rings on her fingers and bells on her toes...

Now, when i think of buying jewelry, i think of my adorable little grandfather who used to go on hunts for the perfect pieces of antique jewelry for the women in my family. in fact, i have the mostbeautiful ring and gold watch from two of his excursions.






for this reason, when i'm looking at jewelry i don't usually turn to new jewelry stores to find something. first of all, it's much more ethical to use gemstones and metals that have already been put into the economy, and on another note, most antique pieces are just prettier to me.
and, let's be honest, i've been really into pretty jewelry lately... especially gold rings. Maybe it's because it's time for me to buy something new, or maybe i'm just hinting for a Christmas present, but, either way, i've been looking.

And if i look beyond my commitment to vintage and estate jewelry then i turn to handmade pieces from reused or recycled metals. Anyway, there are tons of great artists out there doing just this kind of work...but as for my faves, i think this turquoise ring from sarah perlis and this knotted ring from the rust belt are fab!

Not only are they just so pretty on fingers, but these ones are made from recycled gold, and sarah perlis uses conflict free diamonds. ;) yep, thought you'd like that.

i also love browsing on etsy for handmade jewelry...and er, well.. i'm a sucker for a bird or a tiny locket on a thin chain. i'm not sure about the materials these artists use, but their pieces are lovely and have a vintage-y look to them.

lockets from seaunicorn and earrings from kristinfriesen on etsy