The Jewelry Addiction

If you're like me, collecting is like an addiction.  Us jewelry addicts are a unique bunch.  We encourage others to enable our addiction.  We fawn over photos, books, the internet or society pages looking for anything that may have a little sparkle.  We plan our daily outfits or formal attire around the perfect jewelry selection.  And, to make matters worse, we visit websites or online auctions to fuel that addiction.  Take Pinterest for example, I am obsessed!  I have a whole board dedicated only to jewelry that just seems to somehow speak to me.  


One of the many pins on my Jewelry Pinterest board.  This ring, by Harry Winston, is set with a pear-shaped, old-cut diamond weighing 13.53 carats in a pavé-set diamond gallery & hoop, mounted in platinum with GIA report no. 13588097 stating that the diamond is D color & Internally Flawless.  Seriously my fellow jewelry addicts, how does this not speak to you?!

As a jewelry addict, you can't help but think about the one piece that got away; your own 'white whale' piece that you've spent hours searching for; which ones you'd saved first if the house caught fire (after the Mr., kids and pets - of course!); the Bucket List pieces you dream about owning or how you get giddy with excitement at the thought of visiting a jewelry store, designer, etc. that you've never been to or seen in real life!  You can remember the details of each and everyone of your 'favorite pieces' from where you found them right down to how you felt or what music was playing when you saw them for the first time.

So, my fellow jewelry addicts...I'm going to pretend that we're all sitting around on a posh sofa with plenty of sparkle around us sharing our addiction.  After all, they say that admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.  Assuming that you want to recover...



As for me and my 'recovery'...Nah, what I am I talking about?  I'm good!

The One
The one that got away...And, NO, I am not talking about the almost famous hunk that you could have known/met/been in the same city with once upon a time!  I am talking about the one piece of jewelry that still haunts you.  The one piece that slipped through your fingers.  For me, that piece was this amazing ring from Heart of Solid Gold on Etsy.  Kate has some beautiful jewelry in her little shop but this ring...WOW!  It is so unusual and had so much character that I just had to have it!  But, alas, our love was squashed by some other buyer with far faster typing skills than I.


This unusual ring was for sale through Heart of Solid Gold on Etsy & is still the ring that I loose sleep about!  It features two sweeping curves, studded with ten diamonds (totaling approx 0.40ct). Suspended between these two curves is a beautiful large blue-hue cultured pearl.  The shank is hallmarked 585 for 14 ct gold & the diamonds are set in silver.  Since my birthstone is pearl, I was dying to get my hands on it but I contacted Kate at Heart of Solid Gold just one minute slower than some other lucky person.  To that person...if you ever get bored with this ring & need to part with it; hit me up!

The White Whale
Like Captain Ahab in the classic Moby-Dick, there is always that one amazing piece of jewelry that you have been looking for everywhere and can either A) never seem to find or B) is so out of your price range when you find it that it isn't even in the same galaxy, let alone realm, of possibility.  My 'white whale' is these amazing dangly platinum and old mine or old european cut diamond earrings circa early 1900s.  Of course, these earrings really are statement pieces that you can pull off with blue jeans or for a black tie affair.  But, in this case, bigger is better.  And, I know this will sound strange as I tend to be very picky about my diamonds...I actually really want a pair with some color in them.  Clarity still must be top notch but a nice warm color...dreamy!  I've several pairs that I would love to have!  But this 'white whale' keeps falling outside my price point.  Sigh.


An example of my 'white whale' old european cut diamond & platinum earrings.  Hey, a gal has got to dream!

What You'd Save First
Of course, if my house caught fire, the first things I would save are the Mr., the kiddos and my pets.  But don't tell me that you all have never thought, "what else would I try to make sure I got out of the house safely?"  You know you have!  And it's a tough decision!  But, I think the tops on my list (right after a sentimental roll-top desk) would have to be my wedding set (of course) and the sterling silver charm bracelet that my Mom started for me when I was a toddler (to see my original post about the charm bracelet, click here).  Both items represent more to me in the value of their memories than in their simple monetary value.


The Mr. (even before he was The Mr.) knew that I can be a *bit* picky about my jewelry.  So, he made the smart choice to propose with the exact diamond I wanted (D color, VVS1 clarity) in a plain band & then we designed my own wedding set together - right down to the engraved detailing on the sides.  It's even more sentimental because of the full year that we took together to get it exactly right.  In creating the ring, we also created even more memories together.


My first puppy; a wishing well for dreams; ballet slippers; a trip to Disneyland & an art lesson or two...These are the memories made throughout the course of growing up.  Having a reminder of all these things is something that I couldn't imagine loosing!

The Bucket List
Everybody has a Bucket List of some sort from "places they'd like to visit" to "experiences to have."  Jewelry addicts are no different.  I have the Travel Bucket List and the Experiences Bucket List.  But, I also have the Jewelry I'd Love to Own Bucket List.  Not that I will always be able to check everything off all my lists, but it's certainly worth a try!  But, my top picks though on the Jewelry I'd Love to Own Bucket List are a Royal Asscher Diamond and a vintage Harry Winston necklace.


Ring Details: Royal Asscher 1.5 carat colorless center diamond flanked by two .2 carat tapered baguettes totaling 1.9 carats, set in platinum.  Yup, this is a Bucket List ring for sure!  I'd even settle for a smaller diamond just to have one!  And, platinum is my favorite metal...amazing!

Harry Winston 18k yellow gold diamond necklace. The necklace has a swag & floral design set with brilliant cut diamonds.  One example of a vintage Harry Winston necklace.  Honestly, I'd be happy with any necklace that had Harry's name of it!

In Real Life
So what gets me excited in real life when it comes to jewelry?  Experiencing it!  I want to touch it; to wear it and to truly feel it.  How?  By playing with it.  My *real* job doesn't involve playing with jewels in any way.  In fact, I often am not able to even wear jewelry at work.  But that need is filled in other ways.  One way is through this blog and the other is by planning.  I plan visits to my favorite jewelry stores and try to find out where the closest spot to me is that some of my favorite designers will have their newest collections.  One of my newest favorite places to visit is Goldsmith Silversmith in Omaha, Nebraska (you can read my original Day Trippin' post where I first discovered them by clicking here).  One of my local favorites is Tom Tivol Jewels (Tom was a Guest Blogger here once, to read his post click here) and a place that I have never been to but am dying to visit is Muse Showroom in New York.  Muse carries some amazing designers that I am dying to get my hands on!

From Goldsmith Silversmith Jewelers, this bezel set diamond ring in 14k yellow gold flat band ring holds a .20ct diamond; VS1 in clarity, G in color, $1,329.

A classic yellow gold & diamond cuff from Tom Tivol Jewels.

By Holly Dyment, this stunning gold, diamond & enamel lips ring can be found at Muse Showroom.  Definitely a place that I want to visit!  To read my Feature Friday Q&A with Holly, click here.

So, what's on your Bucket List?  What piece do you still obsess over?  Let me know in the comments section below!


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