To die for

Move over Chick-fil-A...there's a new ad campaign that is just as brilliant.

Brilliant in more ways than one.

Kwiat jewelry campaign.

And last, but not least, my favorite:

This pretty much encompasses my obsessions:

jewelry

blue and white

watercolors.

J'adore!

Golden

This piece is in excellent condition! It's a gold-filled pendant with coral. 

Goes great with these, you think?

{Both SOLD}

All about opals

It's October! And I'm sure you all know why I'm writing about October. My birthday is in 6 days, of course!


Just kidding. 


I wanted to write a little about the October birthstone, opal. 


This stone is so unique and has a rich history dating back to the ancient Romans. More on that later... 


Just a few things about opals today. 

There are three types of opals: precious, fire, and common. Precious opals are the kind that most people associate with the word "opal."

Fire opals are named for it's orange color. It may or may not have "fire."

The common opals vary. There are agate opals, wood opals, honey opals, milk opals, and moss opals. 

Common opals: no photo shown.

Just a tip, I wouldn't recommend wearing opals as an "everyday" piece. They are very fragile and require special treatment as they contain as much as 30% water. 

Beautiful they may be, I'd save them for a special occasion...like, I don't know, a birthday!

Thank you

I would like to give a big thank you to all of those interested in Miss Sally's bracelet. I was overwhelmed with emails, calls, and texts! I knew it would be of interest, but I would have never known to what extent.

The bracelet has been sold to the first inquirer. 

If you're interested in the "Miss Sally" collection, as we'll call it, there's several more pieces, and I will try to post soon. Some pieces will need repairing, so they might take a little while {ie. soldering bale's on brooches to make them pendants}. 

But thank you all again. I very much appreciate the interest. I hope it encourages you gals to inquire about a show! 

Miss Sally's bracelet: the details

This bracelet, c.1930s, is set in 10k white gold with filigree work and etched rock crystal set with diamonds.

I've done some research, and I've been told that this is a pretty rare piece. 

{SOLD}

Miss Sally's bracelet

I made a new friend, Miss Sally. And this is her bracelet. It was actually her mother's. Miss Sally's daddy gave it to her mom for their first anniversary in 1930. This beautiful thing looks as though it's hardly been worn. 

Why do I have it?

I met Miss Sally while working at the jewelry store a few weeks ago. She brought in some jewelry that she wanted to scrap {melt} for cash. She needed the money. We all do. 

She said that she hated to do that since the story behind some of these pieces were dear to her, but she had no one to give them to, and cash sounds pretty great right about now. 

That's where Miss Sally and I became friends...real quick. I did my job, though, by going to the back where the jewelers are, weighing her scrap gold, and making her an offer (to scrap her {precious} jewelry). She was very impressed with the offer; she said that it was the best offer she had around town. I sensed the conflict, though. I wanted to make an offer on some of these pieces too, but my sentimental side took over first. I immediately asked if she had anyone that would be interested in these pieces, family; distant family; friends...The answer, she assured me, was "no." 

I covertly told her that I would be interested in pieces like this because I appreciate them; I most appreciate the history and story behind them; I have a business that honors them. Miss Sally liked this idea. She could still sell her items, but this gift of a one year anniversary celebration wouldn't be melted down to liquid gold. More importantly, the legacy could live on.

To me, old jewelry isn't just flashy ways to flaunt how much money you have {or don't have}. It truly honors the chic ladies who came before. They have stories. This is just one of them. 

I have now appointed myself as President of the Jewelry Humane Society. Kidding. Though, I do feel like I'm trying to save each antique item that comes through the doors of the jewelry store where I work. My antique jeweler friend told me that I can't save them all. But he admires me for trying. We came to realize, while talking the other day, how truly rare it is to have such precious pieces like antique jewelry. Because this isn't the first time in history that the price of gold has been high. You think about all the times that pieces, just like Miss Sally's bracelet, could have been melted, but wasn't. 

I'm so very glad it wasn't. 

The last amateur tip

I've got one last tip {I think} before I go on to bigger and better jewelry advice from the big guys, the real deal, the real jewelers.

Tip #3: When going to a jewelry store, and the kind lady asks to clean your rings, please do not lick your entire finger to get your ring off. Most jewelers have a spray that we will kindly let you use. It's liquid silicone. I'm serious, but it's better than spit. I promise.