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Favourite things: jewellery and goodwill

Our tiny school has a fabulous annual event each year called the Goodwill Games.  It was the wonderful brainchild of my neighbour, who thought the small schools and home-schooled children of the area should have their own sports carnival (the small schools CAN get a little lost amongst the bigger schools’ athletic gatherings) that focused on good sportsmanship as well as athletic achievement. I rave about it each year because it’s a reflection of my own ideals, it’s fun and the beer box hurdles race is beyond cute.

This year represents the ten year anniversary of the running of this great little event.  And so we (of the Parents’ and Citizens’ Association) are running a raffle to be drawn during the 2010 Games.  And because I had to take some photos of the main prize (hey, it’s what I do) for promotional posters, and because I just loved the gorgeous jewellery which the winner will take away, I decided to share some of the images with you too.

The prize is a necklace and bracelet, handcrafted by a local silversmith (I know that ten years is actually represented by tin in the UK and coal in the USA – silver is SOOOOO much more appealing – and we weren’t quite up for the diamonds recommended here!).

necklace_0145

The glass beads are blue – almost the exact blue of our school’s colours. Perfect!

silvernecklace_0142 e

I cannot tell you how much I love this set – I will be buying up a heap of tickets in an effort to win it for myself!

I am a bit of a Plain Jane when it comes to adornment.  I wear a WHOLE lot of black and brown, and cannot do big or colourful for the life of me… in fact, I wore almost no jewellery (except small earrings and a very practical watch) until I was in my 20s.  And I don’t do yellow gold.  I just don’t like it on my skin tone – silver or white gold is so much ‘cleaner’ looking on me.  At least I think so!  So everything in my very small collection of jewellery is either silver or white gold (one exception of an Aztec-inspired brass necklace which I will share with you soon).

Here is a recent addition to my stash – made by another talented local especially for me…
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Sadly as it was a fairly inexpensive item, it will tarnish (especially with all the wear I am inflicting on it at the moment) so I may have to try and track down a ‘real’ silver version at some stage.  I wear it with little silver drop ball  earrings (super dressed-up for me!).  But it’s very ME. If you know what I mean.  Don’t get me wrong, I love intricate and bright on other people… but I am definitely a woman of simple tastes when it comes to looking in the mirror.

Which brings me to wondering…

What is your signature jewellery style?

(and I’m going to do this a la Kate the Country Girl):

1. Are you a silver/white gold, rose gold or yellow gold person?

2. What was your first piece of jewellrey?

3.  What is your very favourite item of adornment?

4. Have you ever won a raffle? If so what loot did you take home?

See you in the comments section…
🙂
BB

21 Comments

  • Bush Babe

    1. Are you a silver/white gold, rose gold or yellow gold person? WHITE GOLD/SILVER

    2. What was your first piece of jewellrey? A PAIR OF AQUAMARINE HORSESHOE EARRINGS for my 12th birthday.

    3. What is your very favourite item of adornment? MY ENGAGEMENT RING – square-cut diamond and white gold.

    4. Have you ever won a raffle? If so what loot did you take home? NO. BUT I AM HOPING MY LUCK CHANGES SOON!
    🙂
    BB

  • Paint Girl

    1. I am a silver/white gold girl. I am not a big fan of gold either!
    2. I don’t really remember my first piece of jewelry, but what I do remember getting jewelry wise was a pair of ruby earrings and a ruby necklace from my dad. Ruby is my birthstone. I think I still have the earrings.
    3. I love my cowgirl pieces. But don’t wear much jewelry these days. Only when I dress up a bit, which isn’t very often!
    4. I haven’t won a raffle. I have won a couple contests, but that is about it!

  • debby

    My friend found me a bracelet. She had heard me say, ‘You know, Karen, it is what it is…’ so many times that she actually was shocked to see a bracelet with that very statement. She bought it for me last year. It’s just a silver sort of stamped metal that is slid on to a leather thong. I wear it a great deal. I also have a silver and gold colored necklace and bracelet that match (both pieces came from the God’s Heart collection…and were given to me from two different friends). But my favorite thing is earrings. My favorite pair is tiny hummingbirds set over Black Hills Gold filigree. I wear earrings every day, and usually can manage a bracelet, if I think of it.

    So… since I don’t buy jewelry for myself, I wear what I am given, white gold or silver or gold or inexpensive metal…it makes no difference to me.

    My first piece of jewelry? Dunno.

