Diamonds in the Library

Ring holders for while you’re washing your hands.

April 23, 2020

My house is filled with ring holders and jewelry dishes. I never take my jewelry off without immediately putting it in one of these designated landing spots, and I think this system is why I rarely lose a piece of jewelry in my own house.

Frequent hand washing makes designated jewelry holding spots even more important. Ring holders keep your treasures safe and many of them are so pretty or cute that they double as art objects in your house.

If you own jewelry, you need a ring holder in your life. At LEAST one.

Ring holders for while you’re washing your hands

I love these little jewelry dishes from Modern Mud. The fact that they’re little bowls means that you can throw anything in here – earrings, necklaces, whatever.

The colors are lovely and calming and the moon-inspired crescent on the side is made from real 22 karat gold. They can also be personalized with an initial if that’s your jam. Little but luxe!

This utterly adorable otter ring holder is by Finland-based artist Paint My Dream. Could it possibly be any cuter?? I love the idea of having this otter in a bathroom or by a sink, because he looks like he’s swimming happily along.

This artist also makes a sloth and a kitty cat version of this design, which are just as cute.

I’m sure you’ve seen a ring cone before, but have you seen one made of Italian Carrara marble?

I featured this ring holder from Craft Monkees in Instore Magazine last year and the artist was kind enough to send me one of my own as a thank you, so I can tell you firsthand that this thing is incredible. It’s so cool and smooth and satisfyingly weighty.

I can also confirm that it makes every ring that I put on it look incredible. Highly recommend.

This iridescent crystal-inspired ring holder is another piece by Modern Mud, who also made the crescent moon dishes above.

This handmade beauty comes in a number of colors but I think this one is my favorite, with its mysterious oil-slick vibe. This one holds enough rings that I think it could be permanent ring storage, instead of just a by-the-sink holder.

Leosklo specializes in these semi-industrial copper and glass ring holders with a strong terrarium vibe. They’re minimalist and perfect and I absolutely love them. These would be stunning for a proposal or a wedding but they also look fantastic on a shelf. They work well for rings but come in a variety of sizes and styles, many of which can hold larger pieces as well.

This is another ring holder that I can vouch for personally – see mine in action here.

Look at this adorable lumpy little cactus!! I’m not even sure why I love it so much but I love it SO much. It’s got buds on the top to hold individual rings and a dish below for larger pieces or additional rings. This little cutie is also by Paint My Dream.

Do you use ring holders in your own home? Do you know of any other super adorable or gorgeous ones that I need to see? Leave a comment and let me know!

If you want to talk more about jewelry organization and storage, please visit this blog post archive and/or this relevant Pinterest board.

All images c/o the maker of each ring holder; sources are linked above.

What I’m Reading: Vol. 111.

April 21, 2020

Hello my darlings,

My goodness. These are strange times, aren’t they? I’ve been channeling my own COVID-related anxiety into posting a bit more frequently, which has been fun for me and hopefully also fun for you!

I hope that you are staying as safe and well as possible. If you’re reading this, please take my advice and try to do something nice for yourself today: go outside and look at a flower, take a bath, buy a new book, watch a silly movie, anything that lifts your spirits. It’s okay to reach for a little joy even when terrible things are happening. You need to sustain your heart.

That said, I have a few resources for you if you’re struggling. I used the best of my hard earned chronic illness wisdom about being stuck in the house to write this post about how to deal when you’re stuck in the house, and if you’re looking to distract your brain from the news I have a list of 55 fantastic fantasy series to lose yourself in right here.

If you just want something pretty to look at, I will mention that I am still selling a large part of my personal jewelry collection! A lot of the pieces have found homes already (some of them with some of you!) but there are still some pretties looking for new owners.

I think that’s about all I have to say for now. If you want some non-virus related internets to entertain your brain, please scroll on down.

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading:

Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett: Mr. DitL and I are working our way through Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series on audiobook, which I very highly recommend. No one writes like Terry Pratchett and it’s a treat to hear the wordplay out loud. Guards, Guards! is one of my very favorite books in the series.

CIRCE by Madeline Miller: My mom bought me this book last year and I forgot I owned it until now! I can’t wait to dive in. I’ve heard fantastic things about this one.

