How have you accumulated your jewellery?

[mayerling]

Did you start with family pieces, your wedding sets, or other pieces you bought for yourself? And at what age?

 

[zoebartlett]

My parents bought me .30 ct. diamond studs for my 21st birthday.

A family friend bought me an estate piece (YG three stone ring: tiny RB center diamond with tiny sapphire sides) for my wedding. I was shocked that this friend did this, and the ring is so pretty. It's hard to describe because there's more detail to it. Maybe I'll post a pic.

My husband and I got my engagement ring and wedding band from WF four years ago.

My mom will give me her mom's engagement ring someday. I was going to use it for my engagement ring but then we decided not to. I may turn my nana's ring into a pendant or a RHR someday. We'll see.

Everything else I have is SS/small costume type stuff.

 

[Circe]

When I was a little baby, we were robbed. My mom rolled me home in my carriage, we saw that the door was hanging open, and the burglar burst past us. I still remember him saying "Sorry!" as he shouldered past.

That was awkward. I figure I couldn't have been more than three if I was still in the carriage, or less than two, since I remember it so clearly ... and I do remember it clearly, because I also remember getting out of my carriage and toddling along to make sure he hadn't taken my ruby earrings.

So, yeah - I started early.

I got jewelry from my parents for pretty much all the "big" holiday occasions of my life, some of it wildly inappropriate for my age (I have some ornate brooches I still haven't grown in to), and my various significant others continued the tradition. When my husband and I finally got together, after three years of friendship, one of the first things he did was to give me a gold necklace, 'cause he remembered my saying a relationship didn't feel serious to me until you'd gotten to the jewelry-giving point, and he wanted me to know it was serious off the bat. I'm not as mercenary as that makes me sound (it was part of a whole weird set of circumstances involving a BF who thought a good Christmas present consisted of booze,smokes, and condoms - hey, it was a funny gift, but it did give me my first inkling that we might not have been on the same page), but I really felt so touched that he remembered me saying something so doofy, and took it seriously enough to address it.

Reader, I married him, and we've been building the hoard together ever since.

 

[manderz]

I've pretty much always loved jewelry. I had bits and pieces of costume from the time I was just little. I started getting fine jewelry as gifts around 16, with a pierce here and there. At 19 or so, I started working at a jewelry store and began to buy my own jewelry. I've purchased just about everything I own, except for my ering and a couple of other things.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My mom started buying me jewelry when I was little, I have always loved it because of her. I started buying my own when I was around 18.

 

[shihtzulover]

I don't have a big collection yet, since I only recently became really interested in jewelry. Neither of my parents care about it at all, and my mother doesn't even own any diamonds, except for in her engagement ring, which apparently has a small round diamond in it. I honestly have no idea, because it's buried somewhere in her old jewelry box, and I don't think that I've ever seen it. Instead, she chooses to wear a funky silver-colored (I'm not even sure about the metal) ring on her wedding finger. Besides, that, she only owns a couple of sterling silver necklaces, a few pairs of hoop earrings, and a watch that she bought at the local Target. Most of the people around here seem to feel the same way about jewelry, and while some women have fairly expensive wedding sets, they don't seem very interested in buying any other expensive pieces.

I didn't really know anything about diamonds until my fiance and I started looking at them. Now, I'm totally in love with them, and I'm also starting to eye some colored gemstones. Currently, my engagement ring is my only really nice piece of jewelry. I do now also have small diamond stud earrings, hoops with little diamonds in them, and a few necklaces with little diamonds, but that's the extent of my collection so far. Luckily, there's plenty of time to expand it.

 

[texaskj]

At the ripe old age of four. My parents bought me a gold-filled locket. An aunt and uncle gave me a pearl ring not long after. I've been wearing at least one ring almost every day since I was eight. I started buying my own as soon as I started getting an allowance, the rest are gifts and inheritance.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The first pieces of jewelry I can recall from my childhood were a sterling cross, a pearl ring, and a little yg flower ring with a small, round blue sapphire (my birthstone). Later birthdays and Christmases I got nicer pieces such as a bangle bracelet and engraved locket, and other rings and earrings. I've only kept the most sentimental pieces because that was in the days of yellow gold, although all my jewelry was classic. I just wear white metals now. My nicest jewelry I have just accumulated over time since I was married. Our anniversary is close to Christmas so I have been able to justify a nicer combination gift some years!

