By the time you read this I should have. been flying home from a cruise in the Caribbean. This was the same cruise that I had booked in March 2020, then tried March 2021, then March 2022 and now finally hoped to take it, only to be struck down with a horrible respiratory virus two days before..
When I caught the virus I was in the middle of packing. I received a list of packing recommendations that said 3-4 pairs of shorts, 2-3 sundresses, 2 evening outfits….. This is a seven day cruise, folks. How can one get through three to four pairs of shorts in seven days? Do people really worry that other passengers are going to whisper “Oh look, she’s wearing the same shorts she wore yesterday?” At very worst there is a laundry on board. So my packing is always minimal. Things I can wash out in the sink if necessary. One fancy jacket for formal occasions.
But when I was packing I suddenly thought JEWELRY! I should take jewelry to wear at dinner. Now I have to confess that I love jewelry. John loves buying me jewelry. I actually love buying jewelry when I’m traveling. I like looking at it in the jewelry case and thinking “oh this is so pretty!” But wearing it? Not so much. I had a friend (now passed away) who wore matching jewelry with every outfit. Every time I saw her she had earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring all in coordinating colors with the outfit she was wearing. (And my mother had a closet full of handbags that she changed with her outfit). Me? I wear the same gold necklace, the same little diamond earrings and gold bracelet for several months before I change them for similar items. If I have to attend the Edgars I wear a statement piece and enjoy it, but it never occurs to me, when I get up in the morning, to think what piece of jewelry goes with what I’m wearing today. Okay, it’s normally sweats. But I did think what a slouch I was when I was meeting a writer friend for lunch and realized I could have worn a nice necklace.
I suppose it’s because I don’t go out that much these days. Since Covid I’m out of the habit. We’ve entertained several friends and I haven’t dressed up. I did put on a good outfit for Debs’s launch at the Poisoned Pen, but apart from that it’s writer’s uniform. sweats.
So I’m interested to hear from other Reds: do you wear much jewelry? Change your earrings regularly? Should I be enjoying mine more? Making an effort to wear those pieces sitting in my jewelry box?
JENN McKINLAY: I love this post, Rhys! I am the exact same way. I think I like looking at jewelry more than I like wearing it. And I do love looking at it but, yes, I work in jeans and T-shirts so not really jewelry worthy. It is a dilemma! Also, your post now has the song “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story (Hank fixed my first guess at the musical) playing in my head.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: At some point during this interminable pandemic, I realized I hadn’t put on anything but earrings for well over a year, and decided to change that. So now I frequently add a necklace to my look, even if (usually) I’m the only person who will see me. I like looking in the mirror and thinking, “Sharp!”
I still only wear bracelets and rings when I’m going out, and even then rarely. It’s way too fiddly to work with anything attached to my hands. I also have way too many pieces, as I got the bulk of my mom’s jewelry (she had the same New England style as I, while my sister is New York and my sister in law is sporty.) I have no idea what’s going to happen to most of my stuff, since neither of my daughters had pierced ears. In fact, the Millennials and Gen Z kids that I know are not at all into jewelry, which means there will be a lot of good pieces hitting second hand stores in another few decades!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Ah, I wear the same rings all the time, I cannot imagine changing. And I don’t have pierced ears, so I have to be really careful about losing earrings. For when I am on the road, I have actually purchased several pairs of the same ones because I’m destined to lose them and might as well have backups. Necklaces have become more important on Zoom..I always have an eye out for zoom necklaces, because I always (as you may have noticed) we one of my billion black Petit Bateau t-shirts on Zoom because they always look nice and safe, and different necklaces make them, um, different.
My darling husband always wants to give me jewelry, but I usually say no. I don’t really need it, I’m happy with what I have, and how much can anyone actually use? I guess–I know the right thing when I see it.
RHYS: Hank, John always wants to buy me jewelry but I say "I only have one neck. How many necklaces can I wear? I think he'd like me to be like Indian woman and wear my wealth in gold bangles!
HALLIE: Most of my jewelry was somebody else’s- my mother’s earrings or my grandmother’s wedding band… or stuff I picked up at yard sales. And I cherish my opal engagement ring but rarely wear it. I do love nice jewelry… just not for me.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I like good artsy jewelry but I don't wear anything but my wedding ring at home, and I went so long without wearing earrings in the pandemic that my pierced ears half closed up. Add that to my metal allergies and putting in earrings even for an event is a challenge, but I did give in to temptation and bought a beautiful pair of silver hoops from my favorite jewelry stall at Sky Harbor Airport on my trip to Phoenix!
