Should I Buy...A Butterfly?

[Smith1942]

In an ancient city facing the direction of Rome, down a winding street, sits a cave lined with diamonds. Deep in the cave wall, there lies a brooch. Undisturbed, it lives tucked away inside a cushioned drawer that is over a hundred years old, like all the fittings in E.B. Horn of Boston. The legend tells that it pricked its wing on a spinning wheel and has been asleep in the drawer ever since. It's a gold filigree butterfly with diamond-tipped wings, a line of akoya pearls down the body, and sapphire eyes. Should I wake it up and take it home? Or would I be banished from the kingdom to Greedsville, pending the shower of upgrade stud diamonds due to befall me at the next half-moon from the Blue Egyptians of Seattle?

 

[JaneSmith]

Buy the damn thing, I want to see it.

 

[junebug17]

Buy the damn thing, I want to see it.

Well put! hehe

It sounds really pretty! I say, if you love it and you think you'll wear it you should go for it - it sounds like you are very tempted!

 

[Enerchi]

Um....hello?? You are asking PSif you should buy jewelry??? I don't understand the question....


OF COURSE you should buy it!! It makes you happy!! Nuff said. Go get it and post it here to show off

 

[Smith1942]

Hahahahaha, all very funny responses!

Yes, I do love it and have visited it at least three times now. I was hesitant in view of recent expensive purchase on the stud upgrade! But I think I'll grab it. Hope it's still there! I expect it is, since no one wears brooches these days. Why does no one wear brooches? They are so beautiful.

Although I feel I "shouldn't" buy the brooch, I also feel strongly that I should. Why? Because although I have recently bought expensive diamonds, I do believe in grabbing the things you really like jewellery-wise because you'll have them forever. They last, and last, and last. I once saw a gorgeous necklace in Aruba and I didn't get it. I still think about it today, six years later. It was the PERFECT necklace. I got a similar one, but it isn't the same.

That's my justification, anyway!

I see that Tiffany prices have just gone up. I feel smug. I basically spent a lot of money in the last couple of years buying just about all the jewellery I want, instead of buying it over a lifetime and paying future inflation of metals and gems. I'm just about finished. There are one or two gold Tiffany items I want, which are not that expensive, this brooch, the upgrade that is coming, and that's about it. Enough jewellery to last a lifetime. I know you'll say, Oh that's not true, you'll always want more, but surprisingly, I wouldn't wear the majority of jewellery that I see. I only like classic designs such as solitaire, studs, DBTY and the odd simple design like an infinity figure eight or a bow. I prefer to be wearing the jewellery rather than have it wear me, if that makes any sense. Much jewellery is just too big or elaborate for me. So anyway, I've got a helluva DBTY collection, much of which I still have to post here!

 

[JaneSmith]

I love brooches too! When I eventually find a nice antique one I'll buy it.
I also have a couple of jewellery regrets. Don't regret the butterfly.
I love your jewellery buying philosophy.

 

[Smith1942]

Thanks Jane! Well, I went down to E.B. Horn today, and they had closed early!! No fun at all. They were supposed to close at 5.30pm, and I got there at 5.20 - late, yes, but I knew what I wanted and it would have taken less then ten minutes. But the shutters were down, lights off and all salespeople had gone home - the place was deserted. Even their schedule on the door said closing time was 5.30, so I didn't get it wrong. I hate it when businesses do that - SO unprofessional!

Jane, do you live anywhere near Boston? You said you wanted a nice antique brooch - well, E.B. Horn is full of them! Did you see my SMTB post on the gold rose I got in there with diamonds on the leaves?

 

[Cozystitches]

Hahahahaha, all very funny responses!

Yes, I do love it and have visited it at least three times now. I was hesitant in view of recent expensive purchase on the stud upgrade! But I think I'll grab it. Hope it's still there! I expect it is, since no one wears brooches these days. Why does no one wear brooches? They are so beautiful.

Although I feel I "shouldn't" buy the brooch, I also feel strongly that I should. Why? Because although I have recently bought expensive diamonds, I do believe in grabbing the things you really like jewellery-wise because you'll have them forever. They last, and last, and last. I once saw a gorgeous necklace in Aruba and I didn't get it. I still think about it today, six years later. It was the PERFECT necklace. I got a similar one, but it isn't the same.

That's my justification, anyway!

I see that Tiffany prices have just gone up. I feel smug. I basically spent a lot of money in the last couple of years buying just about all the jewellery I want, instead of buying it over a lifetime and paying future inflation of metals and gems. I'm just about finished. There are one or two gold Tiffany items I want, which are not that expensive, this brooch, the upgrade that is coming, and that's about it. Enough jewellery to last a lifetime. I know you'll say, Oh that's not true, you'll always want more, but surprisingly, I wouldn't wear the majority of jewellery that I see. I only like classic designs such as solitaire, studs, DBTY and the odd simple design like an infinity figure eight or a bow. I prefer to be wearing the jewellery rather than have it wear me, if that makes any sense. Much jewellery is just too big or elaborate for me. So anyway, I've got a helluva DBTY collection, much of which I still have to post here!