 

[kenny]

I bought everything I own.
My first diamond ring was from a pawn shop in the 1970s.
I think I paid $75.
I still have it.
It's probably around 0.25ct H SI1 or so.

 

[dragonfly411]

My jewelry has accumulated in many ways over the years. My first real piece of jewelry came from my great grandmother. She gave me a 1mm 14k yg ring that formed leaves around the center stone which is a tiny ruby, making it look like a tiny rose. I then acquired a white gold diamond cluster ring from my mom. Most of my gold jewelry has come from SO and includes my marquis diamond promise ring, my yg heart bracelet, yg heart anklet, cushion cut tanzanite yg ring with diamond halo and baguette accents, two ruby and diamond necklaces, a ruby ring (all lab created rubies, heart shaped, and one with natural diamonds and rubies), a strand of freshwater pearls, two strings of unstrung freshwater pearls, yg deer earrings, yg thin thin little hoops, my yg diamond cross, a pair of tanzanite earrings which I lost one of, the other is now a part of my cross necklace, and a .10 diamond pendant. I also have his uncle's yg wedding band. Some pieces I have acquired from my grandmother as hand me downs, inlcuding a pair of yg opal earrings and a yg opal ring. I had a few made, including a topaz pendant, topaz earrings and a topaz ring. I have several large amethysts that I have to decide what to do with, and some tanzanite melees I plan to make into a bracelet since they didn't work in my toe ring. Oh... and I had a diamond toe ring made lol! I also have a wg cathedral setting with a .32 GIA emerald cut diamond which I also had made for myself.


Gosh... that list is longer than it looks in person.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Flirtation, mostly.

 

[Dandi]

I've got a few gold bracelets from my grandparents from when I was a baby, and a gold bar brooch with my name on it and a tiny, inset ruby, that my grandfather bought me for my christening. The bracelets didn't fit me anymore once I began to notice jewellery, which happened at the tender age of 5 when I had my ears pierced, from then on I LOOOOOVED earrings! My mother has always adored jewellery, and started me off when she bought me a sterling silver signet ring when I was 10. Long story short, it got swallowed by my friend's pet cow, and mum replaced it for my 13th birthday in yellow gold. From then on, she knew she had created a monster

Mum and I used to enjoy buying costume jewellery and cheap earrings together, but I really began to notice beautiful jewels when I got a job in a jewellery shop when I was 18, and began buying more fine, expensive stuff, most of which I still have. I have bought smaller pieces on a whim now and then, and have sold nearly everything to fund my more recent acquisitions (read: since discovering PS!). I went from a large collection of 'stuff' to a much smaller collection of beautiful, high quality diamond pieces that I tend to wear every day, most from PS vendors, and I've kept a few of my chunky gold pieces from my jeweller days.

Nowadays it's me buying pretties for my mum, given my newfound wealth of information thanks to PS She never likes spending money on herself, so it's so nice to be able to buy her pieces online that she's never dreamed of owning, for a fraction of what it would cost to buy them locally! Yay all around

 

[jewelerman]

My sister gave me a turquoise and sterling ring for Christmas when i was 7 and by the time i was 12 i was working for a custom jeweler after school and that's how i started collecting jewelry.As i got older then the pieces became more expensive and because i was in the trade i could buy wholesale from vendors.I also bought from pawn shops, trading posts and bought trade in pieces for next to nothing from the places i worked. One store i worked for allowed me to buy karat gold at $3.00 a gram for trade in jewelry that the owner wasn't interested in re-selling in the store.I also inherited some nice pieces from aunts and uncles along the way.Every Christmas and birthday since the age of 12 i have received jewelry from friends, co-workers,girlfriends or relatives.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Flirtation, mostly.

whatever works...

 

[Trekkie]

I have pictures of myself aged 9 months wearing several 24kt bangles per arm!

Since then the jewellery obsession has only grown worse.

 

[Phoenix]

Well, I think I've told this story a few times before here on PS (and also IRL to anyone who cares to listen, ha ha). My mother was completely *obsessed* with jewellery in general and with diamonds in particular. My dad was a diplomat when we were growing up and every time he came back from a trip overseas, he would give her a piece of jewellery, be it a diamond ring, a pair of studs, jade bangle, pearl necklaces etc. She loved them all. When I was little, she would regale us with the story of my dad giving her a 3ct (or maybe it was a 4 or 5ct, I forget) diamond which was very white and very (loupe) clean. It was her pride and joy until she had to sell it so we could buy our house with cash! Poor thing, she never recovered from it!