RHYS: Debs, my ears closed up during the pandemic but I suffered agonies to re-open them and now keep my earrings in all the time.
So what about you, ladies? Who actually changes her jewelry with every outfit? Who loves to buy jewelry?
I do like jewelry, but matching jewelry to my outfit never even occurred to me! I tend to wear the same rings/bracelets/watch no matter what my outfit I've chosen . . . .
ReplyDeleteJoan, thanks for writing the rice pudding recipe on the blog yesterday. It does sound simple to make. I will try it out and let you know if I succeed.
DeleteHappy to share, Judy . . .
DeleteI like jewelry on other people. I can't have anything touch my bare neck and I let my ear closed, so no earrings for me.
ReplyDeleteI do pick through earrings to go with what I'm wearing, but it's all artisan stuff I or my husband have purchased at an artisan fair here or there - pieces that go well with jeans. :-) I have a few better pieces with necklaces that I wear for birthday or anniversary dinners. For some reason, I've never gotten into bracelets, and my only rings are my wedding ring and silver anniversary ring (which will serve, too, for our golden anniversary coming up at the end of this year.)
ReplyDeleteRhys: no, you definitely need a matching gold one!
DeleteAt the beginning of the pandemic I realized I needed to wear earrings so my ears didn't close up.
ReplyDeleteSo I chose a pair of earrings I never wore before - why did I even own them?
I still wear them nearly every day!
Rhys: I wear the same pair for months!
DeletePeople think I have matching jewelry, but I don’t. I like big necklaces, smallish earrings, and don’t wear bracelets. No rings, other than my wedding ring.
ReplyDeleteI wear dangly silver earrings every day - I don't feel dressed without them - and the same silver-and-turquoise rings and tiny silver necklace. Necklaces are, as Hank said, for Zoom and conferences. Bracelets, which I like, are for summer only.
ReplyDeleteOh, and if anyone wants to see pix from and hear about my Puerto Rico trip, my report is up over at the Wicked Authors today. https://wickedauthors.com/2023/02/27/joy-in-the-tropics/
DeleteThank you for that lovely word + photo tour through your Puerto Rico trip, Edith. What a wonderful time at a joyous occasion!
DeleteThank you, Amanda. It was truly joyous.
DeleteThank you Edith for sharing the link to this fabulous occasion with your loved ones.
DeleteDanielle
Edith, you are right. I do wear jewelry for Zooms sometimes! And I loved seeing your Puerto Rico pix!
DeleteEdith, I've noticed that you have lovely jewelry, including necklaces from your conference pics.
DeleteI wore all types of artsy jewelry when I was young and I still have most of it. I do have nice jewelry that Irwin has given to me for birthdays and anniversaries over the years and I have inherited nice things, too. I got out of the habit of wearing it during the pandemic and besides that, dressing up is a rare event these days. The other thing is how little attention I wish to draw to my neck. But, I do wear jewelry if the occasion calls for it although there is a lot in the safe deposit box at the bank that never goes out any more.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite jobs was working in the jewelry department of Service Merchandise, a big box style department store. We combined my birthday, Hanukah, Mother's Day and Anniversary on some years for special gifts back then.
Rhys: isn’t that sad, Judy? I have some in the safe deposit box too! I keep meaning to get it out and give it to my girls
DeleteI’m a jewelry fanatic, I buy jewelry as souvenirs and at craft shows, and I have a friend who makes jewelry too. I love vintage pièces. I gratefully receive jewelry as gifts (I pick it out, my significant other pays for it). I don’t wear as much as when I was working but I do think the key is to not think of it as being only for special occasions - we all benefit from some sparkle in our daily lives!
ReplyDeleteMy name’s Debra and I live in Ontario Canada.
Debra, I recently found a small necklace --a little gold charm on a thin gold chain--in the bottom of my jewelry box. I've been wearing it every day for the sparkle :-)
DeleteYes, Debra and Flora, that sparkle is so important for us and to share! Elisabeth
DeleteI can appreciate some jewelry worn by someone else. The only time I went shopping in a jewelry store was fifty years ago when my husband and I bought our wedding rings, simple golden bands.