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare: I am almost always reading a romance series, even when I’m also reading something else. Currently rereading Tessa Dare’s fantastic Castles Ever After series, which is an all time fave. I still plan to have a giant post about romance novels for you soon!

Internets:

2,500 Museums You Can Now Visit Virtually.

You Can Now Virtually Tour These U.S. National Parks From Wherever You Are.

Japan’s Enchanting Wisteria Tree Tunnels Belong on the Pages of Fairy Tales.

Virtually Wander & Weave through an Enchanting Odditorium of Curiosities.

When Victorian Scientists Caught Ballomania. Beachcombing Photographer Arranges Her Finds into Rainbow Compositions.

Why It’s OK That Your Engagement Wasn’t a Surprise. I personally believe that the idea that a proposal should be a total surprise to one of the parties involved is an outdated and harmful myth. If a couple is getting married, they should both have thought about it and be on board in advance.

4 New Questions for the Lab-Grown Diamond Market.

Smithsonian Institution Releases 2.8 Million Images for Public Use.

A Book Lover’s Haven Turns 100. Now I desperately want to visit The Grolier Club.

Photographer Travels World to Document Old Pianos Deserted in Abandoned Buildings.

The Glamorous, Sexist History of the Women’s Restroom Lounge. Random and fascinating.

Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.

Tiary custom jewelry gives you what you want.

April 15, 2020

I don’t know if you know this about me, my darlings, but…I’m picky. I know what I want and what I don’t want. When I shop for jewelry, I often find myself wishing a certain piece was half an inch longer or a quarter inch shorter or a slightly different color.

Tiary is a dream for particular shoppers like me. Every single piece of jewelry they offer is handmade and customizable: you can order it exactly as it is, or you can tweak almost every one of the piece’s details. It’s a whole library of already cute pieces that you can change slightly until they’re precisely what you want.

Let me show you.

Tiary was kind enough to send me a gift card so that I could try out their service for myself and I was extremely impressed by the entire process. The only downside was that it was really, really hard to choose just one piece.

After rampaging through the Tiary website and putting together 8 or so pieces of custom jewelry, I finally narrowed things down to my final choice: the Drops of Jupiter necklace. (You can see this piece’s listing in the screenshots above.)

I’ve been wanting a neutral-ish colored gem layering necklace, and I loved the movement and festoon-ish vibe of this particular design. I customized the length to 18 inches, the stone to simulated blue sapphire, and the metal to 14K yellow gold.

I was especially impressed by Tiary’s customization options that make it possible for most pieces to vary greatly in price.

Choose lower karat gold or silver and simulated gems and you can easily bring a piece’s price down by $900 – and if you choose all the lowest price options, there are quite a few Tiary designs available for under $100 and tons for under $300.

Did I mention their packaging is gorgeous? Custom jewelry is a really fun self-purchase, but this package is so luxe and satisfying that it would also make a really impressive gift. I’m fully delighted with my Tiary necklace and I can’t wait to keep layering it with everything I own.

Tiary is also woman-owned and offers free shipping, free returns, and free sizing within two weeks – even on custom jewelry. This is unusual and a really fantastic feature and so unusual for custom jewelry, which is usually final sale.

Did I mention how much I love my Tiary necklace? Again, it’s the Drops of Jupiter design in blue sapphire. I went for synthetic sapphires, because I’m trying to keep to a budget, but they’re still an utterly gorgeous blue. I’m wearing it here with my opals from Diamondoodles and a vintage gold chain from Stay Gold.

If you follow my IG closely, you’ve already seen this piece in my #JewelsoftheDay story posts. I tried to wait until after this blog post to debut it…but it’s too perfect to keep on pause.

The business model of an online jewelry store that offers customization isn’t new, but it’s rarely accomplished this successfully. The Tiary designs are genuinely cute and pretty and they’re on trend enough to feel fresh and exciting without sacrificing timelessness. The designs are just distinctive enough to give Tiary the feel of a cohesive brand, while still providing a whole collection of versatile, customizable pieces that can layer with anything.

The Tiary site is also really, really, really fun for browsing. Whether or not your jewelry budget has any wiggle room at the moment, it’s very satisfying to tweak the Tiary designs until you have the perfect piece of custom jewelry in your cart.

Tiary generously sent me a gift card for their website, but my opinions remain my own.