Gracie's Jewels Find a New Home

Gracie was my precious mother-in-law.

She's been gone now for nearly fifteen years.
 

Gracie in her younger days, long before I knew her.

Wasn't she adorable?
She was a tiny, spunky little thing who never met a stranger.
You rarely saw her when she wasn't wearing her jewelry...

...always a necklace and/or a pin or brooch,

 large (sometimes dangley) earrings, bangles or bracelets, a watch, etc., etc.
She even had a pair of bejeweled dancing shoes that she wore occasionally.
They were covered completely with multi-colored rhinestones...absolutely glorious!

~
Gracie had a lot of jewelry and I was blessed to inherit quite a few pieces, which I cherish.
It is mostly costume jewelry and I have no idea if any of it has much value.
Jim's father did a lot of traveling and some of the pieces came from Germany and Italy.
~

A while back, I shared this post about decorating a small Christmas tree with her jewelry.
Sometimes I just get it out to look at and other times I just like to photograph it in different settings.

Depending on the occasion, I have even started to wear some of it.
~

A couple of weeks ago, I came across this cute tapestry box at Goodwill.
I knew right away that I wanted it for Gracie's jewelry...

...but when I opened it up in the store, I was so disappointed.

 I have no idea what the spots are...at first I thought it was mildew but decided it wasn't.

There was absolutely no odor and the stains were brown, not black like mildew.

Anyway, the wheels started turning and I decided to purchase it, regardless...
...it was worth the $2.99 I paid for it, I thought to myself.
You see, I had a plan for some of that velvet I'd been collecting to make pumpkins :)



No real tutorial here, but I think you get the idea...



...it was nothing that a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun couldn't handle :)



And in about an hour and a couple of burned fingers later...



Voilà!!
So while I had it all out, I had to have a little fun, right?

I could just look at all day.

Below is Gracie's charm bracelet that she wore nearly every day.

I made sense of everything on it except for what looks like a donkey.

Maybe I'm missing something.

Remember when the mustard seed jewelry was all the rage? 

  

You may have also seen this blue pendant before somewhere on my blog. 

I have no clue about it but I've never seen such intricate detail in anything that is made today.

Doing some googling, it looks like it may have come from Germany.

I've never worn it but that's not saying I never will.

A girl needs just the right event for something like this...

... Renaissance Ball maybe?

Can you tell I'm having fun yet?

And this would most definitely fall into the category of "Things that make me go AHH!" 

I have actually worn this but needed to add an extension for my fat neck.

There were matching earrings but I'm thinking she may have been buried in them.

The amber/topaz brooch I think is quite old, as well as the filigree flower in the middle.

The amethyst and blue I believe are both Sarah Coventry...remember her??

This cameo set is about as delicate as they come as the metal is quite soft.

Jim tells me he thinks his father bought this in Germany for her.

I love to photograph it...

 ...and I think you probably can tell.

And the bracelet below is something that I do wear frequently.

It's not that old...I found the inscription not too long ago...Sarah Coventry :)

I do love the "Old World" design.

This is your basic rhinestone costume jewelry that was so popular in the 40's and 50's.

Ladies must have had really skinny necks and wrists back then :) 

And last but not least, here is something that I found out just might have some real value to it.

These came from Italy and ebay tells me that the set below is

Venetian Millefiori Star Cane Art glass beads.

Depending on quality and authenticity, the prices range anywhere from $30 to $$$.

Click on the link and see that I found...and the price!

Hmm...I wonder....

I have worn these too and with the right outfit, they are quite stunning! 

So...Gracie's "jewels" are all tucked away in their new home.

I just adore this sweet little box... 

...and as I was putting together this post,
an old hymn was brought to mind and for days I couldn't get it out...
...not that I really wanted to.
How many of you remember this sweet hymn?

 

No, Gracie's jewels probably don't have much earthly value to them.
But just having them close by to remind me of her...well...
...that makes them priceless!

On that day the LORD will save them, as the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.
Zephaniah 9:16


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