More, More, MORE Jewellery
For YEEEEARS I have loved jewellery! To me, being a maximalist, jewellery is an extra way to add something to your get up and help get your point across. Never has the saying “more is more” applied better than it does to jewellery!!! Back in the day, I used to work at Swarovski and this is where my love for jewellery (and everything sparkly) was born. I used to get a 60% discount on the products at Swarovski so my collection quickly built. I sadly lost most of my Swarovski collection at uni when I went out and left my bedroom window open and some scoundrel took the entire collection minus what I was wearing. Not only was it Swarovski jewellery that was taken but my two FAVE John Galliano shield rings, one in silver and one in gold. I was absolutely devastated by the loss but I got straight back on with building my collection back up. I still search on eBay for those John Galliano rings as I would LOVE to have them back on my fingers. One of the best things about jewellery is that it takes up very little room to store, which means you can collect it without having to worry too much about editing it down to add newer pieces. I feel as though I am pretty fussy when it comes to jewellery, if it is chunky, bold and includes a chain and preferably gold-coloured…….. I’m on board LOL. One of the most important things I have learnt about costume jewellery over the years is to look after it by following these 3 simple rules;
Avoid getting it wet.
Don’t spray perfume or other cosmetics over it.
Store it well and give it a little wipe once it has been taken off.
Follow these few simple rules and they will help you get longevity from the pieces. If you can avoid sweating while wearing it this would also help hugely LOL!
I put my jewellery into subcategories, I have Everyday Jewellery, Everyday/”Special” Jewellery and I have SPECIAL Jewellery haha. To decide on these categories, I look at what material the piece is made from and think about whether wearing it too much would spoil it. I am incredibly precious over everything I own and want everything to last as long as possible.
Everyday
One item of jewellery I will wear pretty much every time I leave the house is a Stirling Silver Link of London Karabiner bracelet. This is the second one of these I have had, the first one I got at university, a friend used to work at the Links of London store and managed to get it for me with 75% discount. I must have got the first bracelet in 2007 and it lasted me until 2015 (just in time for my 30th birthday) when it snapped. I was absolutely gutted when it broke, but I was lucky enough to get a new one for my birthday. When I don’t wear this bracelet I really do feel lost………… but I have been wearing this pretty much every day since 2007. Sadly they do not do this bracelet anymore so I really will be at a loss when this one has past it so I have already started searching for an alternative.
This Stirling Silver Shawn Lean Necklace I got as a Christmas present from my parents WAAAAAAAY back in 2003. It really has stood the test of time and all it takes is a good cleaning every now and again. The charms on the necklace are easily removed so you get 3 necklaces in 1!!! Pieces like this necklace really do show you that if you sack off current trends and wear what you love, what makes you happy and look after your accessories, pieces can last you 18 years or even longer! With the necklace being made from Sterling Silver I like to wear it to work, as no matter what the only thing that will damage the necklace is if it snapped……… but the chain can easily be replaced. This is a great piece for layering too.
This Cuban chain necklace is my go-to piece and the item that people think of when they describe me haha, which I am fine with! I have around 5 of these necklaces and I pick them up from eBay. They usually cost around £10, which is a steal considering the wear I get from them. The great thing about them is that they are made from a material that somehow does not tarnish! When you find a piece of costume jewellery that doesn’t tarnish it really is a blessing, and for the price, I wonder why most costume jewellery couldn’t do the same? After a while, the chain does show signs of wear, it scratches pretty easily once it is older which would be the time I invest in a new one!
Everyday/“Special” Jewellery
What I mean by Everyday/“Special” Jewellery is jewellery that I will say wear to work but not every day, almost as a treat to myself. This jewellery isn’t made from precious metal, but most of the pieces were a little more pricey or made from a metal that doesn’t tarnish………….. as quickly. Let’s face it a green neck is something you need to get used to if you want a thick gold Cuban chain but can’t afford a solid gold one haha.
