In response to your bling quandary…
I’ve been thinking about your your bangle score at target and about my lack of jewelry and what that really means. Here are my conclusions: As much as I look at pictures of necklaces and earrings all the time – the fact that I don’t own any (anything wearable anyways) must mean that it is not really a priority of mine. It must mean that I cherish the dinner that I spent $120 on much more than I would cherish a pretty, shiny, delicate little bird of a necklace laying lightly on my neck. I think that my desire to increase my bling collection is an attempt to understand and feel more connected to my femininity. And because it is a foreign enterprise for me I don’t really know where to start. It just doesn’t come naturally to me. This doesn’t mean I’m giving up, on the contrary! I will continue to search out pieces that speak to me and I will try harder to forego the beautiful, fleeting meal and opt for the longevity of precious metals. In the mean time I’m wondering what makes jewelry valuable? Is it the price? Is it that you are able to buy it yourself or that someone else buys it for you? Or is it that there is a history behind it? I have no idea, but I’m liking the jewelry I scored from my Grandma this last weekend. She has SO much jewelry. My papa used to buy her rings that looked like cartoon style engagement rings – you know with the huge stone and nothing else, he didn’t really care that they weren’t real and neither did she. They were valuable because he gave them to her. So I increased my bling collection with un-fancy, old pieces that look like they might have been made in the 70′s. When I wear them I’ll think of my Grandma, I think that makes them better than anything I’ve seen twinkling at Bloomingdales.
Emilily is discussing. 
Emilily 12:13 pm on August 19, 2009 Permalink
oh I agree! Even if they don’t immediately look like something you would buy in the store, they have a history, which gives them value of a different (and more lasting!) kind. Anyways, isn’t that really at the heart of what we’re looking for when we hunt for jewelry at the store? I mean, aside from color and design, which are sort of the basic considerations for everything we consume, not just jewelry, I really only know if I like something enough to buy it based on how it makes me feel. For example, I like my gold bangles because I can imagine they belonged to some gypsy princess caravaning by night through the countryside with her highwayman lover (aka Johnny Depp from Chocolat.) And I like my little gold leaf on a thread because it makes me think of wood nymphs and fairies and I am secretly channeling Tinkerbell when I wear it. Sometimes I suppose it is less complicated – I like hoop earrings because they make me feel simple and elegant, they allow me to play the part of Simple and Elegant Emily. Or, like you mentioned, a way of dressing for your role as the feminine side of Carmen. But either way, I think when we find jewelry we like, it is the story it invokes that lures us in, and in the case of your grandma’s jewelry, it is your story.
(I should mention, I like the theory above because it sounds noble, and it makes me feel like my jewelry is more than pointless material consumption, but I think it probably doesn’t apply to everyone. Like some people pile on jewelry from Claire’s Boutique on a daily basis because they feel their outfit isn’t complete until it looks like the accessory counter barfed on them…I didn’t really have them in mind as I was making my point.)
p.s. also, that butterfly charm would be really nice on a delicate chain, or maybe an aqua thread!