A Mash of Our Own

No secret, I love a mash of bracelets…always have, always will. It tickles me that the world of fashion has finally embraced the look as well. These days you don’t have to look far to see your favorite fashion blogger or models in an editorial spread donning loads and loads of bracelets. While I love the look, there is one thing that I think I do a bit differently from the norm. Maybe it has to do with my fascination with rocks and gemstones and how I showcase them in my jewelry designs or maybe it has to do with my being slightly claustrophobic. (Bet you weren’t expecting that now were you?)

My claustrophobic nature results in me disliking wearing anything that clings – like a tight bracelet, tight necklace or a pair of Spanx! Take these two things and put them together and you get a lot of jewelry that moves when I do. (I could go to a really ick place and talk about other things that move without the Spanx…but how ‘bout we leave that for another day and time.)

Going hand and hand with movement, I also love the sound that jewelry makes – so combining a bangle or two with a multistrand of bold gemstones makes a unique sound whenever my wrist moves and I like that. And, since I am quite animated when talking my hands are always in motion and the jewelry just adds to the story. It just makes me happy! Think back to playing dress up – or simply take a few minutes to watch a child putting on jewelry. Do they place one tiny little piece on their wrist or around their neck and dance around the room satisfied with that or do they load it up with whatever they can find?

I’m thinking that piling on the pieces of jewelry is innate – it’s just in us. Sadly, somewhere along the line, someone tells us that we shouldn’t wear “too much” or “too many” so we squash our desire to do so in our wish to be “part of.” The good news is that we finally grow up and we realize that what anyone else thinks or says about how we should or shouldn’t look doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. (Did I just say that? A hill of beans?) Feeling confident in our strong sense of self, we wear what we like, when we like and how we like to wear it. Growing older definitely has it perks – creating your unique style is just one of them.