How Charming!

Somewhere in my jewelry drawers I have the charm bracelet that my mother started for me. She was in love with the idea that you could wear your memories as jewelry. Unfortunately, she was also a little ADD and my charm collection stopped somewhere in high school! Although I share her love of the idea charms foster, I find that I am drawn to them more for the style they create. Fortunately, the folks in charge of jewelry trends must feel the same way as I see charm style items popping up all over the place - from main stream to artisan crafters!

What I find myself really falling for is that there is so much variety of selection. If you just love the style, you can find pieces that look great, but don't require a nostalgic speech to explain. On the other end of the spectrum, there are also some great pieces with meaning that sport super style. A true win win!

Here are some of the pieces I have been scoping out as possible additions to my personal collection or gifts for friends. If you fall in love with one and scoop it up before I do, that's OK. It's all for the love of charm!

Turquoise and Gold Leaf Tie Necklace

Green Quartz Coin Pearl Charm Necklace

Silver Family Tree Pendant Charm Necklace

Yellow Orange and Gold Charm Necklace

Stella & Dot Charms - LOADS of options!

Shiny Stuff!

I was recently introduced to my latest shopping fascination and in dedication to my love of sharing I now bring it to you! A recent phenomenon, home trunk shows or network based shopping businesses have become quite popular allowing ladies to shop in their homes among friends with an assortment of items from personal care, make-up, clothes and now jewelry. With most of these home shows I have found that the shopping model is built to encourage people to shop within a show somewhat limiting the option to purchase at will when you have the extra play money on hand. This latest introduction, however, seems to have found a happy medium between the two shopping experiences which makes it easy for me to suggest as a possible gift source.

What is this new fascination of mine? It is a company by the name of Stella & Dot. According to my friendly consultant this company was started about two years ago with a product designer with a history of designing for Banana Republic. Recently, they have acquired a second designer with experience designing for Kate Spade. Since I am fond of the styling of both companies, this tidbit caught my attention.

My initial introduction to their jewelry made an impression upon me for two key reasons. One - there is a great range of design catering to a multitude of tastes while still keeping us in trend. Two - the pieces also come in a range of prices with most at or below the $70 mark. Top this off with the quality of the items and I was hooked!

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!