Have any of you ever asked yourself this? I know I have. I’m sure the first thing that popped into your head was “have them sized!” And this certainly is a fair response. In fact, I just sent a ring back to a designer which I purchased 40 pounds ago. (I can’t wait to start wearing it again!)
But while out and about recently, I came across another very clever solution. This lovely woman had strung some rings her husband had given her, which didn’t currently fit, onto a thick leather cord. Combined with the pearl pendant, it really makes a striking combination.
Even better — these rings, which are so meaningful to her, are now worn right next to her heart. I think it’s downright cool. Here’s another shot, closer view.
I think the heavy leather cord really shows them off, as opposed to putting them on a small-scale chain, where they wouldn’t be laid out as nicely. So…just wanted to share this with you. What do you think?
Somehow, 4 years have passed since I wrote an article about how to keep your jewlery safe. Given that this is a very important topic, I figured it was definitely time to re-visit the subject. Guest editor, Jennifer Bressie, has some wise words for us this week:
You might be surprised by the chosen topic this time, as it seems I have kind of become known as the wacky sidekick from previous posts! As a lover of jewels, I can’t think of a more important topic than keeping our beloved safe! As I mentioned in an earlier post, this blog has cost me a fortune and I now have a much more valuable collection of jewelry. I am not talking like walk-in-safe, with retinae scanner collection, but one that would make the average jewel thief quite happy!
Sadly, where I live in the Bay Area there have been a barrage of break-ins. In fact, my parent’s house was broken into just last year! I decided it was high time I take some action to protect my collection.
As Amy has previously mentioned, protecting the family jewels (ha ha couldn’t resist) can be broken down into a couple of categories. The first is protecting them from being stolen, with a safe or a killer hiding-place, which Amy covered in an earlier post. The second is the area of insuring the jewelry, which can be quite costly and not necessarily leave you as covered as one might think. I decided this was my first step.
I called my insurance broker to ask a few questions. For starters, I have a homeowner’s policy and I have a separate policy to cover jewelry. I had long thought that my homeowner’s policy would cover everything else besides that specified in the rider. WRONG! Depending on your policy, most cover $1,000 to $20,000 for theft, fire, and loss. Often there is a cap that no one item can cost more than $1500. If you think about everything in your home including electronics, clothes, and jewelry, it’s pretty easy to reach that number!
I am not an insurance agent, I don’t have any friends who are insurance agents and I find all of this very confusing! Also, it’s hard to get honest, unbiased answers on this subject because most people who know about it are trying to sell you insurance! I did call some brokers, but the best advice I received was from a friend of mine in the jewelry business. In addition to a great recommendation for a safe, which works in conjunction with your home security system, he had the best advice for insurance.
Here are some questions to ask when looking into jewelry insurance:
Current Insurance: Is my homeowner’s/renter’s insurance enough? Or do I need a separate policy? What exactly is covered and for how much? What kind of loss is covered? Fire, theft, looking down and your ring one day and seeing the stone is gone? Are there precautions I can take which might lower my premium? (Safe, alarm, safety deposit box, etc.)
Compensation: How will I be compensated? Does the insurance company write me a check? Do they let me replace with exact designer, etc. or do they replace it with one of their preferred jewelers?
Claims: How do I file a claim and what will be required of me? Will I need a police report? Receipts and photos? Recent appraisals? A note here, it is very important to not only keep your receipts for your fine jewelry but also, you will want to have some appraisals. For example, you may have purchased a gold bracelet back in 2004 when gold was $450 an ounce. To replace that bracelet today, with gold at over $1250 an ounce, means you will need to spend quite a bit more for the same bracelet.
Here are some further thoughts on ways to keep jewels safe and wearable:
1. Keep great records of what you have. Amy keeps an itemized spreadsheet of her belongings on her computer and a back up print out with her mom. I am not quite this organized, but I do have a folder with every single receipt and have just recently embarked on having the appraisals updated and will be creating a spreadsheet similar to Amy’s. I will also include photos of the item.
