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Have you reached your ideal jewelry collection? Or is there always another grail piece out there?

T

tomato

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 25, 2023
Messages
156
I've been thinking about this lately as I look at bracelets, of which I own exactly one. I think I want two different styles longterm, but of course each one comes with its own price tag.

I have a fair number of jewelry pieces now, and while I see many pretty things, I am not sure what my limit should be. Technically I have the funds to buy what I want within reason, but I also want to make sure my retirement is comfortable down the road, we're eating healthy food, not stressing over vet bills, etc. I also think I enjoy things more if I don't get everything I want. But I am also lured by all things shiny - my dad used to call me his magpie due to collecting little shiny bits of things. Will I just feel satisfied one day, or do I need to create a limit now for myself and work within that towards larger longterm goals? For example, wait and save longer to buy a bigger carat bracelet, instead of a smaller one I get dissatisfied with and end up buying a second one later. I want to enjoy my jewelry, not having shopping for jewelry be a hobby unto itself. :)

Basically, I don't want to reach 10-20 years from now and be filled with regret over owning a lot of pieces I rarely wear.

I thought I'd ask those who have been collectors for a long time and have a somewhat curated collection (whatever that means to you). Did you reach a point where you say "this is enough"? Or even "this is too much"? What was that point for you?
 
Why do you buy jewellery?

All comes down to that, doesn’t it?

For me - jewellery is art, and I’m an art collector.

So if 10-20 years from now I have pieces I rarely wear, well, I don’t consider the rugs or paintings wasted because I don’t use them.

That’s me. That’s probably not you. So what’s your motivation?
 
How many incredible vacations is too many? How many wonderful meals? How many days spent with friends and family?

If your purchases bring you joy and you can (readily) afford it, who's to say you can't have one in every color?

Are there better things to do with your money? Always. No matter what you buy, there are always better things to do with your money. Even if you're eating a simple meal at home, that money could probably pay for many life-sustaining meals in the right place at the right time.

Luckily, I don't think of it like minimalist camping or cycling -- if only I could get down to a handful of flimsy titanium implements or carbon-fiber accessories, then it would be perfect! I don't have a "capsule" anything. Maybe when I retire and have time to really scrutinize...

Pace yourself -- this is an interest for a lifetime. I've loved rocks and fossils and minerals and gems (and art and design) since I was a little kid and this is just the big-kid version. My interest will never go away.

It helps to have a game plan for disposition, imo -- you'd hate to see them sold for pennies on the dollar when you're gone.
 
yssie said:
Why do you buy jewellery?

All comes down to that, doesn’t it?

For me - jewellery is art, and I’m an art collector.

So if 10-20 years from now I have pieces I rarely wear, well, I don’t consider the rugs or paintings wasted because I don’t use them.

That’s me. That’s probably not you. So what’s your motivation?
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I do think of jewelry as creative. It’s also in the same category as nice perfume and undergarments (lol) to me - something that when I wear it, it gives me a happy feeling.

I think that’s why I don’t feel a strong pull to *own* a lot of things. There’s only so many things I can wear and really enjoy, whether that’s an outfit, perfume, or jewel, and when I have too many things and I just feel guilty seeing beautiful things languish. I have one nice box on my dresser that holds about a dozen bottles - to add another I have to use one up or share it with someone else. I’d like to find the jewelry equivalent of that!

I do think making a plan for it if something should happen to me would make me feel better about potentially “wasting” money. If it goes to close friends or family, then they’ll either enjoy it or be able to sell it.
 
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To answer your question, I am really close. There are two diamond shapes left to collect in earth-grown diamond and one is in progress. And there are three jewelry pieces to reset, and one of those is in progress, too. I am missing some natural colors but the dark saturations I like and that still sparkle are few and far between so there is not really a plan for colors.

Then what? I am waiting for prices to come down on some types of lab grown diamonds - certain shapes and colors.

I have plenty of pieces that I rarely wear but like others have mentioned, they are art and they are in my collection for a reason.

If the thought of owning unworn jewelry bothers you, then save your money and get the pieces that you are dreaming of.
 
