Jewelry: Building my collection on a budget!

Jewelry (especially golden jewelry) is everywhere, nowadays, getting more and more popular every day and it's no surprise because it elevates every look. You put on a sweat suit, you complement it with a cute golden chain necklace, a ring or two, a bracelet or some golden earrings and BAM! You have an awesome outfit that is stylish and comfortable, all in one. This is a dream come true, am I right? We can thank 2020 for the sweat suit trend, that I think is moving on to 2021, by the way, and after all, not everything about 2020 was bad.

I have always been interested in fashion and I love everything about fashion! From drawing clothes and creating, to fashion history, to runway shows, to building outfits, from ready to wear to haute couture...everything! However, I was just a bit of a grub a few years ago and I used to be the not-fashion-at-all girl when it came to outfits because my everyday outfits to college were sweat suits. And not the cute matching sets, embellished with jewelry and cool accessories. Nope! It was something more like a "are you wearing your pajamas?" thing. Nonetheless, everyone that knew me a little bit knew that I was a fashion girl, just not when it came to my outfits and I actually didn't care what I looked like because I was there to study and do stuff and I would dress up for the parties only.

I'm still a bit like that while I'm at home but I try to look put together every time I leave my house and guess what helps me with that? Jewelry!

Every time I went shopping, I didn't have a lot of money to spend so I would only buy clothes and clothes with a purpose more than just accessorizing or complement the look. This caused an extreme lack of accessories and jewelry on my closet which I tried to compensate by buying more jewelry. However, as a 20 year old girl who didn't have money to spend, I would go to cheap stores to buy the cheapest golden/silver/whatever jewelry I could find that also fitted my taste. Now, a few years later, I can say that having less but great pieces is the way to go, so I decided I was going to invest in more timeless jewelry built with better materials. I realized it gets a lot more expensive to go to SHEIN and buy a set of 15 rings for 10$ than to go to a good jewelry store and buy one good ring for 20$ because, if you choose the first option, after ONE use, you'll get your fingers all dirty and your ring will loose its colour completely and you won't want to wear it again. Way too expensive after all!

However, even though I am now working so I have a bit more money, I still don't have 2000$ to go to Tiffany & Co. and buy ONE ring 😅. So I realized that there are ways to have a durable collection of timeless pieces without having to sell both your kidneys! Of course it is not the same of having a solid gold piece (or other precious metal) but not everyone can have the money for that and there are good alternatives out there.

So, this being said, I started looking for specific materials (sterling silver, gold plated, gold filled, stainless steel, etc.) because I found pieces from Parfois and Mango that didn't tarnish and they were made of those. I have to say that it is a bit trial and error but most of the times, the pieces I find are really good. I've been wearing them a lot and they still look like I bought them yesterday.

I still have pieces form Parfois, Zara and Mango that were cheap and they aren't bad because they didn't tarnish a lot but they don't look their best either. I still buy things in these stores but only those made from the materials stated above, which are usually the most expensive collections in those stores but it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg and they will last you a lifetime. A small but worthy investment, when you are on a budget.

Besides these big stores, there are the small ones which are my favourite because you're supporting someone that really needs it and that will treat they're customers with all the love that goes into that small business. Besides, they usually sell things with a much higher quality and a greater variety than big companies do. For jewelry, my favourite small stores are Narcissus (a great shop from the US) and Fuschia Store (this one is portuguese and sells on Instagram - I'm not sure they ship internationally but it's a matter of asking as they are super nice and will give you all the support you need). Instagram and Etsy are full of great things that will help you build your timeless jewelry collection, just investigate a bit so you find out if they are legit or just a weird scam (look for reviews and reach out to people you know bought things there).

Last but not least, if you really love designer jewelry but you don't have money for the new Chanel Necklace, go ahead and shop vintage and second hand...it's inexpensive, will last until your great grandchildren and it's a lot more sustainable.

Here you can see two Necklaces I bought from Zara (right), a gold field necklace I bought from Narcissus (left) and one I made myself with gold plated materials I bought on Etsy (center - the one with the letter B). As you can see, the latter are in great condition and the chains from Zara are not horrible but their not as good as they were when I bought them, not long ago.

In both images above, you can see a gold filled piece I bought (Narcissus - left) side by side with a cheap earring from Parfois (right) - these were worn only twice and got completely tarnished.

Another thing that might help you have something you love and cherish is to make it yourself with good materials if your crafty like me...but this is something for another post because this one is getting too long already! 🙈

Let me know in the comments if you'd like to read a post on my jewelry making and what you think about this my "in construction" jewelry collection.

All these earrings were handmade by myself with clay. Good earrings, durable, cute and a great stress therapy 😉

I will link some stores that I got to know and liked so you can check them yourselves! (This is not sponsored in any way)

Hope you have an awesome week ahead!

XOXO,

Bárbara