By: Lisa Eclesworth
About the Author:
Building your own jewelry collection is a process that involves personal exploration to decide exactly what type of statement you want to make about yourself and how you want to present yourself. In the same way your eyes are stained-glass windows into your soul, each piece of jewelry that you own is a type of external adornment of the heart. Building your collection is a process that cannot be rushed. The selection should not be compromised.
1. Know your stones
From ancient times, jewelry has been used as protection or as symbols of religion. However, in modern times, jewelry is largely used as personal decoration. Regardless what your jewelry means to you or how you use it, building your collection is often an interesting process of selecting your jewelry based on what it means.
– obsidian: a symbol of protection, which is often paired with silver
– onyx: helps build strong relationships, often paired with silver
Note: the black or white striations within onyx are thought to symbolize two people in a relationship.
– pearl: represents longevity as well as being perfect
In terms of deeper meaning, the pearl represents deep knowledge as its source is the oyster.
– gold: a mixture of love and passion
– silver: the mirror by which we see our true selves or the true selves of others
2. The meanings of jewelry types
In addition to stones or different metals, the type of jewelry has special meaning. For instance, necklaces represent the hope for prosperity or wealth. A ring, however, symbolizes eternal or pure devotion, which makes it perfect for unions, weddings, or gifts for new relationships. Finally, earrings are symbols of maturity, womanhood, or femininity. They represent the anima of the psyche. However, in modern times, earrings have come to represent stability, wealth, and status. This modern meaning stems from the fact that the earlobe, itself, is connected symbolically to the idea of financial stability.
3. Sets
In terms of building your jewelry collection, it is important to adorn yourself with at least one ring, one necklace, and a set of earrings. Doing so symbolizes wholeness, wisdom, and prosperity. Although modern wearers often give little thought to jewelry beyond its beauty, understanding the underlying purpose and meaning of jewelry can make your collection more meaningful and fun to wear.
In short, your jewelry enables and empowers you by helping you personify what it represents. Although it might sound odd to say so, your jewelry is a type of personal statement that makes you more powerful because when you wear it, you are at some level telling the world and yourself that you can and will achieve or maintain prosperity, goodness, and love.
4. Reality check
With all this discussion of deep meaning, it is, of course, important to at some point during the process of building your collection to conduct a check on reality by evaluating the authenticity of a piece. Additionally, you should note the following factors.
– price
– shipping costs
– color
– style
– availability
When it comes to price, it can be profitable to buy right after holidays. In terms of shipping, it is best to buy sets if it helps you obtain free shipping. Finally, you need to determine if a piece will be available later or if it is a unique piece made in limited quantities.
You should also re-visit stores frequently, checking for special sales or promotions on pieces or sets you have been waiting for.
5. Jewelry boutiques
The best way to build your collection is to find an online dealer that carries a line of jewelry that matches your style and taste. Additionally, if you find a specialty boutique that carries the types of jewelry that you like, you will find that you have more variety within that style. For instance, Revelations Boutique carries a variety of obsidian, onyx, and pearl jewelry that can be set in silver or gold. Such boutiques focus solely on providing a variety of styles based on just a few stones and metals. As such, you can build your collection piece by piece or set by set while always being able to find new styles based on the stones and metals that are most beautiful to you.
6. Bit by bit
Of course, once you find a boutique jeweler, it is often fun to simply by one piece at a time. If you buy one piece at a time instead of buying a set, you can enjoy the process of randomly adding pieces to your collection that you know will match. By doing so, your final collection takes on a shape of its own, making it–and you–even more unique