I took this picture back in 2004. Wedding ring and London Blue topaz with diamonds. Oldest and still my favorites. My wedding ring is a replacement for the first one that I lost.

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is the Charles Revson Love Bracelet that I bought in 1970. In 1970 Aldo Cipullo, designer of the Cartier Love bracelet, partnered with Charles Revson and Cartier, founder of Revlon cosmetics, to release an electroplated Love bracelet. I think it was $20.00 when I bought it. I hadn't worn it for many years. With the popularity of the Cartier Love Bracelet, I decided to dig it out. It is still in the original box, and I have the little screw driver and extra screw that goes with it. Imagine my surprise to find that it is now worth between $600-$900. It looks just like the real Cartier Love Bracelet.

http://p2.la-img.com/1644/33658/13675390_1_l.jpg

https://dtpmhvbsmffsz.cloudfront.net/posts/2015/03/04/54f7ea917fab3a3fe90024bd/s_54f7eaf678b31c29db0024c5.jpg

Wow LucyStar1! I have a real Cartier Love Bracelet and feel happy I was able to purchase it for $4500 several years ago. I would like another one but they are now $7200 with all the price increases.

At this point in my life, a personalized Russian ring pendant I had made with initials and birth dates in roman numerals. One of the rings has something else meaningful. I currently wear it all the time and switch out the chain for different lengths. I like that you can tell something's on the necklace but others can't read it. I do wish I would have had the back done the same as the front.

Examples.

I'm having a 3D waveform pendant made that also will have significant meaning.

Example. Mine will look different (obviously) and will be about an inch long.

Love them, Shee.. I have a number of pieces that have significant (and mostly hidden) meaning to me and it always brightens my day to wear them.

I thought so, Raven! Yes, turquoise is perfect for you. I tried wearing turquoise at one time but my green eye's, hair & skin color (light) just didn't cut it. Ironically, I found out about 3 years ago that I'm a quarter Native American. My maternal grandmother was full blood from a smaller tribe in N.C. A name I'd never heard of and I need to look it up again. For some odd reason my mother neglected to tell me this little tidbit before she passed away a few years ago.

Funky, I like the same kind of jewelry. A good friend had this necklace made for me at Christmas. I'm going to put it on a long silver ball chain I have and add more charms.

Compass and my initial. The compass has a special meaning between us. :)

What a very thoughtful and special gift, Oakley!

One of my Heather Moore charms has a compass rose on one side.. and a lotus blossom on the other.

ETA - just a word of warning on multiple charms. My charms are biggish-- and telatively heavy (I have 3 charms and a stone). Sometimes I jingle like I am wearing a dog collar lol.

I have this emerald pendant that was my maternal grandmother's. She told me it was given to her when she was 16 by a boy she was dating (not my grandfather). It's totally sentimental, quite delicate, and all the women in our family have worn it as their 'something old' in their weddings. I had to have a small repair made and bought a new chain many years ago when my mother gave it to me.

The ruby and gold ring was one of my first adult purchases at an estate sale. I still love to wear this ring.

This is probably my favorite piece, or at least the one I'm most fascinated by. It is a Prehnite pendant. Most prehnite I've seen is without inclusions, and often faceted, and it seems like the jewelry market seems to place value on the lack of inclusions. But the inclusions are exactly what I like about this piece. I call it my "pond scum" necklace, which doesn't sound very flattering, but I love the algae-like inclusions and the egg-white inclusion at the bottom right in the pic. The bright spot is a reflection from the silver backing of the pendant; that section of the stone is translucent.

This is my most worn jewelry item. After my daughter was born, I pretty much lost interest in futzing with jewelry every day. I wear this earring daily. They are two-tone white and yellow gold.

This is a necklace I've had since graduate school that I love.

And this is my belly dancing ring collection.

When our son was 6, DH took him out to buy a necklace for my birthday. DS wanted something that "matched" the ring DH had bought for me the day he was born (posted earlier here). This is the necklace they chose. Every green turquoise bead was hand-cut. The slider is a silver bear fetish with green turquoise inset.

Having lived here in New Mexico now for 34 years, I have a lot of Native American jewelry, but this large Navajo silver and turquoise wrist cuff is one of my very favorites.

Love those Lynn! Your beaded necklace reminds me that I had a silver rosary -- a gift from a friend who traveled with me to NM 25 yr ago. It was so lovely--each silver bead was a rose. Unfortunately it went missing on one of my moves. I stored it in a special antique embroidered coin purse (I know it sounds odd-- but it was really lovely and perfect for the rosary) The coin purse made it through the move-- but the rosary was missing! I should try to replace it-- wonder if the loretto chapel still sells it?!

Thank you all so much for sharing! What a fun thread this has turned out to be. Each piece is lovely and unique, and obviously highly personal to the wearer. I think it's so much fun to be able to adorn ourselves with such pretty things, and to that end, I'm very thankful for jewelry! :-)

Lynn, that last piece you shared just takes my breath away. The matrix in that turquoise is perfect, IMO. Is that Royston turquoise?