The first piece is a gold effect Fendi logo necklace. This is a pretty old piece in my jewellery collection, I bought it from Selfridges while I was at uni. In the box, I still have the receipt and it says it was bought on the 15th January 2007 for £45, I’m sure it would cost 10 times the amount to buy today. Back in the day, I used to wear this pretty much every day and it does show a few signs of wear on the pendant, but the chain is still in pretty much the same condition it came out of the box. I love to use this necklace as a layering piece with other gold and silver necklaces when you mix in a more expensive piece with cheaper items it makes the bunch seem higher quality.
Now I am INCREDIBLY precious over all of my belongings and even though most of the jewellery in my collection is costume jewellery, I place it under this category because I reeeeeally just want it to last as long as possible. I collect jewellery for this category from pretty much everywhere and anywhere. ASOS is my usual go-to for EVERYTHING and their choice in jewellery is pretty unbelievable. It is priced amazingly and it’s fashion-forward. This category is also the largest in my collection. I love a mix of both silver and gold but usually lean more towards the gold side.
During lockdown 3.0 I made the decision that I wanted my ears pierced. Obviously, there was nowhere open that I would be able to get this done so I came across these little beauties during the many hours a week I spend scrolling through ASOS. They call them ‘faux earrings’ and are pretty much a clip-on ring style earring. I went for the gold version first and I was shocked at how comfortable they are to wear and are the style of earring that I would wear if I actually had my ears pierced. They do them in a silver version too which I WILL be investing in as they have become one of my go-to jewellery pieces.
I have been wanting a name necklace for many a year now, so when I found this bargain on Etsy in November I was buzzing! I only paid £8.99 for this necklace but it did take a LOOOOOOOONG time to arrive, mainly due to buying it during the Black Friday sales and they must have had a huge number of orders to work through. I went for this style necklace because the writing wasn’t to light and fluffy, it packed a little more of a punch haha. This is a great piece for layering with other necklaces and it can be extended by 2 inches so it can be seen once you have it on with other pieces.
SPECIAL Jewellery
I class my SPECIAL Jewellery as pieces I truly treasure! Whether I have longed after them for years, spent a small fortune on them or they just hold a special place in my heart.
For years and years, I have loved Versace jewellery; brassy, bold, excessive and gold, what more could you ask for? This Versace Rappa Ring has been on my wishlist ever since I saw it in the Versace store in Las Vegas. I tried the smallest size they had in stock and it was HUGE on me………. Fast forward 6 years and I managed to bag myself this beauty of a ring! I got this piece in the summer sale during the first lockdown of 2020. Ever since I have had it I have not had anywhere to wear it to so I used to throw it on for shopping in town haha. I was very careful with removing it every time I needed to sanitize my hands, which was a huge pain in the butt but necessary to protect the ring. This really is a bobby dazzler of a piece and says a lot when it is worn alone or screams out when worn with other eye-catchers. I really cannot wait until we can get back to our regular lives and can get dressed up for a night out and I can guarantee that the Versace Rappa Ring will be placed on my index finger for the outing!
This embellished Moschino curb chain necklace really is the pinnacle of my collection. It is one of the best buys I have EVER made. It packs such a punch when added to any outfit. Now I do LOVE crystals and I do LOVE chains so this really does answer my jewellery dreams. This isn’t a piece that I would wear every day as the stones catch on pretty much everything, hair included…….. although I’d love to wear it more often.
These Moschino bracelets are some of my most treasured pieces. I love that they are a take on the classic black and gold Moschino belt but have a more playful side with the SpongeBob and Barbie colourway versions. I have worn the Barbie version quite a few times way back when I first got it. Some of the letters have small little chips in the corners where they have been bashed on a table or something……. even though they have been looked after. I really do beat myself up when things like this happen, even though it cannot be helped when you wear a HEAVY metal and leather bracelet haha.