It's haunting

I have landed in Greenville, SC, and my suitcases and I are ready for the jewelry show tomorrow night! My brain is terribly consumed with jewelry, repairs, and loose stones. So much so that I woke up around the 2 AM hour with a gasp! "I think I put a 14k gold chain on a gold filled pendant! It's true. I did. But I just wonder why my brain told me at that hour. Jewelry haunts me.

LSU game day gems

Now, it's LSU's turn for a jewelry post. 

Purple 1950s earrings converted to pierced. Quite the statement, I would say. 

For a more subtle approach, this "L" gold filled leaf necklace is stunning. 

These mock-fleur de lis, 1970s brass earrings are so fun. 

And just because it's pretty, I threw in this Victorian onyx gold filled pendant with a seed pearl. 

Enjoy this 2011 College Football Season! Yes, it deserves to be capitalized.

A coral slide for Auburn games?

In preparation of the upcoming football season, here's an orange piece for you Auburn gals. Paired with a navy top and jeans, I can't think of anything cuter. 

Most slides that are truly old are quite plain; it's rare to come across a slide that has some detail and is actually old. This one is Victorian, set in gold filled with a coral cameo. The chain is gold filled and new. 

Don't worry, I saved LSU's choices for tomorrow. 

Geaux Tigers!

Where jewelry and football collide

This video is about the making of the LSU championship rings. I'm posting to inspire my creativity in designing reproduction jewelry.

And let's be honest. Who's not giddy about the upcoming footballs season.

Geaux Tigers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_sfwNrk_Ks&feature=player_embedded


{Sorry the link looks the way it does. I'm not sure why it hasn't been embedding.}

Brass fleur de lis

Some of you have asked to see more fleur de lis items.

Here's a brass one that I found with a long chain.

The colors are a bit messed up; gorgeous in person!

As you can tell, I don't feel much like writing today. 

Title: Brass fleur de lis. Sorry for the blunt nature, "here it is", "look at it" post. I might have an awesome story for you another day. 

Sometimes, days running an antique jewelry business aren't that exciting. And sometimes there are no stories to tell. 

But when I have a story, boy does that make my day interesting. And that keeps me going. Until then...

Coral love

Got coral?

That ad campaign seemed to work pretty well for milk.

I think I'll use it for Cherche'!

September show

Can you believe that September is just around the corner?

I'm so excited!!

Not for the cooler weather because we all know that will never happen in the south in September!

It's because Dorothy and I have been planning this jewelry show for months!

She's put so much hard work and effort into this, and I am so grateful to her. I really just want to hang out, catch up, and drink wine with her. 

But chatting with other girls about jewelry never hurts either!

Can't wait to see my South Carolina friends!

Hot and cold

I love milk glass, so when I saw these earrings, I knew they had to be a part of my collection.

I thought they were so summer-y, and I love the contrast of the white with the brass. 

Thinking further, I thought that I could manipulate these into being a great addition to a winter white outfit. 

In this August heat, please bear with me as I show you the following images from j.crew.com. 

I apologize for the over-eager attitude towards fall and winter. I have somehow managed to take summer looking, milk glass earrings and make them a must-have for the {non}approaching winter. 

Ahhhh, but doesn't J.Crew's coziness and some fabulous earrings make life better. Even in this heat...

Celebrate

Today is a cause for celebration!

It's the second anniversary of Cherche'! 

Although these pictures are a beautiful representation of a great celebration, I will not be doing anything of the sort. 

Maybe just a glass of wine with the hubs. 

When I reach a loftier goal in my business, then we'll celebrate. For now, this is just a small achievement that I will enjoy on the small scale. 

Fall....where are you?

Fall is just around the corner. I feel like it can't get here soon enough.

To inspire your fall wardrobe, I have paired classic pieces from any woman's closet with some statement jewelry from my collection.

Think of it as my fall uniform. This is how I like to live: crisp, white shirt, awesome fitting jeans, boots, and fantastic, one of a kind jewelry.

And last but not least:

If you're as ready for October as I am....this one's for you. 

Gorgeous gold filled

I rarely keep old jewelry in the Cherche' collection for myself. I've kept maybe 3 or 4 pieces since I started this little hobby almost two years ago. 

Often, I am tempted to keep them, but at the end of the day, I'd rather see it go. I'm always curious to see who likes what; who buys for whom. This piece is no exception. 

I am tempted to keep it, but I'd rather see who really wants it. Isn't this Victorian piece just stunning?

It's show-stopping. It's one of my most favorite finds. 

Ohh la la

"Abondance de biens ne nuit pas." 

Translation: An abundance of goods does no harm. 

I'd say that's a good little phrase to use as the owner of a jewelry business. Let's face it, no one really needs these pieces that I feature. But that sure don't cause any harm, now do they?

In keeping with my French phrase, I'm showing this French medallion with a long chain from the 60s. I love how regal and simple it is. 

It will get an "ohh la la" for sure. 

Playing dress up

As women, do we ever tire of playing dress up? 

I don't think I do. 

Enter what's called a "slave bracelet ring." I've seen these before but never knew the official name. 

While I was junking antiquing a few weeks back, I came across this here bauble. 

I did not purchase, as I do not care for this look, but I always like learning about these kinds of things. I find them interesting. And I don't mind a funky 70s gem here and there, but this was a bit much for even me. 

But wearing it around the store for 30 minutes? Oh, yes. My 6-year-old "gotta wear it" attitude is exposed when I'm handed anything tacky, funky, chunky, or appalling. 

Remember?

Ah, well it's  all in good fun. 

Images from my real collection coming later this week. Trust me, you won't want to miss them! 

Cat and Mouse

You know what they say! When the cat's away the mice will play!

In this case, it's mouse...meaning me. The ol' husband went to Alabama this weekend, and I enjoyed a Friday night doing the following:

1. I ate salad for supper.

2. I watched Bravo. I watched Bravo with no balking from a certain male counterpart.

3. I played with some fabulous pieces of jewelry. I tended to these new gems. I cleaned and tagged them. I may or may not have worn all of it at one point during my night. Oh, I also drank a glass of wine.

That was pretty much my evening. I bet you jewelry lovers can appreciate how I chose to spend my Friday night! 

Hopefully this mouse can convince the cat to take photos! 

Fancy

The women of the 1950s delighted themselves with crystals, aurora borealis crystals, to be exact. It was Christian Dior that teamed up with Manfred Swarovski when creating the "new look" for women of the 50s. Shortly after, crystals became even more popular.

I would give anything to be "a woman of the 50s." But since Back to the Future "science" is not possible, I'll take a slice of the era with jewelry.

Here's the latest crystal piece I've acquired. I call it the crystal fan necklace.