Today's purchase = my first purchase from Notonthehighstreet.com

I just got home from a typical Monday at work and I was pleasantly surprised to find a parcel on the doorstep. It was my new earrings from Lisa Angel [via Notonthehighstreet.com]. I ordered them on the 26th of Feb, they were dispatched on the 28th, and arrived today - not too bad! My first purchase from NOTHS.com and I'm impressed so far. 

Since getting my new pearl studs for Valentine's day I have rediscovered a forgotten love of stud earrings. I've only worn earrings [and dangly ones at that] in my primary holes for many years, neglecting my second set of pierced holes, but last weekend I decided to try earrings in them again. They had healed over a little bit, but I sorted that out [ouch] and I needed a pair of studs to keep them open again. I searched high and low, looking for a tiny pair of studs before discovering Lisa Angel on NOTHS.com. They came in Small, Medium, and Large, so I got the small ones and to be honest, they are still too big for what I wanted them for, so I'll have to begin the search again. I've got my eye on a pair though, so watch this space. 

They came in two lovely illustrated paper bags, inside a jiffy bag, inside a nicely illustrated box. They are listed as "turquoise" and "onyx" [two of my favourite stones] but they feel very light, so I'm not sure what they're actually made of, but they were only £9 a pair, so I'm not feeling cheated. They have sterling silver posts, I believe. 

Anyway, enough of my rambling, here are some photos for you, because that's what you really want. Oh, and I must not forget to do some links for you lovely people. 

Watch out for lots of posts coming up, I've got so many lovely things to show you and I've made plans for future posts, but I don't want to drown you with lots and lots of information, so I'm trying to play it cool. But before I go, I can at least share with you what other jewellery I wore to work today... I wore... 

My favourite earrings from Alexis Dove: Belle Hook Earrings in gold vermeil. Seriously, if you ever only buy one thing from Alexis Dove [which I do not recommend - buy LOTS of things from her instead] then these would be an excellent choice. They are so, so very pretty and I get compliments on them all the time. They are very unusual in their shape but they are just wonderful. I wear mine all the time. This picture is borrowed from Alexis Dove [also link to earrings]. They can be yours for £105. Not my ones though, no, they're mine. 

What else did I wear? Oh yes, I wore this ring, also from Alexis Dove [link]. £90. It's very dainty and pretty. I wore it on my ring finger instead of my engagement ring. 

I wore my usual silver rings too [cat ring and 3 handmade silver bands] and this mushroom necklace from Alex Monroe... 

It doesn't look like it's currently for sale on the Alex Monroe website, but here is a picture of it [it's sterling silver with 18k rose gold plate and 5 x 1mm diamonds on top]. It was about £180, I think. 

So there we have it, I really will go now, but I hope you enjoyed having a look at these lovely, pretty things; thanks for reading. 

L. x

A blog is born (and I buy cat ring)...

>> This is cat ring. Made of sterling silver with a 1.5mm band. Cat ears included. Can be found HERE at Silverado.

So, what’s been happening? Well. On the 1st of June, 2013 (today) I started this awesome new website and blog. I also purchased a new piece of jewellery. Oh yes. Today managed to find a piece of jewellery to combine two of the things I love - jewellery and cats. Introducing THE CAT RING. When, where, how? And the story begins... 

We went to Lewes today for lunch (which actually turned into an early dinner) and I can’t go to Lewes without a visit to Silverado. I looked at lots of lovely things whilst there including pieces by my favourite jewellery designer Alex Monroe (you’ll see a lot about this brand on this blog). I also looked at and tried on rings by Monica Vinader, all of which were stunning. I can’t find pictures of all the rings I tried on but I’ll post pictures of some of them (images taken from Monica Vinader website).

This is the Siren Cocktail Ring. It’s big, it’s beautiful and it’s only £190. It is made from 18ct Gold plated vermeil on sterling silver with an organic shaped multifaceted Aqua Chalcedony. It milkiness of the stone was just beautiful and the ring had a lovely feel to it. Check out the website to have a look at it from different angles - I’m super fussy about settings and this one has a beautiful back. The band is approximately 3mm and comes in sizes K-T. 

This beauty is the Medina Facet Ring. Also made from 18ct Gold plated vermeil on sterling silver but this time set with a green gold quartz. £145. This setting has a closed back which makes the colour look more saturated. The gem stone comes out quite far which makes this ring quite a statement piece. They also had it in black onyx, but I can’t get that selection on the website - possibly sold out? The actual ring is has a nice hammered texture. 

Introducing... the stacking rings. These rings come in various sizes, shapes, and colours and are designed to be worn together in a stack. I held a few of these today (the ones pictured) and they are very delicate and so very sparkly. From left to right we have the Siren stacking set with citrine, then the Siren small stacking with white topaz, and another Siren stacking in Amethyst. Finally there is a stacked set - this particular set doesn’t do it for me, but only because I’m not a fan of wide bands. I also like a combination of metals when stacking. I can’t wait to add one of these to my collection. Here’s a link to the stacking ring collection. 

Whilst in Silverado I also checked out Alexis Dove’s latest pieces. There were four pieces that I actually held/tried on and they were all of a lovely weight and fantastic quality. As a result I’ve actually e-mailed Alexis to ask if she would consider making me a bespoke ring - I’ll keep you updated. Here are the things I looked at... 1) Foxy Ring. 2) Little Owl Ribbon Pendant. 3) Wild Rose Tiny Ring. 4) Wild Rose Large Ring. 

After our lunch/dinner we took a stroll around some of the antique shops in Lewes. I went in to look at some of the jewellery and I was pleasantly surprised. There were beautiful vintage cameos and art deco style rings, ranging from £6 to £165. The owner didn’t know what any of the stones were, which is a shame; I’ll just have to start learning my gems! 

I think that’s enough for my first entry, I don’t want to scare you all off. Come back soon for another entry! 

L. x