I'm incredibly privileged to have grown up with a grandmother who loved high-quality ear piercings. When I was a child, I would always gawk at her diamond collection and her deep emerald studs, which she would keep safe and secure. Prized gifts from past lovers.
One of my favourite things is my jewellery. I would go broke for a good real black pearl. I would fly back to Bridge of Allen to meet the family jeweller who crafted my silver and pink-purple fresh water pearl bracelet. I would run to Poland to find another Torah necklace to remind me of the dear old lady who I would source my vintage jewellery from and my pleasurable years of studying Judaism.
Whenever I walk around, my stack is always a conversation starter because of how it stands out, all rings, earrings, and bracelets. I wear on average 3-5 rings and 4 bracelets, all silver, some with diamond or zirconia. I wear the silver cartier wedding band I got as a gift every day, depending on where I'm going, lol. I also have a signature symbol, which I'll gate keep.
I implore everyone to have a signature charm. It could be a shell design, a flower, a sea horse, a star, anything that feels lucky to you or blessed. Whenever anyone sees the symbol, they will automatically think of you, and whenever you'll see it, you'll remind yourself of the luck and personal significance it has to you. My middle finger ring has my symbol, and so does my everyday necklace. I'm about to get studs with the same.
When you get jewellery, I always recommend finding someone with a passion for it. I don't see the point in going to a mass market jewellery store that will sell you fake jewellery that tarnishes the second summer hits or if you swim. Invest in the metals. 90% of my jewellery is from random old men with a long-time passion for craftsmanship. It's not always pricey. You will not be charged $100+ for starter hoops or a plain stud. Take the leap, and you'll never have to do it again. Furthermore, with these types of jewellers, if you ever need maintenance such as shining, anodising, oxidation, cleaning, repairs, etc, they have your back. The secret to shiny white icy silver and white gold is in the shining, it's necessary. Google is your friend, if you start now you'll be sorted till 60!
Having multiple piercings is thought by the tiktok wealth gurus to not be classy, and quite frankly, I disagree. There's an art to creating a good piercing stack, which adds to your allure.
As a woman of colour from a country with a very proud history of adornment and multiple local high jewellers who's hearts ache to capture Africa into a singular mental piece, I cannot subscribe to that narrative in good faith.
Currently, I have 2 piercings on each ear, which will increase to 5 on 1 and 4 on the other. I have scheduled my piercing dates and contacted all my jewellers to let them know what's up and that I want to come in to see what they have going on for the new season. I'm terribly excited.
When it comes to a good stack, you can never go wrong with diamonds, zirconia, or diamanté. Play with different cuts. Marquise cuts are trending right now in the piercing and engagement ring communities. Furthermore, pearls are something that never goes out of style. I love a good real pearl because of lustre. A fresh pearl will have multiple colours at times, which are enhanced based on the angle of the light around you. Similar to diamonds or clean zirconia and diamanté. Diamonds and stones like it are cut with different facets to play with the brilliance. A certain cut can cause a fire, not in the literal sense but the effect whereby multiple colours are seemily present within the stone because of the refraction of light. This is especially important with engagement rings.
When it comes to individual earrings, I would recommend these types.
Very dainty, very light, very sweet. A stack of these is a sight to behold. Especially on dark skin. I absolutely love how Anok Yai and Adut Akech style their piercings.
A good account on Instagram to get inspiration on what a good classy stack looks like is Maria Tash. I'm utterly obsessed.
When it comes to pearls, here is a colour guide. I believe in jewellery shopping from different countries. My favourite places to get my hands on some pearls are the coasts of Scotland and the UK online markets. You will find the cheapest, pinkest, fresh water pearl jewellery. My friend loves a deep dark pearl and stalks Asian jewellers to find some to add to her collection. I admire her tenacity. They aren't as easy or cheap to find as pink and purple pearls.
janainaart
theartofmadeline
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