Jewelry and Collectibles

Handcrafted Mother of Pearl and royal blue cat's eye necklace and earring set on navy velvet — a Katt's Stuff Original Creation
How a Box of Glass Seed Beads Started Everything
When I opened my mother's jewelry box, I wasn't expecting to find myself in it.But there it was — a tiny ring, made from glass seed beads and crochet cotton.... Read more...
Close-up of genuine Mother of Pearl beads with royal blue cat's eye beads and gold-plated rhinestone rondelle spacers
Royal Blue & Mother of Pearl: When Beads Become Fine China
Some pieces surprise you. This one surprised me.I'd been sitting at my work table — my dining room table, really, my studio being wherever the beads land — and I... Read more...
Found at the Airport, Worn Through Paradise: The Shell Necklace from My Hawaii Days
Found at the Airport, Worn Through Paradise: The Shell Necklace from My Hawaii Days
Some pieces of jewelry mark a moment. This one marked a whole chapter of my life.It was 1988. I had been married for five weeks. I was moving to Hawaii... Read more...
The Necklace That Went Everywhere: A Vintage Lavender & Pink Coral Find
The Necklace That Went Everywhere: A Vintage Lavender & Pink Coral Find
Some pieces hang in the jewelry box waiting for the right moment. This wasn't one of them.This vintage 22-inch necklace has the kind of quiet confidence that makes it a... Read more...
The Necklace That Was Too Short
The Necklace That Was Too Short
I made a strand, held it up, and it was too short. I was going to take it apart for the beads. Instead it became the best part of the... Read more...
Why I Chose Salmon Over Yellow
Why I Chose Salmon Over Yellow
I had black and yellow laid out on the table, and pulling the yellow changed everything. The story behind my black and salmon jasper Y-drop necklace and earring set. Read more...
Rare spiral wild boar tusk and early hunting brooch displayed together on a black background
Two Wild Boar Tusk Treasures: From Display Artifact to Early Hunting Brooch
Explore two rare wild boar tusk pieces from an estate jewelry lot: a near-circle spiral tusk display artifact offered to U.S. buyers and an early-1800s brooch with a likely low-carat-gold... Read more...
Close-up detail of the Grande Luxe Multi-Strand Celebration Set — freshwater pearls, champagne crystals, rhinestone rondelles and gold metallic beads on navy velvet
The Necklace That Almost Wasn't: Inside the Making of the Grande Luxe Multi-Strand Celebration Set
Some pieces come together easily. This was not one of them.The Grande Luxe Multi-Strand Celebration Statement Set took more than three days to make — and there were moments I... Read more...
Handmade Seaside Dream earrings — ornate silver-tone nautilus shell tops with luminous mother of pearl button drops against a dark blue background
Poor Plain Earrings No More: The Seaside Dream Transformation
Some jewelry finds you. Some jewelry you rescue.These started life as a pair of blank earring findings — plain, unadorned, waiting. I found them in a lot jewelry box, and... Read more...
When the Pendant Leads the Way: The Goldstone Set That Made Itself
When the Pendant Leads the Way: The Goldstone Set That Made Itself
Some jewelry is designed. This one just happened.It started with the pendant — an ornate silver-plated cap with a goldstone drop that I simply fell in love with. Once I... Read more...
Vintage Coro 12kt gold filled flower brooch with textured dimensional petals and light blue rhinestone center
The Gold Standard: What Makes a Coro Brooch Worth Collecting
Not all gold is created equal — and not all gold-tone jewelry is gold filled. This Coro brooch is the real thing.The stamp on the reverse says it all: 12kt... Read more...
Small at the Back. Wild at the Front. The Shell Necklace That Always Gets Compliments.
Small at the Back. Wild at the Front. The Shell Necklace That Always Gets Compliments.
There's a certain kind of jewelry that doesn't ask for attention — it commands it. This vintage graduated white shell chip necklace is exactly that kind of piece.I found it... Read more...
Vintage DeLizza & Elster Juliana flower brooch with translucent pink cabochon petals and fuchsia rhinestone center on blue velvet
The Brooch That Proves Itself: Authenticating a Juliana
Some brooches are pretty. Some are collectible. This one is both — and it comes with proof.The DeLizza & Elster Juliana flower brooch is one of the most sought-after pieces... Read more...
The Necklace I Wore Out of the Store
The Necklace I Wore Out of the Store
A vintage Marginella shell rosette necklace from a little shell shop in Morro Bay, CA — and the story of why I wore it out of the store in 1985. Read more...
The Plate That Held Thanksgiving
The Plate That Held Thanksgiving
The Royal China Star Glow chop plates were our holiday plates growing up — collected one by one from a grocery store promotion around 1968, and at the center of... Read more...
R. Wallace & Sons sterling silver cold meat fork circa 1900 with repousse scroll handle and monogram B
The Fork at the Head of the Table: A R. Wallace & Sons Sterling Silver Serving Piece, Circa 1900
Passed from grandmother to mother, this R. Wallace & Sons sterling silver cold meat fork (circa 1900) carries 125 years of American silversmithing and genuine family provenance. Hallmarked sterling, repousse... Read more...
Large iridescent 5 inch natural shell pendant necklace with graduated white branch coral chips, 30 inches, vintage
The Shell That Wears Itself: A 5" Iridescent Pendant and the Art of Natural Jewelry
A 5" iridescent natural shell pendant found in a San Diego coastal shop — hanging from graduated white branch coral on a 30" strand. Bold, organic, and unmistakably 1970s. One... Read more...
Vintage 1980s conch shell and mother-of-pearl necklace set with matching earrings
The Necklace I Wore to My Wedding — June 1988
Some pieces are hard to let go of. This is one of them.It was June 1988 in Las Vegas — and it was hot. We got married in the same... Read more...
The Necklace That Always Got Compliments
The Necklace That Always Got Compliments
A personal favorite — a baroque pearl and iridescent shell drop necklace set that caught the light beautifully, went with everything, and never failed to turn heads. Read more...
Fifteen Minutes: The Pearls, Aunt Mary, and a Drive I'll Never Forget
Fifteen Minutes: The Pearls, Aunt Mary, and a Drive I'll Never Forget
A deeply personal story about a cultured pearl suite — bought as a birthday gift for Aunt Mary, found again after her passing, and now ready for a new owner... Read more...
The Bracelet I Loved — and Why I'm Finally Letting It Go
The Bracelet I Loved — and Why I'm Finally Letting It Go
A personal story about letting go of a beloved Monet twisted rope bracelet — and what makes signed Monet jewelry worth collecting. Read more...
What Edwardian Women Wore — and Why This Little Brooch Still Matters
What Edwardian Women Wore — and Why This Little Brooch Still Matters
A gold-tone Edwardian filigree brooch with seed pearls and rhinestones — and what it tells us about the most elegant era in jewelry history. Read more...
From My Mother's Jewelry Box: The Sarah Coventry Evening Star
From My Mother's Jewelry Box: The Sarah Coventry Evening Star
Some pieces arrive with a receipt. Others arrive with a memory.The Sarah Coventry Evening Star brooch — from the 1966 collection — came to me the way the best things... Read more...
The Shell Set That Walks Into a Room Before You Do
The Shell Set That Walks Into a Room Before You Do
The story behind the piece that started it all — a vintage tropical shell necklace and earring set found in the Bakersfield airport in 1984. Read more...