ReplyDeleteI own some jewelries mostly given to me but my skin is too sensitive to wear them.
The only item I wear all year round is my pair of gold earrings and I only take them off to take X-rays.
Danielle
Rhys: Danielle, I have become allergic to anything other than gold!
DeleteFrom Celia: Jewelry- what a lot of memories. Teen age years in Ghana with clip on earings made of ceramic, decorated with tiny flowers. I had several pairs with flowers to match pretty cotton dresses. London work life with a string of graduated pearls. This was our uniform. Marriage with a wedding ring but the engagement ring came later and now I wear no jewelry unless I go out. I don’t like bracelets but have a gold one. 21st birthday gift from my grandfather. Tiffany tear drop earrings, always my go to pair. Eternity ring for dress up. Not sure I’ll ever get back to wearing it every day.
ReplyDeleteCelia, I have sentimental
DeletePieces I wear on special occasions too. I enjoy looking at time, remembering where they came from ( Rhys)
I wear my hair in a short pixie cut. Because of that, I feel like I really NEED to wear earrings, and I do so every day. Many days they are small and flush to my ears but I still also wear the dangly ones a lot even now. Other jewelry wearing has dropped off a lot since the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteRhys; I wish I could wear dangly earrings, Susan. I love the look of them on other people. But they hurt me!
DeleteI used to wear jewelry when I was working in downtown Toronto & Ottawa in the 1980s & 1990s but basically stopped after that, so I have a drawerful of unworn pieces. I never got my ears pierced. I kept my mom's pearl brooch & got her pearl necklace re-strung last year but haven't worn them.
ReplyDeleteRhys: I’m a little scared to wear my mother’s favorite pieces, Grace
DeleteI wore the same necklack for ages until I took it off for an MRI, put it in my pocket, and it disappeared. I'm really disappointed, because it was a little gold and silver chain The Hubby brought back from his deployment to Iraq years ago. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI never take off my wedding/engagement rings because, well, it's a pain. Same with a new sappire and diamond band I bought to replace the 3-stone diamond ring I used to have (and I'm 95% sure was stolen, grr).
Other than that, I don't wear jewelry on a regular basis. If I go out, I have a couple pairs of cubic zirconia earrings I wear. "Fancy" jewelry only comes out for events, like Malice.
But Julia, my Gen Z daughter loves classic jewelry, so if she'll be first in line at those sales!
DeleteLiz, I feel your pain! I too have lost precious to me items. The worst was my grandmother’s engagement ring that slipped off my finger in a supermarket ( I suspect frozen section). I hunted and hunted, left a description and promised a reward but it never showed up. Rhys
DeleteThis is reminding me of all the sentimental pieces I’ve lost over the years - always traveling - sniff
ReplyDeleteRhys: me too, Hallie. Now I have some I’m scared to wear
DeleteMy older sister. She's the one with jewelry for every special occasion, for everyday wear, but no daughters to pass it on to and both daughters-in-law have their own jewelry style. My ears won't stay pierced unless I wear earrings 24/7, which I don't like to do, and Hank, clip-ons pinch so badly, I don't wear them. I was never big on bracelets and have one or two necklaces I wear infrequently (except see above comment to Debra). But I do love to look at jewelry--artisan-made especially.
ReplyDeleteRhys: mine almost closed up during Covid so I had to try and get them
DeleteOpen again. Ouch!
I have a lot of cool jewelry I've picked up from different places, but some of it screams '80s because that's when I did most of my traveling.
ReplyDeleteMy mother would be aghast because most of it is costume jewelry which would prompt her to say, "But what do you have after all? Really?" Well, Mom, I may not be able to hock it someday, but I have a conversation piece.
The tasteful gold necklace? Nope. Not unless I hang the giant crystal on it. The string of real pearls I usually only wear with my Die Hard Christmas sweater? No one ever notices the pearls.
But the silver, maybe-Sterling Celtic horse medallion on a silk cord necklace? The one I bought at a booth at a rodeo? That's what people comment on. Every. Single. Time.
I'm so sorry about the cruise. I hope you're feeling better.
Rhys: Rhonda, I love looking at jewelry booths at fairs. I have sometimes bought pieces but when I put it on it’s not me!
