I was shopping in Barcelona recently, and these days that means completely ignoring the clothes shops and opting for those narrow little streets in the Gothic Quarter and old Jewish quarter which are a treasure trove of gem stores and jewellery-making supplies. Although it’s possible to beat the prices they have (by buying online), it’s still kind of nice to handle the gems and pick... 

While I was in London I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and wandered the great halls of fine objects, but principally I was there for the jewellery exhibition in the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery which boasts 3,500 pieces making it one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. Much of it is European jewellery from the last 800 years. On show are jewels that reflect... 

Diamonds are for…girls born in April! Yes well, diamonds come with a pretty steep price tag and as someone who was born in April, I can tell you that the only piece of jewellery anyone has ever bought me was my engagement ring! Perhaps this is due to the popular notion that diamonds look vulgar on younger women? Actually I find all these popular notions or “traditions” fascinating-... 

Next up is the impeccably mannered Miss Charlotte Lucas, best friend of Lizzie and wife of Mr Collins (Jane Austen succinctly demonstrates the economic realities women of that era had to face). We see her here with a plain string of pearls: Well I obviously couldn’t just string some pearls and leave it at that, could I? So for fun I interspersed some extra Swarovski Silver Rondelle Spacers,...