Show me, Mrs-B!

[Ally T]

@mrs-b You are building SUCH a beautiful collection of amazing & stunning pieces of Jewellery. And a big Birthday is looming in 18 months, so possibly another sparkly will be added to your collection

So show us all & let us salivate: What do you wear 99% of the time? What do you reach for as your daily staples? What says “Mrs B” to the people who see you the most?

 

[mrs-b]

Oh man...where to begin??

Mostly, I wear an every-day combination - pearl studs or hoop earrings, a diamond in my outer hole on one ear (my ears are asymmetrically pierced). Add a plain band, a gold bangle, and that's pretty much it!

But where I've changed over the years - my pearls are now 12mm AAA South Sea's instead of 8mm freshwater. My hoops are solid 18kt and custom made instead of 10kt from Zales. Ditto my bangles. Even the stud in my outer hole is an E VS diamond, H&A. I like to be casual - but I like top quality casual.

Tomorrow, when it's light, I'm going to take some combo shots so you can see what I most commonly wear. I also have my last run of projects in the cooker with DKJ; a wider Holly ring to go with my new 3 stone, a new, shaped band to wear as a wedder with my opal Merry ring, and an anniversary band - 9 x 10 pointers on 18kt yellow, which I can wear with my upcoming Holly band, or with my 3 stone. I also have a new, thin, wedding band coming, for when I want something really minimalistic to wear - again - with the 3 stone. I'll also have my new, huge tourm in 2 weeks, and am hoping DKJ can get it to fit into my halo setting - fingers crossed!!

In the new year I'm doing 2 more projects - firstly, setting my yellow sapphire into a daisy pattern grey gold setting, with a diamond cluster and 2 off-set marquise diamonds as leaves. Secondly, I'm doing either a new diamond 3 stone or a solitaire. I want a smaller diamond ring to go with my platinum bands. I might do a soli in the short term and convert it to a 3 stone some point down the road. It won't be anything like as big as my new 3 stone - probably in the 1 - 1.2ct range. If I add sides later, they'll probably be around .5ct each - ergo, very different proportions to my current ring.

So that's the verbal round up! I'll add photos tomorrow. And thank you for being interested, @Alex T!

 

[Ally T]

I cannot wait for the photo combinations And my goodness, there are even MORE goodies on the way - I think I may actually die?! I thought you were done?! Do you think you will ever actually be done???!

You are such a lucky lady & your passion for these pieces is palpable. I LOVE that you have retained the same classic staples but in a far better form & quality. Those pieces say ‘Mrs-B’ to the people who see you the most & also show that you have found your groove & know what you like.

One day I am coming to play with your stuff. I’m sure I could wing it somehow, combining a trip to yours with @missy at the same time! I’d just die to see something of significant size on my hand. We don’t have big diamonds in the shops here, as they’re just not common. High St shops carry nothing larger than 1ct - you have to be serious & order in for anything bigger. Whilst I love my pear, I have always wanted a MRB. The sparkle from my pear, whilst lovely, is not the same. I want a Tiffany classic 1.3 or 1.5ct, but Mr T isn’t onboard. It’s a lot of money despite me being more than happy to go pre-loved. I’d like to think one day he’ll surprise me, but Hell will freeze over first

 

[mrs-b]

@Alex T - are you in the UK? Where, exactly? My husband and I lived in Portsmouth for a year, and in Epsom for 3 years. We return intermittently, tho we haven't done for a while. So all that to say - perhaps I can come to you!

So I was thinking about my style, and looking at the photos I took of my every day pieces, and I tried to come up with 3 words. The words I landed with are: understated, curated and quality.

I don't wear a lot of bling on a day to day basis. My 3 stone is currently with DKJ (minor tweak - nothing most people would even notice), but that would be the blingiest piece I'd wear regularly. But I value all the pieces I now have and wouldn't part with them; my 4.6 ctw yellow gold drop earrings, for example, I've worn once since I received them, but I defy ANYONE to prize them from the death-grip in which I hold them!! I also plan to wear them to Christmas dinner, so that alone justifies their purchase: I am a Christmas FIEND!!

So - in the spirit of 'understated, curated and quality' - picutres are herewith forthcoming of my day-to-day wear....

 

[mrs-b]

First up - an overview of all my daily pieces. I wear some combination of these every. single. day. It's the ultimate 'mix and match' jewelry collection, and when I travel, this, plus my 3 stone, is what I take with me.

 

[mrs-b]

The bangles are the same and can be worn in any combination. The wedding bands are 3mm wide, except for the platinum band with the 2 x 10pt AVRs - that one is 3.2mm wide. But they're all 2.2mm thick; it's a trait that runs throughout my jewelry that I don't skimp on quality.