DeleteI always thought I was the only person in the world who didn't have pierced ears! I have to remember to wear my wedding and engagement rings when I go someplace other than the library, grocery store, or gym. My millennial daughters work from home at least half the week and no longer bother with jewelry.
ReplyDeleteRhys: I wonder if working from home will change jewelry sales overall? But then back in the fifties housewives got dressed up to go shopping!
DeleteI love hearing from my sister non-pierces! I wonder why we made that decision?
ReplyDeleteHank, I had my ears pierced when I was fourteen by family friends in Mexico City. Ouch! The piercing guns they use now are so much better!!
DeleteI had my ears pierced after I was married because clip ons hurt me. My mother had said ‘only gypsies wear pierced ears! Rhys
DeleteScarred for life when a girl in my junior high gym class ripped her earlobe while she did a forward roll wearing her big gold hoop earrings.
DeleteI am allergic to nickel, and so can't wear most gold jewelry because the nickel content is too high. I'm sure that's saved me a lot of money over the years. I can wear silver but even my ears are sensitive to that, which is a trial because I love earrings. I do love bracelets and have a couple of very nice artisan pieces that have languished during the pandemic, so I'm trying to get in the habit of wearing them again.
ReplyDeleteI'm allergic to nickel as well. I can wear high carat white gold so I can wear my wedding and engagement rings, but most of my jewellery sits in a box. For my anniversary my dear husband bought me a Maori greenstone necklace on a cord which is perfect and I love it.
DeleteI love jewelry, especially rings and earrings. The only necklaces I wear are a drop dead gorgeous fire opal and diamond drop my children gave me for my 60th birthday, or a gold locket my grandmother gave me for my 5th birthday. All those artsy fartsy goes with one outfit necklaces are in a drawer somewhere. Rings I alternate although all the good diamonds I’ve given to my daughter and granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteEarrings I wear every day, and I will wear the same pair for weeks until I get the urge to change. Currently I’m loving some Zuni inlay that Julie brought me from a business trip to Phoenix, probably from that same airport gift shop that Deb loves
Rhys: Ann, I’ve given away a lot of good stuff too. It didn’t make sense I have it lying in a drawer and my daughters actually wear jewelry!
DeleteAnother here who had to coax earrings back into the nearly closed holes. Almost two years without wearing them.
ReplyDeleteA little over a year ago my middle daughter, now 38, got her ears pierced. When she was visiting she mentioned that she was trying to expand her earring wardrobe (engineer, not very girly), so we sat down and chose some from my collection. She was most taken with the funky big brass cartouche and painted leather hoops I bought from Pier One in the late 1970s. I hadn't worn them in eons, so was happy to pass them on, and she loves them.
My own mother has done the same with me, my sister, and my former sister-in-law--who has since been replaced twice, so Mother quit handing out the good stuff to my brother's wives. Mother was married (and widowed) three times, each time to someone who bought her better jewelry. I have the magnificent garnet ring my dad bought her, the gaudy diamond cocktail ring her second husband bought, and the pearl set her third husband gave her, plus others, including a lot of trinkets she bought from QVC. And I wear the wedding ring my dad gave her, since my own got too small.
My friends and I have all bought jewelry from the Cincinnati-originated auction site, Everything But the House. Some really gorgeous pretties there, and sometimes you can get excellent bargains.
When I travel I like to find necklaces for the three daughters, similar but not identical. Not expensive, but interesting. Holly wears the one I bought her in Prague every time I see her.
I love arty pieces and will buy them when I see them, but then they languish in a drawer. My first real job was with an Italian gold jewelry company - in addition to the price of gold being less than $100/ounce at the time, we got enormous discounts. I bought jewelry for everyone for and a few pieces for myself. When we left Maine in 2011, I decided it was time to part with the gold I never wore and sold it. I did keep some earrings, but once I stopped working in an office, I stopped wearing the earrings and...yep - piercings closed. I may have to fix that as I still love my gold hoops and turquoise pieces.
ReplyDeletehmmm jewelry.. I have mixed feelings. Ever since I learned about "blood diamonds", I do not like to wear diamonds. However, I have costume jewelry like a copy of the blue sapphire engagement ring that Lady Diana received when she became engaged. I have a pearl choker. I have a pearl necklace.
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother had a tiara and she decided to get rid of it when the family settled in America because "tiara was too old fashioned". She wanted to be very modern.
