If I had £1,000 to spend on jewellery right now…

If I had £1,000 to spend on jewellery right now, what would I pick? Hmmm... tricky one. 

This is a blog post that I've had in my drafts for a while because this is not an easy question. What would I pick, right now, for £1,000? I don't think it would be very interesting to just pick one item because it would be a pretty short answer [it would be Alex Monroe's 8mm Hoya ring in morganite - see, quick!]. So let me have a think... 

1. A gold scalloped button bracelet by Lindsay Pearson - £197. Solid gold and very, very cute. This charming bracelet has been on my wish list for a number of years. £803 left... 

2. This heartbeats necklace by Erica Weiner. Thunder only happens when it's raining. Fleetwood Mac and jewellery, in the same thing? YES. £37 / £766 remaining. 

3. This vintage Chanel gold medallion necklace. £625. Every jewellery fanatic should own a classic Chanel piece and I think this one is wonderful. This leaves me with £141. 

4. These opal teardrop studs by Alexis Russell. £136. I am a little obsessed with opal at the moment and I think that these studs are perfect. I love the simplicity of the claw and the beautiful cut of the teardrop. Magnificent. That leaves me with £5... 

5. With a whole £5 to spare, I think I'll spend it on something fun like a friendship bracelet. I like them and wear one or two at any given time. Here is a nice looking one from Etsy for less than £5, leaving me with some change for a boiled sweet. 

So there we have it; five items for less than £1,000. I'm good! 

I hope you've seen something that you like. G'night. 

Oh, wait, here's the 8mm Hoya, just in case you're interested... #swoon. 

L. x 

Digby & Iona - my favourites

Happy Sunday! The weekend is here, the daffodils are starting to show their faces, and the sun is trying to peek out from behind the clouds. We went rummaging around antique shops yesterday to find goods for my new Etsy shop - The Velveteen Box [Trinket Box], we also had a hot chocolate and a sausage roll and it was a lovely day. 

But enough about all of that, I am here today to share one of my favourite jewellery houses with you [I did mention them back in 201]... Digby and Iona. One of my wedding rings is from D&I and I just love their quirky style. Here are some of my favourite pieces... 

The Ambro .70ct. 
This stunning example of a watermelon tourmaline speaks directly to my heart. I am hoping that 2015 is the year that I own a watermelon tourmaline and it may be in the shape of this ring, who knows? This ring is made from 18k rose gold and has D&I's wonderful wave engraving on the band. Perfection. $1330. 

Here's a sneaky picture of another one of D&I's watermelon tourmalines, this time an aqua coloured version...

Convict love token necklace. This charming necklace is exactly that - charming. It can be personalised with your and your partner's initials, which I think is just lovely. It is made from oxidised bronze and comes on a rope [I'm not too keen on the rope - I'd put it on a chain]. As with most of D&I's designs, there's a lovely history to accompany it. $190 with initials, $150 without. 

Ouroboros signet ring. Anyone who knows me knows that mixed metals are my thing. I've been mixing my metals since a time when it was not considered the done thing and items like this signet ring make me happy. The snake also helps. Snake jewellery is wonderful. The signet ring is made from sterling silver and the snake is solid 14k rose gold that has been inset. It's a pretty big, statement piece, but I think it's beautiful. $280. 

Mens wave band. We discovered, when shopping for The Husband's wedding ring, that it is surprisingly difficult to find interesting bands for men. There are trays upon trays of plain bands, with absolutely no character and seeing something like this band from D&I makes me smile. I think it would make a perfect wedding band. $920. 

Battle diagram ring. Another one for the men; the battle diagram ring. I think it's very interesting and again, would make a lovely wedding band. Sterling silver. $150. 

Boat wave studs. These lovely little studs match the above rings perfectly. $360. 

There we have it, some beautiful pieces from this lovely brand. Perfect if you're looking for that vintage sailor look. 

Until next time, folks... 

L. x

My top ten stud earrings for under £100.

Good evening folks. It's Wednesday [I thought it was Thursday for a second - ouch!] and this evening's blog is My top ten stud earrings for under £100. For this mission I am going to use some of my favourite retailers [i.e. the links will not be to the e-shops of the designers]. Let's go...! 

1. Silver forget-me-not earrings by Alex Monroe, from Astley Clarke. £78 [£96 in 18 carat gold vermeil]. I love how dainty they are and I also really like nature-inspired jewellery. Pretty. 

2. Silver bunny stud earrings by Alexis Dove, from Silverado. £48. Cute as a button! What's not to love? Bunnies... silver... jewellery - check! 

3. Gold and ruby dot stud earrings by Embers, from Notonthehighstreet.com. £34.75. I really like the warmth of the ruby in the yellow gold, it's such a great combination. The natural texture of the gold is also a lovely selling point. 

4. Trillion cut stud earrings in labradorite by Amrapali for Dinny Hall, from John Lewis. £75. Trillion cut labradorite? THAT, my friends, is why these made the list. Such a fabulous cut and something from Dinny Hall had to make it. 

5. Astrid studs in black garnet by Katie Diamond, from Catbird NYC. $150 [£90]. Look how pointy they are! Oooo. 

6. Copper circle earrings by Lovely Pigeon, from Hannah Zakari. £18. These are made from brushed copper and formica with silver plated posts. On the cheaper side of the scale but I think they're just lovely. 

7. Turquoise sonatina earrings by Astley Clarke Colour, from Astley Clarke. £75. Turquoise is one of my favourite stones and here it is set in 18 carat yellow gold vermeil. A brilliant way to add colour to your day. 

8. Herkimer diamond solitaire studs from [and by] Erica Weiner. $110 [£65]. As with all Erica Weiner jewellery there is a story that goes with these, so please go to the website and check them out. I think these are wonderful; I have a thing for "rough" stones. 

9. This one is another one that comes straight from the designer's website because I can't find a retailer that stocks this particular brand - Alison Macleod. They were too cute to not include. Just like little pearl studs. £32. 

10. Lastly, I have Pink floral earrings by Les Nereides, from ASOS. £34 [currently on sale from £59]. Les Nereides is one of my favourite "not forever" designers. Their pieces are made from plated brass, and to me that means that they won't last [boooo] which is a shame because their stuff is just amazingly beautiful. Anyway, enough of my rambling, you want to see the studs! 

So there we have it, 10 beautiful pairs of stud earrings. Which ones are your favourites? Please comment below. 

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the week, everyone! 

L. x

p.s. Today I wore my Alexis Dove belle hook earrings, my mushroom necklace from Alex Monroe, my engagement ring, cat ring, 3 x silver rings, and a classic gold Casio watch. That's all folks. 

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