This is a great question! I see myself as a collector too. I’ve worked very hard for years in a tough job and have often bought jewellery as a “reward”, although I have always planned for each piece and never impulse bought. We recently inherited a whole pile of “stuff” when my ma in law died. That included several items of jewellery, most of which I’d never seen before. She just didn’t wear it. Some of the pieces filled “holes” in my collection, so that’s given me a feeling of satiety and completeness. I took a break from PS and now I’m back occasionally I can look at the lovely things on here and not feel that I have to own something similar. I’m approaching retirement too and there will be better uses for our money in the future. I’m trying to wear what I have and enjoy each piece when I can, it’s fun planning what to wear and looking to see what will go with it.

Like someone else above I have loved sparkly things since I was a small child. I will always find jewellery fascinating, whether I buy more or not.
 
life is a journey
when i was small my childless great aunty died and i got all her faux sparkly brooches, i would spend hours just tilting them in the light watching the sparkles

even if i had an unlimited bling budget i'd still be looking for what next will make my heart go a flutter
im not into the capsule thing although they do fascinate me, i do need to work out staples - i need descent diamond (lab) studs x 3

im not really interested in clothes or shoes or handbags (a coat is just a canvas for a brooch), i have one purfume that i ration - Dior Addict (i work in a bakery - i smell like pies for most of the day)
the sparkles are just for my own enjoyment
and im making an effort to wear a necklace on a daily basis
right now im having a ton of inexpensive fun with necklace of gemstone beads and pearls of etsy, it keeps me out of trouble
 
I shall always have a bling wish list.

DK :))
 
I don't know that I would classify my jewelry collection as "ideal" but it is comprised of mostly semi-custom rings with high-quality diamonds and/or colored gemstones that I searched for and bought myself. I also have some sentimental pieces that my husband gave me and that I inherited from my aunt and from my mother.

I do believe I have reached or surpassed capacity however.

I only wear jewelry when I leave the house, and I am still enjoying selecting what to wear depending on mood/outfit/weather/event ...

BUT although I still have quite a few lovely loose diamonds and colored gemstones waiting to be set, I literally have no interest in starting up any projects or having more new jewelry pieces in my collection.

Sometimes I look at my pretty loose stones and while admittedly I appreciate their beauty and quality in the moment, I have become aware that for me, the searching/collecting/making phase of my lifelong love of gemstones is over; I have indeed reached my limit. I am just waiting for the energy to gear myself up to take photos and list them for sale.
 
I think I am done buying jewelry. Haven't bought any new stuff in a few years, and I don't have a bling wish list. I just want to enjoy what I already own.

I'm mostly done buying perfumes too, but if something new and fabulous comes along, I may still buy a bottle. I have a lot of perfumes and don't need any more, ever. But my love of scent predates my love of bling and feels like more of a part of my psyche. I will always want to smell new fragrances, whether or not I buy them.
 
For my wallet's sake, I would love to be done. But I know myself and there will always be something on the wish list.
 
pearlsngems said:
I'm mostly done buying perfumes too, but if something new and fabulous comes along, I may still buy a bottle. I have a lot of perfumes and don't need any more, ever. But my love of scent predates my love of bling and feels like more of a part of my psyche. I will always want to smell new fragrances, whether or not I buy them.
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My love of scent is lifelong too. Do you get Nez magazine? I love it for all things fragrance & fragrance science.

I only buy fragrance when I travel now. I try to get some thing that is unique to the area so that every time I wear it, I am reminded of my travel. I got a beautiful bottle in Portugal where they engraved the glass with whatever you want, so I got the date of my trip. in London, I got a special bee bottle of Guerlain at Harrods that is unique to them.

These are not the sorts of trips I can afford to make regularly, so there isn’t much chance that I will build up a huge collection. I also have my mom’s bottle of Eternity I took from my parents’ house when they passed. Someday, when it is used up, I will have to scour eBay for it if I want to continue to smell her. :-)
 
I feel like I'm just starting my collection, so I'm a long way away from 'bling peace', but my mom has been collecting for years, and... well, she still buys pieces once in a while :lol:

I think it's important to make 'considered' purchases, by maintaining a wish list, curating your desires etc. and a little bit of delayed gratification is good for the soul. I always think it's best to save up a little bit more to get what you really, really want. And of course, needs > wants - saving for retirement is way more crucial than bling. That being said, if you can afford it, you should buy the thing that makes you happy!
 
I am satiated with my collection.