2. Regularly check your jewelry for wear and tear. Are there loose stones? Are the clasps all still in good working order?
3. Be cautious about travelling with your jewelry. Limit items to those versatile pieces that work well with your outfits, maybe limit the dollar value of what you bring and certainly triple-check the hotel safe to make sure you have everything!
4. The same goes for at home; while it’s always fun to wear our jewels, certain activities just don’t require them and leave you exposed to loss or damage. I’m thinking of you, lady with the 5-carat diamond ring who I have seen take off and leave in the gym locker! Are you kidding me?!
5. Have a great way to store your jewelry at home. Invest in a safe if you have a valuable collection. It is preferable if the safe bolts to the floor or is built into the wall, but even a small well-hidden safe can make your beauties hard to get.
Jennifer, thank you so much for this informative article! And you, my readers — what are you doing to keep your jewelry safe? Please share any tips you may have in the comments below.
I actually had to go check my calendar, but yep…it was back on April 8, 2011, I started this blog. How can it be that five years has flown by so quickly? I thought I’d share with you how this blog ever came to be.
I was dating a professional blogger, and we were driving home from dinner over in Half Moon Bay. This is how the conversation went down:
Him: “I think you should start a jewelry blog. You are so passionate about jewelry, and it would fit in perfectly with your image consulting business.”
Me: “Are you frickin’ crazy?! I have no idea what I’d write about!”
Him: “OK, get out a piece of paper, and start writing down article ideas. Tell me when you get to 50.”
I started jotting down ideas and continued the list when we got back to my apartment. I got to 50 without even really trying too hard. I couldn’t believe I had all these ideas swimming around in my head. Who knew?!
About 30 minutes later he said, “Go to JewelryFashionTips.com. It’s yours.” I did, and this is what I saw…
I was shocked, I was excited, and I told him, “I HATE the name! Why can’t I have something cute and catchy?” He explained it was a name which would be searchable online, and he was right. (Damn it! I hate when he’s right.) Organic search is still the #1 way people find my blog.
So now, 5 years later, I still have barely made a dent in my original 50 topic ideas, and I can’t stop writing. Thank you to Jeff, who’s still my bestie and blog master, to the talented people I’ve met in the fascinating world of jewlery, and to you, my fabulous readers. I cannot thank you all enough for your continued support!
Now, time to eat that dee-lish chocolate and coconut cupcake from Kara’s that I purchased to shoot the photo. Cheers! xoxo
Back in May, I wrote an article about my attempts to sell jewelry which I no longer wanted. (Click here if you missed that post.) I thought I’d give you an update to let you know how it all went. I did manage to sell quite a bit of my costume jewelry on Threadflip, but that site is sadly no longer in business. (Do any of you have a lead on where to sell costume jewelry?) The RealReal, on the other hand, is going strong and I had a 100% success rate! Everysinglepiece I gave them sold — both jewelry and clothing/accessories. I’m SO impressed!
In the envelope with my most recent commission check from them, there was this insert:
I checked it out, and there’s currently offices in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Chicago (San Francisco coming soon) where you can make an appointment to bring in your items for a free appraisal with no obligation to consign. Pretty cool, right?!
Granted, you don’t have to utilize one of their offices for an appraisal. I live in a city where a team member picked up all my merchandise I wanted to sell. The jewelry was appraised by them, though I did give them a list with the original purchase prices (not that this is necessary — I just keep detailed records). I knew my name brand pieces (Tiffany & Co. and David Yurman) were a sure thing, but I wasn’t confident about my non-branded items. I sold jewlery such as a pair of 18K gold hoops with diamonds, a white gold chain with a circular diamond pendant, and an 18K chalcedony pendant. Everything was swooped up. I was overjoyed!
