BIRTHDAY MUSINGS

July 10, 2017

Last July for my 40th birthday, all I wanted to do was go antique shopping in London. I wanted to plan a fun family treasure hunting adventure where we would discover new things together. It took awhile for our work schedules to line up and we (cautiously) journeyed to London in-between the recent attacks.

One morning, we spent a glorious few hours perusing Gray's Antique Market in Mayfair. While I talked shop with the dealers my children searched for their birthstones in jewelry, case after case, on every floor.

At the end of our search, I chose nothing (much to my husband's surprise!) and went home without a glittery London souvenir.

We stayed in Covent Garden for its location and accessibility to great restaurants, but with London on high alert, it threw off my mojo and shopping was no longer the priority.

I prefer to think about my purchases carefully, especially since I can create anything I would want. Every year I try to find something special to commemorate the occasion, to pass down to my loved ones. These items tend to be antiques I feel connected to or inspired by, and they may be a large purchase, or very small.

I may still reconsider a ruby ring I left behind. Who knows, maybe it'll end up in my stocking with a note from Santa, or it just wasn't meant to be mine.

I hoped this trip would inspire some of the details for the new collections I have been working on, and it did, just not in the ways that I expected.

I think my husband was happy that I didn't "need" anything and I finally curbed the insatiable curiosity of antiqing in England. Well, for now anyway ...

Have you been antiquing in London? You are welcome to reach out and email me, I'd love to see your well-traveled, personal collections and hear about all your favorite spots!

Also in JEWEL DIARY

THE SEASIDE COLLECTION

January 20, 2019

We never know the full worth of the water 'til the well is dry." - Thomas Fuller

Growing up in New England, I was always surrounded by the ocean. A few years ago, my family relocated to the Brandywine Valley and, as much as I love the rolling hills and lush landscape, I do miss seeing the water every day and the sense of calmness it instills. Even though I was surrounded by ocean-themed everything living on the coast, it felt cliche to incorporate into my design aesthetic. The longer we went with the absence of the ocean, I found myself reminiscing and those memories took me back to vacations spent in Maine and Naples, Florida, with my dearly missed in-laws.

SIP & SPARKLE FOR THE SEA

January 18, 2019

You are invited to join me on January 24th for an exclusive evening at the

Escalante Hotel in Naples, Florida, for the debut of The Seaside Collection.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE

JANUARY BIRTHSTONE

January 16, 2019

Happy Birthday to all the January babies out there! Here's a little bit about your birthstone: Garnet.

Garnet has a long history in jewelry and has been prized as an ornamental jewel, worn for centuries as a protective and powerful talisman. It is the "carbuncle" of ancients. The carbuncle was thought to be one of the four precious stones to be given to King Solomon by God. Garnets decorated the throats of Egyptians and were entombed for prized possessions in their afterlife. Garnet adorned the wrists and shoulders of ancient Greeks, were used as signet rings in ancient Rome and were cherished and respected by many kings.