Gridskipper

The 6th edition of the French jewelry salon devoted to new talent sets up at the pretty rotunda at the Bourse de Commerce. At this trend-setting salon, new designers hobnob with industry types, and the public gets… an up-close look at the latest inspiration from 100 French and international jewelry makers. This year's star material is the black diamond, with 27 creations built around the darkly beautiful stone. Paris' Dessine-moi un bijou will have a stand where professionals will help you sketch the ring or earrings of your dreams in 30 minutes flat. [link]

Pariscope highlights this tavern of 4,000 beads and baubles in the Marais, where the aspiring jewelry maker can find everything from pearls to Swarovski crystals and Murano glass beads. Matière Première (which… means "raw materials") also sells sleek organizers, as well as kits to help you make your own necklaces, rings, brooches, earrings, and bracelets, with easy-to-follow instructions. [link]

The 4th edition of the luxury watch salon Les Montres is taking place until November 24 at the Hôtel Lutétia. If fancy watches are your thing, check out this gathering featuring the latest creations from major… upscale watch makers in one place — A.Lange & Söhne, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Boucheron, Breitling, BRM, Bulgari, Chanel, Hermès, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger Lecoultre, Oris, Panerai, and Rolex. You can try on the merchandise even if you can't afford it, or visit watchmaking workshops, a bookstore devoted to the watch, or get free estimates of your own timepiece. [link]

The permanent jewelry gallery on the second floor of the Musée des Arts décoratifs has an impressive collection of 1,200 pieces on show that offers a pleasurable history lesson of jewelry from the Middle Ages… to the present. Take a chronological stroll through the gallery and find inspiration in everything from French Art Nouveau jewels by René Lalique or the Maison Vever (pictured here) to Chinese, Japanese, and Indian jewels. A display wall of drawers filled with raw materials from precious stones to nickel, ivory, and fish scales is stunning in its own right. [link]

The Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement was built in 1685 by Louis XIV. It's now the luxury jewelry nerve center of Paris, home base for world-famous houses such as Boucheron, who started the trend… by setting up shop here in 1893, as well as Cartier, Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Piaget. Pariscope points out that an aerial view of the intimate square reveals that the Place Vendôme itself looks a bit like a cut diamond. Not to be missed for serious jewelry collectors or window-shopping dreamers with diamonds in their eyes. [link]

The rue du Temple in the 3rd arrondissement is a little costume jewelry ghetto in the heart of Paris, with many Chinese-run costume jewelry factories supplying retailers with mass-produced baubles representing… the latest trends. And you can also find the odd bijouterie de luxe in this neighborhood far from the Place Vendôme, like Guidomimoni at #119, who makes diamond rings and custom-made jewelry like the piece pictured here. [link]