eyes

The eye of the lover is an old motif in jewelry. The piece on the top is a lovely antique which I could never afford, but the ring above was made for me by my very own sister Cary. I just love it. It is often better to have friends than money. You never know the riches they will bring into your life.

ballerinas

I'm really into ballerinas. I found the above charm at the Salvation Army on Sutro St. in Reno. This will be a new theme for me to collect. I wish I had the little Van Cleef and Arpels piece below (photo thanks to Gem Gossip). I grew up in the age of great ballet companies. Like most girls in my demographic I wanted to be a ballerina. These charms remind me of those lost but wonderful times when you got to put on your very own pink satin toe shoes!  

taking the pledge

OK so I'm not giving up jewelry entirely, but I'm going to stop going to stores and online sites that show jewelry because I have too much stuff. I need to start giving away the lesser things in my collection while I'm alive to enjoy the recipient's enjoyment. I'm going to go back to my other three passions in life: reading, writing, and being in  . Let's see how long I can hold out I still have some neat jewelry posts to make, so jewelry fans don't get too despondent.

my hands

Just a pic of an ordinary ring obsessed person. On an ordinary day. Have fun.

Anniversary

I got these new bracelets to add to my collection of gold bangles yesterday at the thrift stores in Portola. I also got two denim jackets, having given mine all away some years ago, but seeing how my stylish sister, Amy, uses denim as a staple in her wardrobe, I though I'd give denim another try. It was our wedding anniversary so a little splurging was in order. We also enjoyed a nice supper.

the perfect combination

Here are some rings that I think look really nice together. I love the combination of pink and orange together. I can easily cover both hands given the number of orange and pink rings I have collected.

Three rings that go together

These are three rings that are my favorites right now. I love the way they go together. Strangely I got the bear (symbol of CA) in Richmond VA. Little cousin Lily (Brandon's beautiful little girl) liked these rings as well. I gave her one of my Christmas, sea horses and it turned out she's really into sea horses, the way some kids are into dolphins!

Blue hearts

I love these blue hearts. They are from the '90's when The Titanic was a popular movie. I try to collect these hearts when ever I see them in the hopes of one day making an Escada style necklace to go with my red heart necklace. Wouldn't that be fab?

stackable rings

These are some of Cary's new stacking bands. Morganite, garnet, and tourmaline. Nice.

Marty's gift

Ant Hill is a really cool shop on Cary St. in Richmond, VA. Above is the choker Amy picked out to give Marty. It's really beautifully made. I choose the letter M since I think it's really nice to have your initial on your suit jacket. Above is the ring I wanted to buy, of course the most expensive thing in the shop! Still the ring was priced reasonably given the emeralds and the size of the diamond. Still it's not for me, at least this year.

Ram's Head

My sister Amy and I have been into Ram's head jewelry recently. A Ram's head is an ancient jewelry motif, and it is getting popular once more. These are just two modest pieces. Gem Gossip shows a beautiful high karat gold double rams' head ring. Here are some other fantastic rams:

Image thanks to Gem Gossip

Cary's gift

We were in Cary Town, Richmond, VA at the fabulous vintage jewelry store, Ant Hill, when we came across this amazing hand painted brooch. Our sister, Cary, had always drawn princesses and queens ever since she was three years old. And she loves the sea motif. So this seemed like the perfect gift. It wasn't cheap, but we (sister Amy and I) thought it was unique and a real demonstration of Cary's lifelong passions that we had to buy it.

another forgotten item

When I went to Richmond last week my Aunt Beverly showed me this little sachet I had made for her when I was 16. She has kept it all these years, and I had totally forgotten making it. I know I embroidered a lot as a kid but my gosh what else have I forgotten?