I think this was my great aunt's engagement ring but I may have come to that conclusion of my own accord rather than it being a pure statement of fact. Like the ring I wore yesterday, its gold, platinum and diamond and its a really stunning ring. I've had it for some time now and often wear it as, much like the ring from yesterday, I am sure this piece of jewellery has seen a fair few parties, big life events, maybe some trauma but a whole lot of life.
I can't afford 'classic' time pieces of jewellery much like I can't afford expensive 'classic' clothes - I know the cost per wear ratio will be better in the long term but I do tend to focus on costume jewellery because a) I don't earn a fortune and b) I like the way it can jazz up an outfit and to do that its often trend-led. So the few expensive, classic pieces of jewellery I do have I treasure as I know that they may not be 'in this season' but they are 'in for life' and can tell much better stories!
Wow, so we're now two weeks in and I'm still really loving the challenge! I'm struggling to walk past an Accessorize and not buy anything, especially as they're really cranking out the sale posters everywhere! As I mentioned at the beginning I will be wearing three things the same every day of the challenge - my engagement ring, my wedding ring and my watch - and I thought it might be nice to show you two of those things now - as you've seen my hands aren't great on camera but our wedding photographer did a good job in showcasing them!
Both my engagement and wedding rings are from Harriet Kelsall, Dan designed the engagement ring with one of their team and then we both worked on the wedding band. The staff have been wonderful to work with and the store in Cambridge is definitely worth a visit.
As I love vintage jewellery Dan chose a stunning vintage rose cut champagne diamond for the engagement ring which has been set on a cushion on top of the band so that the wedding band can sit perfectly underneath.The wedding band is the same metal and has four diamonds set at equal points around the ring, to reflect the compass style setting on the engagement ring. The metal is white gold that hasn't been plated so it has a colour somewhere between gold and silver and is really unique. I love that no-one else will have rings like it - they are totally unique. You can read about the whole design process here, from Dan's perspective (eek!)
My lovely husband, Dan, won me these earrings after Harriet Kelsall, whose jewellery company helped us to design my engagement and wedding rings, ran a competition on Twitter. I really like them - they are simple but classic and really light and easy to wear. They're from her Purple Label collection of dress jewellery which is pretty, contemporary and affordable too.
I made a matching pendant and bracelet as I had some hematite beads lying around which I sometimes wear with these as they are all quite subtle and complement each other really well.
I definitely recommend Harriet Kelsall if you're looking to get some jewellery made - like Lisa Snowdon recently did. Dan worked with their designers to create my unique engagement ring and then we both worked with them to design my wedding band. I love the fact that they are complete one-offs and no-one will have rings like them. It makes them really personal to me and even more special.