Like others here I consider myself a mini collector. I don't wear all my pieces but I do enjoy all of them.

Will I end up purchasing another major piece? Not sure. I need for nothing. I would love an antique emerald cut diamond but not sure that will ever come to fruition especially given I rarely wear rings these days. But I never say never.

In the meantime I enjoy looking at other's beautiful bling and also enjoy searching for bling.
However, it's a hobby not an obsession for me.
 
@tomato, I didn't know about Nez magazine. Will look into it. :)
 
Mreader said:
This is me!!!
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Me too… I keep telling me there is the ultimate piece out there for me (an antique emerald cut around 4ct) and if I had it, I would never need anything else. Well, even if it gets true (it probably never wont, I‘m not prepared to spend such an amount of money), it would not be the end if I‘m completely honest. Yes, I‘m certain… I couldn‘t stop.
 
It’s a curse lol. People like us who love jewelry always want more. New pieces satisfy for a while. Im blessed that I have a husband who buys me things.
 
tomato said:
I've been thinking about this lately as I look at bracelets, of which I own exactly one. I think I want two different styles longterm, but of course each one comes with its own price tag.

I have a fair number of jewelry pieces now, and while I see many pretty things, I am not sure what my limit should be. Technically I have the funds to buy what I want within reason, but I also want to make sure my retirement is comfortable down the road, we're eating healthy food, not stressing over vet bills, etc. I also think I enjoy things more if I don't get everything I want. But I am also lured by all things shiny - my dad used to call me his magpie due to collecting little shiny bits of things. Will I just feel satisfied one day, or do I need to create a limit now for myself and work within that towards larger longterm goals? For example, wait and save longer to buy a bigger carat bracelet, instead of a smaller one I get dissatisfied with and end up buying a second one later. I want to enjoy my jewelry, not having shopping for jewelry be a hobby unto itself. :)

Basically, I don't want to reach 10-20 years from now and be filled with regret over owning a lot of pieces I rarely wear.

I thought I'd ask those who have been collectors for a long time and have a somewhat curated collection (whatever that means to you). Did you reach a point where you say "this is enough"? Or even "this is too much"? What was that point for you?
Click to expand...

Thank for your posing this question and I look forward to reading other responses. We are members of this forum because of our passion of fine jewelry. Many of us fall into the love of shiny things and the joy a purchase brings. I may be on the other side ‘of 10-20 years from now’ so wanted to add my perspective.

I have a jewelry budget that is funded after everything else is; mortgage, retirement, savings, etc. I stay within that budget and resell pieces I am not wearing to fund new and thoughtful purchases. This really helped me be more focused on what I really want to add to my collection. I do not do layaway or use a credit card unless I can pay off the purchase in 30 days. Instant gratification or “I am going to miss out on an amazing deal“ purchase only if the money is there.

I have settle-purchased jewelry over the years to save money only to regret later not getting what I truly wanted. I have learned that if my immediate response was “I love it” is to not second guess myself. I upgraded from .50 to 1.25 to a 2 carat loosing money everytime. However, we were in the financial position to afford the upgrade. I have reached my carat weight goal, if you will.

I have culled my jewelry over the last several years and sold anything I wasn’t emotionally attached to or wasn’t being worn. I have my collection separated by metal color: rose gold, platinum/white gold and yellow gold. I stay true to my personal style and what suits my casual-dress profession and active lifestyle.

This a very long drawn out story to answer your questions when I could have offered Sell off the ‘too much’ to fund the ‘never enough’.
 
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luckygreen317 said:
Thank for your posing this question and I look forward to reading other responses. We are all members of this forum I believe because of our passion of fine jewelry. Many of us fall into the love of shiny things and the joy a purchase brings. I may be on the other side ‘of 10-20 years from now’ so wanted to add my perspective.

I have a jewelry budget that is funded after everything else is; mortgage, retirement, savings, etc. I stay within that budget and resell pieces I am not wearing to fund new and thoughtful purchases. This really helped me be more focused on what I really want to add to my collection. I do not do layaway or use a credit card unless I can pay off the purchase in 30 days. Instant gratification or I am going to miss out on an amazing deal mindset can only be funded if the money is there.