    Yeah, if there’s a raffle, if I have a ticket, well, it won’t be my name pulled out of the hat. Ever. It is a universal truth, I think.
    .-= debby´s last blog ..Kids =-.

  • Tara

    I like both silver and gold. I am very blonde, so the jewellery I wear depends very much on he colours I am wearing. I prefer silver though, on the whole.

    First piece of jewellery? I’m not sure. I remember a little silvery necklace, and a gold toe-ring. But I couldn’t say for sure.

    I have several. A necklace with a pendent shaped like a bar with small zirconias in it. I have a twisted gold necklace my Dad brought back from Dubai. I have a beaded necklace that belonged to my Gran. I much prefer necklaces to anything else. I very seldom wear rings or bracelets.

    Entered several raffles, never won a thing!
    .-= Tara´s last blog ..Crazy busy morning =-.

  • mary

    1) I like both equally well.

    2) I have no idea what my first piece of jewelry was.

    3) My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding band.

    I have never been good about keeping up with jewelry and wear very little of it. I can’t count the number of earrings I’ve lost (usually while wearing them). Like you I am not big on flashy or large jewelry, but love seeing it on other people.
    .-= mary´s last blog ..The Bronte Sisters Power Dolls =-.

  • A Novel Woman

    Silver or white gold. But I do own yellow gold pieces too.

    My first piece of jewelry was a necklace from my cousin Alan. It was a tiny enamel oval, white with pink roses and green leaves and set in yellow gold. I adored him, and was heartbroken when he died twenty years ago from leukemia at age 33 leaving behind his childhood sweetheart and three young daughters. When his mother, my aunt, died a few years ago, I gave the necklace to the youngest of Alan’s daughters, now a young woman.

    My favourite piece now? Tiny dragonfly enamel earrings. Not expensive, but sweet.

    Raffles? I win a lot. Flowers, money, a fruit basket, wine, books. I’m very lucky that way. I even won a stereo once at a Chinese banquet with 700 people.
    .-= A Novel Woman´s last blog ..Trailer for Linger and Shiver =-.

  • Kelly

    1. silver or white gold

    2. a little ring from AVON with a dark blue stone in it (to simulate sapphire, which is my birthstone). I was about 8 and it was a gift from my parents.

    3. I don’t know if I could pick a favorite! Perhaps the cross my dad had made for my mom for their 25th anniversary.

    4. I ocassionally win a raffle. The best was back when Beanie Babies were all the rage. Two different classes at my kids’ school were each raffling a big basket of beanies. I won BOTH!
    .-= Kelly´s last blog ..Koontz and Harris =-.

  • Patches

    1. Totally with ya on the yellow gold not looking good on my skin tone. Ick. I’m white gold/silver all the way! Or platinum…I’m sure I could do platinum. 😉
    2. The first piece of jewelry I remember was a pair of real diamond earrings from my great uncle. He got them for all the 20+ kids in our generation of the family as an early inheritance. It was weird, but they were real diamonds! Even as a 10 year old I could appreciate a real diamond! lol
    3. My current fave item is the necklace that my mom got me when she went to Ireland. She got me a few pieces of real silver and white gold, but my fave piece that I wear almost daily was a cheapy little silver swirly circle necklace charm.
    4. I don’t think I’ve ever won a raffle. If I have it certainly wasn’t a great prize like that beautiful necklace! Wowzers! Good luck winning it! I suspect you’ll have some pretty good competition!

  • Jenni in KS

    1. I have been told I’m a “Spring” as far as coloring goes and I should wear yellow gold, but I prefer silver. It goes better with turquoise, which I love.
    2. The first piece of jewelry I remember getting was a Mickey Mouse necklace that my dad gave me when I was about 7.
    3. I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, but I like hippie looking jewelry: leather, hemp, turquoise, abalone, sea glass, funky and unique items. I recently saw some rings made from the inner workings of old watches that were really cool.
    4. I’ve never won a raffle.
    .-= Jenni in KS´s last blog ..Poetry and Archaeology Celebrated =-.

  • Kate

    Fun!
    1. Are you a silver/white gold, rose gold or yellow gold person? I probably should be gold, but I prefer silver. It’s just more laid back.

    2. What was your first piece of jewellrey? Real jewelry? If it’s real jewelry, a pearl necklace my parents gave me for my high school graduation. I still have it.

    3. What is your very favourite item of adornment? My wedding ring. There’s an entire story behind it and I never had one until just a couple of years ago.

    4. Have you ever won a raffle? If so what loot did you take home? The only thing I remember ‘winning’ was a bid at a silent auction. It’s a gorgeous lamp that I love.