There is a Christmas pin that my cousin made for me many years ago. She died three years ago from stage 4 cancer. I still wear it.
There was a lady on the London Underground train who gave me her beautiful pin. I was sitting across from her and her friend when she gave it to me. No idea why. I still have it. And I bought a little cameo pin from the gift shop at Althorp Hall.
Only time I wear jewelry is for family gatherings or for formal events.
Diana
When I worked I wore jewelry everyday. Not bracelets, because they'd get bashed up on my desk. I've never worn earrings and don't have any desire to. I had quite a variety of necklaces as some were souvenirs my mother-in-law picked up on her travels. Some were ones I picked up on our trips. Frank bought me some for birthdays, etc. I offered some of the funky ones to my granddaughter like the scarab necklace from Egypt and the anti-evil eye from Turkey. After retirement I wore jewelry only for special occasions. And now I rarely wear jewelry at all. I need to start wearing things again, even if it's with tee shirts and sweats.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in the Samburu region of Kenya we talked to our guide Joseph, who has guided my daughter and son-in-law six times now, about the jewelry he wears every day. Beaded bracelets, anklets, and neckpieces, and a gold chain that loops over his ears and is draped across his chin. From his description, it sounds similar to the practice of Indian women of wearing all their wealth in gold jewelry, as Rhys referenced. Even the herders walking with the cattle in the middle of nowhere wear fabulous beaded embellishments. It's not for the tourists; it's for their own pleasure.
ReplyDeleteSamburu, by the way, are related in an ancient way to the Masaii, who also wear a lot of colorful beaded accessories.
Except in the shower or when asleep, my ears are never without earrings. Two reasons: in 1964 a friend entered a Roman Catholic run nursing school in NYC. First day lecture from the nun nurse instructor: NO EARRINGS ON THE WARDS! Followed by this aside: “but do put them in before you go out on the street. You don’t want the wind to whistle through your ears.” Second reason, during my very rough patch, a friend exclaimed, “Oh good you have your earrings in. You must feels better.” Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI like jewelry but rarely wear any because I am always baking. When I go out I do try to remember to put earrings on. Other jewelry is for special occasions.
ReplyDeleteI don’t wear yellow gold because it looks ghastly on my skin tone. So I have some silver but mostly faux jewelry. I inherited a ring from each grandmother that are white gold.
My most commonly worn earrings are a pair of small silver hoops with a woven texture. I lost one in the grocery store last year and someone actually found & turned it in. The awesomeness of living in a small town.
I do love jewelry, but I rarely wear any. I need to get my wedding band, engagement ring, and diamond from my parents re-sized, and I vow (hehehe) to do that this year. I have a beautiful amethyst ring I bought from Kaye Barley that was her mother's. And, I lost a gorgeous ring that was custom made (I've been looking for 3 or 4 years for it). I enjoy wearing seasonal, quirky earrings, like for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. I've recently bought some special earrings and a pin for this year's Bouchercon. And, I think earrings, pretty ones, can really set off an outfit and give you a polished look. Necklaces are lovely, but I can't seem to coordinate those as well as I'd like. And, pins, I adore pins like used to be worn by women on their sweaters or coats or whatever. If I wasn't afraid of pins tearing clothing, I'd wear them all the time. But, while I enjoy looking at the pretty babbles, I've never been one to want it as presents.
ReplyDeleteNow, that I've stated my admiration for jewelry, I admit my fingers are bare, and I've only recently started wearing earrings out to something. Of course, I've only recently started going to anything. I hope by Bouchercon, I can get in the habit of wearing some jewelry again.
Although I never liked earrings or bracelets, I loved the others and bought lots on my trips and even in local gift shops. Now I only wear them when I go out because jewelry doesn't work well with housework, gardening, or exercising. Also, I got rid of rings that caught on everything, pendants and necklaces that have those horrible tiny catches that I can't work by myself, and other jewelry that was hard to manage. I just wore a wooden painted butterfly pin to church and always wear my rings when I go out. I have 2 large and 2 small jewelry boxes so I should prune some more. I had some things my deceased brother gave me that I couldn't manage anymore. I couldn't bear to just put them in the church yard sale so I gave them to Bob's friend who has a wife, 2 daughters, and 2 granddaughters who knew Bob.
ReplyDelete