They have a list on their website of accepted brands for jewlery and watches, but you can see they also accepted some high-end, non-branded jewlery. I did have one ring I submitted which was not accepted due to the poor quality of the diamonds. I promptly had it returned, with no issues.
The RealReal is not paying me a dime to write about this, but I thought it was worth sharing the information. I will definitely utilize them again when I want to sell. Please let me know your experience with the site if you’ve used it, either as a seller or a buyer. And perhaps this post will motivate you to clean out your jewlery box! No sense in keeping items when you can get money to buy something you love.
Call me crazy, but not a day goes without me wearing either labradorite, moonstone, quartz (rock crystal) or raw, organic colored diamonds (grey, cognac, black, etc.). Some days, I’m wearing all of them at once! But you currently can’t pay me to wear a ruby, lapis or emerald. Why is this? I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Here’s what I’ve concluded — if you really listen to your body, it will tell you what you need. These needs include nutrition, activity and yes, even the gems you wear.
There’s a reason this Audrius Krulis grey diamond ring beckoned me from inside the case!
Some days my body will tell me to get out for a hike and eat salmon and veggies for lunch. Other days, my body wants to relax on the couch and have some comfort food. (I try to accommodate its wishes.) I know it’s often difficult to listen to what messages your body is giving in this fast-paced, somewhat chaotic world. It’s even harder to listen and not argue with the message. But in the long run, I think being in tune with oneself is a great gift, leading to a happier, healthier life.
I recall back in 2010 my hairdresser broke the news to me that I had lost about half my hair. (I was wondering why I was suddenly getting sunburns on my scalp!) This is just about the time when I HAD to wear rutilated quartz every day, and I had no idea why. And guess what…it turns out rutilated quartz promotes hair growth. I got chills when I discovered this fact.
Given what I’ve come to believe, I wanted to investigate what these four crystals could possibly mean for me. A great place to start is this poster I received from Jacquie Aiche at the Couture show. It shows different gems, and what chakra they are attuned to. On the back, it has some information about each gem, along with a list and description of others.
Labradorite
This gem truly makes my heart sing, especially when I put it on. The mystical depths of blue-greens remind me of the sea, and I love how each stone has its own unique beauty. I started craving it on my body just a couple years ago.
This stone has a very high vibration and is instrumental in helping one open spiritual pathways and explore intuition and psychic abilities. It’s a gem of transformation. It’s also an excellent stone of protection, shielding oneself from negative energies. All of these things definitely resonate with me, and they are areas I have been putting attention toward. Interesting….
Moonstone
I started craving this stone about 5 years ago, just after my best friend was murdered. I found a moonstone ring in a consignment store, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I’d leave wearing it, no matter what it cost. Quite a visceral reaction, right? As I started researching moonstone, I was certainly not surprised to read, “It is a stone of calm and relief from emotional stress.” It was one of the most stressful periods in my life, and wearing that ring truly makes me feel better — more grounded.
Moonstone also is associated with “goddess energy,” bringing balance between masculine and feminine energy. It encourages love and passion. Yes, I can use more of that in my life, so I’ll continue to wear it! It’s said to be even more powerful when worn during the full moon. Noted.
Clear Quartz
My love of clear quartz, also known as rock crystal, has a long history in my life. One of the first purchases I made in 1987, when I moved to Los Angeles for college, was a crystal pendant, which I wore on a long silver chain around my neck for years. I felt naked without it. Now almost 30 years later, I’m as drawn to the stone as ever. What does it mean?
Though it’s one of the most common stones in the world, that doesn’t diminish its high vibration. It helps open one’s mind and heart to higher guidance. It also amplifies the powers of other stones. I take this to mean that it would strengthen the powers in the stones in other pieces of jewelry worn at the same time. It is also a very healing stone, which is always a good thing in my book!