I swore up and down and left and right that I was not going to buy another piece of Navajo jewelry on our trip to Santa Fe last fall. Famous last words. Once I spied this cuff bracelet (made by a lovely couple seated outside the Palace of the Governors), I couldn't walk away. Well, actually I did walk away, and in the span of two blocks I talked myself into it -- good thing, as they had just sold the only other similar bracelet they had with them that day, and this one probably wouldn't have lasted long. I love the combination of silver, gold, and tiny beads, and this is fast becoming another one of my favorite, go-to pieces.

DH is the jewelry buyer in my family. He has always been interested in the artistry and history behind jewelry. This is one of my favorites - a vintage Art Deco carved crystal, diamond and ruby necklace. My jeweler thought it might be Lalique. Unfortunately the carving in the crystal doesn't show up very well in this photo.

that's so interesting, Maire. Very pretty

The smallest pair belonged to my great great grandmother, I think. 1905 "Mother" is my great grandmother, 1911 "Gertrude". and the one with the diamond were my great aunt's.

1905 was lost for months in the 1970s because the clasp is weak. My mom was driving by a friend's house and saw it lying near the curb the summer after it was lost at Christmastime. That's why it's all dented.

Oh, they are beautiful Pal..

Oh my goodness I am so glad you got it back and what a touching story. I did a double take when I saw those! I have the exact same pair! And I got mine probably around 1972 or so. I have not seen or worn them in years. I am pretty sure they are in my locked safe box but now I have to check! I should be wearing them.

Pal, are those rings or bracelets? They are stunning! Each one engraved. Wow.

I only have a couple pieces of jewelery that are special to me besides my wedding ring. One is a very inexpensive silver locket that was my grandmothers. It holds a pic of DH on one side and DS on the other. The other is a James Avery ring I wear almost everyday. I bought with babysitting money 33 years ago. It was only $35 at the time but it was my first "real" purchase of anything. They still sell the same design:

What an interesting topic. I love seeing all the various pieces that have special meaning to their owners - from the classics like the Tank watch or Tiffany setting to the modern 3D waveform pendant (I had to google that one).

Navajo jewelry isn't often seen in my area and I have several pieces from my Mother's side of the family who lived in NM. My aunt lived in Santa Fe and I remember walking along the Palace of the Governors as a child and seeing where the locals sold their jewelry. When she died she gave her Squash blossom necklace to my Mother, who passed it along to me. I've never worn it but treasure it for it's backstory. I have several turquoise rings and a cuff but the only piece I wear is a liquid silver and turquoise necklace that my mother gave me after her last visit home.

Maire

Maire, your necklace is absolutely stunning.

I am a jewelry whore. Whenever I enter an interesting/artsy shop, I go straight to the jewelry case. I have way too much, and yet I still want more. I have gotten more selective -- I mostly have unique jewelry made by artists, and a bunch of Tiffany stuff because DH likes shopping there. My 25th anniversary diamond band is my favorite from Tiffany. I also recently got an orange sapphire ring for my birthday from a local artist's shop. Those are the two things I wear every day.

Some of my favorite artists:

Anne Sportun: http://annesportun.com/

Dahlia Kanner: http://dahliakannerstudio.com/

This Etsy artist. https://www.etsy.com/shop/FavreBijoux

I have a few delicate beaded bracelets from this artist: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoonLabJewelry?ref=listing-shop2-all-items-count#items

And I have an amazing gold bracelet from this artist (50th bday gift...would love to have something else from them but might have to wait for my 100th bday): http://www.quadrumgallery.com/artist/reinstein-ross/page-3

Oh, and another favorite (told you I have a problem). I have a couple pairs of earrings from this artist that I wear a lot: http://www.danadavid.com/

Oakley they are bracelets.

The paired Victorian ones are tiny, but my great great grandmother and great grandmother wore them as adults.

The 1905 "Mother" was given to my great grandmother when my grandmother's oldest sibling was maybe 15, my grandmother was 5. Maybe for a birthday or Christmas? It's very plain because the kids bought it.

The other chased bracelets are newer, and Edwardian, I guess. My Aunt Gert may have been 21 or so in 1911?

My mother was given these because she was the oldest girl and she lived with her Aunt Gert during college. She is lucky they survived because Gert was a gambler and hocked lots of things she had been given as the oldest girl.

Ida, yes, it is Royston turquoise! It's a very large piece and I love the bold matrix in it. I am asked about it almost every time I wear it.

Sadly, I could start a whole new thread on favorite pieces that were lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair. :(

Pal, forgive me. I have the flu and taking a second look, of course they're bracelets! lol. Love the story.

