Get Jennifer Lopez’s Stylish, Symbolic and Sexy Jewelry Look

Get Jennifer Lopez’s Stylish, Symbolic and Sexy Jewelry Look

Get Jennifer Lopez’s Stylish, Symbolic and Sexy Jewelry Look

By Jill Newman

When Ben Affleck needed a fabulous birthday gift for JLo, he went to Foundrae’s Beth Bugdaycay. Here, Beth shares her insider tips to create your own version.

What do you get Jennifer Lopez for her 52nd birthday? Boyfriend Ben Affleck could have gone for a big diamond rock, but he opted for something more personal and inspiring. Smart move. Affleck went to Foundrae’s co-founder and creative director Beth Bugdaycay to create customized necklaces with symbolic and stylized gold charms. It was a hit: A bikini clad JLo showed off the jewels with an Instagram photo of herself that set social media on fire.

When I asked Bugdaycay about the famous birthday photo, she said: “It wasn’t about the gift…it was the gestalt; her glowing skin, the celebration, the intention behind the gift.”

Affleck expressed his love with Foundrae’s large Heart Love Token pendant engraved with symbols representing the seven types of love – including romantic, playful, and parental. While it’s a romantic gift, Affleck was also on trend: Symbolic jewelry is one of the hottest styles. It’s a fashionable way to tell your story, feel connected and generate good karma.

Foundrae’s collection was built on a lexicon of symbolic pieces featuring empowering signs and icons of love, luck, and protection. The Baby Dream Medallion charm is meant to remind you that dreams can be realized. It features the divine triangle, which represents the journey of self-discovery, transformation and ascension, and the arrow, which is meant to inspire people to launch forward and make the dream happen.

The Internal Compass charm, according to Foundrae, is a sign that all change starts within and then radiates outward, it signifies the belief that life is a continual process of adjusting course to align better with our life purpose and beliefs.

Here’s the inside scoop on Bugdaycay’s symbol pieces – and how to curate your own look.

What spiritual traditions inspire your pieces?

BB: I believe that everyone has a light inside and that the most important aspect of our lives is trying to make the light a bigger part of who we are. The symbol of Aether represents that for us; a symbol of solidarity, the golden light that binds us.  

How does jewelry help us find the light?

BB: I’m hoping that in some small way, by provoking a thought or reflection, the symbols of the collection, such as Aether, or a custom piece, can lead people to define what’s important in their life and to ask themselves whether they are living it. I believe that everything you want and everything you want to be is already inside of you. You just have to draw it out.

  Why is symbolic jewelry hot now?

BB: The connection to symbolism is always there but it’s in times of transition which causes people to reflect more. When in transition, people are more motivated to find what speaks to their heart and what fulfills them; to align better with their life purpose.

What are celebrities like JLo and Gwyneth Paltrow trying express with your pieces?

BB: I’m hoping that every charm added has a specific intention behind it, whether it’s to commemorate something meaningful or to represent a deep held value.

What are your key fall pieces that everyone should have?

BB: I’d like to see people create a piece that represents something that fills their heart. And it wouldn’t be specifically for Fall, I see each piece as forever, modern heirlooms to pass to the next generation. 

Tips for layering?

BB: There are no real rules to layering and that’s what defines personal style; but for me, it’s important that each piece is seen. I don’t think that there is one medallion that is more important than another, so I like it that they each have a distinct voice.