The adornment phases of me

First was junior high, when I wore long dangley earrings. Some silvery feathery things that dusted my shoulders or large silvery hoops. My hair was to the middle of my back and the long earrings balanced well with my adolescent carefree style.

In high school it was 1928 jewelry from Dillard's. We were all so excited to finally have a Dillard's and were enamored with the vintage reincarnations and the high price. $28 is a small fortune to a kid. I still have one of my favorite necklaces; a spoon design locket on a 20" chain.

The first couple years afterward, in my early college and dance club days, it was bold silver. Wide concave silver hoops which were truly phenomenal and wide plain silver rings. I loved the look of the bright silver bangle, but they were always too big for my wrist, so the ears and fingers took center stage.

After moving home at 21, I got my first "real" job in fine jewelry. I was the mail girl, but man oh man, it opened my eyes to a world I never knew. The phase became bracelets. Not bangles, as I'd previously learned better, but soft flexi ones in 14 karat white gold. Just before leaving, I evolved to platinum tahitian pearl drop earrings. They are of a completely different caliber than the bracelets so the earrings trumped and the bracelet was relegated to the drawer. (I did get a steady series of promotions fyi... didn't stay the mail girl for long)

Then came the diamond dealer. What a fun and ridiculously stressful job. Don't believe me? Try being single handedly responsible for the accuracy of $13 million in loose diamonds in a busy 5 person sales office, tens of thousands of which changed hands daily. Wholesale is a different breed my friends. But I digress... it became the necklace. The 18 karat white gold pavé diamond baby shoe presented as a casual gift at my office baby shower. I don't think I took that necklace off for 2 years, even at home wearing sweats and getting spit up on.

When I returned to work, once again in jewelry, I pulled out the old tahitian drops. It felt good to get dressed up again after a couple years wearing whatever was laying around. My taste expanded and I started rotating between the necklace, the earrings, and the bracelet, but never all three.

Then I returned to college and was surrounded by young students. I felt really out of place wearing diamonds and platinum when everyone else was wearing American Eagle specials. The real jewelry got put back in storage and base metal cheapies from Target returned to the forground. One pair of earrings dominated the show and was worn all the time. All. the. time.

Now I wonder what adornment means. I love bracelets (probably my favorite) but they always bug me when I have to write on the board, get all crafty with the kidlet, or do laundry. Necklaces bug me because they just feel weird along my collarbone. Rings? I'm too much of a compulsive hand washer and jewelry experience has taught me to take rings off when washing. Hence: no rings. Earrings are my last bet, and again I'm onto one simple pair. Clear faceted beads dangling from a simple silvery wire, and those I forget to wear half of the time. All my beauties are sitting locked up waiting for their chance in the limelight while I wonder, will it ever come?

So now I sit and contemplate, what will the next phase be? Will I break out of this one-thing-all-the-time rut and into the nothing at all rut? Or will I bounce a creative direction and try something new? I can't tell yet, but I feel the winds of change a-blowing.