Diamond betrothal

I've been learning about diamonds; the history of diamond engagement rings, in particular!

This isn't boring, I have to say.

With princes marrying princesses at 10 and 15 years old in the mid 1600s, it peaks my interest a bit; mainly shock, though. But it's interest, nonetheless.

I like that: "The rarest things in the world, next to the spirit of discernment, are diamonds..."

I learned about one of my favorite poets who married her poet husband. It is so fascinating to read their work, and also see a picture of the ring that he, Robert Browning, chose for his love, Elizabeth Barrett. The token of their love is tangible through the ring pictured.

I also learn about the jewels of Martin Luther, Grace Kelly, and Britney Spears!

Just kidding about the Britney Spears thing. 

It's quite a fascinating book with a fascinating subject: diamonds! I wonder where all these 16th century diamonds are. If you come across any, you be sure to let me know. 

Jaded

This is my mother's great aunt's ring, and it is not for sale. I photographed it for inspiration to a new design I'm creating for a reproduction piece. 

It is set in 14k gold and consists of jade stones. You intend to be noticed if you like this kind of a cocktail ring!

I was going to write about the origin of the word "jaded" and how it originated from the gemstone, jade, but I recently found out that's not true. I was told that jade doesn't get warm; it stays a cold stone, hence the term jaded. 

The truth is this: jade does take a while to get warm and stays cold longer than any other stone. It's a good way to test if you have what looks like jade and aren't sure if it's the real thing. There's several other tests you can perform, too. 

It would have been a pretty neat analogy to write a story how the gemstone jade spawned the word "jaded." Come to find out, it actually comes from the word "horse" around the 14th century. 

My story needs to end here because I know nothing about the origin of words or horses. I have become jaded to this new-found information. 

Even bolder

It's funny, this world of antique jewelry. I travel a lot and get my pieces from all over and from various sources, but I laugh when I find pieces in different parts of the country that "go together."

The bold bracelet that I featured earlier this week seems to go quite well with these dashing earrings. 

Andrew asked, "That seems a little much, doesn't it?" I said, "No, not if you wear these, the bracelet, a plain black shirt and jeans." A necklace, too--that would be a bit much. 

I did some research on these here earrings. I found that they were hand made in San Francisco around the 1960s. They are truly gorgeous on. 

And you're my kinda girl if you love these earrings. 

{SOLD}

Bold

Requirements for donning this bauble: bold, fun, and infectious personality. 

Check out this brass, costume piece with faux amethysts and peals.

Genuine antique

Check out this amethyst beauty! Amethyst is the birthstone for you February babies, and this one couldn't be more beautiful. It's set in 9 ct gold, which indicates it's age and origin. It's most probably English and over 100 years old. 

Real women wear brooches

The other day in the mountains, my mom and I got dressed to visit a few of our favorite shops. I got her friend to snap one of us to document our trip, but honestly, I wanted to show you that we wear brooches. 

I've had a lot of Cherche' customers admire the brooches in my collection, but are hesitant to wear them. Here's proof that real women wear brooches.

Here's a close-up of my brooch/pin.

60s throwback

Being the baby of the family, I was my mom's sidekick. I'd often copy off of my sisters, but my time was mostly spent with my momma, so I was mainly interested in the things that interested her.

We'd watch tv shows together before I went to school. Mainly, The Little House on the Prairie, Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, I Dream of Jeannie, and my personal favorite, Bewitched.

I enjoyed watching the shows, but I was never extremely attentive. I'm not the most attentive person there ever was, but I do remember one thing about my beloved Bewitched: Samantha's necklace.

I specifically remember telling my mom that I liked her necklace; I liked the way it "sat." I didnt' know the terminology then, but I think what I was trying to say was I like how her necklace doesn't have a bale. The heart hangs from two seperate chains.

Come to find out, I'm not the only one to have noticed Sam's necklace. There's several websites talking of how the heart was a gift to Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha Stevens) from her husband, the director of Bewitched. It was special to her, as she wore it on episodes 2-101, and then some.

The reason I thought about it was because I'm converting lots of pieces of Cherche' jewelry into necklaces, and in my mind, they will sit this way. My jeweler will have to confirm that, but that's the plan.

This memory of watching Bewitched just tickles me because even as a little girl, I noticed this. I noticed this necklace and liked something about it. My career in the jewelry business wasn't unbelievably obvious from childhood till now, but if I stop and think about it, this has been a long time coming.

Backwards

I have been so excited to feature this next piece on the blog. It's quite an old one, c.1900/1910s. I love the chain in particular aside from the mother of pearl.

When Andrew sent me the pictures in a file, along with a very sweet message I might add, I opened them and saw the beautiful photography. However, the first picture was off. The necklace was backwards! It still looks beautiful and I thought I would be "real" and share our mistake. It's our life.

I was disappointed, but it quickly turned to laughter.

So here you go.

I think I'll call it, "the backward necklace."

Just wait till you see the front!



Dreaming of bracelets

I believe a woodpecker has woken me up in the wee hours of this early a.m. It's 2-something a.m. in the mountains of North Carolina...

I read my Antique Weekly to entice sleep again but no dice. I'm all caught up on my history of Bakelite, though. Maybe I'll share soon!

But since I'm up, I'll share with you a recent find, yet another bracelet. A girl can never have enough bracelets, you know.

{SOLD}

A love

Someone once told me that if you find something you love to do, you'll never work a day in your life.

To that I say, "Okay!"

I think I've found that love. {It took me long enough.}

I hope you have something that you love to do, too. If not, keeping searching. I'm glad I did.

Sometimes, it takes a cold weekend to stop and smell the antiques roses.
And be sure to count your blessings.

I'm back already!

As promised, I have photos of my finds!

Check out this bracelet set in silver! I love finding silver pieces to add to my Cherche' collection because they're not as easy to come by as the gold is.

Enjoy!