{"id":70107,"date":"2025-02-05T19:09:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/antique-2\/jewelry-collection-story-sarah-of-vintagegems_nh-gem-gossip\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T19:09:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:09:52","slug":"jewelry-collection-story-sarah-of-vintagegems_nh-gem-gossip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=70107","title":{"rendered":"Jewelry Collection Story \u2013 Sarah of @vintagegems_nh – Gem Gossip"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Today\u2019s jewelry collection story comes from Sarah of @vintagegems_nh<\/a><\/strong> who you may know from the Instagram community. Sarah has weekly Instagram live shows alongside her husband Joe aka \u201cJeaux\u201d where all sorts of hooligan stuff goes down. It is both equal parts funny, chaotic and super sparkly. \u00a0When Sarah is not schlepping jewels, she is collecting them! \u00a0I can\u2019t wait to share her personal collection, as well as her story\u2026take it away Sarah:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only been seriously collecting fine jewelry for the past decade or so, but my passion for treasures and trinkets started early on. I remember being four or five, losing time in a costume box my grandmother put together for us kids. It was filled with accessories she\u2019d collected over the years\u2014beaded purses, silk scarves, and costume jewelry from the 1920s to \u201940s, mostly all Art Deco style. Deco jewelry has become one of my favorite eras to collect, and I believe this magical childhood memory was the spark that ignited my passion.<\/em><\/p>\n

My \u2018unserious\u2019 collecting started as a preteen. If I had money I was spending it at the \u201910 for 5\u2032 clearance section at Claire\u2019s in the mall. Y2K Claire\u2019s was an experience\u2014I could dig through those racks of cheap jewelry for hours. It wasn\u2019t about value (or the fact that every pair of earrings turned my ears green)\u2014it was about the thrill of the hunt and finding pieces that felt like \u2018me.’\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m drawn to anything that feels like magic. Celestial motifs are a common theme throughout my collection\u2014Lots of opals, moonstones, and other gems with interesting optical phenomena. I love color, whimsy, nostalgia. I have a small but growing number of Aesop\u2019s Fables- and other classic tale-themed charms, as well as an entire section of my jewelry box dedicated to candy and sweets. I like spooky stuff, too. My Halloween charms are some of my favorites. It\u2019s a bit chaotic and all over the place, but every piece has its own meaning and was chosen because, at the end of the day, it just makes my heart happy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cAntique and vintage jewelry just check all the boxes for me: history, sparkle, and a good bit of sentiment. I like to think that these pieces were special to someone at some point, making them more than just things. They\u2019re memories. It\u2019s like holding a little piece of someone\u2019s life story, maybe even the last physical reminder of their existence. I find a quiet beauty in that connection, and it\u2019s what inspires me to seek out jewelry that\u2019s well-loved.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m especially drawn to pieces that show signs of time\u2014worn details, faded engravings, and patinas that speak to their history. When I come across a piece like that, it feels like a second chance for it to be loved and remembered.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cIn the beginning, Joe and I would take day trips and hit up yard sales, flea markets, and tucked-away antique and pawn shops hunting for jewelry and unique antiques. When Joe grew his business refining precious metals, I started buying up as many antique pieces as I could from him to save them from being melted. Vintage Gems was built on this idea, though I\u2019ll admit, a lot of my \u201cinventory\u201d eventually found its way into my PC.<\/em><\/p>\n

These days, I\u2019m also inspired by the creativity of the Instagram jewelry community, where I love shopping for unique pieces. It\u2019s always fun to see the jewelry being worn and styled before buying\u2014it makes it much easier to imagine how it might look on me. I\u2019ve made some incredible connections with sellers who have since become close friends, so I like to support them whenever I can. The community is so warm and supportive, and it\u2019s such a good feeling to know the human behind the small business you\u2019re buying from.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cI was lucky enough to become the keeper of my great-grandfather\u2019s wedding band, and the love story behind it will never get old to me. He and my Vov\u00f3 immigrated to the United States from S\u00e3o Miguel, Portugal, as teenagers in the early 1900s, settling in my hometown of Attleboro, Massachusetts. At the time, Attleboro was known as \u2018The Jewelry Capital of the World\u2019 because of the many manufacturers based there.<\/em><\/p>\n

My great-grandfather didn\u2019t speak any English, so finding good work was a struggle. He took the only job he could get and worked nights as a cleaner in one of the factories. He and my Vov\u00f3 were very much in love and wanted to get married and start a family, but they couldn\u2019t afford much. He was set on putting a ring on her finger regardless.<\/em><\/p>\n

While he cleaned at night, he started taking notice of the minuscule flecks of gold scattered beneath the jewelers\u2019 benches\u2014scraps left behind from the day\u2019s work. What others saw as waste, he saw as opportunity. Over time\u2014a long, long time\u2014he collected enough of those scraps to forge two simple gold bands.<\/em><\/p>\n

Illegal? Maybe. Romantic? No doubt. Love will find a way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

You can follow Sarah here \u2014> @vintagegems_nh<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n