Jewellery
having fun on a chain string
hi everyone. This weeks deep dive? jewellery. I love it. I love rubies (my birth stone - just in case you wanted to send me a pressie. July 2nd) emeralds, diamond, garnets, Amethyst and gold.
I love looking at vinatage jewellery and finding trying to spot the difference between a Georgian setting and a victorian one. I love the velvet boxes they come in; often faded royal purple or a red fit for a queen.
I love a tough pinkie ring - all other fingers free except for a gold mannish style singet ring can look so cool. Even better, a diamond pinkie can look insanely stylish. Think James Bond baddie, I also saw Kate Moss wearing a diamond pinkie, someone who knows a thing or two about jewellery and style….
I always always look at the jewellery people choose to wear and am fascinated when I see someone without any at all. I do love it when hands are without any rings - it looks strangley anarchic, original, pure and cool to me as EVERYONE wears rings, or A RING. ( I have the same think a bit about earrings too…) Less can be more. But not for me personally. I love telling the world a bit about me through my jewellery; giving some jewellery vibes.
I should say at this point that I am not in a position to actually BUY new jewellery. Not the precious expensive kind, that is not my world but it does mean that I hustle and find other ways of doing it, that can be just as good. (well, almost) For me it’s the kind of mind set of going back to the dressing up box one might (I did) have as a child and being as free and as inspired as I am sure I was then. Who cared what anybody thought?
One of my first big WOW jewellery inspired moments was seeing the young Maddonna just smashing a look with all her accessories; creating her own singular look and sound enhanced by her punky and rebellious thrift store style accessories. I hunted high and low for those virgin bands. We all did.
I often get my rings moved around and changed sizes to go on different fingers for a change up of spirit and can this can make all the difference. Like having a new ring! I have also sometimes have rings and pieces reset for a RESET (pardon the pun)
I love it when I am in inspired by the fashion collections (I am cynical and inspired, not quite in equal measure) but being inspired makes my thrifting game strong; I am always determined to find the same if not better in the charity shops or at the market and I almost always do. This season there is a lot of emphasis on jewellery. Chloe in particulary - they have done lots of that long gold victorian chains with charms vibe, with a 1970s bohemian spin - which I love. Think loquets, gold victorian pencils, an old crest stamp, a flower, a gothic key…things that have been lost and found, with stories and lives lived…
I had a good dig around in my jewellery box (mainly junk) and found my old gold chain with some charms on that I wore years ago and bought it back out; fell in love with it all over again. Note to self: Never cull! So many things I have collected I have given away or sold and I regret! It’s almost like a self punishment - scolding myself that I must cull. Why????!! I am glad I didn’t cull this chain and its few charms.
There is so much fun to be had by going to little antique shops, markets and charity shops and picking up pieces and mixing and matching them. These charms and chains do not have to be real, in fact often times they look better as pieces of costume jewellery thrown together. If you start thinking of what you might like, you will start seeing them! I remember years ago I loved tooth style necklaces. I was on the hunt. Low and behold I found the perfect one in multi colours in a Salvation Army in New York. I wore EVERYWHERE and with EVERYTHING; grey sweatshirts, open collard shirts, white T-shirts; everything. And I used it in my fake Cartier advertisement for Cheap Date Magazine.
Another great place to find these trinkets is of course online - check out the classics; Ebay and Etsy for the cheaper more eclectic finds and The RealReal and Vestaire for the more vintage ysl and designer costume jewellery.
For my paid subscribers (up tomoz) I will tell you the best kept secret of where to get the best super cheap vintage charm necklaces (you won’t believe who the designer is - I loved it so much when I found out.) AND a backstage on a shoot story when I lost Kate Moss’s diamond ring. For real. In the meantime get cracking on having fun (fun that doesn’t cost the earth) on your jewellery game - it can look AND make you feel like a million dollars.
I LOVE a necklace! I feel naked without at least two. And also a pinky 💍
I'm a huge fan of beautiful jewellery that doesn't break the bank, my favourite kind is vintage Czech glass beads or those Austrian fruit brooches you see on ebay all the time.
That I Heart Thrifting coat hanger charm is so darling