Earring organiser

Every girl has a thing. It might be shoes, handbags, make up, glossy fingernails or silk scarves. My thing is earrings. They're the one accessory that I can't leave the house without wearing. They don't need to be fancy or elaborate, but they do need to be worn.

I've collected a fair few pairs of earrings over the years. Some are cheap, everyday earrings and easily replaceable. Others (usually gifts) are more valuable, special occasion earrings or parts of jewellery sets. The one thing they all have in common, though, is the issue of storage.

Up until recently, my everyday earrings lived in a small makeup bag. The only way to find a matching pair to wear each morning was to dump them all onto a flat surface, pull them apart, select one then rustle through the rest in search of a partner. Often I'd select a few different options and the first matching partner I found declared that pair the winner for the day.

Which one goes with which?

I figured there must be a better way to tackle this each day.

Enter social media. Ideas like the one at the bottom of this page have been popping up in various timelines for a while. I like the way an everyday sewing box keeps pairs of earrings together without taking up too much space. They can also be tucked away in a cupboard or drawer instead of being out on display.

Last weekend, I finally got around to sorting our my earrings for myself. The process began by purging single earrings and random butterfly clasps. A $10 sewing box from The Warehouse has become an earring apartment building, where my everyday earrings happily live in pairs and can cohabit with pairs that are a different shape, style or colour. No more piles of earrings on the bed every morning!

Earring flatmates - pairs that can live with another without getting lost.

My special occasion earrings and sets still live in their boxes while my everyday necklaces and accessories are happy hanging out on their jewellery doll.

Jewellery doll

(By the way, I'm as surprised as anyone that I'm actually in a position to share a tip for organising stuff! Whoever would have thought?!)

Too early for diamonds

A friend and I have been training to become ladies who lunch. The training is intense but we're pretty dedicated. It mostly consists of drinking coffee and sampling high tea in various Wellington establishments. I'm pleased to report that it is going well and we are making good progress. However, a recent experience has made me realise that we need to step up our game.

A while ago, I was staying with a friend in Auckland when she mentioned that there was a jewellery sale "at someone's house" that day. Was I interested in going with her? I guess so; it doesn't hurt to look. We drove up to a semi-mansion in Castor Bay and I got a glimpse of how the other half live.

The jewellery for sale was Sensational Silver as the owner was selling her business and clearing stock. We enjoyed perusing a table covered with earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces in a whole range of styles. We tried on some items, all the while thinking ahead and trying to match various upcoming birthdays to the jewellery on the table. Three other women were at the sale and we soon noticed that their shopping style was markedly different to ours.

Our conversations went something like this:

"Do you think [12-year-old] would like this for Christmas?"
"Is this necklace too big to go with my red top? It's probably a bit OTT if I'm wearing long earrings at the same time."
"These earrings are cute, but I've already spent $15 on those studs so I shouldn't really buy two pairs."
"Ouch! $50 is still quite expensive, even with the discount ..."

Their conversations went like this:

"Oh, that's nice! I already have it in gold and one with an onyx inset. I might get the bracelet to match and it will also go with my rings and that chain over there."
"Only $190 for a sterling silver choker? You'll never find something so cheap in the shops!"
"I want this for my next wedding ring. I tell husband that I'm a big woman and so I need big jewellery. He says no, so I tell him my next husband will buy me big jewellery."

As they were chatting, they were gathering up and putting aside pieces to buy, much like we were. However, their piles were overflowing to the point where the seller went into her kitchen to find plastic containers for each of them to fill so they didn't get mixed up or lost. (I had no such problem with my three tiny pairs of earrings for $45.)

Their chatter went on and these women suddenly had our full attention with their next conversation. "My husband tells me, 'I buy you gold jewellery. Why are you wearing silver now?' I told him, 'it's too early for diamonds during the day - I'll wear them with gold at night but it's now quite acceptable to wear silver during the day.' He just doesn't get it." And here's where I learned a life lesson. We've always been told that diamonds are a girl's best friend, even in this day and age, but I never knew that sometimes it's too early for diamonds.

I flew home realising that I may never become a lady who lunches, nor am I likely to own different sets of jewellery for different times of the day, but some days I coffee like a princess and dine like a queen. Surely that counts?