I suppose I deserve the teasing. My youngest daughter tends to wear conservative jewelry. Gold, silver, nice semi-precious stones. She always looks wonderful and never jingles, clinks, or tinkles like I do. For I am addicted to large, dramatic, over-sized earrings. And it is partially her fault.
You see, I did not get my ears pierced until I was in my 30’s, being perfectly happy without ear decoration. Then both my daughters gave me a Christmas present. A free ear piercing and complimentary ‘studs.’ I protested at first, but gee, passing up a freebie is tough! So we went to the mall and I had it done.

You have to begin wearing ‘starter earrings’, so I wore some with little teeny pearls, so tiny, you could not see they were in there. The allotted time passed and I was able to get a somewhat larger pair, but still no ‘French wires’ since they would pull too much. But once I was able to wear whatever I wanted, the trouble began.

I like jewelry in general, so began trying to find ‘matches’ with my necklaces or pins. I found a few small ‘boutiques’ that had unusual ones and got some special pairs. I also attended a few home parties where they’d bring the jewels right to you! And then I discovered resale shops in the area.

They were in the neighborhoods with lots of money, where people change styles and colors by the season and easily tire of their jewelry. So, they’d bring in their sterling silver earrings that cost hubby $35 and I’d get them for $3. They’d bring in the Laura Burch that daughter-dear gave as a gift and I’d be there to appreciate them!

I have had my ears pierced for long enough to watch trends come and go – and when things come ‘back in style’, I am prepared. My granddaughters really appreciate my ‘sparklies’ and often comment on them.

A recent trip to a petting zoo/farm with my youngest granddaughter gave me a perfect opportunity to wear my cow earrings. She asked if she might have them one day. I told her I would think about it. These were actually a gift from a dear friend with whom I have attended numerous ‘cow chip throwing contests.’ She knew I would appreciate the sentiment.

A while back, friends of ours attended an auction and bid on, and won, the honor of having a local TV weather program filmed at their home. They invited us to attend the show. I thought and thought – what would be a good ‘weather-type’ earring? Then it came to me – and I hit ebay. There I found the perfect pair – silver umbrellas! As luck would have it, the weather stayed beautiful during the filming, but they caused quite a stir.

A while back, my daughter traveled to Australia. She returned with a charming gift for me, a pair of earrings with duckbill platypus on them! When I opened them I squealed, and then, just for my son-in-law, who teases me mercilessly, said “oh, I already have a pair of platypus earrings!” He was stupefied until I smiled widely.

It may seem hard to believe, but I have made matches quite often. For example, I purchased this charming pair with monkeys in Florida. They were from a very expensive boutique – I just had to have them, but could not spend the $45 for the matching necklace. About a month later, I found the necklace for $2 at a yard sale!

About a year ago, I bought this silver pin with a rather ‘funky/artsy’ style. Last weekend, at a flea market, I found the matching earrings!

While shopping with a friend at a fancy store in the Caribbean, I got a silk blouse with lots of dogs – oodles of poodles I called it. The lady at the counter admired it and said – now you’ll have to march right out and find some dog earrings. I just smiled; I already have 2 pair with doggies!

Recently, I had a rather unusual experience. I attended a wake for a friend’s step-mother. She was in her 90s and had lived a full life. While standing near the casket, I noticed a basket filled with plastic baggies. I leaned closer and found each one had costume jewelry in it.

A relative of the lady said to me “help yourself, she had so much, we did not know what to do with it all.” I was astounded, who ever heard of getting a gift at a funeral! I was very considerate, taking only one pair of earrings, leaving the rest. I just may have them do that at my funeral, who knows!
I consider it a rather harmless addiction. No one gets hurt (unless they try to sell them off) and most times they are very inexpensive. So, let my daughter pick on me, have my grandkids try to pry them out of my stubborn fingers, I just love them and will do so until I croak. I’ve already instructed my girls to change my earrings every 15 minutes when I am in the casket. They are grossed out by it, but I must die as I lived, a costume jewelry nut!
Anyone else out there with a jewelry addiction?’ I thought so! Enjoy!
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There’s something about a pair of cufflinks that can take an outfit from everyday to extraordinary. They’re such a small accent, and yet they add a touch of elegance and distinction to a man’s shirt. No wonder there are so many passionate cufflink collectors out there!

Cufflinks first appeared roughly 300 years ago. They were once sold along with removable stud buttons used to fasten shirtfronts, but as buttons became cheaper and were sewn onto shirts more and more men began wearing the cufflinks alone. Though cufflinks are traditionally worn by men, over the years women have adopted cufflinks as well, particularly when masculine styles were popular. Cufflink use dwindled after the 1960s as casual clothing became the trend for men.

Cufflinks are a way to show personality, and there are all sorts of styles for collectors to choose from. One avid collector amassed so many that he started a Cufflink Museum in the 1990s, which has since closed. While some men have preferred conservative cufflinks in somber colors and conventional styles, others prefer to make a statement with loud, flashy cufflinks. Some choose to focus on collecting sterling silver or enameled cufflinks, while others pursue cufflinks made by famous jewelry designers like Tiffany. Some look for cufflinks with sports themes, such as golf or football. Some collectors prefer collecting cufflinks from a particular era, such as the sleek, geometric Art Deco designs. Many think the best part of having an antique cufflink collection is donning a shirt with French cuffs and wearing the unique cufflinks to work, parties, dinner or a house of worship.

The range of prices for vintage and antique cufflinks – from around $5 to thousands of dollars for a rare set - makes them available to collectors of all budgets.

To read more about cufflinks, please visit this link:

http://jck.polygon.net/archives/2000/07/jc07-142.html

I adore the romantic, old-fashioned look of a table set with crisp white linens and gleaming sterling silver tableware. It reminds me of something out of a Katherine Hepburn film set in the forties. Candlesticks, coasters, salt & pepper shakers, silverware – I just love collecting that stuff. All that beautiful silver needs to be taken care of properly, though, to keep it looking its best. Here are a few tips for caring for silver.

While I think that a little tarnish deep in the grooves of a piece with raised surfaces has a nice old-fashioned look about it, most people want their pieces on display to be tarnish free. Tarnish removers can usually be found at home stores or even the cleaning section of the supermarket. You don’t want to use tarnish removers too often, because they can contain harsh chemicals that strip some of the silver from the piece you are cleaning. Look for a tarnish remover that’s specifically meant for silver, and use a gentle rubbing motion with a soft cloth when removing tarnish from the piece.

After the initial tarnish removal, it’s best to prevent tarnish from forming again on your silver that’s on display. When silver is being displayed, in a china cabinet for instance, silica gel can be used to keep the air dry and limit the amount of tarnishing. A monthly cleaning with just a clean, damp cloth should keep the tarnish away. After using the silver, simply washing by hand and drying it can keep it tarnish-free. It’s a good idea to empty salt from silver salt shakers between uses, since the salt can corrode the silver.

When the silver is not on display, wrap it in silver storage cloths which are designed to limit the formation of tarnish. These can be found at jewelry shops and stores where silverware is sold. The silver can then be placed in a plastic bag or storage chest.