I don't know any woman who doesn't love jewellery and over the course of a lifetime, we can collect quite a lot of it. While we might not have a hoard to rival the crown jewels, for each individual, there will be sentimental items in her jewellery box that she simply cannot part with. As a popular gift, women are often presented with items of jewellery to mark special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, graduations and so on. Most of us hold onto these trinkets, making special treasures of them, from the first pair of studs earrings we got when we had our ears pierced, to other rites-of-passage trinkets like engagement and wedding rings, to beloved hand-me-downs from mothers and grandmothers.
Over time, my collection has become too large for the Art Nouveau jewellery casket I kept on my vanity. I could never find anything, earrings got lost and necklaces ended up in a tangled mess. I had piles of Pandora boxes and Scottish Thistle boxes on my vanity, which looked untidy and meant that I never really wore the items inside, because it was too much hassle to hunt through to find the right box. So I decided to have a declutter of my jewellery and the makeup drawers in my vanity, throwing away anything that was past it's best, broken or odd - because I'm probably never going to find the matching pair at this stage.
I decluttered last week, and then this weekend I went shopping for something more suitable to keep my jewellery in. I came home with a large item of furniture and something I've wanted for years! In short, I purchased a beautiful cabinet that is also a full length mirror. I've given my old pine cheval mirror to my mum's best friend, and in its place now stands a lovely creamy white mirrored cabinet. The mirror opens up like a door and inside are lots of hooks and spaces for organizing jewellery. It is fully lined in dark blue velvet so that the jewellery won't get scratched and the hooks mean an end to tangled necklaces. It has a special section on the back of the door for hanging and organizing earrings and bracelets, and a little internal mirror so you can try things on without having to close the door. It really is beautiful and such a nice addition to my fairytale bedroom. I'm so glad I found it!
Mum and I spent time yesterday putting it together and then I took delight in arranging all my little trinkets inside. While my collection isn't valuable, I still feel that we should look after our pretty things and keep them nice, regardless of how much they cost. Sentimental value should not be underestimated either, and there are items in this cabinet that my grandmother passed on to me or that she bought for me when I was a girl. There are also things that my mother has given me too - her mother of pearl broach that I played dress-up with as a small girl now has a place in a velvet-lined compartment and it makes me smile to see it whenever I open up the jewellery cabinet door. My bridesmaid pearls are in here too, that I wore as a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding when I was just sixteen years old. The silver thistle jewellery, unicorn earrings and Clan Bruce broach and kiltpin that I brought back from Scotland have a place and compartment to themselves. So while there is nothing of any monetary value, these things are valuable to me, for the memories they evoke and the family connections they represent.
Now I can actually see all the items I have when I'm getting ready each day. Nothing is buried, nothing is so tangled I can't be bothered with it, nothing is separated from its pair. It's all organized, neat and tidy, in a mirrored cabinet that takes up less space than my old cheval mirror, but which does twice as much in terms of usefulness. I'm really happy with it and it was certainly a good purchase. All my pretty trinkets are safe and organized and I will always know where to find things. So while they might not be the crown jewels, they are nonetheless my jewels and I am thrilled that I finally have such a lovely home for them.
It was a good shopping trip!
BB Marie x
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