During the last few years of our life in Vietnam, mom had to slowly sell off her collection (long story). And when we came to the UK, we were poor political refugees (had our gold and money, whatever was left, robbed by pirates whilst we were at sea - another long story). So as soon as we were back on our feet, mom started collecting again using whatever little money she earned working odd jobs. I also contributed to her collection (by giving her the money for some of the purchases or just buying for her a few things she liked) after I started working.

I never actually liked wearing diamonds or any jewellery (other than costume jewellery and a Rolex watch which I bought with my first full-time pay cheque). Mom even gave me a diamond ring (and possibly some other diamonds too but I can't remember). It was a "toi and moi" ring and was of I2/ I3 clarity. I treasured the ring and wore it for a while but then gave it back to her. She also gave me a pair of OEC's (of course I didn't know they were OEC's then), but I again gave them back to her. Even the diamonds that she left me when she passed away, I've given to my sisters and nieces (with the exception of a 5-stone ring, which is now incorporated into a full eternity). I never wore any jewelly of any significance (either sentimentally or worth much money) until I met DH. I guess partly it was because I was afraid of being robbed.

DH gave me my "first" (first as in first in the collection) diamond, ie. my engagement ring. After that, he gave me a string of pearls. He was very surprised I never wore any jewellery so kept telling me that I should wear more bling. From time to time now, he tells me that he regrets having started me on this "bling journey", ha ha! So after that, it was like the floodgate was opened. I started buying more and more, building up from smaller pieces to larger more valuable pieces. It's either DH buys them for me (with me choosing the specs) or I select them myself, but with his blessing. Effectively, we buy them together, since it's mostly the funds from our investment gains that we use for my bling purchases and we always discuss our finances with one another, so as avoid any money argument. I've from time to time "culled" my collection, either by giving them to relatives and friends or selling them off. For the last couple of years, I've tried to resist smaller inexpensive lower quality purchases since I know I won't keep them. Living in Singapore and in Asia in the past 15 years has meant two things to me: i) I can wear bling without fearing being robbed/ mugged and ii) I get influenced (yes, I admit it! ) by the huge and beautiful diamond pieces that I see here all the time. Being on PS has certainly influenced my bling collection (both in terms of quality and quantity), lol!

Boy, I've just written a novel, ha ha...

 

[rosetta]

I've been given jewellery since birth, but not a lot.

Like Trekkie I too have tiny gold bangles! Hmmm... I might dig them up and keep them for my own kids.

My substantial pieces all come from my in laws and FI. My mother likes high karat gold, not stones.

 

[Trekkie]

I've been given jewellery since birth, but not a lot.

Like Trekkie I too have tiny gold bangles! Hmmm... I might dig them up and keep them for my own kids.

My substantial pieces all come from my in laws and FI. My mother likes high karat gold, not stones.

Oh, how I love the Asian obsession with high karat gold!

I only have four bangles left, the rest have all disappeared over the years. Very sad about that. The four I do have are definitely being kept for my own children. They must start early!

 

[suchende]

It definitely started with my parents. My mother very intentionally gave me diamonds as soon as I was responsible enough to keep track of them, so I would have high expectations from my future husband. Since then I have had things made for myself with family stones, inherited finished pieces, had pieces given to me by boyfriends and family, and more recently by my boyfriend's unthinkably generous mother.

 

[Phoenix]

The first pieces of jewelry I can recall from my childhood were a sterling cross, a pearl ring, and a little yg flower ring with a small, round blue sapphire (my birthstone). Later birthdays and Christmases I got nicer pieces such as a bangle bracelet and engraved locket, and other rings and earrings. I've only kept the most sentimental pieces because that was in the days of yellow gold, although all my jewelry was classic. I just wear white metals now. My nicest jewelry I have just accumulated over time since I was married. Our anniversary is close to Christmas so I have been able to justify a nicer combination gift some years!

He he, I do this too. My b'day is just a month before Xmas so I usually say I'd like a combo prezie that's more significant that two separate ones of lesser values! Oh and I've gone a bit further than that. I justified my pear ring by combining Valentines and wedding anniversary, even though they're quite a few months apart!