I love jewelry! I always have. I remember forever coveting what my grandmother wore. She stacked, she arm partied, she wore it all. Sometimes, I like to do the same–just like Grandma Soogie did. I gild myself in gold.
I love that jewelry tells a story. There are two on my left wrist. The watch is simple: Pion, my assistant librarian, was up in Shenzhen. She knew I wanted a Michael Kors watch, so while she was up there, she picked one up. She texted to say the vendor wanted 380 RMB. Having just moved from Beijing, I was like no way–100, 200 tops. She wrote me back saying the gal would only come down to 250. I admittedly kind of ignored her text. What do you know, that Monday I had a new (fake :S) watch for 200. While I’m not proud of the imitation, it’ll get me by until I get a real watch!
The charm bracelet is packed with family history. When Jane (Kevin’s mom) and her sisters had their children, the gifted their mother with a charm of their babes names. Grandma Farrell had a very full charm bracelet embellished with her grandchildren around her wrist. The first Christmas Kevin and I were married, she gave me Kevin’s charm on a beautiful gold bracelet. Oh yes, there were some tears. Since that Christmas in 1997, I have gradually been adding to the bracelet. Currently, there is a Florentine lily that brings me back to where Kevin and I fell in love. There is an elephant that the kids gave me while we were living in India. I have the silver dove that my godmother, Auntie Paddy, gave me on my confirmation. It was hers and is so dear. At the clasp there is a sweet little butterfly from Gizelle, my library assistant from Bombay. Each charm is so special and brings back such memories. The bracelet is so special, therefore I don’t wear as often as I should. I like to save it for special occasions.
Gold, gold, gold! On my right wrist three out of the six bracelets are from Saudi Arabia. Two of the bracelets are from Beijing. The colorful gemmed bauble is from HM. The first gold chain is part of a necklace and bracelet set that Kevin gave as we were leaving Saudi Arabia. It was so sweet and generous. I was really quite surprised and touched by this gift. Saudi was a tough place to live, and this gift was like Kevin acknowledging the hardships of living there. The second bracelet is made of little gold beads. There’s a shop in the Pearl Market of Beijing where they are sold. It’s called Ken’s. The faux gemstone cuff was purchased for Cork and Sally’s wedding over Chinese New Year. It matched my dress perfectly! Sandy recently gave me the imitation David Yurman piece when she visited in October. It ties in with the next two perfectly. She also picked up this bracelet at the Pearl Market in Beijing. Finally, the last two pieces are the two bracelets I never take off; they have become a part of my skin. They are both from Saudi Arabia. The gold bangle was given to me from my class. I wear it to remind me that I can make it through anything! The next bangle is made of silver, and it was given to me by one classy lady, Shannon Coyne. Shannon is such an amazing, nice, kind, and very stylish woman. She’s like a librarian Coco Chanel to me, therefore this bracelet reminds me to always strive to remain classy.
Around my neck you will find two matching pieces. The chain necklace accompanies the bracelet Kevin gave me from Sauid Arabia. The beaded gold matches the bracelet from Ken at the Pearl Market in Beijing. The necklace carrying the Ganesh is from Harry’s in Bombay. Many people who go to Bombay end up meeting Harry. While Jane and Alex were visiting Kevin got me this necklace for my birthday. It’s got three strands representing the other three in the family: Kevin, Vincent, and Gigi. The Ganesh is beyond special. Lord Ganesha became our Hindu god while living in Bombay. The story of this particular piece (and the piece before it!) deserves it’s own post, so with that I’ll say to be continued for this important pendant…..Yet, I can’t forget about the chandeliers that hit my necklaces all the way from my ears! I don’t remember which market it was in India, but these brilliantly gold earrings are stunners. They cost me a maximum of 50 cents, but they were worth every penny. They are bright, they are long, and they are stunners. I love ’em.
And with that, I conclude the story of each piece. I love jewelry, and I especially love to be dripping in it! To make similar purchases in order to be Gilded in Gold, I’ve found some spots on the web for you:
- To purchase a Michael Kors watch, visit here.
- I’d say the best place to find a unique and special pre-memory filled charm bracelet would be to go to Etsy: for example, check out this beauty! It’s only $65 US!
- For the beaded bracelet, you could DIY; Bead Infinitum is packed with both patterns and jewelry beading bloggers. It’s a super cool site worth a visit. I also found a beautiful crocheted bracelet on Yoola that’s even more dainty.
- Chances are you could find a similar gemstone piece at either HM or Forever21.
- For the David Yurman bracelt, you can buy it here.
- If you ever go to Beijing, make sure to go to the Pearl Market–it’s packed with fun stalls! (Please write me before you go, and I’ll set you up;)
- Finally, these are the best, most unique places I found for buying gold online: Meena Jewelers, TanishQ, and Atlas. And it would be remiss if I left out my ultimate favorite Indian jewelry store, Amrapali.
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