a night to remember

Photo by Ismael Llopis Navarro

This night, although I no longer wish to in any way promote the brand that invited me, was very special for a particular reason: I met the person I hope to spend the rest of my life with. If anyone had told me, as I sat around a table with three new acquaintances, that less than a year later I'd be living with one of them, have been on the cover of a magazine with another, and been to the police station to report the bat-shit crazy behaviour of the third... I would have thought "life is about to get interesting!"

adoro mi oro: gold upcycling with katja jesek

Last week I went to a blogger event in Barcelona about gold "upcycling."

Katja Jesek runs Adoro mi Oro ("I love my gold" in Spanish), where, in addition to making some beautiful jewelry, she hosts fashion's version of tupperware parties... people bring bits of old gold that they don't want (broken chains, single earrings, gifts from your auntie that aren't your style), melts it down, and works with you to design a special piece you'll really love and wear. As you are providing the gold, all you pay is the labour, which makes it not only an opportunity to reuse and recycle, but also fairly recession-proof.





At the event, Katja told us more about gold upcycling, demonstrated the process of melting down the gold, and looked stunning in an immaculate vintage 1970s designer dress by Pedro Rodriguez. The rest of us milled around the gorgeous antique shop where the event was held, taking photos, eating melon and parmesan on sticks, and sipping cava.

Anyone interested can find Katja at her website or her Etsy shop. (the Etsy shop, due to its international nature, is not upcycling and therefore prices include the cost of gold)




molten gold



P.S. This is in no way a sponsored post. I'm a big fan of local designs, and having worked in jewelry shops before, find these pieces to be gorgeous and high quality.

P.P.S. I've now written a couple of articles for a Barcelona tourism guide, and I'd be delighted if any of you wanted to check them out. I'll probably be a bit of a nuisance about this, as my boss seems to think I'm some kind of stat booster in addition to writer and well, it makes me look good. Thanks ladies and gents : D