The eighties saw a return to religious symbolism and huge flashy costume jewellery thanks to trendsetters like Madonna and TV dramas like Dynasty. The 1990s began with a combination of grunge and hip hop, and so Bling Bling was born – a symbol of wealth in this genre of music was displayed on everything from cars to walking sticks, microphones and cell phones. The more diamonds, the more bling, the more you were worth.
Opal and Beaded Necklace Serious Bling – Swarovski covered Mercedes Benz Chandelier Earrings
The twenty first century has not been without its jewellery trends. We have seen a movement towards alternative centre pieces such as Swarovski Crystals and different materials such as palladium and titanium. One trend that stands out is the increasingly popular Purple Gold. We discussed this in a previous newsletter from September 2008.
As we head into this century the current look is one of necklaces that make a statement, by using oversized links or multiple strands of beads, stones and corals. Huge chandelier earrings are very in as well as a return to large metal discs and flowers, either as earrings, brooches or as part of neckwear. Men are wearing more jewellery than ever with wedding bands being more extravagant than a simple gold band. Cufflinks and Signet Rings are becoming increasingly popular again.
The most important jewellery advice that can ever be given is that regardless of fashion trends, you the wearer must enjoy the design, the look and the feel of the piece for it to be special. The inside of a safe cannot appreciate jewellery like we human beings can.
 |
 |
 |
Don’t forget your best friend’s bling!!
The Solid 9ct Yellow Gold Dog Bone with your special friend’s name on the front and a contact number on the back is available in two sizes, Large and Small.
Large for Larger friends like Sam on the right: R 3 800.00
Small for our more petite friends: R 2 200.00
10% of the profits will be donated to TEARS –The Emma Animal Rescue Society
Gourmet Events
As this newsletter is the first in a long while we will treat you to three exceptional venues. We have always believed that every now and then you have to travel a bit to get away from your everyday routine. South Africa is blessed with little towns within an hour or two of the main cities where you can enjoy good old fashioned country hospitality and food.
Mariana’s Home Deli and Bistro – Stanford – 028 341 0272
For anyone who enjoys quality food and a relaxed atmosphere this eatery in Stanford is definitely a must visit. Nationwide awards aside, Mariana and Peter are the perfect hosts and when we were pre warned to expect a long languishing lunch, we weren’t quite expecting to be sitting around as the summer sun began fading behind the horizon. Mariana is a true old school pro who believes so much in quality that everything on the menu is homegrown, even the mozzarella cheese. There is no compromise on freshness of ingredients and the menu of the day is based on that principal.
Basil, Watermelon and Feta Salad Two Pies with Homemade Sauces Doodskoot – You have been warned!
Peter entertains his guests with exuberance and passion and your wish that the food will match the delicious descriptions is granted and then some. Now if you are a selfish eater and not willing to share flavours, tastes and textures then this is not the place to go, but if you are fortunate to have friends like we do, who are willing to pass their plates around the table for everyone to enjoy the magnificence of excellence, then book now.
This review could be equally as long as our visit as everything on offer was beyond belief, but as we have two other reviews to get through, let’s highlight a few dishes. My starter salad of feta, watermelon, basil and pumpkin seeds was so fresh in looks, taste and feel. The main courses varied from the Two Pie Plate with homemade atchar, sauces and chutneys, the heavenly Rotolo – homemade of course and the Duck Confit. The evidence was in the empty plates, suspiciously looking as if they had never had food on them. Some of us ventures off the back stoep into the garden for a cigarette and a little breather – we knew we were all going to attempt dessert.
Mariana taking a well earned rest after our lengthy lunch – Cheers!
The love Mariana puts into her food is amplified exponentially once you taste the dessert offerings and see the size of her kitchen. The Choc Pot – amazing, Blue Cheese Tart absolutely heavenly and the Doodskoot is only for the brave. It involves shot glasses of witblitz, coffee and homemade ice cream, and that is all I am going to say. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the company of Mariana and Peter and was a very special day for all, made even more so because as you leave you can buy some of her homemade delicacies to savour over at home while you anticipate your next visit. She deserves all the awards and it is no wonder her recipes are sought after world wide. Be sure to check opening times of the year and book well in advance, and enjoy the finest Country Restaurant in SA.
