Treasures Part One

As a romantic, as an addict to the past, to flea markets, to history, as a triftaholic, I am surely a treasure seeker. Lately, as I have been sorting through my closet, getting rid of this, keeping that, I have begun to wish my closet could be only full of treasures. I mean abolish practicality in my word robe, and only hold on to those things that feel like treasures. I don't think this is something that would really work for me, but it got me thinking that I would like to do a series of posts here on the items I hold most dear. Treasures doesn't necessarily mean the are vintage or that they would be commonly perceived as such. I just want to share the pieces that hold the most value for me.

I thought I would start this series of posts with a category that is very important to me. Rings. If I forget to put on rings when I get dressed, I feel naked the rest of the day. Some rings are filler. They take up a finger, I like them, not love them, maybe they match well with one of my favorites. Rings are very easy to hold as treasures. They are small, easy to lose, they are long lasting, often given as gifts, and sometimes hold a sort of symbolic meaning. For me, my favorites range from hand-me-downs, to flea market finds, to forever 21. Also I have a few favorites that I don't really treasure. Right now I want to show you the ones that I do.

 

from left to right: Forever 21, Thrifted, Chelsea Flea Market, Handmade from City Bird, Chelsea Flea Market

With the above five rings I can't say that there is sentimental value, nor much monetary value. These rings were purchased by me for me and cost no more that $30. Some are vintage, some are ceapo, but they all are rings that would feel irreplaceable if lost. These are five pieces that never fail to have me happily gazing down at my own hands in giddy admiration.

one and two: Grandma Claire, Grandma Doris, gift from Michael

Here we have rings that were a sort of hand-me-down or a gift. When I was younger one of my favorite things was to look through my Grandma Claire's jewelry when I was at my grandparent's house. I would try it on in dress up and occasionally, if I thought it was appropriate, I would ask her if I could have a piece. This jewelry box riffling was highly connected to my love for treasures. One day, in my teens, I asked her if I could have the first ring, the spoon ring. She had looked at it, and said "I don't even think this was mine, I don't remember it." She said it was fine if I took the ring. Who knows how this unrecognized ring mixed itself in with my grandmothers own treasures but it surely became one of mine, a staple on my fingers. The second was inherited after she passed away. The same for my grandma Doris's pearl ring. These rings from my grandmothers have served as very important reminders of these wonderful women, and as a result are among my most cherished possessions. The last ring was just a little gift from my boyfriend. He bought it at a thrift store in his home town. It is a simple but interesting ring that I really love. It's big on me and I have had to bend it a little to fit the shape of my thumb. Eventually I think I will get around to resizing it to fit.

Made by me

Back in my sophomore year of high school I got into metalsmithing and jewelry making in the jewelry class offered at my school and taught by the wonderful Jenny Jones. The fun of that original 7th hour class maybe got me hooked on it. Although my craftsmanship is very far from perfect and I know I still have a lot to learn, making jewelry is something I passionately enjoy to this day. My favorite of my rings I've made is actually not pictured here as it recently broke (I think fixable). These are, I think, lined up in order of when I made them from most recent to oldest.