My Vintage Jewelry Collection: A Journey Through Time

Hello fellow jewelry enthusiasts.

I still remember what my grandmother used to call me when I was a kid - 'the fortyth one.' She'd say, 'Look at those older girls, how serious they are.' 'And this little one just wants to wear lipstick and sparkly clips!'

I have to admit, grandma was right. Even treats and ice cream didn't bring me as much joy as getting my hands on another outrageous 'treasure.'

When I was in preschool, I begged my mom for hair clips and wore them to school with the blue, sparkly ones that made me feel so cool.

These hair clips are almost 35 years old now. I still have them, although the metal has lost its shine. I've got a few old-school bangles and beads that have stuck with me since Soviet times. These are the ones I managed to wheedle out of my mom. The beads are made from regular glass, but the rings are super high-quality – they haven't faded, and the inlays still look great. My sister gave me these daisy-shaped earrings in 1998 when I got my ears pierced – it was a big deal and a whole emotional rollercoaster! First, because I got them in a big city. And second, because their design was way different from the stud earrings everyone was wearing back then. My sister found a real gem in the midst of all the mass-produced stuff. Even in 2026, these daisies still look super relevant. Later, when I got my first pocket money, I started buying jewelry myself.I still need to get some hypoallergenic I've got to say, I loved the bold accessories with bright beads and those long boho-style earrings.

My first conga earrings were a pair I bought back in the early 2000s for a whopping 150 rubles, after watching the beautiful Kapitu from the Brazilian series 'Family Ties'.

The rings were just enormous, and my ears were horrified by them.

But my love for conga earrings has stuck with me forever. Now I've got a few of them, and they're all made of silver and gold.

No-name bangles - there were plenty, but I gave most of them to my nieces, keeping a couple of favorites: a chain with a pseudo-lunar stone and a Pandora-style bangle with a Neptune theme.

I'm a Pisces, so I collect all things ocean-related. These two separate fish-shaped earrings are made of silver, and I added them for comparison with the bi-metal jewelry. The difference is definitely noticeable!

At some point, due to a metal allergy, I got disillusioned with store-bought jewelry and switched to catalog-based accessories.

I ended up buying a lot of Avon jewelry - it was beautiful, hypoallergenic, and super affordable!

So, I got a bunch of minimalist sets of small stud earrings for everyday wear:

These evening earrings and matted metal earrings are total showstoppers.The pendant and stunning bracelet were a lovely surprise gift from the company.I have to admit, I wouldn't have splurged on something this flashy myself, as my taste has shifted towards minimalism with age.This adorable little bracelet with an Eiffel Tower pendant is so cute – you can wear it as a charm on any suitable chain.The watch with charms is really old – it's around 10 years old – but it still ticks away and looks like new.Faberlic sent me two beautiful bracelets and my favorite pearl earrings that I wear alongside my fine jewelry.<\/a> <\/div> <\/div><\/div> I have to say, these earrings are ridiculously comfortable - I've worn them to sleep and taken them off only after a few days. <\/a> <\/div> <\/div><\/div> I've bought earrings with black bead drops from Oriflame before, and they were cute and hypoallergenic. <\/a> <\/div> <\/div><\/div> But this set of jewelry was a gift from a friend, and unfortunately, it was a dud. The earrings from the daisies would get my ears inflamed in as little as 15 minutes. Still, I do wear the necklace occasionally. <\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div><\/div> I was really disappointed with the quality of the set I ordered from IV Roshch. <\/a> <\/div> <\/div><\/div> The ring's finish wore off faster than any cheap Chinese import from AliExpress I've ever seen. <\/a> <\/div> Don Barcilone <\/div><\/div> That kind of behavior from jewelry is really off-putting. That's why I've started leaning towards fine jewelry. Still, new pieces are slowly making their way into my jewelry collection.

In 2018-2020, hair slide bracelets were super trendy, and I ended up buying a bunch of them.

I've recently got a bracelet from Airecommend. It's sleek and stylish - I'm really enjoying wearing it! I also picked up a ring with the word 'Love' on it a few years ago - it's hard to tell it's not silver at first glance, but it's actually costume jewelry. If you take a close look, you can see the top coating is starting to peel off - and I caught myself thinking that it was worth spending an extra 500 rubles to get a proper silver ring. xa0

RECAP:

Okay, so I've put all my trinkets back in their boxes - now it's time to draw some conclusions.

Firstly, I want to say that collecting costume jewelry is a really beautiful hobby. It's a great way to brighten up your day and make those around you happy.

Secondly, each piece of jewelry is like a doorway to the past - you can track how your taste has changed over the years and reminisce about yourself at different ages.

But at the same time, it's a bit of a finicky hobby. It's easy to get a mood boost from it, but then it can also let you down with a tacky piece.

So, I'd give collecting costume jewelry 4 out of 5 stars - but I still highly recommend it.

xa0

Thanks for reading!