Jewelry

Laguna Beach police are looking for the suspect in a string of commercial burglaries targeting Native American jewelry, which date back to December. All the incidents involved shattering a window with a rock to gain access, police said in a statement. The most recent theft was March 10 at Kokopelli Gallery at 332 Forest Ave. The suspect, who was caught on tape , broke into the business by throwing a rock through the front window. He stole $3,500 worth of jewelry within 30 seconds, police said in a news release.

The Sawdust Festival will begin the year with a sparkling new class, January Jewelry. The introductory class, which will be Jan. 26 on the festival grounds at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, will teach the creation of hand-fabricated jewelry from sheet metal. Founding Sawdust member Marla Burns, a gold and silversmith for 41 years, will teach the course, where students will learn about the American Arts and Crafts movement, which uses the simple beauty of nature as its muse. Each student will design and create one piece of jewelry from start to finish, learning and using different tools and techniques throughout the day. A $150 class fee covers all materials in addition to the workshop time; each student will receive a selection of materials.

A caretaker was arrested on suspicion of stealing $178,000 worth of a jewelry from a Laguna Beach home, according to police. Robert Wayne Erfurt, 52, is suspected of felony grand theft and possession of a controlled substance, according to a news release from the Laguna Beach Police Department. A homeowner in the 1300 block of Moorea Way filed a theft report April 2 after discovering $178,000 worth of jewelry missing from the home. The resident didn't immediately notice the theft and said it occurred between December 2011 and March 30. The jewelry belonged to the homeowner's friend, who put it in the Moorea Way home for safekeeping while her San Diego house was being renovated.

Whoo-Whoo… Whoo-Whoo…. Early Sunday morning, I wakened to this sound coming from the tall, dark trees in the canyon. Alert in an instant, I was also mesmerized by the sound. Like the similar tone of the mourning dove, the owl's call conjures repetitive, questioning voices. In the dawning of this morning, before light could even peek over the ridge, the question was clear: Who? Who? Who would they be? On this December day, 10 spouses of deployed military from Camp Pendleton were to come to the Sawdust Art Festival's Winter Fantasy.

Rohrer Fine Art will host a four-day trunk show from Jan. 25 through 28, featuring jewelry by Michael K. Jewels. Designer and goldsmith Michael Kneebone constructs fine jewelry using 18k gold and a diverse array of precious gems, including pearls, diamonds, sapphires, opals, garnets, emeralds and aquamarines. The theme of the show is "Splendors of the Sea," and each of the selected pieces incorporates natural objects from the ocean or uses precious materials to imitate marine life.

Laguna jewelry designer Nan Fusco, who made a name for herself when Neiman Marcus picked up her collection seven years ago, has created something innovatively fun and edgy for Fall 2010 — a "convertible" jewelry line. Incorporating her signature use of precious and semi-precious stones, Fusco intertwines them with chains of various metals — silver, gold, gunmetal, copper — to create loose, carefree pieces that can each be worn in multiple ways. "The idea was to create 'statement' pieces that are also delicate, and are sort of just fluid on a woman's body," Fusco says.

A new jewelry store opened downtown this week — and it’s the result of a Laguna woman’s decision to change course in her life. Left Turn Jewelry, at 305 Forest Ave., opened for business Thursday and will be celebrating its grand opening until Sunday. Judy Klimek, long-time Laguna Beach resident and designer for Left Turn, has had her pieces featured in numerous Orange County boutiques, such as Mi Place, On Que Style and Tutta Bella. Although Klimek began her career as a businesswoman in the electronics field, her passion for collecting gemstones from around the world eventually led her to transform what was once a hobby into a business.

Jewelry from a Kenyan village has arrived and Laguna Beach High teacher Jun Shen plans to sell the bracelets, belts, necklaces, headdresses and key chains during intermission performances of a musical later this week to benefit a school in Kenya. Shen and the school's Model United Nations group plan to sell the jewelry during breaks of "Hello, Dolly!" on March 22 and 23, pending the Associated Student Body's approval, inside the Artists Theatre. Prices for the jewelry, most of which are bracelets, will range from $10 to $40, depending on the item's intricacy, Shen said in an email.

Come enjoy an exclusive jewelry trunk show Oct. 22 at Areo, featuring famed local jewelry artists Connie Archibald, Eric Silva & Debra Steel. Savor cocktails and appetizers (from 6-9 p.m.) and meet the artists. All three artists’ works are unique and highly collectible. Connie creates hand cast sterling silver jewelry, including her famous Laguna Beach cuff bracelet; Eric’s work is international, using unique gems, fine metals, and eco-conscious materials; Debra is noted for her pearls and gems, with vintage and found items.

If sin is unavoidable, then Denise Levesque wants to make it beautiful. Levesque embraces all things odd because she can't help it, readily admitting that in another time, she probably would have been burned at the stake. The Laguna Beach native hopes to fill a void in the area with a brand new shop called "Sin is Pretty," located at 1850 S. Coast Hwy. It will be a real gothic alternative to Black Friday. Like something out of "American Horror Story," Levesque's shop resembles part vintage clothing store and part insane asylum.

