heartbroken

I am absolutely heartbroken I did not win this Art Deco engraved diamond wedding band.  I fell instantly in love with this one, with its step setting and beautiful engraved detail.  I know this would have matched perfectly with my Art Deco engagement ring.  Sometimes they get away, and usually I can shrug it off as not meant to be, but this one hurt.  One of the many dangers of being an antique jewelry lover and collector.

for February babies

The color purple is steadily becoming one of my favorite colors (possibly because my daughter's middle name represents this beautiful color) so it was fun to search for amethyst rings for this month's birthstone post.  I definitely prefer the darker amethyst stones and this one has the most beautiful shade.  The oval shape and setting of this ring is also pretty fantastic!

buttercup

New obsession and newly added to my wishlist... antique buttercup ring! This setting, named appropriately due to its resemblance to a buttercup flower, has 6 prongs that flare out from a scalloped shaped base. I particularly love the engraving on the shoulders of this beauty!

for January babies

Lucky you, January babies, to have such an amazing birthstone! I absolutely adore the rich color of garnet, especially when paired with gold. And with my blooming obsession with Victorian, Edwardian and Art Nouveau gold rings, I was drooling over many in my search. I had such a hard time narrowing down a favorite, I'll just have to show you all of them!

The rich port wine color of the almandine garnet ring above is breathtaking! The filigree mount just makes it all the more amazing.

I love this ring and it is a style I have been looking for myself. Although this is a repro from the 1980s, it has all the qualities I have been looking for in a 5 stone Edwardian scroll mount ring.

This garnet ring is just absolutely stunning! That seed pearl eternity band takes this ring to a whole other level and pairs beautifully with this round garnet.

This garnet snake ring looks shockingly similar to another snake ring I was once obsessing over! And the blood red garnet seems so fitting to the theme of this ring.

quite contrary goal

Happy (VERY belated) New Years everyone!  I don't like to say that I make New Years resolutions for myself but I do like to have a few goals to strive for in the upcoming year.  One of which for this year is to build up my ring collection while not damaging my finances.  Sounds like a contrary goal, doesn't it?!  Put simply, I want to be smarter about spending what minimal expendable income I have.  I discovered if I tally up all the little, inexpensive things that I "treat" myself to (that $15 shirt from Kohls, those $25 shoes from Target, that $10 whatever from Amazon), I could very quickly save up enough money for one large gift to myself!  And I certainly have a list started!  First up is a classic Art Nouveau ring.  Hoping this one gets re-listed and is available when I put this goal into action!  (Next would be this one, then this one, and maybe not this year, but eventually one of these!)

the gift of giving

Now that the gifts are given, I am excited to reveal the Christmas gifts I made this year.  The grandmothers and great grandmother each received one of my Novella lockets.  The lockets are all vintage and the chains were handcrafted by me with oxidized silver chain and ornate chain detail.  I was very excited to give these gifts but was extremely moved by the response I received from the recipients!  Specifically from Clara's great grandmother.  She burst into tears, overwhelmed with happiness by receiving her first locket ever in her life!  She had always wanted one but had never received one as a gift or purchased one for herself.  Every piece of jewelry is important in my mind, but there is something intimate and uniquely special about a locket.  Maybe it is the thought of someone carrying a case close to their heart with something personally important inside.  And it never ceases to surprise me and warm my heart that jewelry seems to speak a universal language... every piece is filled with a personal story, a memory, a mark of an important moment in life, and the love that is passed in physical form from one person to another.

Art Basel 2014

I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Art Basel Miami this year for work.  I was not disappointed by a single show!  So many beautiful pieces.  But hands down, the highlight of my trip (besides getting in some quality time with my amazing coworkers) was seeing TAP jewelry in person for the first time at Design Miami.  I may or may not have cried a little... These rings are even more stunning in person than I had imagined even from the photos I have seen of these spectacular rings.  Thank goodness (maybe, maybe not) they weren't my size otherwise I might have come home with a hefty credit card bill and one to-die-for ring!