No, you didn’t read the title wrong. It’s amazing what you can find while you are surfing around the internet, and I must say that I gasped when I stumbled across this image.
What’s up with her eyes?! It turns out that she’s wearing $15,000 diamond contact lenses created by Chandrashekhar Chawan. Eeew!!! I mean, I’m all for bling, but in your eye? Searching a bit more, I came across these photos.
What really pushed me over the edge was this image — a contact lens with jeweled “tears” dangling from it. All I could picture was some little kid grabbing an pulling it. Ouch!
I can say, with complete certainty, that I’m NOT a fan of eyeball jewelry, and I truly hope that this does not become a strong trend. What’s your opinion?
I hope the impending start of the new year finds you happy, healthy, and busy in your jewelry box! This is often the time when people want a fresh start, so they clean the house, organize the closet, and purge their homes of what they no longer want or need. But what about your jewelry collection??
I often advise clients to hang on to jewelry, even if they’re not currently wearing it. Not only does it take up a small amount of space, but I often find myself pulling things out from years past and re-incorporating them into my wardrobe. There are times, though, when you really know it’s time to let some things go. Here are some ideas as to what to do with such pieces:
1. Sell or consign your jewelry. There are many businesses that will be happy to take your jewelry off your hands and give you some money in return. Circa is a widely known business for your pricey and name brand jewelry. The Real Real, a company I’ve had great success with for reselling clothing, is also now taking high-end jewelry. I have even used my local consignment store to unload a pair of not-worn-for-ten years David Yurman earrings. Granted, you only get a fraction of what you paid for things back, but a little money in your pocket is better than nothing, right?
2. Repurpose your jewelry. Often, you can repurpose your own jewelry. Turn an old chain/pearl necklace into a new strap for a small clutch. Or clip on some vintage earrings to your pumps for a little sparkle. I also love to pin broaches onto a simple, fabric clutch to really give it some zing. There are also countless jewelry designers who will take your existing pieces and design something “new” and fabulous for you.
3. Give it away. Why wait until you’ve passed away to give some of your precious collection to loved ones? Go for it now and watch the joy in your recipient’s eyes! I can say from experience that it’s quite lovely to be on both ends of this scenario!
4. Donate your jewelry to charity. There are countless women re-entering the workforce, and they deserve to be dressed to the nines! Places such as Wardrobe for Opportunity or the Career Closet, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, are always looking for business-appropriate finishing touches for their clients.
5. Have a swap party. I think it’s a fab idea to have a swap party with your fashionable gal pals. Invite people over for cocktails and nibbles, and have them bring some of their no-longer-worn jewelry. Just because something is no longer right for you, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t just the perfect thing for someone else! Swap away — you might go home with a new favorite!
With these tips in mind, I encourage you to sift through with your collection and see if there really are some pieces that need a new home. Best wishes to you for a happy and sparkling 2014!
Are there things in your jewelry box that need to go?
Back when I taught third grade, there was sort of a Christmas “badge of honor” at my school. You see, there was this one family that had three children. Each year, the child would give his or her teacher one of their hand-crafted Christmas tree pins, carefully made by their mother and grandmother. As the years went by, these children had many teachers, so the number of faculty members festively walking around the halls with one of these special pins grew each year. I was so excited to receive one when I had their youngest son in my third-grade classroom. Though I no longer wear it, I will treasure it forever, and it brings a smile to my face each time I see it in my jewelry box. Do you have any special Christmas items like this in your collection?
I hope that you and your family have a sparkling holiday!! Love, Amy
Wow–these two years have flown by! Thank you to all my readers for supporting my blog. Can’t wait to see what the next year brings — from more designers to new store discoveries, and of course, Jewelry Judge! Sparkle on! 😉
Happy Valentine’s Day to my lovely readers!! I’d like to thank you for following my blog, and I hope that you’re getting a lot out of it. I know I have a blast writing about all things jewelry, and I just love hearing your opinions and comments.
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Jewelry Fashion Tips has a strong (and growing) presence in the land of Facebook and Pinterest. While I’m posting a couple times a week on my actual blog, there’s a whole other jewelry world going on out there in the land of my social media.