It’s a crystal that provides clarity and protection from negative energy. Interesting, as that’s the second stone to have that property on my short list! I know that I’m a very sensitive person, and I often absorb the energy from people around me. Though that can sometimes be a good thing, it can also be a not-so-good thing. I guess my labradorite and rock crystal help shield me from the not-so-good.
Diamond
I’m not talking about traditional white diamonds, but rather those that are in the more earthy tones, from brown to grey to even black. I’m drawn to those with an organic feel, not overly polished, but more of a raw or rose-cut variety. According to Jacquie’s chart, ” A diamond is one of the most powerful crystals in the universe. Diamond is a protector, an enhancer and amplifies the strength of all other crystals.” Wow–another similar meaning. It seems all my gems are empowering each other and protecting me!
Diamonds also help relieve stress, anxiety and nightmares. This is interesting, as I suffer from horrible nightmares. I’m going to try and wear some to bed! This gem also encourages abundance and love, another overlap with moonstone.
I’m going to continue researching this topic, as I am very intrigued. What about you? What gems MUST you wear or have around you? Which ones can you do without? And has this changed over time? I would love to hear your thoughts.
I spent countless weekends at my Italian grandparent’s house in Los Gatos while growing up. I have so many vivid and cherished memories of the time spent there. Whenever my little brother and I would arrive, we’d run into my Nonie’s closet to get a piece of Chiclets gum she always had in her purse. Just typing that sentence, I can feel the crackly texture and whoosh of mint as I would bite into it. We loved to go feed the ducks and ride the train at Vasona Park, eat her mostaccioli with special sauce, and watch Lawrence Welk (while dancing on Nonno’s feet, of course!) . And I can’t even tell you how many games of horseshoes we played in the backyard, with the hand-made wooden score planks made by Nonno.
I know you won’t be surprised, but on certain special occasions, Nonie and I would quietly go into her modest bedroom (sans boys) and look at the treasures in her jewlery drawer. Though she did not have a valuable collection, each piece had sentimental meaning to her and was carefully separated with the terrycloth towel with which she lined the drawer. I loved listening to her tell me about the different pieces, who gave them to her, and where she wore them.
One of my most favorite pieces is her engagement ring…
Married back in 1927, my Nonie was only 16 years old when she became a bride!
Nonie and Nonno’s wedding day
At one time, this ring had a center stone, but now it’s just a roughly worn piece of blue glass. They were very poor immigrants, and when the original stone (I’m assuming a sapphire) fell out, glass was the only thing they could replace it with. Nonie told me it got so worn and pitted from all the lye that was used in long-ago days doing laundry. Running a boarding house at one point early in their marriage and having three children, she did more than her share of laundry, to be sure.
Though this ring has no real monetary value, it’s one of my most treasured possessions. I wear it frequently, and I’m often asked questions about it. And whenever it’s on my finger, I truly feel like my Nonie is with me. I love her and miss her.
Nonie and Nonno were married for 67 years!!
Do you have any treasured sentimental pieces in your jewelry box? I’d love to hear your story! Please send me a photo of your faves to [email protected].
When I put out a call for topics in May, I received a great question from Marjory:
OK, Amy… Here’s a question. What does a girl wear on her wedding band finger when she’s past the stage of wanting to get married again. Is it just a matter of individual taste or personal style? I love rings, but that finger feels naked! Should it be a statement ring, stacked or multiple small rings, any particular stones (like my birthstone)??? I’d love your opinion.
First of all, thank you for your response, Marjory. This question resonates with me for so many reasons, and I’ve given it a lot of thought the past few weeks. What I think it boils down to is the “rules” our society has created. If you’re a married woman, then you’re supposed to wear a ring on that finger. If you’re single, then you don’t. Of course, this seems to only apply to women (shocker), as even my own father did not wear a wedding ring during his 50+ years of marriage, and that was acceptable by society’s standards. I can’t name one woman I know who’s married who doesn’t wear a ring. Curious.