In the spirit of that - here are my 3 bangles; each of them is solid and custom made to fit my wrist. These are 14kt rather than 18kt (and the silver one is sterling) because they get banged around a fair bit, and DKJ suggested that 14kt would wear better and last longer.

 

[pearaffair]

Why sterling for the bangle instead of gold? Same reason? It’ll wear better?

 

[tkyasx78]

this is great! the more pics the better!

 

[Ally T]

I’m in Cheshire, North West England, slap bang in the middle of Manchester & Liverpool. COME VISIT MEEEEEEEE!!!

I love the weight of your pieces. They all look so substantial & tactile. I have a silver bangle, oval & hinged, that was made to measure for a Birthday some years back, which had to be solid too as i’m very, very hard on things.

Looking forward to more pictures!

 

[mrs-b]

These are my rings. They can be mixed and matched or worn singly - which is what I most commonly do. Since they're so substantial, they really don't need anything else with them to be obvious. I like heavy rings - I like the intentional nature of them.

18kt rose and yellow gold, and platinum and 2 x 10pt AVRs - one D and one E in color.

 

[mrs-b]

Why sterling for the bangle instead of gold? Same reason? It’ll wear better?

Just because I like the color better. I find a lot of platinum - especially once it develops a patina of wear - to be quite grey. And white gold would have to either be rhodium plated or worn as a warm off white (not my favorite). My diamond bangle, tho, made to go with this set, is platinum.

 

[mrs-b]

Next up is one of my all time favorite pieces. If I want something casual but with noticeable bling, I go for this. I *think* it's 2.15ctw of E VS diamonds, all GIA graded and all BN Astor Ideal cut except for the outer 2 (BN doesn't sell stones that small), which were hand picked by David Klass to match the others in quality.

This is one of the first pieces done by DKJ's new (at that time) uber bench. I had the sides of the stones enclosed because I like the look, but each stone is open at the bottom for easy cleaning. The prongs are tiny little V's. It's soft and swoopy and super easy to wear. I love this ring!

 

[mrs-b]

I have 2 pairs of earrings I wear a lot, which are identical except for metal. These were custom made for me to my design, as I wanted them to be solid, rather than hollow. They're slim, so not needlessly heavy, but the extra weight gives them lovely hang. They're hinged with a self locking clasp, and if I accidentally go to bed with them still in, they don't wake me up by poking in my ear! They're also far more substantial than those flimsy closures you get in a lot of hoop earrings, that break all the time.

These are 18kt yellow and 18kt rose, respectively, but here's a photo of just the yellow ones so you can see how they work.

 

[mrs-b]

And soooo - here are the combos. First up - yellow gold.

 

[mrs-b]

Next up - rose gold.

 

[bludiva]

And soooo - here are the combos. First up - yellow gold.

@mrs-b i really love that you have a mix and match collection of basics in the 3 key metal colors. question: do you run into issues with the 14k vs 18k rose or yellow pieces not matching in tone or color, or maybe 2 pieces you commissioned at different times having slightly different alloys and the color being a bit off?

i may be overly picky but it totally stands out to me with my stuff and i'm trying to decide if i just add more variety to make it look intentional or look harder for pieces that match.

thanks for sharing more of your collection!

 

[mrs-b]

And lastly - custom made 1.25" platinum hoops - which it was IMPOSSIBLE to buy elsewhere pre-made. These are hollow, as they're shorter but thicker than the other earrings, and solid platinum would not have been practical. The 7 stone ring is platinum also, as is the stud - which I ALWAYS wear, as is the plain ring with the AVRs. Only the bangle is silver.

The pearls are 12mm South Sea AAA pearls - from Pearl Paradise. My birthstone is pearl, so these get a LOT of love. Their sheen is sublime.

 

[mrs-b]

@mrs-b i really love that you have a mix and match collection of basics in the 3 key metal colors. question: do you run into issues with the 14k vs 18k rose or yellow pieces not matching in tone or color, or maybe 2 pieces you commissioned at different times having slightly different alloys and the color being a bit off?

i may be overly picky but it totally stands out to me with my stuff and i'm trying to decide if i just add more variety to make it look intentional or look harder for pieces that match.

thanks for sharing more of your collection!

@bludiva - I consider myself to be very color sensitive and, as if you can see a difference between my 18kt gold rose ring and earrings, and my bangle - then you're a better man than me! I can't see any difference at all. All the gold bangles and earrings were made by DKJ, and they knew I intended to wear them as sets, so whether this affected what they used as alloy, I don't know. But the match is perfect. DKJ also knew I didn't want a deep red look - rather, a peach tone. So that was taken into consideration when they made my alloy.