First of all, if you’re not a fan already, I highly encourage you to “like” my Facebook page. While I do have links to my blog posts, I also post something almost daily that is sure to tickle your jewelry box.
Have you “liked” my page yet?
Some days it might be a humorous jewelry-related quote…
So true!
And other days it might be about an upcoming trunk show or a special sale going on with some fabulous jewelry line…
Wish I could jet down to Montecito to see this!
My Facebook page is definitely where you can stay current, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on anything, would you?!
Pinterest has also become an amazing platform for me to spread the jewelry love! With boards on everything from “my jewelry lust list” to “stacked bracelets,” this site is a source of real inspiration. I invite you to follow me, and also share your boards with me!
21 boards and counting!
I see more jewelry on Pinterest than I ever could in person, even if I shopped all day! I regularly pin new photos to my boards, so there’s always something new to look at. Check out this necklace I recently came across!
Wowza! Who needs a shirt?!
The organic beauty of this stunning ring just made my heart sing.
Naturally gorgeous
If you’re reading this on an RSS feed, you may not see the buttons linking you to these pages, so feel free to click the links in the actual post to get you there. For those of you reading this post on my actual blog, you can also use the little Facebook and Pinterest buttons to the right of this article. I hope to see you online, and my next post will be back to regular programming. 🙂
When I first heard about My Charmed Life by Beth Bernstein, I knew I had to read it! In this memoir, she shares her life story through the jewelry she wore, from “rocky romances, precious family connections and searching for a band of gold.” While I knew that I would certainly enjoy the story, I had no idea how much I’d resonate with her feelings, her stories, and how powerful jewelry is in ones life story. In fact, many times I felt like I was reading from the pages of my own life!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Simply the introduction brought tears to my eyes, as she described a ziploc baggie of jewelry she was handed as her mother unexpectedly passed away. I can only imagine such heartache and grief…and then reliving all the memories that each special piece in the bag carries with it. Personally, I know that each time I wear my grandmother’s opal ring or my Nonie’s engagement ring, I feel as if they’re right there next to me. Images flash before my eyes of our times together.
I just adored the chapter about her wanting to get her ears pierced, and her only ally in the “grand scheme” was her much-loved grandmother. It was written with such young feminine angst that I could honestly feel her deepest yen to get them pierced. (But I won’t tell you how that chapter turned out!) I was emotionally right there with her when growing up, as my dad forbid me to pierce my ears until college graduation, threatening to stop paying my tuition. Luckily, when I tempted fate and went through with it my sophomore year, he didn’t make good on that threat. 😉
The way Beth describes her relationship with her niece, Sammie (and later her nephews) is purely magical. She made a gorgeous jewelry box for her to celebrate her birth. As she states on pg. 172, “I wanted to be the first person to purchase her jewelry that she would cherish and remember later on, and that would connect us as it had my grandmother, mom and me.” I, too, gave my niece a jewelry box for her birth, and deemed myself “the jewelry aunt.”
I feel like the author and myself have lived somewhat parallel lives when I read lines such as, “…while I was multitasking — flipping through fashion magazines, writing an article on buying estate jewelry and perusing profiles on Match.com.” Seriously?! I’m not the only one? In fact, much of the book is dedicated to the different relationships Beth has had in her life, and I admire her penchant for foreign men and taking that risk. Her romances take her all over the globe, and in each one, there is a jewelry story as well.
It was through her life experiences that she really found the joy in self-gifting, which you know I’m a huge proponent of! On pg. 197 she reveals, “I learned that it might be easier to find the right ring than the right man.” Oh, how true, sister! Thus began her fabulous practice of self-gifting, with a lovely platinum and diamond eternity band. I completely agree with what she says on pg. 199, “I’ve joined the growing ranks of self-purchasing women who are in touch with their tastes, more confident about their personal styles and know they’ve worked hard and are worth it.”
Well you, my dear readers, are worth it as well. And while I encourage all of you to buy and read this delightful book (because I know you’ll love it!), I do have ONE autographed copy available for you to win! So enter the contest below, and best of luck to you all!
