The Perfect Match - Review & Giveaway

Since I started blogging, I've had a chance to review a number of great jewelry pieces and jewelry shops.  Needless to say, I've gained a better appreciation for these precious accessories and the work that goes into creating them - through this, my little 'jewelry fascination' has grown.  When it came time to start looking for bridal jewelry, I found myself being extremely picky.  Why?  Picking one set of jewelry for that special day is extremely difficult; you have to remember...the jewelry you pick will complete the look you are hoping to achieve on your wedding day and the image that will be etched in your memories (and photographs) for years to come.

Since I've done a lot of work with Etsy Sellers in the past, this was the first place I started to look.  As I started to look, I realized that I was not only having to look for jewelry for myself but for my bridesmaids as well!  Luckily I found a shop that caters to both brides and their bridal party: The Perfect Match.  The Perfect Match specializes in matching jewelry sets that are perfect for weddings, other special occasions, or just regular every day use.  The Perfect Match sells a variety of styles (formal to more casual pieces) at a range of price points.  The Perfect Match is also proud to offer custom design services to make your special day (or just your every day) more personal and individualized!

Besides bridal jewelry, The Perfect Match also sells jewelry for everyday use and just recently started selling interchangeable watch bands.

More about the Designer...Professionally and Personally

"I have always loved wedding jewelry; I think it makes the Wedding Party’s outfits complete. When I was in college I made all of the bridesmaids’ necklaces for my sister’s wedding. Since each person had a different color dress she wanted a design that would bring some consistency to the outfits so I made the same necklace and earring set in 4 different colors. A year later I made matching illusion style necklaces for my wedding with drop like earrings. Since then I have been making a variety of styles that would be perfect for a Bride or Bridesmaid."

"I attended Valparaiso University in Indiana where I majored in Elementary Education. While a student at Valpo, I was proud to serve as the Vice President of Academics for the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in education and a minor in mathematics. I currently teach Kindergarten and live in Chicago with my husband who is 3rd year Medical Student. During my free time I love to design and create necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and watch bands. For the past few years I have made jewelry to go with all my outfits, for family, friends and to give as gifts. After learning about etsy from a friend, I decided to open up a shop and began to post last summer."

Review
Kelli, owner of The Perfect Match, offer to send me an Illusion Necklace and Earring Set for review.  This set is fabulous for bridesmaids or just everyday (or night-out) use!  The set I received is similar to this one; the only difference is mine is shades of purple (not browns). 

The necklace in this set is made up of 3-strands with three different colours and sizes of Swarovski pearls (4mm, 6mm, & 8mm). For ease, I will be referring to the Swarovski pearls just as 'pearls' throughout the remainder of this post. The necklace has an extender and can range from 16 to 18 inches in length.  The earrings in this set have fishhook ear wires and they measure approximately 1.25 inches in length.  The silver parts used in this necklace are all sterling silver.

All-in-all, I really like this set!  The time put into making this set is evident (each pearl is individual strung, which I personally think is impressive...and time consuming)!  The style of this necklace is absolutely stunning.  Because Kelli used invisible thread to string the pearls, it looks as if they are floating.  Additionally, I think the attention to detail is fantastic!  I love how the end of the extender even has a little pearl on it to match the look of the necklace.  For me, this necklace is the perfect length and light enough to wear all day long.

As for the earrings...they are absolutely adorable and beautiful.  First of all, I think they are adorable just because of the style of them; The bunch of pearls reminds me of a bundle of grapes.  Kelli did a fabulous job of attaching the pearls so that they were uniform and hid the internal sterling silver strand.  Each earring has a total of 12 pearls in various sizes and colours.  Personally, I think these earrings match the necklace perfectly. 

Because I am a bride and not a bridesmaid, I am planning to use this set for everyday use.  I'm looking forward to adding this set to my work wardrobe and using it for date nights with my fiancé.  Because of the amount of work that went into making this set, I can see why it is priced as it is.  When taking this into consideration (along with the costs of material), I think the price charged is fair.  The Illusion Necklace and Earring Sets sell for $65 in The Perfect Match Etsy shop.

My only suggestion for The Perfect Match is that they add more sets to their inventory that include a bracelet.  I personally like to have a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet to match.  I think this would add to the appeal of their shop. 

What can you win?  One winner will receive a beautiful bridal set including the White Beauty Necklace and White Cluster Earrings that are shown directly above.

To enter, visit The Perfect Match and look around.  Then, come back here and leave a comment stating the name of your favorite item and what you would use it for. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- *NEW* For each $1 you donate to my Wedding Fund (through ChipIn at the top right hand corner of this page), you will receive two (2) bonus entries for this giveaway.  Please make such to leave two extra comments along with your PayPal email so that I can verify your entry.

- Entering one other giveaway on Everything Up Close, then leaving me a comment hear indicating the name of the other giveaway you entered (Maximum of 1 entry).
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my main button to your blog sidebar.
- Adding my 'Wonderful Wedding Wishes' event button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- Friending Everything Up Close on Facebook. Please leave your name that is shown on Facebook for verification.

- Tweeting about this giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Friday, July 9th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Good Luck!



*Special Promotion*
The first 10 buyers who spend $50 or more at The Perfect Match and mention “Everything Up Close Blog” in the message to seller will get a free pair of earrings (shown below).

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, I was sent a free Illusion Necklace & Earring Set.  Receiving these items did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.