For the Love of Jewelry

In my opinion, jewelry is one of the most personal and authentic items you can wear.  For me, I love jewelry that tells a story and has character.  I don’t want to wear it just to compliment an outfit, I wear a piece because it’s another form of expression and the creator of the piece put thought into the beauty as well as the idea of what the piece will exude.   One of my favorite places for finding unique jewelry from unique sellers is Etsy.  I’m contemplating going on a big shopping spree for some new jewelry, so I’ve been browsing Etsy pretty hard lately.  Here are a few of my favorite Etsy shops with some beautiful and unique jewelry:

Frankie, of Swell Vintage, has a great eye for  vintage finds and recreates some beautiful vintage jewelry pieces.  All of her jewelry is made from antique parts.   The best part about her jewelry is that it will spruce up any outfit whether it is casual or dressy and would be perfect for any occasion. That and I can see women of all ages wearing her jewelry.  My mother as well as I could have appreciation for her pieces, and her shop would be perfect for me   Plus, I love pearls and Frankie incorporates them well with the antique parts for a luxurious feel.  Here are a few more of her pieces:

The ladies behind Untamed Menegerie, mother/daughter team Nikki and Penny, create some beautiful pieces that remind me of Gothic New Orleans.   Their delicate pieces are made of acrylic which give birth to hauntingly beautiful silhouettes such as the Melancholy Lashes necklace below:

Another pendant that I’m quite fond of is their “The Sea Be Ours” pendant which showcases a pirate ship:

And an adorable pair of earrings named “Lola”:

For some adorable cocktail jewelry with flair, I’d point you to Galit’s shop.  This Israel-based designer’s creations burst with color and unique shapes.  I could see wearing her necklaces to a cocktail party, wedding, or even as an everyday piece.  And her bridal jewelry is classic and very affordable for a bride or bridal party.  Plus, fellas, I think her jewelry would be great gifts :

For rings?  I’m a sucker for big cocktail rings and Kimari Jewelry is the right place for me to get them.  I love the altered art she uses for her rings and the art is definitely unique.  Check out a few that I’m thinking of buying:

And for steampunk jewelry, I really like EDM Designs. Ricky’s steampunk jewelry designs have been featured in Bust magazine as well as  Auxilary Magazine.    The creations not like anything else I’ve seen before and while I’m relatively new to the steampunk jewelry scene, I love how striking it is while mixing vintage and futuristic elements.  Here are some beautiful creations:

And of course, this doesn’t encompass all of the great jewelry finds on Etsy.  That’s one source for jewelry that I could scourge for hours and hours on end alone.  My local vintage and antique stores, sample sale sites like Gilt and many other websites across the web have some wonderful jewelry out there.  And if you hurry ladies, there’s still the chance for 20% off at Rilee and Lo‘s April Showers Sale which is until 4/24 .   With jewelry from Elizabeth and James, Gorjana, andRachel Leigh to name a few,  you can find some great pieces.  Just type in the code “SHOWER” at check out.