The Finer Things

I don't have a lot of what you would call "nicer jewelry." I almost always go for piling on costume pieces - especially when it comes to earrings, as I lose those like mad. Every now and then I have the inclination to grow the nicer part of my jewelry box, but, you know, it's expensive. So I thought that I'd introduce the handful of fancy pieces that I do have.

This first two are my favorite and also most special. This is my engagement ring:



The boy did really well with this one (of course, he knew ahead of time that I just loved this ring - but he remembered! sooo important.) It's a Deco Style platinum diamond ring from Tiffany & Co. It's not traditional, but I love the design and the way that it sparkles.

The next is my maternal grandmother's engagement ring:



It's so delicate and pretty. Sometimes I pair it with my own engagement ring.

Then there are my "still nice, but not diamonds" jewels. This necklace is a one-of-a-kind necklace from Ayala Bar. I bought this at a teeny jewelry store when I was in Stratford, Ontario ages ago:




The beading on this is just exquisite - it looks marvelous with a simple t-shirt and a dark blazer. The next piece also comes from the same jewelry shop in Ontario, though it was purchased a year earlier:




It's a floral cuff from Israeli designer Michal Negrin. It was even custom made to fit my wrist! The brand's service is also impeccable - if one of the Swarovski crystals were ever to fall out, I'd need only to send in the bracelet, and they'd repair it for me!

The two rings also quite special. The first is an amethyst geode and sterling silver ring that I got out west:




The second is a ring that I got in Insadong, Seoul, South Korea. Except for a few other trinkets, this was really the only thing that I bought while we were there:




P.S. - This post was meant to be up earlier, but when I Googled my grandmother + grandfather's wedding date for the post (1946), I ended up finding loads of genealogy information on my mother's side of the family -- I got all of the way back to 1735!! It was super interesting to read about - I may do a post on it down the road, when some of it's a little more organized.