Lily

All of my antiques are from a variety of places, whether it be Etsy, eBay, Instagram, or a random little antique arcade in England. Really the key to a good collection is being aware of all of those things and refreshing all those apps pretty much 100% of the time. You’re on a date? Not as important as your eBay saved searches… All of my contemporary jewelry MUST be silver (modern gold seriously does not tickle my fancy) and must make me look like a butch biker chick. There’s a real dualistic nature to my jewelry collection- on the one hand it’s “don’t touch me” and on the other hand it’s “I’m super emotional because I'm wearing history” That being said, perhaps my most treasured piece is a modern memorial necklace by Maggie Cross made from my mother’s hair, never leave the house without it.

My antiques provide a touchstone to the past that I think is irreplaceable. Many types of antiques can do the same, but I started collecting jewelry because there is a tangible attachment to a human, and specifically to their body. Whether it be a mourning ring that has the name of the person inscribed in it, or a poesy ring from someone’s betrothal, or even the fact that the ring has a size- that’s the size of someone’s finger from hundreds of years ago!

My most prized ring is my Medieval Saint George iconographic ring depicting him slaying a very noodle-y dragon. I've always loved Saint George and I think it stems from when I was a kid and my parents took me to the National Gallery in London. When I was there I remember seeing Uccello’s Saint George and the Dragon and maybe possibly being a little weirded out in my six year old brain. The image kinda stuck with me, and I know that sounds corny, so it’s probably only me justifying how much I spent on this ring.

The bottom line is history is my biggest passion, and antique jewelry is one of the only things I can collect from history that doesn’t (completely) break the bank, and that I can carry around with me all the time.

With that in mind, I think there are some fantastic pieces in our collection that break the bank even less than their antique counterparts. My personal favorite modern options are our secret message acrostic rings, my favorite combo is Sapphire, Hematite, Iolite, and Turquoise.

Another favorite piece is the Handclasp Buildable Charm Necklace, our jeweler Lucy carved that lil hand and its so amazing! This necklace is the best just so you can show off all your antique charms, without having to spend thousands on an antique 14k chain. And in a slightly different vein, I love the snake threader because I like wearing earrings but I hate taking them out at night, and this one feels like nothing when your head is against a pillow.