So nearly 50 years ago when my parents got married, they had a serious conversation…namely, what their “non-negotiables” were for their marriage. Who knows the rationale behind his requests, but my dad didn’t want my mom to ever wear colored nail polish or get her ears pierced. (Did he think she’s look like a harlot, or what?!)
Well life now has afforded my mom the opportunity to do whatever she wants, and with her turning 70, this was the perfect time to just go for it! Of course being that I, her daughter, is clearly jewelry-obessed, I could hardly wait for two new earlobes to adorn!
So we hopped in her minivan and off to the mall we went. Oh, the joy! After signing away her life with the release forms at Claire’s, the big moment came.
First one ear…
Then the other…
And voila! She’s even more beautiful than she was before! And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she can finally wear non-post earrings on December 24th. Holiday shopping will have never been easier!
I can only hope I look so gorgeous at her age!
Mom…wishing you an amazing 70th birthday. I hope all your wishes come true, as well as some that exceed your wildest dreams. You deserve every happiness!! I love you the most-est.
OK, so I know this a jewelry blog, but once in a while I get a bee in my bonnet about general image issues. Being in the image industry, I’m constantly bombarded with the “perfect” body and how we’re supposed to attain its unrealistic goals. Trust me, this has been a personal struggle for me my entire life, and I’m god-damned sick of it!
I think that we’re all beautiful, no matter what shape, size, color, whatever. We need to feel confident, and present our best selves to the world. Express who you are, what you stand for, and don’t hide in the shadows. I encourage my clients to dress for the body they have TODAY…I don’t want to hear about waiting to buy something until they lose the next 10 pounds. And yes, jewelry is a FAB way to express yourself and really show the world that you’re making an effort. What’s your jewelry signature?? Make that effort! Jewelry knows no size, and it’s the perfect way to get your personal message across. I think this photo by “A taste of social media” really sums it up. It hit home with me. Hope it gives you some food for thought.
People are always amazed to hear that I was honestly obsessed with jewelry from my earliest memories. I guess it’s just wired in my DNA! Well I’m clearly not the only one. I was visiting my cousin at her fab home store, Abode, in Half Moon Bay the other day. Tucked in the corner of the shop, behind the register, was her four year-old daughter and a friend having snack time and some girl-talk. At one point, I caught wind of what they were talking about, yet tried to listen in without being obvious. It went something like this:
“Oooo, I love your necklace!”
“Thank you! I love it too, and I wear it all the time!”
“Even to bed?”
“Yup, even to bed….”
Loved that she had to get out of her chair to inspect this special treasure more closely. Guess both of these little girls have got the jewelry gene as well!
Trust me, as a 43 year-old woman I’m constantly aware of dressing both myself and my clients in a hip, yet age-appropriate way. Is the skirt too short? Too much cleavage showing? Do any of my friends’ daughters wear this? These are all questions which constantly run through my head when styling. Believe it or not, this also extends to one’s jewelry choices each day.
There are a multitude of fun jewelry trends out there right now, some of which I’ve written about, such as brightly colored jewelry and the art deco craze. I basically feel that the younger you are, the more license you have to experiment with trends — it’s the time where you’re really trying to nail down your sense of personal style.
Here’s the wrist of a 19 year-old I spotted in San Francisco. The neon pink bracelet from Charlotte Russe paired with the silver charm bracelet from Juicy Couture just seemed “right”…remember…she’s 19…
Perfect for a 19 year-old
And while out and about in Palo Alto I spied this stylish 23 year-old who was rocking both stacking bracelets and the neon trend. Again, I loved it…for her.
Some summer fun!
But then…there are those times when a poor choice is made. While I know Hello Kitty is more than just a crush for some (I have a dear friend with a tasteful Hello Kitty tattoo), I find it highly inappropriate when an adult adorns herself with said cat in not just glittery earrings, but also with Hello Kitty bedazzled hair clips. Really?! I’m not sure this woman has clearly thought about the image she wants to portray. And really, she was a darling woman.
My 7 year-old niece would love this
So tomorrow morning when you head for your jewelry box, I urge you to take some time to think about your personal style and what your jewelry will be saying about you before you even open your mouth. Because trust me, jewelry talks!