And of course, there’s the flip side of the coin. I am single, yet I’d like to marry one day, and I’ve kept that finger bare as a baby’s butt for my entire adult life. I certainly wouldn’t want to scare off a potential suitor in the supermarket if I had a big ring on, right?
No…not right.
So here comes my conclusion. Married or not, I think you should be able to wear ANY ring on any finger you want — statement ring, your birthstone, whatever. Just in the past 6 months, I’ve started wearing rings on my wedding finger. (And yes, if felt a bit awkward at first.) Granted, this was mostly due to the fact that a weight gain (I love peri-menopause, by the way) has changed how some of my rings fit. I decided I didn’t want those rings to go into hiding, so on to my left hand they have gone. Be done with the ring rules, my friends!
I even went a step further this week. My ultra-conservitive father, who I certainly loved dearly, had some very peculiar notions about what a proper lady should do. This list included NO pierced ears and NO colored nail polish. In his mind, these things meant you were a very loose woman. I know he developed these notions during a rough upbringing in Flint, Michigan, and I know he only wanted the very best for me, but I must say that these rules do NOT apply to me…or anyone, for that matter.
So, I did it. I went for a manicure and got COLORED nail polish on my fingers yesterday while wearing a fabulous Arik Kastan moonstone ring, which brings me much joy, on my wedding finger. Bottom line, is follow your bliss and do what makes you happy.
Last week three of my fabulous blogger friends wrote fun articles entitled, “My Life in Hairstyles.” (The Flying Chalupa, Midlife Mixtape and Smacksy) Not only did I love seeing their life unfold right on the screen, but it got me to thinking about my own life and how jewelry has always been such a big part of it. So for your entertainment, here’s my life in jewelry…and clearly you get to see my hairstyles as well, the good and the not-so-good.
As I started my tour through all my (zillion) photo albums, I was so surprised to see that I was already wearing a slim bracelet on my right hand at only one year old. I have no recollection of this bracelet, and how I wish I knew the story behind it and where it is now. I have a feeling it must have started my subconscious love of the bling.
1970
The allure of all things sparkly led me to do something very naughty when I was around 5 years old. I had quite a few pieces of nice jewelry gifted to me from family. I distinctly recall a necklace with an emerald-cut ruby pendant surrounded by little diamonds, and another one with an amethyst pendant. I needed to know what it felt like to hold all these gems in my hand, so I meticulously picked out each gem from their settings, one by one. I knew I had done something very bad, so I hid them in a clam shell I had picked up on the beach, hoping my parents didn’t find out.
I carried this clam everywhere with me, sneaking peeks inside to see my treasures glitter. Then tragedy struck. As I was using the bathroom one afternoon, with the clamshell carefully placed on the top of the toilet, it fell…right…into…the toilet. I was too mortified to ask for help, and you guessed it — I flushed. Good bye to all my jewels and any hope of having any jewelry for a few years. It was a very painful lesson to learn in so many ways, let me tell you.
The best way I could get my hands on jewelry was on Halloween, when I loved to dress up as a gypsy. I wore my mom’s necklaces draped over me, and my fingers bedecked in many rings. I love how in this photo, the bracelets are stacked over my quilted parka. In addition, I got to wear lipstick!! And who needs trick-or-treat candy when you have beautiful, dangling earrings on?! I felt so glamorous.
My little brother and I, circa 1975
For picture day in fourth grade, not only did I wear an outfit that I made myself (my mom taught me to sew starting in third grade), but I wore my favorite necklace — little cherries that looked almost like stained glass. I proudly wore this necklace for years, and it always felt very special.
Fourth grade photo
Though I was the queen of Valley Girl style in middle school, I unfortunately don’t have any photos of me in my jewelry. (How can that be?!) Plastic beads in white, aqua, and pink were right up there with my painted clip-on earrings. Totally tubular, fur shuur.
