Aquamarine

     I wore this ring with yesterday's butterfly broach/necklace and some butterfly wing earings to be featured later. 
     The stone appears to be aquamarine, but of course I am no gem expert. According to Gemology Online, "Aquamarine is a pastel greenish-blue variety of the mineral beryl. Its name is derived from the Latin words for water and sea. Crystals form in large hexagonal prisms. In ancient times, it was believed that sailors wearing aquamarine pendants would be protected from the perils of the sea. The stone symbolized happiness and eternal youth. It was viewed in Christian symbolism to bring moderation and control of passions to its owner. It is a gentle and peaceful gemstone, and it is said to fortify one's sense of self-esteem." 
      Well I don't know about all of that, but the source also said aquamarine is easily confused for topaz or a list of other stones. Thus the ring may not be aquamarine at all. I guess without taking the ring to a jeweler, I just get to believe whatever I would like to believe. 

Butterflies part two

Today's feature item is another butterfly broach worn as a necklace. At first, I had some trouble keeping the broach from twisting, but I finally figured out a solution: wrap the chain once around one side and then once around the other side. It all seems common sense in retrospect, but it was early. Anyway, this blue and green butterfly broach was still wrapped in its original packaging, leading me to believe it has never been worn -- leave it to me to wear it in a way other than intended. 

Red

Colors: they define the essence of accessories. Complimentary colors easily lend themselves to creating an intriguing outfit. Seeing as I no longer have my color specialist on hand, I am left to my own devices (See what you get Hill, for moving to New Orleans to be a big time graphic design artist and draw teeth?) Anyway, the result is this ensemble: A teal shirt and black cardigan, paired with a red necklace and matching ring, alongside a strawberry broach. Discuss.

Four of a Kind

It seems I have been on a little ring kick lately, so I thought I might change it up a little bit. Then I thought "Why?" and decided to feature another ring today.

This ring was found in a bag of jewelry recovered from my grandmother's house just before we sold it. It's plastic and comes in green, white, yellow, and the blue as seen here. All four rings have the same flower design that always has one flower right side up and the other upside down. Either way it's worn, I like it. I never recall seeing my grandmother wear this ring, but I wish I had. I find it somewhat comical to think of my British-ly proper grandmother wearing such a neon colored ring, but I have no doubt she would have pulled it off with grace and refinement. 

Butterflies

   I think grandma had a thing for butterflies. Well, she had a fondness for a lot of things: cats, angels, seashells, cats, books, jewelry, cats, the Royal Family, Garfield, cats...If you could find a pendant with the Royal Family on the beach, holding a Garfield with wings and reading a book, she'd probably have never taken it off. Be that as it may, butterflies are also a common theme throughout her jewelry collection. I have come across multiple broaches, rings, necklaces, bracelets... you name it, she had it in butterfly, but apparently she was very partial to butterfly pins/broaches.  

    This pendant is actually a broach that I wrapped a chain around and wore as a necklace. I am quite pleased with my ingenuity and thrilled that it more than doubles my necklace options. 

A Teak Jewelry Box

We recently sold my grandmother's house, which means all hands were needed on deck to clean it out. Wouldn't you know, we found some more jewelry. I know, it just keeps coming.

We also came across this teak jewelry box. I love the amount of detail in the design. Mom suggested I take the box to house some of the new found jewelry (and I could definitely use more jewelry storage). She said Grandma paid $75 for the ornate box at a yard sale (talked the seller down from $150 according to Mom). So, I cleaned it up, using some disinfecting wipes, q-tips, and a lot of pledge. I think it turned out quite nicely. You be the judge.

A Little Bit of Both

Recently, I have shown you a British ring and an American ring both from my Mother's Day excursion. Today, I'd like to highlight a similar ring that seems to be a combination of the two. We know from preschool that a mixture of blue and red give us purple. This ring also has white stones as both the Diana lookalike and the American pride rings do. The last row adds a layer of sparkle that is all its own.
I like this ring for multiple reasons. Maybe I like it because it is purple which matches a lot of my wardrobe and thus lends itself to being worn easily. Maybe I like it because purple is my favorite color at the  moment. Or maybe I like this ring because it is a mixture of British of American heritage... just like me.

American Spirit

After the recent British montage, I thought it pertinent to celebrate a little American nationalism.

This ring was also part of my Mother's Day expansion and is perfect for the Fourth of July or any day that needs a little red white and blue.

