My sister is a writer who will soon be married. My father would like to give her a special piece of jewelry to celebrate her marriage but neither he nor I are are jewelry people. My mother passed away a year ago yesterday so we’re on own with this project!
My sister:
Favors statement necklaces and broaches
Writes historical fiction novels (I'm compelled to say she's a NYT bestselling author! Hey! I'm her big sister!)
Native to Philly
Esty? Antique? Local artisan?
I don’t even know where to begin to look. Budget is 1k so probably not diamonds. Her birthstone is sapphire.
I was thinking of a vintage locket with my mother’s photo inside? But I’m worried that might be too emotional… I’m consulting with my brother with whom she is very close.
Given the investment and your sister’s preference for statement pieces which tend to be more unique and personal, I’d suggest your father and sister pick out a piece together. It wouldn’t be a surprise then but it could be a bonding moment together and would insure it would be something that would be worn and treasured.
First, sorry for the loss of your mother. It is recent and a wedding will be hard for missing her.
Second, sapphire would be something blue!
Third, you might not have too much time to look a lot, but I suggest you look in consignment stores, I didn’t know they sold jewelry! but once I found out, I was able to consign a bunch of my mom’s old stuff and got a pretty good price for it selling. Buyers snapped some of it up, so I thought they felt they got a good buy also.
From your description, I’d think a vintage looking piece would be perfect.
There is no such thing as a too emotional gift is there?
http://shop.elvafields.com
This designer uses vintage pieces to create her jewelry and might be able to incorporate something from your mom’s collection into a unique piece for your sister. May not be here style, but just thought I’d throw it out there:) Good luck on what sounds like a fun project!
While I don’t see expensive pieces at consignment stores here, I would look at a boutique jewelry shop. My mother worked at one, and they sold new pieces, vintage pieces AND did custom work. Many independent jewelry shops offer a similar array of options. Your sister sounds like a vintage piece would be perfect for her. The jeweler can work with you in finding the ideal thing.
My father had diamond earrings and a matching necklace made by the jeweler who made my ring that I wore on my wedding. They were lovely and he included diamonds from a pinky ring of his (yes, we are Italian;) So, even though they were lovey and it meant a lot that he had done this, the jewelry itself was too delicate to wear on a regular basis. Our dd just turned 16 and we chose to melt down that jewelry and my mother contributed a piece (my father is deceased) and we went to a jeweler and my daughter helped to design a ring with the melted down white gold and the gemstones from the pieces. It is lovely and a statement piece. More important to me, the ring incorporates pieces that have meaning to our family. Our now dd 14 would like to do the same thing when she turns 16 (luckily saved enough from the pieces used). We live in Philly and I asked around to find someone who actually makes jewelry, since my original jeweler no longer lives here.
Great suggestions. After a morning of searching, the idea that is catching is a locket. This one is not vintage but has a vintage look. Lighter and airer than a typical locket.