Jewelry from a Kenyan village has arrived and Laguna Beach High teacher Jun Shen plans to sell the bracelets, belts, necklaces, headdresses and key chains during intermission performances of a musical later this week to benefit a school in Kenya. Shen and the school's Model United Nations group plan to sell the jewelry during breaks of "Hello, Dolly!" on March 22 and 23, pending the Associated Student Body's approval, inside the Artists Theatre. Prices for the jewelry, most of which are bracelets, will range from $10 to $40, depending on the item's intricacy, Shen said in an email.

AREA 1 McKnight Drive: An antique bench was reported stolen in the 100 block at 1:36 p.m. Tuesday. The bench, worth $2,200, was reportedly taken from the curb. Cliff Drive: Petty theft was reported in the 500 block at 12:31 p.m. Wednesday. * AREA 2 Cozumel: Grand theft was reported in the 300 block at 2:18 p.m. Monday. The caller was moving from the Bay Area and had a jewelry box inside his car. When he arrived at the location the box, containing $5,000 to $8,000 worth of jewelry, was gone.

Shona C. Gilbert, an artistic couture jewelry designer, is bringing her designs via a trunk show to Neiman Marcus at Fashion Island on Dec. 14-15. Her handmade line, SHONA, features glass-beaded bracelets, tourmaline gemstones and vintage stones, according to a news release. There's the Gorgeous Doll Choker Necklace, the Bracelets St. Germain - a mix of pink and gold blush metal beads, with vintage Chanel beads - or the 1937 Vintage Collar. For more trunk show details, call (949)

If sin is unavoidable, then Denise Levesque wants to make it beautiful. Levesque embraces all things odd because she can't help it, readily admitting that in another time, she probably would have been burned at the stake. The Laguna Beach native hopes to fill a void in the area with a brand new shop called "Sin is Pretty," located at 1850 S. Coast Hwy. It will be a real gothic alternative to Black Friday. Like something out of "American Horror Story," Levesque's shop resembles part vintage clothing store and part insane asylum.

Photographer Sean Hunter Brown remembers his first shot, standing in the water off Laguna Beach, with a cheap, waterproof, disposable camera. A year and a half later, armed with a professional camera, the consulting arborist is discovering his hobby could become a second career as he showed off prints at the Sawdust Art Festival's preview night on Tuesday. "I couldn't shoot a portrait shot to save my life, but I figured out how to shoot waves," said Brown, 43. Brown's ocean photography is shot from the perspective of standing in the water.

A caretaker was arrested on suspicion of stealing $178,000 worth of a jewelry from a Laguna Beach home, according to police. Robert Wayne Erfurt, 52, is suspected of felony grand theft and possession of a controlled substance, according to a news release from the Laguna Beach Police Department. A homeowner in the 1300 block of Moorea Way filed a theft report April 2 after discovering $178,000 worth of jewelry missing from the home. The resident didn't immediately notice the theft and said it occurred between December 2011 and March 30. The jewelry belonged to the homeowner's friend, who put it in the Moorea Way home for safekeeping while her San Diego house was being renovated.

Laguna Beach police are looking for the suspect in a string of commercial burglaries targeting Native American jewelry, which date back to December. All the incidents involved shattering a window with a rock to gain access, police said in a statement. The most recent theft was March 10 at Kokopelli Gallery at 332 Forest Ave. The suspect, who was caught on tape , broke into the business by throwing a rock through the front window. He stole $3,500 worth of jewelry within 30 seconds, police said in a news release.

Multiple reports came through Laguna Beach police last week regarding jewelry thefts. Sgt. Louise Callus said the crimes appear to be unrelated. The five reports came within three days - Dec. 29 to Dec. 31 - totaling a loss of more than $613,000. A woman reported Dec. 29 that $92,000 worth of jewelry was taken in the 600 block of Alta Vista. The jewelry was inside a bag inside a drawer in her home. She said she last saw it Dec. 2. On Dec. 29, a person reported that several pieces of jewelry had gone missing in the last year beginning in June in the 31000 block of Holly Drive.

Opening statements began Wednesday in the case against three gang members accused of robbing two jewelry stores. Michael Burgin, 32, is accused of stealing $1 million worth of watches from Baca Jewelers in Laguna Beach on Aug. 25, 2009, according to a news release from the Orange County district attorney's office. Two other men, Alonso Jose Lopez, 33, and Pedro Avina Hernandez, 31, were convicted early last year for their roles in that robbery. In all, eight of the 11 defendants in the case have been convicted.

Susan Shieldkret is marching fearlessly into the shaky economy. She opened a jewelry store on Balboa Island in Newport Beach about a year and a half ago, and another one opened in Laguna Beach this summer. The Laguna shop, at South Coast Highway and Cress Street, where Mandarin Fine Arts used to be, had a "soft opening" in August, but held its grand opening Oct. 20. Shieldkret said she believes there will always be a market for the kind of jewelry she sells, which is everything from a $20 faux-gold necklace to an Indian diamond cuff worth thousands.