What I fun thread! I'm late to the party but a few thoughts. 1) Re the poster above: I think pearls, and diamonds, do go with anything. I would say though, that right now, white pearls are less popular. I say this as someone with quite a large collection of them; they were always my favorite. But in the last five years or so I pretty much only wear my oversized grey south seas pearls. 2) In re "investment". Sorry, not really, not at all. Jewelery has some of the most egregious markups in retail. It can go in and out of fashion, also potentially eroding value. And it can be easily damaged. We recently liquidated a family estate, and I was shocked to hear that some of the diamond rings were quite highly devalued because "they had been worn 'too often' and had damage (not visible to the eye". That was news to me, that I am damaging my diamond by wearing it. 3) Girls and jewelry. My girls were both born very close to Christmas. The thought of trying to buy them gifts just a few weeks later was maddening and wasteful. So, starting when the first turned one and second was newborn, I buy them each a piece of fine jewelry each birthday. They cannot wear it -- it is kept in a safe -- but they get a great deal of enjoyment from it just the same (every few months they beg us to take it out and try it on). They will receive the jewelry to wear on their 16th birthday. I try to buy "timeless" things, and items I can see both a 16yo and a 46yo wear. 4) Watches. I wear mine for decorative purposes. In fact, given how wildly expensive the maintenance is on luxury watches (several hundred dollars every 2-3 years), I am considering letting them go and using them only for jewelry! What a crock these sellers are. 5) Everyday jewelry. I wear my engagement ring and wedding band. Usually with diamond studs but I have a lot of earrings I switch out. My engagement ring is a round diamond in a square basket setting, copied from my grandmother's ring. I lost my wedding ring, which was a rolling ring with two gold bands and one pave diamond band. I lost it about 18 months ago, but I kept thinking it would show up. I am so bummed. I just recently bought a plain gold Cartier wedding band with the little screw motif. It's simple but a little different, and it goes with my favorite daytime watch, which is the iconic gold/stainless Cartier tank with the little screws. This thread needs photos!

Not any one that I wear all the time. I guess I just like jewelry too much to stick with just one. But, I do have a very special ring, a silver Navajo one with a large green turquoise. DH bought it for me the day our DS was born as a remembrance of a very special day. I wore it the day his adoption was finalized. The day he started kindergarten, middle school, high school and college. I wore it to his kindergarten, high school and college graduations. I wore it the day he was inducted into the Army and to his graduation from Basic. I wore it both days that he left for Afghanistan and when picking him up at the airport when he came home on leave. I'll wear it when he comes back this time, too. Every year since we found each other, his birth mom (now a dear friend of ours) and I meet for lunch to celebrate our son's birthday in August. I've worn it to each of those special lunches. I don't wear it other days because it's so precious to me that I'm afraid I'll lose it. I plan on wearing it to his wedding some day, too. Someday I'll pass it on to him and his wife, but not for the foreseeable future. I still have a lot more "Special Son Days" that I hope to wear it to. Lynn

Thank you Sue! I will certainly pass that on to my son. Stinky, no way I am posting pictures of the mess around here. We have a partly finished bathroom where I glazed two very nice CL vanities. I got all the old stuff out of the game room, it's now half way to a spare bedroom where it will live until the dreaded garage sale (said I would never have another). I have several doors to paint and walls, pressure cleaning, fascia repair and endless spiffing to get my house on the market for season. There is no way I will make the January first date though. I was hoping to have a few realtor interviews under my belt by now as I need to decide if I am going to do a flat fee listing or other. I have no idea how I managed all this work (I am the laborer) every two years while the kids were young. I did breakdown and hire two high schools to weed-out the secret garden in back though. Can you tell I'm a bit overwhelmed?

I don't have wrinkles, yet; probably because I'm too plump for them to show! LOL As for the chins, and grey/thinning hair - that's me! And inside I am still 17. I have always loved, LOVED jewelry, any and all jewelry. I have a gypsy's soul and a magpie's love of the sparkly. A crystal to hang in the window, or a diamond on my finger...they make me equally happy. In my early years, I could not afford the types or amounts of jewelry I wanted. It was the 70s, and I was very happy with macramé bracelets, beads, and faux scrimshaw earrings. Still, I loved jewels and gold and sparkles. I certainly wasn't jewelry impoverished; I just felt as though I was. I had (and still have) a lovely amethyst ring from Grandma; a green-faced gold Seiko watch, a pair of pearl studs, a sterling charm bracelet, and a pearl pendant necklace. At age 27 I joined the Air Force and finally had the freedom and income to enjoy more "girly" things. I bought gold stud earrings, since we could wear them with our uniforms, a pair of diamond-cut gold dangle earrings (that I have worn every Christmas since 1984) a gold bangle bracelet and a couple vintage rings. I love them. After years of working and living in areas with more resale shops, I accumulated lots of shiny things, new and vintage, real and faux, many of which have now been shared with nieces and younger friends. I still have my favorites...a collection of costume jewelry brooches, "good" earrings, and a knotted/beaded Swarovski bracelet that has just the right amount (too much!) sparkle. Mom recently gave me her diamond stud earrings. I was speechless; I had always wanted diamond earrings but wouldn't buy them for myself. I thought they should be a gift from "a sweetheart." I was wrong; nothing can match the charm of diamond earrings from your Mom while she enjoys you wearing them. Wes has spoiled me with more "real" jewelry, three rings, an 18k gold chain and cartouche from one of his stints in one of the desert wars, and the freedom to look for vintage treasures as I like. I'd much rather have a vintage, well-loved piece of jewelry, real or costume, than the new items I see in the stores. I look at my well-used, worn, red, ashy hands and think, what a beautiful ring...it would have shown better on my "young" hands, but it still makes my "old" hands and eyes happy. And when a niece admires it with a magpie glint in her eye I will take it off and give it to her. Let her young hands enjoy it now. HeeHee, I know Santa Wes is giving me a pair of vintage late-40s, 14k gold, amethyst (my birthstone) and emerald (his birthstone) earrings for Christmas. I helped choose them, but I can't see or touch them until Christmas morning.