Hey! Can you believe I made it through two whole months keeping this New Year’s resolution?! I know, neither can I! So February has come and gone, and I thought sticking to a strict one ring purchase per month and one book purchase per month would be difficult, I actually was struggling with finding something to buy. February was really busy for me with lots of travel and a content-heavy schedule…so most days were spent behind a computer writing all day. Jewelry is always on my mind, but certainly this time the buying aspect was not really in the equation.
The Ring:
I decided to log into eBay since I hadn’t been on since way before Christmas–I had actually personally “banned” myself from eBay because, let’s be honest, it can get a jewelry-loving girl into a lot of trouble. I wasn’t very deep into my search when I came across a “baby” ring that featured the word Nevada in a style typical of the California Gold Rush era souvenir jewelry. This was a really intriguing time in history, during the mid-1800s when around 300,000 people flocked to California in search for gold. From this movement, lots of sounvenir jewelry was created. Some fine examples are highlighted in the auction lot I mention in the video–this lot is from Rago Arts’ December 2015 sale where the estimated value of the items more than tripled in the final bid price of $5,000. The “Colorado” ring from that lot really caught my attention and I’ve been on the hunt for one similar ever since. That’s how this “Nevada” ring sparked my interest and luckily no bidding was necessary as it was a “Buy It Now.” Although I do love the excitement of an auction, sometimes the quick click of an “Add to Cart” is what is needed to soothe a jewelry obsession.
The Book:
As I stated in the video, I bought Jewels & Jewellery by Clare Phillips while visiting London in 2014. I was so enchanted by my visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum, that I had to bring home this book which features many of the jewels within their jewelry galleries. Can you believe their galleries contain over 4,000 items of jewelry?! They way everything is displayed makes it even more magnificient. Luckily for you, you don’t have to catch a flight to London or pack this heavy book in your suitcase like I did–you can just order it below! Let your mail carrier do the heavy lifting for you! 😉
Important Links:
February’s Ring Purchase: Antique “Nevada” old miner’s souvenir ring, www.eBay.com
February’s Book Purchase: Jewels & Jewellery by Clare Phillips
