Why Sparkles Are Good For You

What is the attraction of sparkly things? Is it just the magpie instinct that attracts us to little things that wink and sparkle in the sunlight? Is it just because they look pretty?

Sparkly things certainly attract attention too. I have a vintage sequinned top that makes me look like a disco ball when I wear it – it never fails to make people laugh in delight when they see the dancing reflections of light in my vicinity.

Sunlight sparkling on snow, or twinkling on the sea is happiness-inducing. Sunlight – and therefore sparkly jewellery – is good for you: ‘it will soothe your nerves and boost your mood leaving you with a renewed sense of well-being’1.

So go out and splurge on some sparkly jewellery, like these trifling vintage rings I found – for the sake of your health! 

Real drama caught in the light

1. From Natural Health Restored

A Windmill in the Haul

I got a good haul for my birthday this year, lucky me.

My parents gave me some ceramic (or they could be plaster) coasters that I really like. I was very happy to toss out my worn old ones. When I opened their birthday card, some cash fell out too. Bonus! It was burning a hole in my wallet, so I thought I’d better get rid of it quickly.

I happened to be visiting Craft Victoria, and browsing the gift shop whilst I waited for my friend Rapunzel to arrive. I spotted this adorable little hand-painted wooden brooch cut in the shape of a pinwheel, and made from locally-sourced wood by So Little Time. I knew it would be eye-catching pinned to my smoke-blue silk blouse, and decided that my birthday money would go towards purchasing this little cutie-pie. Thanks mum and dad, kisses!

Check out So Little Time on Etsy. So cute!

Violets for Irene

Iolite is a pretty gemstone that appears different colours depending upon which direction it is viewed: a cube cut from iolite will look a violet-blue from one side, clear as water from the other, and a honey yellow from the top. It sounds almost magical.

Raw iolite. Image from fortunecity.com

The name iolite was derived from the Greek word for violet: ios. It has also been called ‘water sapphire’ because it looks very much like a blue sapphire. Another name was ‘Viking’s Compass’. Supposedly the Vikings used pieces of iolite as a polarising filter to determine the exact position of the sun, and allow them to navigate safely when far from familiar coastlines. And – rather bizarrely – it is also apparently a talisman for people named Irene!

… rather bizarrely [iolite] is also apparently a talisman for people named Irene!

Faceted iolite rondelles. Image from Dragon’s Treasure Hoard.Most iolite is mined in Brazil, Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Mozambique and Zimbabwe – how exotic. The Vikings probably mined theirs from deposits in Norway and Greenland.

My earrings are composed of tiny silver flowers with faceted iolite centres, linked together. So pretty and delicate, they crumple easily like a real chain of violets. 

Check out additional images in the Out-takes & Extras Gallery.

Gilt-free

Yesterday I was passing by an Indian boutique and a pair of magnificent, OTT Bollywood-style earrings in the window caught my eye and drew me into the store. I have shopped there before, and it is always so much fun.

As well as saris and shalwar kameez (trousers and tunics), they sell a multitude of Western-style clothing made in India … which means totally blinged out. I love it! The prices are very reasonable too. I have my eye on a slim pencil skirt that is a mass of subtle, slightly matt silver sequins. 

I bought these wooden earrings –
at $5 the pair virtually guilt-free, 
and gilt-free!

The chandelier earrings turned out to be actually made from papier-maché, although you’d never guess. But in the end I bought these wooden earrings – at $5 the pair virtually guilt-free, and gilt-free! I really like their chunky simplicity, and the shape is reminiscent of Oriental or Islamic art. A faint whiff of exoticism lingers…

But how long will I resist the lure of Bollywood chandeliers, and silver sequins?

Semi-Precious

I much prefer opaque semi-precious gems to sparkling jewels: turquoise, onyx, agate, and of course pearls. They seem so much more tactile; a dramatic statement that is more interesting to me than a discreet diamond pendant.

A few years ago I was shopping in Stanley Market in Hong Kong. I had gone there braced for serendipitous purchases, but I was also on a mission to find black onyx beads, 4mm or smaller. Long before I left Melbourne, I’d been looking for these beads online and already knew they were scarcely to be found; I’d exhausted all the beading supply stores I normally shopped at.

I much prefer opaque semi-precious gems to sparkling jewels…

As soon as I had disembarked from the bus, and my friend and I had got our bearings, I made a beeline for the jewellery stores on the outside edge of the market. To my surprise, hanging behind the counter of the first store I saw my 4mm onyx beads! I managed to contain my excitement until the saleswoman could attend me.

“These are very rare,” she informed me.

“I know!” I responded, all in a glow as I slapped down my Hong Kong dollars.

Mission accomplished, my friend and I turned to the main entrance of the market. How I love foreign markets, with their twists and turns and strange side streets! You never know what you may unearth. Some time during that day I discovered on the bottom shelf of a grubby stall a little cardboard box that contained large sticks of coral. I bought three at $4 each.

At home I assembled a necklace in a classic colour combination of black, white and red: precious onyx beads, rice and fused coin pearls, and a stick of coral. I don’t actually wear it often: the pleasure was more in the discovery, the making, and the touching.