Her Royal Highness

With all of the excitement and media coverage of Prince William's marriage to Kate, the engagement ring has become something to be coveted. Originally Princess Diana's ring when she wed Prince Charles in 1981, the famous sapphire and diamond ring was left to Harry after his mother's death. However, Harry gave it to William to present to Kate in order to keep their mother part of the ceremony.
Replications of the ring were produced almost overnight, and everyone, British and otherwise, wanted to get their own.

In my newly aquired addition (from my Mother's Day trip), I happened upon this ring. Looks familiar right? Well, seeing as it couldn't have been purchased in the latest craze, I'm thinking it probably was from the last one. A replication of Princess Diana's engagement ring would have been the type of memento that my grandmother would have purchased. Anyway you look at it, I now have a replica of the now twice famous ring.

More to add...

I went home this past weekend to visit my family for Mother's Day. While I was home, I found several bags of jewelry hiding in my closet. As my Mom is slowly converting my closet into a scrapbook nook (awesome idea by the way), I loaded up about half a trunk's worth of jewelry and brought it back with me. I was able to make more room for Mom and add to the growing collection in one fell swoop. :)

Today's ring is one of many from my newest additions. My fiancée deemed it "bling-tacular." 

Obviously, it is just a piece of costume jewelry, but it does have a certain amount of flair to it. It is much shinier than the picture portrays, but you get the idea.

Out of the mouths...

My eldest brother took the liberty of sending me this email:

"This is your official notice: You are 1.5 months overdue on updating the jewelry blog. Thank you for playing."


While he will probably be mad that I posted his email, he does have a very valid point, and one that has been plaguing me for a while -- I've been slacking. Truthfully, I think that is somewhat of an understatement. I have numerous "reasons" why I have been so busy, preoccupied, etc. but truth is I have become somewhat disappointed in myself for not following through. I am even a little embarrassed to try and revive it because I failed so quickly. But I am taking the opportunity to reevaluated why I dropped off so rapidly (inspired by these posts: http://zenhabits.net/done/#more-7821 and http://www.becomingminimalist.com/2011/04/11/15-reasons-i-think-you-should-blog/  and my loving brother's encouragement.), identify the flaw and take steps to correct it.  


Believe it or not, selecting and wearing different jewelry has not been the issue. This part I have kept up with as those who see me daily can attest. :D Most days I even set the jewelry aside so I can photograph it later...that is until it piles up beyond what I can stand and I have to put it back away because I can't deal with the clutter.


That aside, I also have been debating on the best time of day to take the photos. The morning is out as it is already full and asking myself to squeeze in one more thing is just being unrealistic....then again this could be considered another excuse.


Anyway you look at it, I have some work to do...:D

Day Two: In Bloom

I’m not especially happy with this combination, because it was put together in a rush, but it’ll do. I went with a spring/flower motif as it is beginning to get a bit warmer.The ring is sterling silver, and the necklace was mother of pearl with what looks like hand-painted details on it. Likewise, I think my featured piece, the bracelet, is also hand painted.

 My grandmother was particularly fond of chunky bracelets. I remember she had several peach baskets full of plastic and wooden ones under her bed. When I was little, I would pull them out and put all of the bracelets on at once. They would jingle and clang; it was impossible for me to play with them without someone noticing. Then I would rearrange them by color back into the baskets. Maybe that’s why she never moved them, but left easy access for me. It also shows my obsession for organization started from an early age.

Day One

So here’s the combination from last Friday, technically day 1:
A Necklace
A bracelet
Earrings
 A ring

Okay, to make this task seem less daunting, I am showcasing the smallest item first -- a ring. Of course, this one (unlike my staples) is actually from my grandmother’s collection. I have no idea where it came from or what it is made of; however, I have been doing some research. :)

So, as most of you know, jewelry can have different markings on it to denote production aspects such as the quality of metal used, the maker, the country of origin, etc. A piece may have some or all of these markings, better known as hallmarks...or it can have nothing at all, leaving everything to mystery. I have discovered that this ring is mark with a “825” meaning that it is 82.5% silver. That’s not quite sterling level, but it’s still a respectable quality.

The sad part is, other than that, I do not know anything else about this ring. I can say it is a piece that fit into both my grandmother’s style and my own (I’m sure we’ll discover items that clearly do not fall into the classification of “my style” despite how fluid that concept may be. But, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.) 
Here it is altogether:

So I’d like to hear your opinions in the comments. 
What do you think about this ring?

