Some of my sparklies...

[laurel25]

Well, I was bored tonight sitting around waiting for the polls to close to see who wins the presidential election, so I decided to take some pictures of some of my sparklie things. Most of them aren''t great or very expensive, but I love them all for different reasons.

This first one was my very first "nice" piece of jewelry from when I was 16. My parents gave me the option of getting a class ring or a birthstone ring and I knew I''d never wear a class ring because I thought they were tacky, so I chose this emerald. It''s got a terrible cut and has a small bubble inclusion, but the color is pretty (better than I was able to capture with the camera).

 

[laurel25]

This one is my garnet pendant. It''s really sparkly and was pretty inexpensive - like $35 - and I bought it to match a dress I was wearing to a wedding a while back.

 

[laurel25]

This is a small ruby band I bought myself when I was like 17. The rubies are pretty cloudy, but they are small enough that you don''t notice it too much and I like the color of them alot. I want to eventually get a pink sapphire RHR in this color or a little lighter pink.

 

[laurel25]

My ex-husband bought me this sapphire ring for our first anniversary. It was from Zales I think and is a crap sapphire (looks black most of the time), but I figured I''d post it anyway.

 

[laurel25]

My jade pendant that Mr.L got me last year for Christmas. I *love* jade. I mean I absolutely LOVE it - I don''t know why.. I think that the Chinese character in the symbol mean good luck, but knowing my luck it probably says something like, "You stink," or "Dog doodoo"!

 

[laurel25]

My aunt got me this jade ring for my high school graduation. She lives in San Francisco and has a friend who is a jewelry buyer for a couple of different Chinese jewelry shops in town. She had her friend pick this up for me on one of her buying trips to Hong Kong. It''s a little bit bigger than what I generally wear on a daily basis, so I wear it on special occasions.

 

[laurel25]

This is my antique platinum & diamond ring. I think the ring dates back to the 20''s - I''m not sure because I inherited it from a woman who''s like my grandmother, but she''s passed on now and the closest we can guess is that she was married sometime in the 20''s. I think that the center stone is about 0.25 ct and based on the facet pattern, I think that it''s an OEC.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Very pretty collection! I love the antique diamond ring

 

[marcy]

Very pretty collection.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Those are really pretty. I love the jade. And I love the "class ring alternative." My class ring just sits in a box.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Gorgeous sparklies. I love them. I never met anyone who has any jade jewelry. It is very pretty. Thanks for sharing.

Lisa

 

[mochi]

Very pretty collection. I especially love your jade jewelry...classy!

 

[T L]

Lovely collection. The art deco diamond ring is gorgeous and so is the sapphire. It looks really nice in the picture even though you said it''s blackish. Thanks for sharing your sparklies!

 

[neatfreak]

Really pretty! I LOVE that antique ring, so gorgeous!

 

[ma re]

I''m impressed with the craftsmanship in a garnet pendant - prongs are very symmetrical; something you don''t see often these days with pieces containing several stones, and especially in that price range.

 

[geckodani]

Oh I love that ruby pendant! Gorgeous!

Thanks for sharing your collection!

 

[geckodani]

I used to have this great Jade set, but the earrings weren''t my style and I ended up giving it to my mom, LOL. I wonder if I could steal it back....

 

[cushioncutnut]

Lovely collection! I love the OEC vintage ring!!!

 

[laurel25]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, a lot of these aren''t great pieces, but I do like them all and it was something to pass the time last night.

The antique ring is my absolute favorite of them all, but I don''t wear it very often because the shank needs to be repaired/replaced and right now there are no good bench jewelers who I trust anywhere near where we''re living.

I love the jade stuff because it''s such a bright, bold color. I have red hair, so yellow gold/green jade tends to look really good with my complexion & coloring. I don''t wear much brightly colored clothing because I end up feeling like Rainbox Brite, but I do like to add punches of color with jewelry and the jade works well for that without being over the top.

 

[laurel25]

Date: 11/5/2008 2:45:45 AM
Author: ma re
I''m impressed with the craftsmanship in a garnet pendant - prongs are very symmetrical; something you don''t see often these days with pieces containing several stones, and especially in that price range.

And would you believe - I found that pendant at Wal-Mart! The stones aren''t awesome, but the workmanship is pretty nice, especially for $35!

 

[mercoledi]

Pretty! I love the jade and the design on the garnet pendant is really interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

[MMT]

Very pretty, I love the antique diamond ring.

 

[stone-cold11]

Just to confirm, the Jade pendant really says good luck.

 

[laurel25]

Date: 11/19/2008 8:05:42 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
Just to confirm, the Jade pendant really says good luck.

Thanks! That''s good to know!