I think this hosta wants to be a chandelier when it grows up. Great pic!

Thank you all again...it is a precious "tree" for me ...and it brings back lots of good memories...like the heart-shaped gold & pewter pc was given to me by my grandma many yrs ago...it opens up & has our pics inside & my g'pa's too. And that silly Texas shaped pin left of the tree trunk is a junky pc from Texas...my folks wintered there after retirement...that silly colorful peacock feather you see right of the trunk is a from a pair of earrings when I got to go down & visit them in Texas once! (in the middle of an Iowa winter! It was heaven!) And the trinket angel pin...my Mom wore them on lots of things...scarfs, lapels, etc. I could rattle on a long time with you all! But I am pleased that it has inspired some of you with ideas for your keepsakes. Thanks for looking. Jeanne S.

What I fun thread! I'm late to the party but a few thoughts. 1) Re the poster above: I think pearls, and diamonds, do go with anything. I would say though, that right now, white pearls are less popular. I say this as someone with quite a large collection of them; they were always my favorite. But in the last five years or so I pretty much only wear my oversized grey south seas pearls. 2) In re "investment". Sorry, not really, not at all. Jewelery has some of the most egregious markups in retail. It can go in and out of fashion, also potentially eroding value. And it can be easily damaged. We recently liquidated a family estate, and I was shocked to hear that some of the diamond rings were quite highly devalued because "they had been worn 'too often' and had damage (not visible to the eye". That was news to me, that I am damaging my diamond by wearing it. 3) Girls and jewelry. My girls were both born very close to Christmas. The thought of trying to buy them gifts just a few weeks later was maddening and wasteful. So, starting when the first turned one and second was newborn, I buy them each a piece of fine jewelry each birthday. They cannot wear it -- it is kept in a safe -- but they get a great deal of enjoyment from it just the same (every few months they beg us to take it out and try it on). They will receive the jewelry to wear on their 16th birthday. I try to buy "timeless" things, and items I can see both a 16yo and a 46yo wear. 4) Watches. I wear mine for decorative purposes. In fact, given how wildly expensive the maintenance is on luxury watches (several hundred dollars every 2-3 years), I am considering letting them go and using them only for jewelry! What a crock these sellers are. 5) Everyday jewelry. I wear my engagement ring and wedding band. Usually with diamond studs but I have a lot of earrings I switch out. My engagement ring is a round diamond in a square basket setting, copied from my grandmother's ring. I lost my wedding ring, which was a rolling ring with two gold bands and one pave diamond band. I lost it about 18 months ago, but I kept thinking it would show up. I am so bummed. I just recently bought a plain gold Cartier wedding band with the little screw motif. It's simple but a little different, and it goes with my favorite daytime watch, which is the iconic gold/stainless Cartier tank with the little screws. This thread needs photos!

Seller is doing a bad/fraud deal. Fashion Jewelry classification can be cheap knock off and pot metal silver toned or colored, nickle/silver and sterling even gold plated sterling can be classified as Fashion Jewelry but it is not sterling if it is not marked STERLING Seller is in violation of EBay rules If it isn't .925 silver, it CANNOT be called STERLING in any way, shape or form. It is "silver tone" or "silver colored" NOT sterling. Sterling silver most always has the word sterling stamped into it somewhere but not always. Some hand wrought vintage pieces are not marked Sterling and Should never be bought online without a certificate of authenticity by the seller. Selling fashion jewelry as STERLING Silver is fraud. She misrepresented the item and you should ask for a full refund, report her to Ebay and if you paid thru Pay Pal refute the payment. Item misrepresented is a serious charge just make sure you have saved the pages and the description and every bit of info about the bracelet she posted and get pics of the item you received to show it is not as described. If she requests it back before she refunds send it signature required and/or tracked so you have proof she received it. People who lie about one thing will usually lie about another. Good Luck Vintage STERLING Silver Brooch collecting is one of my passions. I do many nice deals on Ebay for brooches and other vintage sterling things. Please sent the auction # to my email. I want to make sure I don't buy from a fraud seller. CT