Come high school, I had this weird idea that I was now “grown up” and needed to have more sophisticated jewelry. In my mind, this came in the form of a thin, gold chain, which I apparently wore in my school photos for the next three years. Given the size of my hair (yes, this is all natural!) I should have definitely stepped up the scale of the necklace, don’t you think? (side note: The boys used to bark and call me poodle with this hair…no fun!) Although I was desperate for pierced ears, my father forbid it until I finished college. (another side note: I didn’t make it till the end of college with virgin ears, much to his chagrin.)
1983
New Year’s Eve 1986 was extra-special for me, as one of my best friends, Leslee, came to visit. She had moved to Washington state after third grade, but we remained great pals. (And we still are to this day!) We thought we had it going on at a party in a friend’s garage, on either side of a cute boy. I loved my long pearls, which I wore knotted for a little sass. Love how Leslee was rockin’ the bolo tie! (She’s always been edgier than me!)
Amy, Larry, and Leslee
Off to UCLA I went, and that’s where I started making jewelry and selling it on campus and in a few shops in Los Angeles. I adored making the beaded earrings, and I really enjoyed helping people pick out just the right pair. Since my ears were newly pierced, it was all new and exciting for me.
selling my jewelry on Bruin Walk at UCLA
Though I was most comfortable in my Birkenstocks and beachy attire, I also did some hair modeling. No matter what they did with my hair and make-up (and boy did they pile it on!), I still had to wear huge silver hoops and my favorite crystal, which I still have today. Silver hoops were my first pierced earrings I ever bought, and they remain a staple in my personal style.
1989
Setting up my jewelry in my apartment senior year was so much fun for me. I turned my giant bulletin board into a display for my earrings and necklaces, and I had a tray of bracelets below. It gave me so much joy to look at every day, and I felt like I was in my own little boutique when I’d select my ensemble for the day.
My jewelry display, circa 1990
After college, the 8 years I taught third grade were spent wearing a lot of wood cut-out jewelry, as you have read about in previous articles. But when I made the career switch to image consulting in 1999, I definitely upped my jewelry ante. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I purchased these Tiffany & Co. mesh earrings by Elsa Peretti. I wore them for many years before I passed them on.
Holiday party in 2000
After the popularity of small-scale jewelry in the 1990’s, I was excited to see bigger, bolder designs emerge in the 2000’s. This turquoise necklace, purchased from a street vendor in NYC in 2001 seemed SO big at the time, but it was a perfect transition to a larger scale. (Now, it seems almost dainty!)
2001
While at a glamorous girl’s weekend in Montecito in 2003, I borrowed this crystal necklace to wear with my Ralph Lauren rhinestone earrings. I felt like a princess!
2003
After a long trip to Italy the summer of 2005, I returned oh-so-tan, and I thought I looked pretty cool in these chandelier earrings with turquoise drops in them. I think they only cost about $20, but they hit just the right note with the dress. Without the earrings, the outfit would not have felt complete.
2005
Buying this amethyst lariat necklace by San Francisco designer Alana Leigh was a big moment for me. It felt like a substantial purchase, and I wore it a lot.
2006
I went REALLY big for New Year’s Eve 2009, with this Elie Tahari necklace I won at a contest at Neiman Marcus.
New Year’s Eve 2009
I started getting into layering necklaces and stacking bracelets around 2010. Here’s a shot which shows one of my initial attempts while in Copenhagen. (Great city!) Layering and stacking opened a whole new jewelry door for me, and that was likely one of the pre-cursors for me to start my blog less than a year later.
Copenhagen, 2010
I know you’ve seen my whole jewelry life since then, so I won’t bother repeating. I would LOVE you to send me some images of you wearing your favorite jewelry throughout the years!! Send them to me at [email protected]. Thanks for coming along on this nostalgic ride with me–hope you enjoyed it!
My niece and I in our Swarovski Crystal tiaras at Disneyland, 2014.
