So I've had QVC on most of the day in one or two room (walking back and forth).
It makes me realize how much jewelry I have. I'm like many of you (probably).
Well, when my husband died I started buying a lot of jewelry and I wore it. However, as I got older I don't buy as much.
Today makes me realize all of the money I spent on some expensive jewelry.
I just saw an all pearl bracelet being sold for $199. OMG! I have that same bracelet in 3 colors AND variations of it!
Recently, my oldest daughter was looking at my jewelry. She used to be a jewelry freak. She had the Tiffany brochure so memorized, the salesperson asked her if she wanted a job! Ha!
But as she looked at my jewelry (we have very different taste...(I lean toward gaudy and bigger)..she said, "Mom! What's going to happen to all this jewelry.
I have it in cases, color coordinated. But...as my arthritis has gotten worse, so has my ring size (now 10 and 11).
She said, "You know teenagers don't wear pearls and the girl's ring sizes are way smaller..
I've always told them how much I HATE (yes all caps) diamonds. Always thought they were boring...no color.
So, I try to tell them they must be careful and not think the jewelry is fake, because it isn't.
It's just too much to try to sort out and put prices on it. You'd think I'd be more aware of this because when we had a house fire I had to replace or give the value of all of the items that got smoke damage, etc. It was an unbelievable amount of toys my girls had when they were young. I had to sit on the internet and try to figure out the value of Fisher Price toys, etc. I thought I'd loose my mind but I did it. That was in 2001. Now I'm a lot older and have way, way less patience and I don't have my husband urging me on! Ha!
I used to call him my "GATE KEEPER". He'd calm me down and put me on the right track and keep me from going way overboard on things. I'm a person who thinks, "If one is good, two is better and let's just go for three" (of whatever it is).
I'm curious. I know many of you are close to my age or a little younger. I also bet you have lots of beautiful jewelry that's now worth something.
What have you guys decided to do to try to ensure your family doesn't just think it's junk?
When my husband died I gave my girls some of the very, very expensive jewelry he bought me that means something special. This is the jewelry I bought myself, so it doesn't have sentimental value to them.
I have 5 granddaughters so far, so I assume they'll end up with some of it.
As I sit here typing this I'm reminded of my friend I eat with most days. She has some very expensive jewelry. She'll pay $5,000 for a ring that you need a magnifying glass to see it! She doesn't have children and has been a widow since 1997.
I feel guilty because I'm always after her about telling her niece what she wants her to have. She doesn't even have a will.
At least I just updated my will and since my middle daughter is going through a divorce my will is locked up air tight.
Just last week my friend that works at my bank called me into her office. She handled a lot of my late husband's businesses and I know her quite well. She was telling me that she'd just (finally) gotten her husband to agree to draw up a will. She said, "I sit here day after day and hear the saddest stories about people who have their money so tied up (no will, etc) they can't even bury their spouse.
I think many of us are guilty (I am) of what my grandma used to call "the pot calling the kettle black". For those who aren't familiar with that saying, it means, "telling everyone else what to do and not doing it yourself".
My picture would be next to that saying and the word "procrastinator". Ha!
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