Friday Faves: What's in my Jewelry Box?

I like jewelry...you girls know that by now. I love statement pieces and fun pops of color, but I also have some pieces that I really cherish. I believe that jewelry tells you a lot about a person...so I thought "what better way for my readers to get to know me than to share what's in my jewelry box?!" It really wasn't much of a challenge...these are the pieces I would grab if there were a fire (okay, I'd grab E and my dog and cat first...). These are the pieces that I will pass on to my children one day and tell them stories about. I know that I will add more pieces to my collection, but for right now these are the simple pieces that I love most.

Five simple pieces...that's it...of course I love all of my jewelry and everything has some story behind it, but these are without a doubt the most important pieces of all.

My pearls. My dad started this strand of pearls for me on my 16th birthday. It started out as just a few pearls and he added pearls slowly to it. I loved watching the necklace get more and more full. Every birthday, every Valentine's Day he added pearls. The goal of an add-a-pearl necklace is that you will have a full strand by your wedding day. Well, I got married at 20, so 4 years wasn't quite long enough to finish it off. My dad did eventually finish it and it's beautiful...something I honestly don't wear enough. It will always be special to me because my dad got it for me. It will be something that (God willing) my daughter will get.

My J necklace. It may not seem like much...it's just a simple Tiffany's J necklace, but I bought it with my first paycheck when I got my first job out of college (no it didn't cost the whole paycheck). We were in New York for Thanksgiving and so it was the perfect reason to go into Tiffany's. I love having the reminder that I accomplished something by getting a job.

My class ring. You've never seen anything quite like it, have you? That's because it's one of a kind. Perhaps that's why I love it so much...or the fact that it was so much work to create. My mom has a yellow gold version of this ring that she bought when she got her Master's degree from UGA. I knew that I wanted one when I graduated, but I didn't quite know how hard it would be to get. The jeweler that originally made hers had gone out of business and every jeweler we took it to wasn't quite sure how to replicate it. Finally a jeweler said they could do it, but my mom's ring would have to be shipped to New York and a cast would have to be made of it. So they cast my mom's ring, poured my ring into that cast, sent it elsewhere to have the Arch hand etched into it and then it made the trip back home to have the diamonds placed in it. You won't find another one like it...it's pretty darn special :)

My wedding rings. My wedding rings are specials for obvious reasons. It started as my engagement ring and then my wedding band (top). When E was born, the bottom band was my "push present." It's a beautiful sapphire and diamond band that coordinates perfectly with my other band. I love having a reminder of E on my finger every day. I also love that they aren't sautered together because then I can wear them separately.

My pearl and diamond earrings. Another gift from my dad (can you tell I'm a daddy's girl?!) for my wedding. I wore these on our wedding day and I love them. They're simple and elegant, but can be a statement piece.

So even though I wear these big, loud statement pieces...I do love the simplicity of pearls and diamonds and sentimental pieces. What's in your jewelry box? Why are those pieces special to you? Share with me :)

Xo,