I have “settle” purchased jewelry over the years to save money only to regret later not getting what I truly wanted. I have learned that if my immediate response was “I love it” is to not second guess myself. I upgraded from .50 to 1.25 to a 2 carat loosing money everytime. However, we were in a better financial position to afford the upgrade. I have reached my carat goal, if you will.

I have culled my jewelry over the last several years and sold anything I wasn’t emotionally attached to or wasn’t being worn. I have my collection separated by metal color: rose gold, platinum/white gold and yellow gold. I stay true to my personal style and what suits my casual-dress profession and active lifestyle.
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Great way of putting it into perspective. I think that’s a great rule of thumb, my husband and I don't use credit or go into savings for any of my pieces either. Which is why all my items haven’t been over a certain amount. For now. We are in our first year of marriage, so as time goes on and we are both making more money, Im sure this will change. Settling for an item always come with regrets but I think we’ve all done in, honestly.
 
I have just begun to grow my collection and my want list is very long! I have a modest jewelry budget and prefer to custom design my pieces so it will be a slow progress down the wants list. I probably have the next five years or so already accounted for just by the basics — earrings, pendant, pearl necklace, anniversary band. And even then I would only have a modest collection. So I suspect I will be able to keep collecting for a very long time. Eventually I might get to the point where I sell pieces to make room for others but that feels a long way off at this point!
 
I will always have a more modest budget than some. Over the years, my lot in life has grown easier. I suppose I will do the best I can with what I have and try to think of ways to compromise and tame the beast :D. So no, not there yet. However,

Not to be morbid, but I have also started to think about leaving this earth (someday) and I don't want my dear husband and kids trying to figure out what is what. Now I am thinking about selling things I don't absolutely reach for or treasure to bring the collection more in line with reasonable and less like a Niffler's drunken Saturday night excursion.

:D Not there yet, but I am having fun.
 
Great question! I am at an age that I look at my collection and think....I am done.....and then, I find something amazing, and then I am not! :P2 I consider jewelry a part of my wardrobe so when I pick out what outfit I am going to wear, I pick out what jewelry would look best with it! Sometimes I pick out my jewelry first and then an outfit!! I have alot of fun with it! Jewelry, to me, is a spice of life!! It lifts my spirits up when I am feeling down too!
 
cushioncutnut said:
Great question! I am at an age that I look at my collection and think....I am done.....and then, I find something amazing, and then I am not! :P2 I consider jewelry a part of my wardrobe so when I pick out what outfit I am going to wear, I pick out what jewelry would look best with it! Sometimes I pick out my jewelry first and then an outfit!! I have alot of fun with it! Jewelry, to me, is a spice of life!! It lifts my spirits up when I am feeling down too!
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Amen!
 
I think I have accepted that searching for the next band or diamond is a stress reliever for me so I don't think I will ever be fully satisfied with my collection. I have become much more restrained in my buying, becoming picky now. I can recognize when I am suffering from FOMO and evaluate if a piece I am interested in will actually get worn.

I did take a break from buying to pay off the house and get debt free. Now when I look at a piece I ask myself what else I can do with the money. This of course is not too much fun. There is not too much excitement about saving for retirement, re-doing a basement bathroom or replacing household items that are still functioning. But it needs to be done so sooner is better than later.
 
Lisa Loves Shiny said:
I think I have accepted that searching for the next band or diamond is a stress reliever for me so I don't think I will ever be fully satisfied with my collection. I have become much more restrained in my buying, becoming picky now. I can recognize when I am suffering from FOMO and evaluate if a piece I am interested in will actually get worn.

I did take a break from buying to pay off the house and get debt free. Now when I look at a piece I ask myself what else I can do with the money. This of course is not too much fun. There is not too much excitement about saving for retirement, re-doing a basement bathroom or replacing household items that are still functioning. But it needs to be done so sooner is better than later.
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Oh don't I get that! Buying a piece of jewelry is way easier than updating your house!!
 
I passed on a piece of jewelry I really wanted (postponed, but possibly for a long time) because the roof needed replacing. The brand-new roof still leaks, a little. Moral: buy the bling.
 
empliau said:
I passed on a piece of jewelry I really wanted (postponed, but possibly for a long time) because the roof needed replacing. The brand-new roof still leaks, a little. Moral: buy the bling.
Click to expand...

Sorry about your roof. I hope it gets sorted soon.
 
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