Every woman has a piece of jewellery that she loves. Which woman doesn’t love jewellery? It doesn’t have to be diamond encrusted or worth thousands of dollars. In fact, the most treasured pieces are the ones that hold a sentimental value. Maybe it was a piece that you have spend years saving up for? Or a pair of earrings passed down by your grandmother? Your engangement ring that brings back memories of his proposal to you? Its not the price tag behind a piece of jewellery that matters but rather the story that it holds.

Many women in history were known to have pieces of jewellery that they have adorn and loved which are now worth millions on eBay or are encased in museums for us to admire. One of these women was Jacqueline Kennedy who had an extensive collection of beautiful priceless and some personalized jewellery designed by the worlds most talented jewellers (Van Cleef and Arpels!) that connected countries and some that told of the love her husbands had for her.

So inspired by her exquisite taste and her jaw-dropping collection, I decided to show case some of my most treasured pieces as well. Yes, my jewels are laughable if they ever had to sit beside Jackie’s but they are priceless to me.

The Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ring

This was one of my first high-end accessories that I purchased at the boutique in ION Orchard. I didn’t have a hard time picking out which one I wanted out of the choices of coloured stones that were available as I had fallen in love with the Lapis Lazuli the minute I saw it, the Royal Blue Sapphire is the colour of my birth stone. But the reason I hold my Arty Ring dear to me is because I had bought it during a particularly lonely period of my life.

I wanted something to mark my individuality, to make me feel like I still had my say and my rights to decide for myself. I went ahead to decide to get an Independence Ring or the ‘Righthand Ring’. As the saying goes, “The left hand is for thee, the right hand is for me,” so right hand rings are for celebrating independence and happiness. The left hand is traditionally the hand that bears a wedding ring but for the single women who would like a ring for the sheer pleasure of it, puts it on her right hand to celebrate her independence. The YSL Arty was the perfect fit and boy, am I a proud independent girl now *winks.

The Chanel Earring

These were the only kind of Chanel (besides my Rouge Coco Lipsticks and compact cases) that I could afford. Honestly, unlike most of my other jewellery, this ones doesn’t really have much of a story to tell other than they are Chanel and that I got them one day at the Ngee Ann City boutique after getting my pay check. I love them immensely as I wear these babies only during special or festive occasions that have held sweet memories. They also invite hoards of compliments as their gold CCs and black pearls boldly stand out from the crowd and demand attention yet are delicate and sophisticated at the same time. Most ladies wear the kebayas, dinner dresses and lenghas with diamante earrings or gold, I wear them with these Chanel earrings for a modern chic twist.

The Baroque Pearl Necklace

Most recently acquired and given by my mother from our trip to the Maldives. I particularly love these pearls as they aren’t perfectly rounded. They are known as baroque pearls. I have loved baroque pearls since I was 21 when I was working in a jewellery store and had the opportunity to try on a pair of lovely baroque earrings. I instantly fell hopelessly in love with them. They were however too expensive for my then very meagre wage. Later on in my life, I went searching for these pearls but to my dismay, I was told it was very rare and almost impossible to find in Singapore. So the fixation of owning baroques faded in time. Then during our recent trip to Maldives, when we stepped into that humble little souvenir shop, I spotted a single baroque pearl necklace amongst the array of exotic jewellery. It did cost quite a bit but fortunately, Mama fell as much in love with them as I did and bought it for me (thank goodness she has fine taste in jewellery!).

The Charm Bracelet

This has got to be my most beloved jewellery, if anything the most cherished item I own. I started collecting charms about 4 years ago after reading about personalizing a bracelet on Nina Garcia’s The One Hundred. I did some research and found that charm bracelets date back to the ancient Egyptians and the medieval times. Queen Victoria was also known to collect charms and started the trend during her era. Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy had personalized charms of their own (I truly envy Jackie’s as hers even had inscriptions).

Like most of theirs, every charm on my bracelet has a story of its own. But that will be for another entry. My bracelet is incomplete though hence I haven’t worn it out yet. I have so many more charms I would like to have hanging from my bracelet. Here are just some I would like to add.

1) Angel: To ‘watch over me’.
2) Libra: My western horoscope sign.
3) Tiffany Box: My favourite colour. To mark that I was given the gift to start anew.
4) Envelope: When I have my own home with the address engraved on it.
5) Lapiz Lazuli: My favourite stone. Or Sapphire, my birthstone.
6) Heart Locket: A picture of my loved one and me (someday).
7) Fort Siloso: (Not pictured) Something that symbolizes my time spent in the place I loved very much.

P.S: Pictures of these charms are from Tiffany. I love them but their pricetags are a little too steep. Any little silver or gold plated charms would work for me as long as they hang nicely from my bracelet and fit in well. Some of mine are from Thomas Sabo (ION/Raffles City) and Paris Bijoux (Raffles City) as they make quality charms for more affordable prices.

So there you have it, a sneak peek into my jewellery box. My collection is still ongoing though and I may add more in the future. Do feel free to share what’s in yours and the story behind your pieces as I’d love to hear all about them. Till the next entry.

Reference:
The Charm Bracelet