So excited to be getting back into posting more Jewelry Collection Stories from our favorite collectors we love to follow. These posts are my favorite because it gives you an inside look into people’s private jewelry boxes. Everyone’s tastes are so unique and I find it so interesting to see what people treasure and why. I know you enjoy these posts as much as me, so without further ado — our first feature of 2019 is from the jewelry box of Elisha, owner of Spoken Stone. As you’ll see and read, her taste is global and her story is fascinating. Hope you enjoy!
I started collecting when I was 15. I had little exposure to jewelry for most of my life and it was completely by chance that I fell in love with jewelry. I use to work at the local printing factory, assembling paper products after school and on the weekends. One day on my way to work I stopped at a yard sale, to see if I could find any books. I didn’t find any books, but I did find the most beautiful costume crystal brooch. Since that day I was hooked. My first love was costume jewelry. In fact it wasn’t until a couple years ago that I started to develop an interest in fine jewelry. I began to collect gold figural pieces and very pretty, feminine pieces. Now I look for gold pieces that have a real story or a strong historical element to it. My current collection is mostly silver, costume & mixed metal, but I am always on the hunt for fine jewelry to add to my collection.
My favorite era changes every few months or so. Right now I have found myself appreciating Georgian and Renaissance jewelry. This year I have added quite a few mourning pieces to my collection.
3 — What is it about jewelry that makes it your passion?
I’ve always loved to create, either through art or writing. I think I fell in love with antique & vintage jewelry because each piece has so much history to it. It has inspired me creatively in both writing and art.
I think a fun place to find jewelry is Brimfield, the large antique market that spans 5 day in MA. You can truly find pieces from any time period. It’s also one of the few old time antique shows that survived the internet, so I always support it, to help keep it alive. Every jewelry collector has to go at least once!
Yes my favorite piece in my collection right now, is a Georgian family tree brooch/pendant. The front is adorned with pearls, a blue stone and a beautiful blue Guilloche enamel. The back is where it gets interesting, there are locks of hair from multiple people from the same family. It’s not a mourning piece but a sentimental one, perhaps given to a grandmother or matriarch.
You can follow Elisha here –> @SpokenStone
