Nifty Thrifties

I’ve been negligent in sharing some of my better thrift picks. Largely because the weather has been so dull and grim that it hasn’t been easy to get good photos or because I’ve been working so much that I haven’t had the time to properly research them. But at the same time, I can’t wait any longer to share these babies. Starting with the silver brutalist chrysoberyl ring pictured above. Who made it? When was it made? That I can’t tell you.

For the longest time, a pair of gold drops were my signature earring. I started out in high school with a pair of vintage gold plated pendants. Once I started making some money, I treated myself to a 14k set.  Then, when I quit my job and was struggling I sold them. Last week I was contemplating going to one of those Yonge Street jewellery arcades to replace them. So it was a kismetty dream when I found these 18k drops at the Value Village (and they were 30 percent off to boot).

Speaking of the Value Village, earlier this fall, I also found these 14k shell cameo earrings.

And dig these super glam, rhinestone and enamel panther bracelets. If I ever find myself on a red carpet again, these bangles are all I need to pass for formal.

Same thing goes for this Art Deco, celluloid snake bypass bracelet (with a little TLC of course).

This Edwardian engraved gilt brooch was another rare thrift shop find. I wish I could keep them all. But I’ve been toying with the idea of selling everything except for the most historically important jewels. Its not that I value designer or expensive things over fun things. But I need some sort of categorization to help me decide what to keep and what what to send back into the world for someone else to enjoy.