Staples

Okay, so there are a few pieces of jewelry that I wear daily, and while that somewhat goes against this endeavor, I am going to allow it for three things:


1.) My watch
Material: stainless steel      
Color: sliver         
From: Walmart  
Age: approximately 1 year old;    
Cost:$10    
Value: Unknown, assumed worthless
Justification: I feel the need to know what time it is, to prevent myself from being late, and to clash with any gold jewelry I might wear. (I’m told wearing gold and silver together is not illegal, though might break some fashion rules but... I’m going to do it anyway.)

2.) My stud earrings
Material:probably nickle and cubic zirconium    
Color: silver    
From: gift from Sister-in-law        
Age: 3 years old    
Cost: gift    
Value: Unknown
Justification: I wear these in my upper ear piercings because they are small, light, and match just about everything I could wear, you know, that is silver.

3.) My engagement ring
Material: White gold and diamonds    
Color: silver    
From: fiance (Adler’s)
Age: 6 months         
Cost: expensive    
Value: a lot (A lady never tells)
Justification: Duh, do I really need to explain this one? Plus, my fiance would be REALLY pissed if I ever took it off, and he’s a keeper so that means the ring is too (plus it’s pretty!)

So there you have it. Three exceptions from the get go; just forgive me and get over it.

So here goes...

This past weekend, in desperate need of new clothes, I went on a shopping trip with friends. After purchasing several new outfits, it was determined I might need some accessories to accompany my new wardrobe. This couldn't be further from the truth. You see, my grandmother left me her jewelry collection as my inheritance, and to say her collection was extensive is an understatement. Proving said statement lead me and a friend on a multi-hour exploratory mission, adorning my room with jewelry. Clearly, I am set on the accessories front. In fact, it was suggested I could probably wear a different combination everyday for a year without any repeats.

So that is what I intend to do...kind of. I also need to take an inventory of what I have, so this provides me the opportunity, and somewhat forces me, to go through the collection and record exactly what I have. So I have determined the following "guidelines" to get me started:

1.) Photograph the pieces worn both separately and ensemble. This allows for multiple benefits a.) I have a record of the items, b.) you can see how I put them together (and criticize me for my lack of style), and c.) helps me keep track of what I wear so I don't make repeat offenses (I am not above being forgetful.)

2.) Focus only on one piece a day. While I certainly have more than 365 items, and by proxy way beyond 365 combinations, I am may not have say 365 bracelets or earrings. So, I don't think I could a new set of earrings, necklace, ring, and bracelet everyday. Therefore, if I focus on one piece from the combination, I can reuse some pieces while still showcasing a new piece each time. In short, I may wear the same earrings more than once in combination with other pieces, but I would only showcase that pair of earrings once. (and I can't wear the same combination multiple times and highlight different pieces each time...that would just be cheating, and frankly WAY to easy.) I also am not buying any new jewelry; seriously I have enough. Hopefully all that makes sense.

3.) Now for the sentimental part.. I also get to explain each day's selected piece and write a little bit about the memories it invokes or where it came from, etc.

4.) I am permitted breaks. I am not quite sure how this one will work out yet, but I do not want this to turn into a chore. An idea is to only select 5 items a week to write about, giving me the weekend off (and to wear any combination I want or to lay around in PJs with no jewelry at all...seriously, who wants jingling bracelets interrupting a Scrubs episode every time I move?)  Also, this past winter has taught me that no one is immune to the flu, regardless of whether or not one gets a flu shot. Therefore, if ill, I will not post. I'm sure other occasions will come up...I suddenly fear many missed posts, thank you paranoia, so if you have any ideas of how I could make it up to readers, let me know. Maybe multiple items from some days could be highlighted making up for lost time...

Also, it should be said, as a WARNING: I do not know what everything is or where it all came from. My grandmother collected all of this over years and from multiple countries. I am also not a stone identifier, nor do I always know what is real and what is costume jewelry. So, it is here that I call for audience participation...if you know what something is, what it's worth, hate it, love it, or just want to talk about it, comment away. I also welcome any questions, though as previously implied, I may not be able to answer them, but I can have fun trying.

So that's it. If you have any other ideas or suggested restrictions, let me know. And pass the URL along to anyone who may find this interesting...the notion of a following sounds fun to me. :)