I don't have any jewelry from Tiffany & Co, however I do have a prized item from the store. There's no Tiffany's in OK. ;)

About 35 or so years ago on a trip to NYC, I asked my mom if she'd stop by Tiffany's and buy me the most inexpensive item in the store, just for the heck of it.

This is what she brought home. Sorry for the extreme closeup. It's bigger than it looks.

Funky - that's absolutely depressing! I hope you treated yourself to some wonderful new pieces (non-allergenic of course).

Thanks Mtn and Marlene - I added an extender to the chain so that I could wear it with different necklines. Marlene - your Cartier watch is my absolute favorite - I've always wanted one. But DH gave me a Santos in steel with gold because he thought I'd like something sporty and I can't justify having two.

I always felt cheated having garnet as my birthstone - why couldn't I have been born in May or September? However things are looking up for January babe's - last month DH gave me a beautiful garnet for my birthday - it's a tsavorite garnet, a stunning emerald green and highly refractive. Much nicer than the typical reddish stones.

Maire

Maire-cate, I'm also a January baby, though unlike you I like garnets' usual red color. But the thing that makes garnets really awesome is how many colors they actually come in, as you've discovered. Every color but blue, I think, including some color change varieties. Orange spessartite garnets are gorgeous (not that they match my wardrobe.

Funky, I also have a metal allergy (nickel), though not as serious as yours, from what you said. I feel your pain. I tend to stick to silver for earring wires (hypoallergenic doesn't cut it), and avoid posts for the most part since the earring surface or back will often irritate even when the post itself does not. I've used wax (like auto wax) on the inside of some of my ethnic bracelets so that I can wear them. It puts a protective barrier between my skin and the metal, and keeps my sweat from reacting with the metal.

I've enjoyed seeing everyone's pics and hearing the stories behind them. I especially love the stories about treasured pieces that were lost and then recovered after all hope was lost.

I am a plain Jane when it comes to jewelry. Daily I wear my wedding rings, diamond stud earrings and either a diamond solitare necklace or a circle of life diamond necklace. On special occasions I add my late mother's diamond rings to my right hand and a simple diamond tennis bracelet. Also a Cape Cod bracelet never leaves my wrist (unless traveling-it sets off the detectors due to the magnetic closure. Who knew? For years I thought it was my underwire bra!) Does anyone remember Anneliese, who used to post at Great Impressions? She is again selling on Etsy. I own several of her pieces, my favorite being "Tilting at Windmills". Here is her shop: Annieliese from New Mexico and if you scroll down you'll see my necklace.

Bumped by known necrospam editor. ETA: spam removed.

How the hell is "Tamara Klein" allowed the "pro" designation here? All this phony baloney account ever contributes to the forums is random oddities that are obviously for the sole purpose of drawing attention to its carpet business.

@Tamara Klein - STOP IT.

LOL ... the “Tamara” profile pic is a stock photo.

_________________

I wonder if we have a Dan Trunkman on board yet?

Just keep flagging the spam. And go to the spammer's page and look at the previous activity and spam those if they are also spam.

Houzz needs to boot the spammers like this off. This one is a multiple offender, and yet they remain. I flag spam whenever I see it. That this one bears the "pro" designation seems to be something that Houzz would want to handle.

Just ignore. You can pretty much bet when one of these old theads is brought back to life, it's a spammer.

Ok, let’s reclaim this thread from the spammer queen. Here are a few of my pieces, all gifted to me by my family or belonging to my late mother and late MIL. I don’t wear such elaborate jewelry but all these have fond memories and association for me. All 22k gold and real stones, consistent with my South Indian heritage.

Garnet and pearls

Rubies

MIL’s diamond earrings and nose ring. (I can’t wear nose rings, as I don’t have a pierced nose, but this brings fond memories of MIL.)

My mother’s earrings (actually Earrings and ring remade with the stones from her earrings, because the 7-stone flower-shaped earrings were too big and heavy.)

MIL’s (red), and mother’s (Blue and white) necklaces

Various earrings of mine

Various bangles of mine

Random chains

Coral and pearls

Random stones

Beautiful pieces, nutsaboutplants. I completely understand about having formal pieces that are not being worn. I recently had several pieces of jewelry remade into nine pieces for myself, my sister, DD1 and DD2... and I'm still not finished.

Just flag the spam.

ETA: Looks like the spam is gone. Thanks, everyone!

Nuts, all those pieces are beautiful! I especially like the combination of pearls and coral.

Thanks everyone for sharing these personal faves. This is my favorite, very old fashioned, from a great aunt:

its a four strand pearl bracelet with diamond spacers and an ornate Art Deco diamond clasp. It doesn’t photograph very well but all the surfaces are either brilliant or emerald cut diamonds set in white gold. I usually wear it with black velvet and with my pearls by the yard looped many times around my neck.

KSWL...that is a winner, very beautiful and classy.

This was fun to read. I can't believe I never posted. Prob could not decide what my fave was!

Well we might need the Spam can again. That's the first post from Alex Aleksandra.