12 of My Latest Obsessions + Words of Wisdom for the Holidays/End of the Year

1. I’ve added a few new rings to my personal collection over the past couple of months from my recent trips. I met up with a fellow collector while in California and had the opportunity to buy a few pieces from her personal collection like the top row (minus the far left). I even discovered a website I can’t get enough of–The RealReal–where my husband bought me our 1st anniversary gift (the turquoise navette ring above). I knew of the website, but never went to it thinking it was only designer purses and items from Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton. I was pleasantly surprised at their fine jewelry selection!

2. Another obsession of mine since earlier this year has been EBTH.com which stands for Everything But the House! It’s a treasure hunter’s dream come true and this company is killing it right now. They are a virtual estate sale website, which features high quality sales from homes all over the US, in the form of an online auction. Anything from home decor, to clothing, collectibles, cars and even jewelry is featured. I’ve purchased two large gold mirrors, a rock & mineral collection and my best yet, the ring pictured above on my middle finger!

3. Fun fact about me: I competed in beauty pageants when I was younger and although terribly shy, I would transform into a different person when on stage. Why? All for the love of crowns! I thought the crowns were made of real diamonds and I was obsessed with them when I was little. This is the biggest one I’ve ever won, and I have over 50 of them.

4. I’m obsessed with the hunt–anytime there is a big show coming up like Miami or Las Vegas, or if I have a buying trip planned, I get so excited I can’t sleep. I couldn’t believe Nashville was finally getting their own “Big Flea” and its first show was this past weekend. For one of the very first times ever in my life, I went to a show by myself and didn’t run into anyone I know. It was such a relaxing and fun experience and I left with two amazing rings (above).

5. In time for the holidays, Jessica McCormack (one of my favorite British jewelry designers) released this really cool concept. It is called the Taster Menu and it is a beautiful set of 13 mini mismatched earrings which can be styled in multiple ways. The motive behind it boasts the tagline “because you can’t just have one” and is perfect for what is currently trending with earring styles.

6. Shades of purple: a color I’ve always been drawn to since I was little, I’ve been obsessed lately with all things purple, including gems. Everything from amethyst, to iolite and even opals with a strong purple play of color. My entire bedroom at one point was all purple. Nowadays, I’ll stick with purple jewels!

7. I’m head over heels for charms and I think we’ve realized this since my last post and my new hashtag #gemgossipcharms Here are some of my latest favorites–definitely have an Egyptian theme going, a weird-but-cool section, a sentimental section and everything in between. I’ll be going to my jeweler this week to finally convert my panther stick pin he found for me. I’ve also been layering my Dana Seng Jewelry birthstone initial necklace with anything and everything. It is a great base to start with.

8. An all-gold look will always be a favorite of mine and this look combines another fun trend–geometrics–and takes everything to a whole new level. The ring on my middle finger is what I received for Christmas from my husband last year, it is designed by Osnat Har Noy. The bottom ring on my ring finger is by Tiro Tiro and on top of that ring I’ve added a stretched out snake ring. The pointer finger are three versions of my RING ONE from my Gem Gossip Jewelry line, which I’ve since retired that style.

9. If you’ve ever felt like pearls were too soft and feminine for you, may I present to you this badass pendant necklace by Nektar de Stagni Designs. The moment I laid eyes on this piece, I thought it was the coolest. I was right. I’ve been wearing it ever since I got it last week, you can get one too >> click here.

10. If there’s anything more perfect, it is finding an antique baby ring that fits either your pinky or your mid-section of any finger exactly. I’ve acquired quite the bunch over the last several years of collecting. They definitely make me happy and I’ve started a hashtag for them as well: #gemgossipbabyrings but there’s a catch: you have to reveal 5 fun facts about your childhood when you post. It is so fun to read everyone’s!

11. After admiring Circa1700 and her Eternal Love Snake Charm Holder for a few years, I am so stoked to finally have my own! Problem is, it is so cool I am intimidated by which charms to put on it–only the best will do! Above, I’m attempting to maybe add these but I’m not certain. If you’d like to order your own just email info@circa1700.com — they come in two sizes– 1″ or 1/2″ and choose either yellow or rose gold and pick your gemstone eyes!

12. Lucky enough to have a husband that also appreciates jewelry and collects it as well! Here is his charm collection…as you can see he loves medallions. Hoping to find him a really unique medallion this holiday season–if you are a seller and have any round medallions, let me know!

I was really pleased with my last 12 Latest Obsessions post I did and had a really great response from others as well. For one reason or another, that post resonated with people and that is exactly what I was wanting. Here I am again creating another installment–this time with some words of wisdom just before the holiday season gets under way, and some things to keep in mind with the closing out of another year. The end of the year is a great time to focus, get inspired and reevaluate things. I’ve also revamped my entire Pinterest page, which took SO LONG, but I’ve been trying to not ignore that page anymore. Sometimes it is hard to transfer what you have going on in your head into a website layout or a Pinterest page, but hopefully with the reorganization I did, you can better connect with all the best features of Gem Gossip. Let me know your feedback! One of my favorite new boards is the #GemGossipFigas board (I’ve embedded it below).

And speaking of better connecting, I’ve got a really exciting announcement this week…it involves singing up with your email (found on the sidebar) so get to it! 😉

Words of Wisdom for the Holidays/End of Year:

1. Declutter and reorganize just before the holidays! This is the best way to evaluate what you have, what you constantly use or wear, and to figure out what you might want to ask for for the holidays. Whenever it gets close to this time of year and family asks me what I want, I almost get clueless as to what to say. If there are things in your closet you haven’t worn in over a year, you might want to pitch them. It is also a great time of year to donate!

I got rid of lots of clothes, shoes, purses and even went through the dogs’ toys. Go through things in your office and bathrooms too. 

2. Make memories by putting down your iPhone. I need to be more aware of this, especially around Thanksgiving, where every year I say I want to learn how to cook the turkey, but end up on my iPhone looking at pictures people are posting of their turkey spread.  This year, choose to live in the moment–hide your phone somewhere and make memories. Have conversations, look at old pictures, and reminisce. This time of year only happens once every 365 days, so make sure you enjoy and remember it!

3. Start your holiday shopping early and set a budget. Making a list helps–start by listing everyone you need to buy for and start jotting down ideas. It is ok to ask people what they want. I always like to gift my mom and dad something special each year. Last year I got my mom a KitchenAid mixer, something she has wanted since they were invented, and I’ve never seen her be so surprised and happy over a gift! It was awesome. Budgeting is also important, so I like to either use cash or debit when Christmas shopping. I’m still paying off a credit card from last year–bad mistake!

4. Learn a new recipe to make and share. Seems like a constant similarity within everyone’s holidays is FOOD. I’ve been finally getting into cooking and this year I’m looking forward to finding a great recipe to make and bring with me. If you don’t have enough time to do this from now until Thanksgiving, plan ahead for Christmas, Hanukah, or New Years. 

5. Reflect on the positives of the year and start to plan for the next year! Sure, everyone has bad things that happened within the past year, but focus on all the positives and only the positives. What made this year special? What was an unforgettable moment? Plan for the new year with these on your brain and try to remember that the best is yet to come. 2017 is going to be an amazing year!