Do You Remember?

It's been almost a year since my last post here, and I'm astonished that so many followers have signed on to a long dormant blog.

It makes me smile.

I missed jewelry, and talking about jewelry, and thinking about jewelry. Also: writing about jewelry. Offline, my collection of old & pretty things has grown unwieldy. Sometimes, I like to take the box out to organize by stone, or size, or time period. Like those folks who can't stop rearranging their record collection, I have fallen down the rabbit hole of obsession. (I make my husband pick his favorites, but he always cheats and picks the most sentimental--like the ones he gave me. I cry foul!)

Earlier this year, my mom (a fellow lover of all things old & sparkly) and I decided to put our magpie eyes to good use and thus Bellflower Bay Antique and Vintage Jewelry was born. It's our little Etsy shop full of very pretty, hand-picked things that we travel around looking for. Not just anything can sit in our store: it has to be just right, just interesting enough, just beautiful enough, just perfect enough.

I'll probably put some things up here from the store every once in a while, and I'll definitely still talk about all the over lovelies out there that have been catching my eye.

Let's start with this:

A kick-ass Victorian Aesthetic ring in our store. Doesn't this look weirdly and beautifully tribal? We have a bunch of traditional pretty things too, of course, but this guy just sings to me. In a very strange language I can't understand, but it sounds like poems in code. Head on over to site for more info.

(Holy crap when did Blogger start cooperating what with the links and pictures and everything?!)

Tumbling

Tumblr seems to be way more compatible with my non-Mac computer, so I'm going to try tumbling over here for a while:

http://catbelly.tumblr.com/

Expect a lot of jewelry.

Reader, I Married Him

Where: The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY
When: May 21st, 2011
Jewelry: Mine, antique. His, white gold on the outside with rose gold on the inner by Jesse Danger on Etsy.
Dress: Purchased at Neiman Marcus, off the rack
Hair and make-up: The Little Hair Shoppe in NYC

March On!

Progress: in my apartment currently is a box of invitations, waiting to be sent out. Sure, yes, they must still be sealed and addressed, but lo: do not rain on my parade! Also, someone is making my dress and not only that BUT I have managed to put the other dresses that I purchased but were not right for me on ebay. Exhausting just reading about this, right? Let's look at pretty things.

In the So Tiny! So Adorable! Category:

Iwona Ludyga Tiny Keyhole Ring, $135

In the So Sparkly! So Dainty! Category:

Yasuko Azuma Moonlight Diamond Necklace, $738

In the So Pretty! So Old! Category:

Vintage 1930's Rhinestone Dress Clip at Jean Jean vintage, $78

And here's a little snap of some of my babies...

I've got some new ones too! I have to look longingly at this photo until May. No more "frivolous" (how insulting to diamonds!) purchases until after the nuptials. SIGH.

And my big baby:

Rock and a Hard Place

How is it already almost Christmas? This year went by in a flat second, I swear. And that's probably because now my wedding is in six months (!!!) and I'm just now getting around to the important stuff you need to do. Like, uh, invitations? So the dress has been the hardest part and we're not going to speak about the three that are in my closet right now. Instead, let's look at the one I am very much leaning towards:

Pretty! Also, since the last post, I got a new (old) engagement ring:

Ladies, I've learned that if the ring is not you, then you must say something. The original ring the fella gave me was beautiful, it really was, but it was really not me. This one, however, is totally me. I found it in a little antiques and art gallery up in Provincetown, MA and was immediately drawn to it... and it's Edwardian!


On to the holidays: I've been toodling around on a lot of great sites, looking at jewelry and bookmarking and thought "Why should I let this go to waste? I shall not!" I'm in a natual stone mood, so here's some stuff (potential presents for loved ones, perhaps?), all $150 or under:

Flourite Stud Earrings by AlanaDouvros, $88

Nakamol 8 stone Necklace, $138

Titanium Quartz Ring by Stone&Honey, $73 (I actually have this ring, and think it's super interesting & pretty, but I would recommend sizing it for your middle finger; it's heavy and it leans when you wear it on the ring finger. I have to exchange mine...)

Victorian Banded Agate Brooch at Victorian Sentiments, $75 (Remember, brooches can always be turned into necklaces!)

Happy Holidays!

Dropping By

Hello. Sometimes I stop by my old haunt and see what's been doing since I left; I marvel at the odd spam comments that have taken over like so many weeds in the cracks of a building and I get a little misty at the new comments, people who have taken the time to post even though it's been over a year since I last wrote.

Here's an update: I got a job shortly after my last post, and at first I was filling a position meant for two people, so I was burnt out and tired and only wanted to look at jewelry, not talk about it. Then we moved. Then I got engaged. I've been wedding planning a bit, or as much as I can without getting sucked into the vortex that is known as the bridal industry. It overwhelms me, so I even try to stay away from the computer for recreational use, because I somehow end up feeling hopeless as I look at pictures of some perfect garden wedding, where the bride found the perfect use of old aluminum cans and used paper towels.

If you are wondering, we got engaged in Cooperstown, NY over Thanksgiving (2009), first in local (and excellent) restaurant Alex and Ika, and then recreated in front of Babe Ruth in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Fella's original idea was to get down on one knee in front of the Babe's statue, but they had moved him from the lobby to somewhere inside and, after two visits to the Hall of Fame in my lifetime, I was content to get a manicure in town while he browsed. The ring was his grandma's and vintage, of course, from the 30's. The camera pooped out last year and instead of buying a new one, I waste my money on Victorian rings, so you'll have to take my word when I say that it's awful pretty. And I cried.

And that's where I've been. Now let's get back to it. Just because I haven't been blogging, doesn't mean I haven't been bookmarking beautiful things and trying to pay for them by skimping on the caterer! These are for summer, for warm nights when you don't have to wear a cardigan, for earrings that graze your bare shoulders, for the sun still shining when you leave your cubicle for the day, for wearing bright colors since the days are so long:


Art Deco 18K White Gold, Diamond and Emerald Dinner Ring, $595




Antique Style Jade, Coral, Pearl, Lapis and Turquoise Earrings, $49.99




Petite Cobalt Peacock Cuff, $32 (We got one of these for my soon-to-be-sister-in-law and she never takes it off)




Natural Blue/Green Turquoise & 10K Gold Ring, $95





Lisa Levine Slinky Brass Necklace with Mixed Stones, $147.20



I hope you have been well.

Let it All Hang out

I know I was all blah, blah unemployed blah will post a lot, etc. but see, I've been doing stuff every day! Movies and walks and Pinkberries oh my! I'm really going to try to be more attendant because I miss the blog world... so, just as soon as this 85 degree weather gets out of dodge, then I am back at the computer. In the meantime...

It's been too long since we've had a cat post!