When people hear that I’ll be spending six days in Las Vegas, they instantly assume I’ll be lounging by the pool, seeing shows and gambling. I cannot tell you how far that is from the truth (OK, I did donate $40 to the slots one evening.). This was my fourth year attending Couture and JCK, and I thought I’d give you, my lovely readers, a glimpse into what really happens when I’m there. WARNING: There will be no beautiful jewelry showcased in this post. SECOND WARNING: If this is TMI and not quite your cup of tea, then I won’t be offended if you skip this post and wait (eagerly, of course) for my next article, which I promise WILL showcase beautiful jewelry.
Year #4!
So for me, it all starts weeks in advance, when I realize that I, the girl who is used to the cool temps in San Francisco, need about 10-12 Vegas-worthy, photo-ready outfits. Not only do I need to stay cool in 104 degrees (yes, that’s how hot it got this year), but I know that the countless photos I’m in with designers and jewelry industry peeps will be on the internet forEVER! No pressure there, right?!
If you know me, then you’ll know that black is my color of choice, but it’s a bit challenging to make that look resort-worthy. Oy vey…all I can say is that Eileen Fisher saves my a** in situations like these. Some of you may be asking why I can’t re-wear certain pieces and mix-and-match them. And I will tell you, that 104 degrees combined with peri-menopause does not bode well for re-wearing. You get my drift.
And then there’s the shoes. Given that I will be walking miles a day, flats are the only option for me. While #VegasShoes took on a life of its own on Instagram, I believe I was the sole woman that went for flats only. And yes, there were Birkenstocks in the mix. It’s OK–think what you must. I can deal with it.
#VegasShoes
My fellow image consultant, Jennifer Bressie, was (as always) my accomplice for the first few days of the show. Not only is she instrumental in interviews, but she is also a guest blogger for this site. Though we did manage a few hours of shopping right after we landed, we were soon immersed in the land of jewelry.
One of our first missions was to attend the JCK Talks session, The Power of Blogging. I was honored to be there to support my fellow jewelry bloggers, Monica Stephenson (iDazzle), Barbara Palumbo (Adornmentality), Danielle Miele (Gem Gossip), Katerina Perez (KaterinaPerez.com) and moderated by Diane Warga-Arias (Jewelry Activist). It was great to hear their perspectives on our niche space — they really represented! And as an added bonus, Robyn Hawk of A Fly on The Wall was seated right next to us!! (Not only is she completely in the know in the industry, but she was fabulous with introductions. Grazie!)
Photo courtesy of Peggy Jo Donahue
And while hanging out in the hallway afterwards, I was psyched to meet Danielle (from the panel) and Jean-Noel Soni, gem-cutter extraordinaire, from Top Notch Faceting. Though I’m “virtual” friends with both of them, it was our first face-to-face meeting. This is one of those times when I’m so thankful for social media, as we probably wouldn’t have met if not for that. (Side note: It would have been even better if I hadn’t been inhaling a sandwich on the sidelines while all this was happening, just sayin’, but a 3:00 lunch is late for me, and my blood sugar was plummeting!)
On the way back to the Wynn, there “may” have been a little retail therapy side-trip at Ceasar’s. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know how I got into a bit of trouble. 😉 And then there’s Jen…I don’t know quite how to break it to you, but she was convinced she needed a selfie stick. (It’s all you fault, Ray Griffiths!) Not only that, but she wanted one that was totally blinged out. Say what?! Yes. She found it it in the cheesiest of shops, and I was not happy about it at all, to put it mildly.
I was NOT in favor of her purchase!
Thursday night of Couture is the big opening night party, and that’s always one of the highlights of the trip. They have a cool band, yummy food, and it’s a chance to reconnect with jewelry peeps and make new friends. Thank the lord that Jen’s selfie stick did not fit into her clutch!
Darn…it’s too big to bring to the party!
This year they had acrobatic tree climbers, and Fitz and the Tantrums were the headliner.
