Diamond starburst from a small seller on eBay and vintage charm engraved by Market Square Jewelers
14k yellow gold opal key by Acanthus Jewelry
Wisdom Power charm by Erin Pelicano
Evil eye charm from Louison Rare & Fine
vintage charms from Miss Mickster
vintage key from Hobie Haus
custom bar pendant by Heather B. Moore
mini seahorse charm by Morgan Patricia Designs
diary set by Sofia Zakia
custom crescent moon charms by Elisa Solomon Jewelry
emerald amaranthus key by Michelle Fantaci Jewelry
Earlier this year I wrote a blog post on some simple steps anyone can take to help support their local jewelers, both stores and designers, all of which did not cost a single penny to do. Things like leaving positive reviews, liking/commenting on your favorites’ social media accounts, or post a photo/repost one from their page you love. It was great to see many people echoing these efforts and the outpouring of praise combined with the rallying behind our local small businesses was inspiring. Unfortunately COVID has continued to wreak havoc on the world, and it has been tough to see people struggle, especially talented jewelry designers. These are the people who work tirelessly doing every single aspect of owning their own business, often times juggling being a mother, father, or caregiver all while recently learning that many schools or child care facilities are not opening this fall.
I personally have found solstice within the jewelry community and turning toward sparkly things to keep my mind off of things. I feel like I have rekindled my love for jewelry ten times over, along with building even more bonds with people who follow me. It is beautiful and unnerving at the same time.
I knew during this time every effort would count and if there were pieces of jewelry that I admired from designers, NOW would be the best time to buy them and to support them.
Here are my steps I took after realizing this:
1 — Deciding on what to buy if you have a loooonnnnggggg wish list like me can be sort of overwhelming. So, first I decided to go through my personal collection to revisit my favorite pieces and reflect on why I treasure these so much so that I can choose things to buy that I will treasure again.
2 — I figured out what areas I was lacking in and what item categories brought me most joy. For me, this was earrings (I’m definitely lacking in earrings, however right now I don’t wear too many just because of Gino pulling on them) and charms (by far my favorite item to collect lately, and they are typically inexpensive).
3 — Go through items I’ve saved on Instagram — for me, the “save” function on Instagram has served as a wish list compiler. I make sure to save only things I really love or find striking, and price isn’t a factor when saving. I like having high jewelry aspirations.
4 — Once I’ve honed in on which designers or pieces I really want to acquire, I figure out cost and budget. For me, not traveling or dining out at restaurants has significantly impacted my budget and the extra money I would’ve spent there now immediately goes to my jewelry fund!
5 — Most of the pieces I chose cost less than $1000 so that I could support several jewelry designers rather than buying one big/expensive thing…but you can decide what you think is best. This last step is my favorite because it involved BUYING and waiting for the piece to come in the mail. I’ve noticed shipping delays and order delays abound, so make sure you keep that in mind. I’m ok with being patient because I know we are all dealing with so many things right now.
Take a look at some of my purchases above — I’ve added designer or shop details below each photo. And you can check out the new hashtag I created for this cause #ggsupportjewelers
