—————————————————————————————————


FOF Isabelle K is giving away this exquisite pair of clip-on earrings from her collection, made out of Swarovski crystal rondelles and glass pearls (retail value: $475.00). Enter to win by answering this question in the comments below: What would you wear with this pair of earrings?

When Paris native Isabelle Krupnick first came to the U.S. she owned her own clothing store, and worked on Los Angeles's prestigious Rodeo Drive selling French costume jewelry. After moving to Virginia Beach with her husband to raise a family, she wanted to keep herself occupied and continue working in fashion and jewelry. "When I would walk around [in Virginia Beach], people would stop me all the time and say, 'Oh my god, where did you get that?' [about her French accessories]. After a few months I said, 'Okay, I'm going to go to Paris, buy some jewelry, and start a business."

And with that, Isabelle started bringing the luxury of Parisian jewelry to her friends in Virginia. She started by selling jewelry out of her home, then held jewelry parties for her friends, and later, attended trade shows to sell her pieces.  Two years ago, she launched IsabelleK.com in order to reach more of her customers.  "I travel so much and do so many shows out of town that I have clientele everywhere," says Isabelle.

Isabelle has since expanded her collections to include jewelry from Italy, England, Spain, and even a few pieces from the U.S. "American designers make great semi-precious stones, while Europeans make beautiful costume jewelry with rhinestones," Isabelle explains. "I needed a balance between the two [for my collection], so I went to the American market for my semi-precious stones."

One trend that has become a staple in Isabelle's collections are clip-on earrings.  "In France, all the elegant statement earrings are clip-ons, because they look better that way,” says Isabelle. “You don't want your earlobe to be pulling down to your shoulder. The clip-on makes it look elegant."

The designers that Isabelle worked with for 24 years, now, even create their pieces with her taste in mind. "They know me, they know what I like,” says Isabelle. “I often preview the collection before they even show it. I give them feedback, and they redesign features for me."  Some of these designs have been worn by celebrities, on runways, and featured in magazines such as Elle, Vogue, InStyle, W, and Allure.

"My clients trust me because they know I want them to look good. My best advertisements are my best customers," says Isabelle. "I'm constantly looking for new designers, reading magazines and always researching what is new. I think when you have a passion for what you do, it's easy."

Enter to win this exquisite pair of clip-on earrings from Isabelle K by answering this question in the comments below: What would you wear with this pair of earrings?

—————————————————————————————————

One FOF will win. (See all our past winners, here.) (See official rules, here.) Contest closes August 16th, 2012 at midnight E.S.T.