 

[mrs-b]

If you're interested, later on today I'll take some snaps of some of my diamond pieces.

 

[Ally T]

If you're interested, later on today I'll take some snaps of some of my diamond pieces.

You are actually asking if we are interested???

PICTURES!!

 

[PreRaphaelite]

The bangles are the same and can be worn in any combination. The wedding bands are 3mm wide, except for the platinum band with the 2 x 10pt AVRs - that one is 3.2mm wide. But they're all 2.2mm thick; it's a trait that runs throughout my jewelry that I don't skimp on quality.

In the spirit of that - here are my 3 bangles; each of them is solid and custom made to fit my wrist. These are 14kt rather than 18kt (and the silver one is sterling) because they get banged around a fair bit, and DKJ suggested that 14kt would wear better and last longer.

Oh great! Now I have to have one like these! Thanks a lot.
Actually, thanks a lot! What a beautiful set!
<3

 

[stonewell]

@mrs-b... your daily staples are tdf; so sophisticated and classic! I love the coordination across it all and that you can mix and match too. I can hardly wait to see photos of your other pieces!

 

[Wewechew]

If you're interested, later on today I'll take some snaps of some of my diamond pieces.

It's like you don't know us at all! lol

 

[MakingTheGrade]

MOOOAAARRRR PICTURES!!!

 

[pearaffair]

Just because I like the color better. I find a lot of platinum - especially once it develops a patina of wear - to be quite grey. And white gold would have to either be rhodium plated or worn as a warm off white (not my favorite). My diamond bangle, tho, made to go with this set, is platinum.

Ok good to know! Thanks! I love silver. It’s always so bright!

If you're interested, later on today I'll take some snaps of some of my diamond pieces.

I love your style! Of course we want more pics! Pretty please!

 

[mrs-b]

I just took a zillion photos and sent them from my phone to my email address. The volume was so large, Google locked me out of my mail. I might be locked out for up to 24 hours, apparently. As soon as I can get back in, I'll post my photos.

This jewelry photography business isn't for the faint hearted....

 

[jbake]

First up - an overview of all my daily pieces. I wear some combination of these every. single. day. It's the ultimate 'mix and match' jewelry collection, and when I travel, this, plus my 3 stone, is what I take with me.

Your collection is amazing; I love how intentional everything is!

 

[mrs-b]

Gmail finally let me back in, so here are some shots of a lot of my diamond jewelry. I've left out my predominantly gold jewelry - tho a lot of that has gemstones or small diamonds in it as well. But frankly, it was simply too much to photograph. I left out most of my pendants - again, too much to photograph. Ditto the majority of my pearl collection and most of my pins. So this bunch is mostly rings, earrings, and a couple of necklaces.

Firslty - an overall shot. This includes:
1) 2.2 ctw diamond pin - ideal cut, E/F VS diamonds, 2.5" long (DKJ)
2) Diamond and pearl drops - 14.5mm AAA South Sea pearls in platinum with 1.64 ctw of F colored diamonds. I think these are about 1.5" long (BGD)
3) 18kt yellow gold drops with approx 4.6 ctw of mixed cut diamonds. All stones are E or F. All individually graded except for the small rounds that connect each fancy shape. (DKJ)
4) Pear diamond and double halo pendant - 18kt. Center diamond is .79ct - I SI2 - from GOG. Halo is G stones, rb's - roughly another 1.2 ctw. (DKJ)
5) 18kt gold and diamond studs. 2 x .97ct K VS1 and K VS2 diamonds - True Hearts by James Allen and BGD signature re-cut - set in cushion shaped 'boxes'. (BGD)
6) Cluster pendant in platinum with platinum box chain. Center stone is 1.11 ct Ascendancy diamond by GOG surrounded by 8 x 20 pt diamonds - ideal cut. 2.73 ctw (DKJ)
7) Matching cluster diamond and platinum earrings. Center stones are both BN .95ct F VS2 Astor Ideal diamonds, surrounded by E/F VS ideal cut 13.5 pt stones ( x 1. 4.33 ctw (DKJ)
BGD .35 ctw Signature studs in platinum. E color.
9) BN cushion diamonds - .61 ct and .62 ct - E VS1 and E SI2. Set in bezels by BGD. Halos are WF signature melee - 2 point stones - .6 ctw. 1.83 CTW - halos by DKJ

 

[mrs-b]

The BGD studs - part of my 25th anniversary gift from DH. Tiny, but precious!

 

[mrs-b]

SS pearl and diamond drops - my 50th birthday gift from DH (pearl is my birthstone).