When you're buying jewelry for someone special, you want the pieces to be gorgeous and, better yet, as unique as the person you're giving them to. Local jewelry designer Julia O'Reilly Designs, which was voted Best Local Jewelry Designer in the East Bay in 2012, is the perfect way to kill both birds with one stone.

Because it's the holiday shopping season, we put together a mini guide to Julia O'Reilly's handmade pieces. Whether you're in search of a necklace, bracelet, ring, or pair of earrings, Julia O'Reilly Designs has just the pieces to strike your fancy, as you can see from the photos above. Her European-influenced designs showcase hand-picked gemstones, pearls, silk, evil eyes, precious metals and stones, including diamonds and other precious gems.

In the spirit of the holidays, we're giving away the 14 KT gold over Sterling Silver Lariat Necklace (the first photo in the gallery) to one lucky winner. It's a gorgeous piece that features 14KT Yellow and White gold components on chocolate-colored fresh water pearls. Just tell us in the comments below who you'd give this necklace to and why they deserve it by noon on Friday, December 7th, and we'll choose the person with the best answer to receive this handmade, one of a kind necklace. Good luck!