RSS FeedClybourne Park = Downtown DC?
It’s hard to imagine a more suitable production than Clybourne Park (photo credit above: Stan Barouh) now showing at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre (641 D St, NW) for the post-real estate bubble era and the accompanying gentrifying force sweeping through urban downtowns all over the United States. Anyone shopping for a DC home in the summer of 2006 at the bubble’s zenith could tour open houses on a given Sunday and find a city rehab that might be characterized as a gentrifying listing. While the city depicted in this Bruce Norris play is Chicago, there’s no doubt it could be set in parts of Washington, DC.
He Didn’t Go To Jared
Pity the man on a trip to purchase an engagement ring for his soon-to-be-bride. He’ll almost certainly be overwhelmed by the three (or four if you count carat) C’s. Each woman is of course different and we’re not presuming to tell you would-be suitors where to purchase. We only wish someone else had pointed the following out to us when we first went ring shopping.
If you’re willing to put aside the C’s you might find that you save thousands of dollars AND get a ring that is like no other. We’re not going to go over each of the C’s; you can read or hear about those from any jewelry store/website. Our suggestion is that unless the color is so bad that the diamond is glowing yellow (would that make it more valuable?), or the clarity is so poor that black spots are visible to the naked eye, no (man or) woman will care. If your budget offers the choice between a C’s perfect 1 carat diamond or a less perfectly 2 carat diamond, GO FOR THE BIGGER DIAMOND. No one will ever brag about having the better ring on paper, everyone compares the look of the diamond on the finger.
Jared, Zales, Kay, even DC’s beloved Boone & Sons — all no doubt fine jewelry stores. But you can also get fantastic; perhaps even one-of-a-kind pieces at antique stores, estate sales, and PQ’s very own Weschler’s. Several times a year Weschler’s has a jewelry auction and their next one is April 17. If you’re willing to forgo the hand-holding you’ll get at a retail store, this auction house can be both a money-saver and the key to a certain-someone’s heart. Assuming you find the right piece and get lucky on your bid, that is. We’ve bought jewelry from Weschler’s before; the independent appraisals after the sale have always come back higher than the amount we paid. The pieces are often Deco, sometimes unique, but always worth a look. Some of the pieces we think look interesting in the upcoming auction are as follows:
Like yellow gold? You might consider this 14 diamond cluster that’s expected to fetch $500 (1 carat total). Or maybe this yellow gold & platinum (1.30 carat) sapphire centered ring, expected to go for $800, it features more than 30 full cut diamonds. If you’re budget allows a few thousand we love the look of this deco platinum diamond ring, total weight of all diamonds is over 2 carats. Have you heart set on a marquis cut diamond? $4,000 might get you this white gold diamond ring, which (including all diamonds) totals more than 3 carats. And that’s just a small selection of the rings; you can of course get earrings, bracelets, watches, etc. If you’re in the market for unique jewelry, Weschler’s (and similar outlets) can provide an alternative to the mall stores.
We can’t state enough that we’re not here to discredit the big retailers. Gentlemen you know your partners and their preferences. Sometimes a ring that’s more of a place-holder is the answer; something that can be returned later for the ring they really want. But here at PQ Living we’re romantics. We want the ring we pick out to be the ring our partner wears for life. So after realizing the Jared’s of the world were not right for our situation, we went to Weschler’s.
March On Neighborhood, March On
Thanks go out to PQ Living reader Luke who pointed us to this Washington Business Journal article breaking the news that the logjam in the Convention Center Hotel project legal kerfuffle has been broken up, at least for now. How? Marriott’s motion for part summary judgment and a dismissal of JBG’s project halting lawsuit was granted. Good news for the Shaw and downtown neighborhoods that allows them to march on.
Little Shop Of Horrors…A New Twist For Ford’s Theatre?
When we normally think of Ford’s Theatre (511 10th St NW), we think of historical productions and the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, a play we’ve been seeing there since college years. This spring Ford’s is running a production you might not attribute to the venerable theater, Little Shop of Horrors, a rock musical by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman.
What’s the linkage to Ford’s you ask? We asked that question and Ford’s told us that they endeavor to present works that celebrate American life and/or confront issues America faced as a nation. Some are historically rooted dramas, some are classics authored by American playwrights and some are set during specific times and places in American history. Little Shop debuted in 1982 off Broadway and takes place in Los Angeles’ Skid Row in the ’50s/’60s. It is based off a similarly titled 1960 science fiction B movie and despite not being as seasoned as South Pacific or Oklahoma!, it surely has become a classic.
Little Shop of Horrors
On stage at Ford’s Theatre through May 22
Tickets available at the box office or through Ticketmaster