Friday 6 August 2010

baubles and beads

Living out of a 23kg suitcase all the time (plus about 15kg of carry-on luggage) means that I really have to edit what I bring every time I move. Luckily, my parents haven't yet objected to the fact that most of my belongings live at their house, and that I drop in twice a year or so to switch things up. And of course, whenever anyone visits me, I make them bring some things and take others away with them...

obsidian and tourmaline
obsidian, tourmaline and silk neckace

One thing I usually bring too much of is jewellery. It might seem that jewellery is small and inconsequential and weighs very little, but it adds up like you wouldn't believe. So this time, I decided not to repeat the same old mistakes. And guess what? I brought too little.

So when my sister came last week, I got her to bring me some things I'd been missing.

citrine necklace
citrine necklace--I love this necklace to bits but it's so heavy I always have to wear it on the plane! Still, it's worth it, I think citrine is one of the most beautiful of stones.

coral bracelet
coral and white glass bead bracelet

All the above pieces were made by me when I worked at a bead store: the best crappy job ever!

a ring and ding ding
I like clunky rings but since I have tiny fingers they almost never fit me, so instead I have more delicate pieces.

Photobucket
My Canadian grandma's opal ring and my English grannie's wedding ring. That one I actually brought back from England recently. I'm kind of allergic to it, but I wear it anyway. And a picture of the Canadian grandma and the English grannie, both of whom I miss very much.

opal and jet
I always consider these two rings to be the two sides of myself, really. I've written about Whitby Jet before, and the jet ring I always associate with the town my father is from, and therefore my father's side of the family. Meanwhile, the other ring is opal, which is my birthstone, and also my mother's birthstone, and her mother's.

shoppers drug mart earrings

And finally, some earrings my mom gave me for Christmas last year in my stocking. When I opened them, I thought they were very nice, but they were on a cheap white card, so I said something like, "Wow, these aren't at all bad for being from Shopper's Drug Mart!" Which is where you expect things you find in your stocking to come from, correct? My mother's response, unfortunately was, "Shopper's Drug Mart? I bought those in Chile!" Oops. They are now always referred to as "the Shopper's Drug Mart earrings."

If you had a 1/2 kg absolute limit on your jewellery, what would make the cut?

13 comments:

Rio said...

I love the earrings in the last picture! I have a ton of jewelry, but I'd have trouble giving any of it away since I actually wear most of it... unlike my clothes haha! :)

Amber Schmidt said...

This made me smile. I love that you have your granny's wedding ring. <3

kiran sawhney said...

Oh my God. I am just thinking how it would be like to always live out of a suitcase and always calculate your new purchase- about the weight that you would carry. Ask people to bring you things and take few back. I love your jewellery pieces. Your two grannies and their rings, the earings your mom got from Chile.

Marta G. (A Bilingual Baby) said...

I love buying a necklace or ring as a souvenir. Do you still make necklaces?

Anthea said...

You have a lovely collection! And thanks so much for voting for me. :)

Anthea,
Embracing Style

Lulu and her whimsical ways! said...

I love the citrine necklace, so unusual and pretty! x

k said...

i love your rings! rings are my favorite :)

Becoming Unfashionable said...

I love vintage/antique jewelry. All of my favorite pieces are family jewels as well and they mean so much to me. I have a pair of solid gold hoops (those suckers are HEAVY) that my grandma received as a birthday present in her 20s. I also have a number of rings that belonged to my mom when she was my age. I love the stories behind pieces like these, it makes wearing them so much more fun and exciting.

becomingunfashionable.blogspot.com

Joyti said...

Those are so pretty. I really love the first necklace.
I don't wear much jewelry. I guess I'd take some sort of a necklace and my two favorite earrings (silver studs + some Arielle de Pinto crochet-chain earrings)

Brianna said...

The coral and white glass bead bracelet is so pretty!
Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope you visit again!
bri-thestylesavant.blogspot.com

Ashley/ MILK TEETHS said...

You have such lovely pieces!! The citrine necklace in particular is gorgeous (such a pretty color) =)

xx
MILK TEETHS

Anonymous said...

Such cute jewelry! Love em love em :)

XO
http://teenyfootsteps.blogspot.com/

Emily, Resplendent Tranquility said...

Delightful post, Emily! I don't know where to begin with commenting ;)

In my opinion, the best jewelry is that with a story. I loved each corresponding tale to each piece you shared, especially the rings representing both sides of your family. You have such a lovely collection. The citrine necklace you made is stunning.

Oh gosh, I've amassed so much jewelry it'd be very hard to absolutely limit it if circumstances required such a thing. I have a few pieces that belonged to my great-grandmother which I absolutely cherish. Other pieces that would make the cut are a silver ring with an engraving of a cherub from Raphael's Sistine Madonna and a silver chain with interchangeable charms I've collected (a key belonging to my grandfather's desk, a book locket, a floral pendant).