everyday jewellery + rings

The other day I was thinking about the jewellery that I wear every day and the sentimental reasons behind me wearing it, and thought I'd show you a little peek at the kind of things I decorate my hands with. Generally, I'm not a superstitious person, but around the time I lost one of my favourite rings, I went through a very tough time at uni. I know these things are stupid and unrelated coincidences, but part of me holds these jewels a little tighter when I'm feeling shitty. I think it helps that most of them were either gifts from the women in my family, or bought for me by the women in my family, so it makes me feel like they've got my back, in a stupid way.

I wear on a regular basis quite a lot of jewellery, actually.. I have some pieces that belonged to my grandmother: a gold sovereign necklace and a beautiful sapphire and diamond eternity ring given to her by my grandfather. I also wear a little silver band with flowers engraved into it that I got with my mother in Florence for my 21st birthday. On the other hand, I wear a really special gold ring that was my great-aunts and given to me when she died. The other things I wear are bits and bobs I've collected over the years, like a skinny silver band found when I was at uni, or a plethora of moonstones because I've always been fascinated with them.. 

I could go on and on and on about how special these things are to me, but I think everyone has a piece or two that is special to them. And really, I shouldn't be so superstitious with these things, the memories I have connected to those people carry on even if I'm not wearing those rings, but I feel like they're little reminders of them, when things are shit or I'm really down. 

jewels

 I've found and bought a few gems recently, and I thought I would show you because they have become regular additions to my appearance..

1. I found these earrings in a charity shop with my friend Debbie the other day. They only cost me a £1! They're enamel and metal and costume jewellery, but I find that vintage costume jewellery doesn't really make me go green? 

2. I've wanted one of these crystal bullet necklaces for such a long time, and I finally found one from an English seller on Etsy - there are some much prettier colour ones - but I like quartz and this one was called 'Clare', which swayed me somewhat..! It's from the seller Rain by Rina and I do suggest you check her out - I will say that the chains aren't great - I wore it once and it went completely green, so I changed it for some cord I had at home.

3. I think this is the final ring I will add to my collection for a bit - I now where six of them on a regular basis and it just seems a bit overkill to wear many more! I found this one in a local charity shop, and I do have a soft spot for amethyst. I think it cost me about a £1, but it's hallmarked and I think that's a bargain!

4. I don't wear many bracelets, but I spotted this for 50p in a charity shop, and I thought it was really unusual, I've not seen anything like it. It reminds me of that whole fake-Celtic kind of jewellery I used to love getting on holiday, and I really like wearing it. I'm not sure what it's made from, but it's not turning me green, so that's always good!

I love my charity shop finds, I so rarely buy high-street jewellery these days, it doesn't come close in terms of quality or price! I highly recommend scouring flea markets, car boots, charity shops and the internet for nice jewellery. 

forgive us now for what we've done

I'm feeling sorry for myself today - I had to go to the dentists yesterday and I got some nasty injections that have left my jaw all bruised so I'm sitting around the house today feeling a bit lame and eating chocolate brownies. And I've been looking at bits of jewellery that I want.. 

Hamsa necklace, Little Nell, £8

I really love the hamsa symbol for some reason, I'm not sure why. I came across Little Nell recently and I love her jewellery, but this caught my eye. I do have a keyring very similar to this though, I'm tempted to try and make it into a necklace!

Blue Quartz Pendant, Fashionology, £33.50

Ever since I came across Unearthen's crystal necklaces -  I have wanted one. However, I can't quite justify shelling out upto £200 on one their beautiful necklaces. Fashionology do these which are pretty beautiful, and as close as I can find that don't cost the earth! 

'Cross Drop' earrings, Topshop, £6.50

I'm not really sure why these are referred to as 'cross drops'.. they're ankhs? Anyway, it's another symbol that I really love, I already have an ankh charm bracelet. This is what I'm most tempted by today, as they don't cost the earth and will cheer me up..

What's caught your eye recently? 

Carboot Sale Treasures

I got home from the carboot sale I went to the other day, when I realised that I never posted about the last one that I went too! I got some wonderful bits of jewelery that I've been wearing quite a lot. So I thought I would do some kind of bumper post, especially after being inspired by Zoe's post about what jewellery you can find at carboot's & in charity shops! Which is pretty fantastic. 

I can't really tell you how much these were individually, because I just got from a stall where I collected a giant handful of everything I liked, and they charged me about £2-3 for the whole lot, which you've got to admit, is fairly excellent. 

The green triangles I call my Quality Street earrings, 'cause I'm a dork. 

The rings I wear on a daily basis, and the bracelet needs a few links replacing, so when I get on that, I'll be wearing it!

Just quick shots of me wearing some of them. The white enamel earrings are my absolute favourite, I wear them so much. They look really excellent with a slightly more dressy outfit, or to dress up a t-shirt and leggings. They're really good quality, too. 

The giant 'pearl' and gold ones are clip on's, and although they make me look a bit Pat Butcher, they make me laugh. I haven't really worn them much cause they hurt a little bit, just around the house to keep me amused. 

This is what I bought on Sunday! I didn't really find as many earrings, which upset me, but hey, I can cope. I can remember what some of this cost:

The silver ring on the far left: £4. For real silver, it's not too bad! 

The silver owl brooch: £2. So gorgeous.

The colourful owl: I think about £3-4? There was an entire stall selling just owl-related stuff! It was amazing.

And the choker at the bottom cost me £2. 

The other things I just picked up because they looked cute. The other silver ring with adjustable band is a mood ring! I didn't realise at the time because my hands were so cold, so it didn't change colour, but I'm fascinated by them! Haha. The earrings were just sort of cute, and the sovereign ring, although tacky, looks pretty cool. 

I picked up the choker because it looked so similar to the bracelet I bought before!

The bracelet is on the left, the necklace on the right. Like I said, the bracelet is missing a few links, and the choker missing a clasp, but I'm gonna pick them up next time I go to Hobby Craft or somewhere, and wear them together!

This was the silver ring, it's absolutely gorgeous. It's actually too big for me, but it doesn't stop me from wearing it. I am in love with the shiny blue glass stone. Along with the white earrings, they're the best thing I've managed to find!

Also realised the best way to store my jewellery is in bowls and plates, so I picked up this little gold enamel bowl for 50p to keep my rings in!

I also picked up a cheeky Polaroid camera for a fiver, so I'm hoping it works! Need to hunt down some film on eBay. (:  I hope that was interesting! Do you guys go to charity shops or carboot sales? Let me know if you pick up any bargains. (:

Also I was thinking of having a little blog-sale, would anyone be interested?