Since Jen didn’t have enough time with her new selfie stick, I did indulge her with some play time back in our room. (OK, it was a wee bit fun.)
A (quite) late night (for the girl who usually sleeps 9+ hours a night) meant ordering room service for breakfast. I know this is completely indulgent, but there’s no way I wanted to be late for my first interview in the morning, and skipping breakfast is so not an option for me.
This brings me to a pertinent point — why I’m even at the shows. These shows are not for the public to go buy jewelry. This is where stores go to place their orders for their establishments. I’m there as editorial — interviewing designers, interpreting the trends, etc. I’m there to write, which I love. My goal is to share the world of jewelry with you.
Pampered!
The majority of the remaining days are spent seeing collections, trying on gems (someone has to do it!) and interviewing designers. Most of my time I’m wearing my reading glasses, with pen, notebook and iPhone in hand. (Many people comment about how old-school I am with my lined notebook.) I bought an extra-pretty one this year, as it will live on my desk, and I like to look at something that makes me smile.
pretty Christian Lacroix notebook
It’s not as glamorous as you may think…but it’s damn fun! One day I interviewed for 7 hours straight! Yes, there are the deodorant breakdown times, such as on the shuttle between JCK and Couture, but even on those rides you’re bound to meet some interesting people.
I try to spend some time each night processing all the cards, pamphlets and flash drives I get each day, but it’s hard to keep up. Just trying to find/follow everyone’s social media takes hours.
Trying to keep up
Sadly, this is what the desk in my room looked like the last morning. I you know what an organizing maniac I am, you’ll know this was painful for me to look at.
Saturday night of Couture is the big awards ceremony, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
I was lucky enough to sit with a posse of CJDG designers, and we cruised across the street for a Mexican dinner after the ceremony. (Sorry that I didn’t manage to grab the massive skull bottle, Jack!)
After all the excitement, and a last full day of interviews, I was content with a sandwich in the cafe and the spectacular view from my room.
Water and a tuna sammy
There is never enough time to see all the people that I want to see, and I know you may find that hard to believe. Between seeing new designers, and catching up with those that I already know, the time just flies by. But the good thing is that it always leaves me wanting more and looking forward to next year. When I came home, I immediately blocked out the dates for next years’ shows. And if I’m really crafty, maybe I’ll even work in a day at the Antique Jewelry Show, which takes place at the same time at Paris. A girl can dream, right?!
So now, for those of you who want to see the BLING, let me get to work on that. I know that I have months of articles to come that will not disappoint!
As I approach my 400th article (400?!), I can’t help but ask you what you’d like to learn, read about, or honestly just look at for eye candy. As a blogger, I’ve learned a lot these past 4+ years. Meeting and interviewing talented designers, commenting on trends, sharing cool stores while traveling, and more. And in other ways, I still feel like a total newbie.
What constantly surprises me is what’s popular with you, my readers. Sometimes I can spend countless hours researching and writing a post that I think will go viral, and it flops with only 100 page views. At other times, something I write just at the spur of the moment can garner multiple thousands of views. I have yet to figure out what makes certain posts successful, but I’m eager to investigate. What makes you want to read a post?? What rocks your boat??
Just for your reading pleasure (and in case you’ve missed something along the way), these have been my top 10 posts ever.
With these posts as inspiration, what’s your biggest jewelry desire? I greatly appreciate any comments on this article about what you want to see and read. Please leave them in the comment section below. Or if you want to contact me directly, you can do so at [email protected]. I know you are a creative, inquisitive, and stylish group, and I want to hear from you!
I’d also like to let you know that I won’t be posting any articles for a couple weeks. I’ve got friends visiting from abroad, and then I’m off to the big jewelry shows in Las Vegas. I will return with lots of new ideas (including the ones you suggest below), so get ready. Of course, you can always keep up with me on Instagram and Facebook in the meantime.
