Vintage Jewelry is Love

Think about what it is that you have kept to remember your parents, grandparents, a favorite aunt. Is it their art? Clothes? Sofa? China?

I’m betting more than anything you have a piece of jewelry. It makes perfect sense. It’s got character, it can be worn daily or kept in a box forever. It’s versatile, stylish, retro, vintage, gaudy, and entirely special.

Show me a box of jewelry and I’ll find a story behind several of those pieces. Going through jewelry is one of my favorite tasks. Sometimes we find things that are very valuable, of course, but often we find a piece that takes us back to another time. 80’s twisty beaded necklaces, 70’s clip on acrylic earrings that brush the shoulders, 1960’s dinner rings that cover your knuckles, antique mourning cameo brooches.

I don’t advocate for keeping a relative’s entire jewelry collection unless you’re just really into it, but if you have a loved one with jewelry — see if you can hold onto one or two pieces for your own collection. You may find comfort and delight in them later, even if they are not to your taste. When I need a little of my grandmother’s grit, I pin on her sterling silver and onyx oval brooch. When I need to remember to be brave because life is short, I wear a tiny Schlitz beer lapel pin inside my jacket to remind me of a friend who died young. And when I need my mom’s sense of calm and peace, I wear a necklace she gave me 30 years ago. She’s still very much alive, but Covid has made it harder to see each other.

Vintage jewelry is love. Wear with pride.