Taste – Somerset West – 021 855 3686
Taste was recommended by guest house owners on a recent weekend away in Somerset West, and it was brilliant. We were ushered into the back room next to the much needed fire and soon were absorbed by the warm, cozy and romantic ambiance. There were a few other tables in the back room, with the front room rather empty, which we put down to eating early. They rather cleverly seat people until 8pm which ensures that there was not an empty seat by 7:45pm. This marketing only works if you have the product to back it up and boy do they.
Anton and Ed have established a fine dining experience with a casual atmosphere. The service is attentive and on our visit the food was brilliant in parts and somewhat strange in others. We always review restaurants on the basis of quality of service, food, and ambiance and most critically would we return, and in this case yes we would even though I had a problem with my food. It was not the quality of the food that I didn’t enjoy, it was the over use of a powerful ingredient, namely Truffle Oil. I could not enjoy the rest of the meal as I had this lingering taste in my mouth. So why would we return? Well the situation was handled efficiently and correctly. Ed visited our table and quietly discussed the problem and offered a few solutions of which I said not to worry. I will always voice my opinion to the management of an establishment in order for them to investigate the situation. It could have been my taste buds that were over sensitive or it could have been a misjudged dish by the chef. Nonetheless, the rest of the food was awesome like the Oysters and the Crispy Duck and the chocolate dessert alone is worth a trip back. We left fairly early after chatting to Ed and Anton and still on good terms. More restaurants should be managed like this and it is this attention to your customer that keeps the seats full every day.
If you are in the area give Taste a try and let us know what you think.
Harbour House – Kalk Bay Harbour -
Letting go can be difficult especially when it is the sale of a car you have grown fond of. The day we said goodbye to Goldy Horn we decided to try Harbour House as we had not been there in years. We had heard that not only had it changed cosmetically but the standards had improved dramatically. The handling of every aspect of our experience was professional and friendly.
We arrived on a cold, rainy evening and were greeted by warm knowing smiles. A fair number of the staff worked for me years before, so it was almost like a reunion of friends. We relocated from our table for two to one next to the firs place for warmth and views of the crashing sea. The staff kept the fir going through out the night and made sure that they went beyond themselves to show that they remembered my fussy standards of service. Like most restaurants feeling the economic pinch, Harbour House have put together affordable set menus, offering two or three courses, which are brilliantly priced and very tasty indeed.
I can seldom resist Oysters and had my fair share followed by a mini shell fish platter consisting of Crayfish, Prawns and Mussels – all perfect and presented beautifully. Jacque decided on Line fish which was cooked so well, he had to personally find the chef and compliment him.
Shellfish Platter Line fish with Champagne Sauce
Overall, the staff has been well trained and offer efficient friendly service, the food is prepared brilliantly and the atmosphere is fantastic. We have also heard rave reviews about their downstairs sister restaurant, Live Bait and cannot wait to give that a try. Visit www.harbourhouse.co.za or book on 021 7884133
Next month we will be back with mouth watering recipes, reviews and commentary on jewellery. Please feel free to inform us of your experiences and comments.
Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might enjoy it. Please don’t forget to check out our website:
www.klynsmithbovim.com
Kind Regards
Jacque and Marc
If you would like to be excluded from receiving these newsletters, please send a blank email to info@klynsmithbovim.com
KlynsmithBovim CC
CC Registration No: 2006/175095/23 VAT Registration No: 4580232298
PO Box 31067 Tokai 7966 Tel: +2721 713 4210 Fax: 086 671 0949
Email:info@klynsmithbovim.com
Members: Jacque Klynsmith, Marc Bovim
Website: www.klynsmithbovim.com