| Product: |
Jewellery in general |
| Date: |
31/07/04 (585 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: collectable, heirloom, sentimental
Disadvantages: expensive hobby!
?Wat, another write-off? Oh yes, indeedy. Let?s put some life into dooyoo and get some pennies out, dooyoo owes us, dontchathink? If it weren?t for us clinging faithfully and stubbornly to the comatose site, it would long have been buried in the Internet graveyard. Of course we can only become stinking rich if everyone participates and reads everyone else?s ops. According to I Like Blue there are about 100 active members, 100 x 100 that would be wonderful!
This category is just perfect, it doesn?t specify what kind of contribution is expected, you can write on the jewellery you have and like, want to have but cant afford, detest and would never wear, there must be something for everyone; whatever aspect you choose you cant be off topic so that even the self-appointed watch-dogs wont find a bone to pick? MALU ©
A challenge on Jewellery, by Malu. Perhaps not everyone?s cup of tea, but I?m certainly up for it! I adore jewellery, not just the unbelievably beautiful million dollar diamonds, but even the simple string bracelets you can buy at market stalls. Jewellery is my pet love. I have loads of boxes of beautiful things that I don?t even wear; I just like to look at them. If my house were on fire, it wouldn?t be clothes, money of photographs that I would save first; it would be my Tiffany boxes, without a doubt!
I?m not a whimsical buyer when it comes to jewellery, well, unless it?s the kind of ?costume jewellery? that you wear out on a night on the town. I buy some of that every few weeks, a pair of earrings from River Island, or a beaded necklace from Miss Selfridge, I really have quite a collection. All rather flamboyant, but they are the finishing touches to any outfit, and make a statement. However, they aren?t worth too much to me really, either monetary or sentimentally, so I won?t concentrate too much on them, but I have a ?proper? jewellery box, and it maps each great even in my life from the time that I was born. So although I sho
uld pick one special piece, I just can?t! so I?ll work through it piece by piece.
1. My baby Bangle.
When I was born my godmother gave me a silver bangle with ?Louise? inscribed in it. While it?s certainly not the most beautiful piece of jewellery I own, it certainly is the oldest. My love of silver was obviously started at a young age! My bangle is 5cm diameter, and has 1980?s style geometric patterns printed all the way around it. It?s almost 23 now, and I hope to keep it for the rest of my life. Sometimes I take it out for a giggle now and then, and marvel that this tiny thing once fitted my wrist.
2. My First Watch.
When I made my First Holy Communion at the age of six, my mum decided that I should have a watch as I was now grown-up, and could tell the time all by myself. Looking for something delicate, she bought me a tiny little watch that you could wind up each morning. It had a white strap, to match my first communion dress, but now it has a black strap as it got worn. I?ve had many watches since I was small, but this is the only one, which has never broken. It still works today.
3. My first Ring.
At the age of ten, I pestered my mum for a ring. My friends were all buying cheap £1 rings from the local chemist with fake jewels, and I wanted one so much, but my mum wouldn?t buy one as ?cheap jewellery turns your skin green.? She knew I was heartbroken at what I thought was her snobbery (but now I know she was right.) So one Saturday we went to good jewellers and I picked out a small gold claddagh ring. It wasn?t expensive, but it was pretty, and my friends were jealous that I had a real gold ring! It?s also special because the Claddagh is the old celtic wedding ring, and is symbolic of love, loyalty and friendship. I didn?t know that at the time, but I do now, and I appreciate that. The great thing about the Claddagh is that you can tell that the wearer is single or married by the way they wear the ring. Heart facin
g outward means they?re single, while heart facing inwards means they are taken.
4. My Confirmation Jewellery.
I?m just going to write about this in one section. It?s a special event when a child makes their confirmation, and parents and godparents usually like to commemorate it in a memorable way for the child. My mum is a great believer in ?Having something to keep? when you hit a special event in your life. For my Confirmation my mum bought me a beautiful crucifix, and miraculous medal. The crucifix was gold, but the figure of Jesus was in white gold, so in 1992 that was something really different. The miraculous medal was an afterthought from my grandmother. It too is gold, but it?s not even a centimetre long. I was never a very religious child, and Holy medals were lost on me, I just wasn?t interested, but for some reason I?ve never abused this chain, it is still boxed and perfect, despite the fact that I wore it every day until I was eighteen years old. My Godmother also bought me a gold bangle to match my claddagh ring. I still have the set, I just don?t wear gold anymore. I?ll never part with it though.
5. My GCSE Jewellery.
Another special event, and another piece of jewellery for my collection. I did well in my GCSEs, better than anyone expected with quite a few As, so my mum wanted to treat me. While my friends were getting clothes and walkman?s and things like that, mum talked me into getting something I?ll keep forever. Reluctantly I chose a ring, not terribly happy at the time that I couldn?t spend my money on a night out, but when I look back now, I?m so pleased she convinced me. The ring I chose was a garnet in a gold setting. It was beautiful then, and it?s even more beautiful now,
6. My Eighteenth Birthday.
Because an eighteenth birthday is special, quite a few people wanted to buy me a keepsake. I asked my boyfriend at the time to buy me a watch. He chose a beautiful Ellesse watch. As his words were ?You sh
ould never be ashamed to lift your sleeves and reveal a good watch.? He believed that a watch reflected a lot about a person, and now I agree with him. Unfortunately my watch stopped working a few months back, but I keep it in the original box still. Along with this my mum bought me an amethyst pendant on a gold chain and my gran bought me a garnet chain in a silver setting.
7. My 21st Birthday.
Another landmark, another piece for my collection. This time I was given just a simple ring. Silver with a blue topaz. So simple there isn?t much I can write about it! I was also given an antique necklace
8. My Graduation.
I was given a ?substantial? sum of money from well-wishers for my graduation. Now that I?m older I realise how valuable my collection is sentimentally, so instead of squandering the money on clothes I now had the funds to buy something I?ve always dreamed about owning? a little Tiffany box! So I chose a necklace and bracelet from their silver collection and waited for the blue-green boxes to fall through my letterbox! I was not disappointed. There were the most shiny, heavy silver I?ve ever seen, and look like a film-star?s jewellery. Everyone should own one Tiffany piece in their lifetime! They are my pride and joy, and they stand for all the hard work I put in for my degree.
9. My First Diamond
At Christmas my boyfriend bought me a beautiful silver pendant with a tiny diamond. It?s so small, but it?s incredibly special as it is the only diamond I?ve ever been given. What makes it ultra-special is that we were only going out for a month at the time, and he gave me the ultimate gift! I rarely wear it as it means so much to me that I?d be devastated if I misplaced it!
10. My Birthday Yesterday?
Yesterday was my birthday and I was given a silver Tiffany ring from my boyfriend (he really knows the way to my heart.) my mum bought me a really funky watch from D&G too, so I?m so delighted with my presents. I h
ave a jewellery collection that many people would love to have, and I?m so lucky that every piece is special.
So?
When I?m long gone from this planet, I hope my box of trinkets will be an heirloom to my family. Of course I hope to keep adding to the box with even more special items, as I?m a bit of a magpie, shiny things attract my attention. But I don?t care about the monetary value of this box, what means the most is that there is a story behind each piece, and every piece is a symbol of a happy time for me. This is one tradition that I must thank my mother for? without her insight I?d have nothing special to tell the story of my life, and that would truly be a shame.
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