This resonated with me. I've been reevaluating my wishlist and looking at what I REALLY wear. So, if you love it and would really wear it...then go for it!!!

 

[Smith1942]

Thanks, Cozystitches! Love your screen name, by the way. I have had the odd pang of guilt about all the money I've spent, but it soon goes away because I think I've done a good thing in grabbing everything I want now instead of paying the prices of the future. Life can be hard and my jewellery really cheers me up. It makes me feel princessy, instead of ground down by worries. And I always think to myself, well, other people spend lots of money on things which are deemed to be more socially acceptable, like sporting hobbies, electronics, and holidays. (When I say socially acceptable, I mean that it's easy for the uninitiated to sneer terribly at the money that jewellery costs for something you can't drive/live in, etc. No, it's just about pure pleasure, which we need to pull us through life.)

 

[GemFever]

Looking forward to pics of this beauty!

 

[lovebug1031]

Hahahahaha, all very funny responses!

Yes, I do love it and have visited it at least three times now. I was hesitant in view of recent expensive purchase on the stud upgrade! But I think I'll grab it. Hope it's still there! I expect it is, since no one wears brooches these days. Why does no one wear brooches? They are so beautiful.

Although I feel I "shouldn't" buy the brooch, I also feel strongly that I should. Why? Because although I have recently bought expensive diamonds, I do believe in grabbing the things you really like jewellery-wise because you'll have them forever. They last, and last, and last. I once saw a gorgeous necklace in Aruba and I didn't get it. I still think about it today, six years later. It was the PERFECT necklace. I got a similar one, but it isn't the same.That's my justification, anyway!

I see that Tiffany prices have just gone up. I feel smug. I basically spent a lot of money in the last couple of years buying just about all the jewellery I want, instead of buying it over a lifetime and paying future inflation of metals and gems. I'm just about finished. There are one or two gold Tiffany items I want, which are not that expensive, this brooch, the upgrade that is coming, and that's about it. Enough jewellery to last a lifetime. I know you'll say, Oh that's not true, you'll always want more, but surprisingly, I wouldn't wear the majority of jewellery that I see. I only like classic designs such as solitaire, studs, DBTY and the odd simple design like an infinity figure eight or a bow. I prefer to be wearing the jewellery rather than have it wear me, if that makes any sense. Much jewellery is just too big or elaborate for me. So anyway, I've got a helluva DBTY collection, much of which I still have to post here!

This is why I always say you should buy something...especially when travelling! Kind of unrelated, but I was in Prague a few years ago and they have all of these working wooden replicas of the Astonomical Clock there, I really wanted one - but didn't want to deal with the hassle of shipping it or getting it back through customs - so I didn't get it...i kick myself everyday! If you think you'll regret NOT purchasing the brooch, then you should DEFINITELY get it!

 

[Smith1942]

I tried to get it on Saturday but the shop closed up way early - in darkness and deserted 10 mins before official closing time, and now I have to work so can't get there for a few more days. So not fair!

 

[JaneSmith]

I tried to get it on Saturday but the shop closed up way early - in darkness and deserted 10 mins before official closing time, and now I have to work so can't get there for a few more days. So not fair!

That is so disappointing that they closed early. You should call them and get the butterfly put on hold, it would be terrible if someone bought it while you were at work.
No, I'm not near Boston, so no trips to this lovely store for me, but I did enjoy looking at your rose.

 

[Smith1942]

I bought the brooch on Friday! And it turned out not to be a butterfly after all - it's a dragonfly! I'd remembered it wrongly. Anyway, it's gold filigree, line of akoya pearls down the body, sapphire eyes and diamond-tipped wings. The diamonds are small but they sparkle. It's a beautiful brooch! I will post it in the middle of next week - I have to go to work soon and then I'm having dental surgery next week, so it will be around Weds that I'll post it. I've got it propped up in its box on my desk so I can look at it as I work.

In the meantime, check out this brooch. It's a diamond and platinum dragonfly from Tiffany with sapphire eyes. For a piece like this from Tiffany, I actually don't think it's a bad price:

http://www.tiffany.com/shopping/Item.aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=13249687&mcat=&cid=&search_params=s+1-p+3-c+-r+101287461-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+&search=1

I like this silver starfish too:
http://www.tiffany.com/shopping/Item.aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=10659264&mcat=&cid=&search_params=s+1-p+4-c+-r+101287461-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+&search=1