    Isn’t this fun? So glad you stole it from me. And you know I stole the idea from somewhere else in the first place. I think.
    .-= Kate´s last blog ..Vintage babies =-.

  • Tracey

    1. Yellow gold now. I had a truckload of silver when I was a teenager, and I never wear any of it. But I wear stuff all jewellery these days (see answer to 3.)

    2. I reckon my ‘real’ first piece of jewellery was probably a signet ring – heart shaped, with my initials, as a kid.(and to make a liar out of me, it was 9ct yellow gold…. Really should give that to one of my girls, but how do you choose?!! Really should clean all the silver stuff and divvy it out too.

    3. The only jewellery I now wear is my wedding band, and a heart shaped ‘Mum’ that my girls got me a couple of years back – on a gold chain. Lately my wedding band feels uncomfortable, so I wear it on the chain as well. I never wanted an engagement ring. We got matching wedding bands, but Himself hurt his ring finger by wearing it (and catching cricket balls), and he works with instrumentation, so not smart for him to wear it.) Really should get mine resized I suppose, and acknowledge that I’ve put on weight in my hands perhaps .. but I kind of like the symbolism of the ring encircling the pendant – wife and mother, intertwined.

    I don’t have my ears pierced, and the older I get, the less interested I am in jewellery at all. i wish I was, but I’m not.

  • Tracey

    PS. I forgot to add that I won a raffle. Once. A mothers day basket at a netball club raffle, most of which was useless to me because I’m not into most of that sort of stuff. I did use the voucher for the beauty salon and started getting my legs waxed again – so ended up spending, over the years, a fortune on that!
    .-= Tracey´s last blog ..Miscellaneous woes. =-.

  • Naomi

    1. Are you a silver/white gold, rose gold or yellow gold person?

    i’m a white gold/antique rose gold person. i can’t usually wear silver because of the nickel content (which i react to) whereas gold/platinum is fairly inert. my wedding band is white gold/platinum and i also have my grandmother’s rose gold wedding band. i’ll fit them on again some day.

    2. What was your first piece of jewellrey?

    those would be earrings. i got my ears pierced when i was about 12 and i wore small gold hoops for years. now i wear surgical steel loops and cool coloured titanium (i’ve got 5 holes – one in one ear and 4 in the other).

    3. What is your very favourite item of adornment?

    that would definitely be my titanium loops, they’re funky purple with blues. otherwise i don’t wear any jewelry.

    4. Have you ever won a raffle? If so what loot did you take home?

    yes, i took home a dart board backboard protector…a foam ring that goes around the dart board for the darts to stick in rather than wrecking the wall behind it. that was ages ago…15 years or so.

    i make jewelry now. i’m still learning but i’ve made some lovely earrings, necklaces and bracelets. i’m looking forward to a new shipment of supplies to continue expanding my abilities.

  • Cheryl

    1. Yellow gold
    2. Crystal pendant for my Aunties wedding (I was a bridesmaid) think I was about 5.
    3. Opal earrings and ring set I had made from opals I purchased direct from a miner in Lightning Ridge
    4. Yes – about 10th prize – some spoons I gave to my Mum!

    Weather update. First frost of the season today and a whopper. Rule of thumb here is no frost before Mother’s day or after Father’s day and it has worked again!
    .-= Cheryl´s last blog ..31% of our wildlife has gone since 1970 =-.

  • UtahZen

    1. White gold! I’m like you, i don’t like how yellow gold looks on my skin. Silver and white gold are much prettier on me.

    2. Earrings. My mom pierced my ears when i was about 2 months old. They were tiny gold butterflies.

    3. I have a narrow, silver cuff bracelet that i wear everyday, in fact it never comes off. It has a bible verse in Hebrew etched into it.

    4. YES!!! For the first time ever last year. They have a huge sheepdog/herding competition in my town and a raffle for sheepdog rescue. I won a XM satellite radio. It’s sweet.

  • Jayne

    1. Are you a silver/white gold, rose gold or yellow gold person?
    Silver for me.

    2. What was your first piece of jewellrey?
    A pair of horse-shoe earrings with tiny sapphires in them for when I got my ears pierced at age 9.

    3. What is your very favourite item of adornment?
    Rings but only wear one now since I bloated lol.

    4. Have you ever won a raffle? If so what loot did you take home?
    A door raffle when I was 11-ish and I won a squirrel-shaped money box.
    .-= Jayne´s last blog ..May 15 things =-.

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