Our next guest is one of my good friends Darci. We have been friends for years and have lots of great memories together--including several very fun road trips. She has a great sense of fashion and her answers were really fun to read. PH: What was your favorite piece of jewelry when you were growing up? Why? DB: I had a reversible cross that belonged to my mom--blue turquoise on one side, red on the other. It was fabulously '70s while not looking dated, plus I thought it was so cool that it was something my mom had worn and loved when she was my age. Sadly, I wore it even though it had a loose clasp, and, ten years later, I still beat myself up about losing it. PH: What is your favorite piece of jewelry now? Why? DB: When my husband was in his early teens, he purchased a silver shamrock necklace on a trip with his family. He imagined he would give it to a "special girl" someday. He gave it to me, still gift wrapped, six months after we got married. (He would have given it to me earlier, but he'd misplaced it during moves.) Although I don’t wear it often, I look at it on my jewelry shelf and think about how my husband has been thoughtful for many years. Even when a serious girlfriend or wife was a theoretical concept, he was thinking about how he could show her love. PH: Who has influenced your jewelry tastes? DB: Most days I wear the same very small gold cross necklace and tiny gold earrings (plus my wedding rings), which is similar to my mom's simple style. However, I like to wear a wide variety of things and explore different styles with my accessories. I’ve been influenced by blogs, retailers’ catalogs/store windows/sales associates*, and “street style” aka checking out the accessories of other women on the work elevator. *True story: Seeing a similar necklace on a cashier at Anthropologie convinced me to not-so-subtly beg for this one as a Christmas gift. Thanks, Mom and Dad! PH: Do you have a favorite memory involving jewelry? DB: When I was young, my grandma would let me go through boxes of costume jewelry she had. Some of it was hers, and some items were from other women in the family. There was a vintage watch—which appears to be decorated with poisonous radium paint—that belonged to my “Auntie Mil.” Even though I was too young to remember her, there was an extra hole punched in the watch to fit around her tiny wrist that fit my equally tiny wrist exactly. I still have that watch, and it still glows. PH: When you choose jewelry, what factors do you consider? (price, fashion, emotional ties, etc?) DB: I like to buy jewelry that will last and is distinctive, even if it is a little more expensive. Although I keep it simple most days, I also collect and wear items I think are lovely and unique, like a mini art collection. In the last year or so I've picked up a big collar necklace, small jeweled ant earrings, and a bangle with 1960s-style sunbathers on it. PH: What jewelry trends do you like? Hate? DB: I love the look of the “arm party” trend, although I feel ridiculous when I try it; my arm parties have only been house parties so far. I don’t know if it’s a “trend” or not, but I really dislike theme jewelry---you know, the stuff that gets advertised as $99 (with a free box of chocolates!) for Valentine’s, Christmas, and Mother’s Day. I think it’s best when you can assign your own meaning to a gift instead of having marketers tell you what a piece of jewelry is supposed to mean. Side note: I groan audibly and leap to hit the mute button every-single-time I have to see that Kay Jewelers commercial where the woman is (apparently) scared of thunder and the husband/boyfriend patronizingly says, “I’m right here.” It’s insufferable. PH: If you could have any piece of jewelry in the world, what would it be? DB: Nothing specific comes to mind, but I drool over some of the estate jewelry I see on Etsy and Pinterest. Thank you Darci for sharing your jewelry memories with us. I loved reading through your answers and may be stealing the term "arm party" for future use!! Auntie Mil's Radium Watch
1 Comment
7/15/2021 04:05:18 am
Love this post. I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for sharing.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
November 2015
Categories
All
|