Time and Memory-Keepers – Blue Collar Red Lipstick

It all started out with a view.

No, hold out, permit me back up.

I guess it seriously began with my love for sunshine, moon, and star motifs. I was a 90s teen, it was unavoidable – and I by no means definitely grew out of it. Above the decades, and specially in the final 4 as my nostalgia kicked into high gear, I have purchased all types of things – house décor, outfits, accessories – due to the fact they highlighted some mix of celestial bodies. One particular detail I coveted for a extended time was a classic solar & moon stage look at. There was a Timex a single I had my eye on for a while, but the stars by no means rather aligned (pun meant!) to set it in my route. Or, fairly, the stars had one thing distinct, improved in thoughts for me. Before this yr, I lastly located the fantastic issue:

I compensated $25 at Goodwill for this 1988 vintage Guess enjoy and it is everything I wanted and extra, patina and all. I like the deal with so, so a great deal. Not only the sunlight/moon structure, but the design and style of Roman numerals is *chef’s kiss*. I have no idea if it really is effective, due to the fact I have not replaced its battery nor do I strategy to. From time to time I manually wind the arms so I can modify the moon for the sun, and vice versa, but I really do not require it to actually tell time – I dress in it purely as an accessory, like a bracelet.

This observe was the spark that slowly reignited my curiosity in watches. I utilised to put on them each working day, back in the times when I was obsessed with my Skagen “Anita” observe assortment, but this pattern was an additional victim of the pandemic. The change, now, is that I have on watches with out employing them – which tends to make it more cost-effective and more hassle-free to gather vintage types. Of class. You realized that was coming, correct? Since I put on them as equipment, I am guided purely by aesthetics, not high-quality or brand. There are lots of classic watches at the thrift merchants most of them are overpriced and/or not my fashion, but I’ve been possessing enjoyment searching for parts that go well with me. And I’ve discovered a few!

The sun & moon period view is marked “Hong Kong” but usually a secret I could not resist its oversized confront – likely a men’s watch. It expense $4. The Boy London is also a men’s view but its 90s vibes appealed to me. It value $6. At this position, it’s extremely hard to have less costly enjoyable at the thrifts.

What occurred upcoming is a collection of lateral jumps in the imaginative system (if we can phone putting myself together a “creative process”) that can sometimes sense like magic. Carrying watches all over again created start considering about arm stacks. Recall arm stacks? I used to enjoy individuals. Place a pin in this, we will occur back to it. Initial, let us facet step to what will appear like a tangent, but which I assure is pretty appropriate.

A further point I thrifted before this calendar year was a 5-stone eternity band it was a $3 ring with cheap CZs and a largely tarnished finish, but I fell in appreciate with the design and style. Extra importantly, it seemed superb stacked on leading of my mom’s marriage ceremony band, which I experienced started donning on the ring finger of my suitable hand. Following testing it for a several months, I resolved to “upgrade” to a improved-good quality variation – a sterling silver and moissanite ring I found on Amazon:

I am obsessed with this ring stack, to the point that I almost never don nearly anything else on this finger (slightly inconvenient as I have a ton of other rings I love that only in good shape on this finger, oh well). Occasionally I swap out the blue topaz ring – an early gift from my spouse – for my individual wedding band, which also makes for a stunning stack.

I was almost certainly admiring mentioned stack when the plan came to me. What if I acquired one thing equivalent for a sleek and classic arm stack? What if I received a diamond tennis bracelet? It would search really good with my classic watches and other trim bracelets I have, no? Sure. Now, of class, I am not likely to jump into precise diamond territory on a whim. TBH, obtaining tried out moissanites, I could by no means bounce into genuine diamond territory at any time again. My initially imagined was to glance for a sterling silver and moissanite tennis bracelet on Amazon, acquiring been amazed with the good quality (relative to cost) of my ring. I’ve had it for a few months now, wear it each day (and not often bother to consider it off even when I shower), and it nevertheless appears to be good. I wished the exact same form of detail for my bracelet, but it turns out that the cost issue is very a bit distinct when you move from a ring to a bracelet. Again, I was nonetheless at the “testing out a new idea” stage, and did not want to shell out a pair hundred bucks yet.

I appeared all-around some much more and located a substantially much less expensive (under $40) possibility with CZs rather of moissanite and “gold-plated silver” regardless of what that usually means. (I’m really positive it’s not sterling.) I place it in my cart to preserve though I pondered the obtain, and in the meantime decided to have a look at Poshmark as nicely. Ten minutes of scrolling did not guide me to any promising silver-and-moissanite bracelet choices … but it did guide me to a little something promising. I saw a listing for a Swarovski tennis bracelet and went “hmm”. I have normally been incredibly content with Swarovski quality I’ve had parts for several years and they never tarnished, or dropped stones, and so forth. This bracelet was stated for $60, which was in just the budget I was keen to devote. But there was additional. A thing about it triggered a memory.

It reminded me of a Swarovski necklace that my mom made use of to have – a gift, I believe that, from her close friends for her 60th birthday. I experienced borrowed it from her a few occasions, in advance of she died, for distinctive situations. Soon after she died, I sorted via her jewellery and set absent most of the fancier items, this necklace bundled. I hadn’t considered of it in yrs, right until the design of stone placing on the Poshmark bracelet reminded me of it. And I thought … what if?

I dug out the blue Swarovski box from storage and seemed within. And guaranteed plenty of, up coming to the necklace, there it also was:

This may perhaps sound odd, but it felt like I was obtaining a present from my mother, all these several years afterwards. The perfect present. Just in time for Mother’s Working day.

Appreciate you constantly, mama!