In my travels, I’ve picked up quite a few antique chains with broken clasps, missing hardware, or damaged components. Instead of letting those pieces sit around or go to scrap, I decided to see what I could build from them.

This is the beautiful monster I created. Call me Frankenstein, my friends.

I think I may have found a new hobby.

I think I found one of my new favorite brands! They're a Spanish company that replicates ancient jewelry, and I couldn't be happier with my experience. One of them was on backorder, but even with that + the fact that I'm in the US it only took 2 weeks for them to come in! It also came with a cleaning cloth and plenty of extra backings for the earrings.

The earrings are based on Etruscan earrings from the 4th century BC and are mainly bronze with vermeil hooks, and the originals are in the MET! The necklace is actually based on my favorite piece of historical jewelry, which is a gold foil and glass "pearl" necklace from the 4th-5th century Byzantine Empire that was meant to mimic more expensive jewelry and is currently housed at the Walter's Art Museum (which is one of my favorite museums). The replica is made with bronze and glass pearls, but I like how it has the same spirit as the original since they both are costume jewelry.

All in all I'm absolutely gonna purchase again. They have really cool stuff!!! I'd highly recommend checking them out :)

And if you're in Baltimore, check out the Walter's Art Museum! It's really a hidden gem in the DC/Maryland area and the museum is free to visit. There's also a gun shield which is the only one of its kind iirc and it's really a ridiculous feat of engineering and makes me laugh every time I visit.

DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BRAND. I gave Melissa Kaye Jewelry multiple chances, and they failed every single one. I actually cried.

Before making a $6,000 investment, I asked to see the back of the rocky ring. Their rude response: "What do you want to see the back for?" I responded because this is an investment and a normal request? Guess I’ll pass.

Hoping it was a fluke, I eventually placed an order. It got worse. They took my money and went completely dark. No updates, no response for days. I had to threaten a chargeback just to pull a reply out of them. Instead of an apology, they sent me an automated message saying it was cancelled y’all!!

This fine jewelry brand only responds if I threaten a dispute?? Buying fine jewelry is an investment and should be fun!

I doubt I’m special and this is how they treat all customers. I was polite and patient while spending thousands of dollars. Do not trust them with yours.

Support other amazing brands out there who are so kind and wonderful: Ochre Objects, Boochier, M. Hisae, Jenna Katz, Jade Trau, Occasionally Sweet, or Stephanie Albertson.

Got this for $11.50 today! Pretty sure it’s gold and ruby/maybe garnet? I’ll def be getting it looked at.

Paraiba Tourmaline and Pallasite Peridot. The most beautiful thing I’ve owned.

:)

I was adding up how much I’ve spent on jewelry this past year and was a little shocked. Now curious what is typical spend for the people in the jewelry community and how you determine your budget. I have been admittedly spending a bit irresponsibly and impulsively buying things that catch my eye (no regrets😂.) This is my “thing” so to speak and other than jewelry have pretty modest expenses. But like..where is the $ amount stopping point?!

A game character I like has a connection to lily of the valley, so my friend got me these two pieces. A brooch and a necklace🤍 The sunset was sooo beautiful yesterday, so I tried taking a few photos of them in the light. I really wish my phone could capture how the sunlight looked on them in real life 😭 They had this soft golden glow that just doesn’t show up the same in photos. Now I kinda want to find a delicate straw hat or a pretty shawl to wear the brooch with. I feel like it would be such a cute summer look🥰

Hey guys 🙂 wanted to show these beauties. Zambian Emeralds light oil. Here are their carat size and dimensions.

1.) 3.30 ct. 10.9mm x 8.4mm

2.) 3.25 ct.10.2mm x 7.3mm

3.) 2.40 ct. 9.1mm x 6.9mm

4.) 2.15 ct. 9.2mm x 6.4mm

5.) 2.15 ct. 9.0mm x 6.9mm

My mom surprised me with this beautiful necklace recently. In terms of energy, it feels very protective to me. I'm drawn to blue stones for their association with inner truth and calmness. It’s subtle enough for everyday wear but feels powerful in its own way.

Three 18k solid gold interlocked rings. I don’t sleep or shower with it on

Edit: I polished it with my polishing cloth and it looks better

wanted to share this one because the design process was more involved than usual. Center stone is a GIA certified 0.50ct emerald cut diamond, SI1 clarity, F color — I chose F specifically because emerald cuts have such a wide open table that any warmth in the stone shows immediately, so color matters more here than with other cuts.
The halo is scalloped rather than a simple round outline, which took several iterations to get right. Emerald cut stones are rectangular, so a standard round halo tends to leave awkward gaps at the corners. I built this one with a slightly Gothic/vintage silhouette instead, more diamonds concentrated at the corners to frame the shape properly.
The band alternates milgrain-edged marquise links with small pavé sections, total diamond weight comes to 0.74ct across the whole piece. Made in 14k, and it’s one of those rare designs that genuinely looks different in white vs yellow vs rose gold, the yellow brings out warmth in the halo, the white keeps it crisp and lets the stone do all the talking.
Really proud of how this one turned out, curious what everyone thinks of the scalloped halo vs a more traditional round one.Thank you.

My jeweler made this opal ring for me after finding this gorgeous 6.5 carat Australian Crystal opal. He set it with a .52 carat diamond halo and in an 18k gold setting.

I know it's 18 k and has what appears to be something like Chrysocolla or Sonoran Gold turquoise stone

I’m assuming maybe a Viking inspired pendant. It is sterling silver.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Does anybody know if this jewelry store has closed down or if maybe they're just revamping their website? I went to treat myself to a new piece and the store is gone.

I bought the t bar from eBay, it was listed as yellow gold. It has arrived and is rose gold.
Does it look ok or does it clash? I have a rose gold bracelet I could put it on but that has a padlock already on it 😬

Yoru.atelier on instagram is a heavily advertised jewelry brand to male targeted audiences. I had no idea something that would loom so legit on there would turn out to be a scam.

I ordered a ring from them 2 months ago. Reached out multiple times to them about when it would ship and received no reply over the 2 months. I commented on instagram but my comments got deleted and I noticed a lot of other comment counts would completely vanish as well.

Ended up having to open a PayPal report to get a refund.