Birth of a Collection…or What Do You Collect?

You may not even remember when it happened…that moment you first saw IT…and were smitten!! And you bought IT. And then it seemed overnight that you began looking for more of IT. And buying more…when you could.

That happened to me about 15 years ago with antique bohemian garnet jewelry. I saw my first one online at a very young company called eBay…and I fell in love. The pendant was big and dangly and I adored the color of the old garnets. I happily won the auction (in 2000 I think) and I still wear the piece. This Christmas party photo is circa 2013.

But here was the weird thing. Once I found the one, it opened Pandora’s box and I started looking for others that appealed to me. Some were too expensive, but others were more reasonable and I couldn’t say no.

To be honest, I know these Victorian pins are a tad old fashioned. Oh jeez, they are, but I still love them.

There’s no explaining collecting…no rhyme or reason why something appeals to you so strongly. And why your radar is set to find more.

But my radar was set to find these…aren’t they lovely? The pin on the bottom is also a mourning locket and has a case on the back to tuck a bit of hair of a deceased loved one.

But I’m realizing with every collection, editing is key. What’s the point of owning stuff that isn’t used or displayed or loved? Some pins I just wasn’t wearing. They were sitting in a drawer. Pointless.

So since starting this unexpected collection, I have sold a few pieces. One sale particularly blessed me as the pin was going to a teenage daughter as a gift from her mother. I’m realizing there are probably more pieces I can sell. Maybe it’s time!

But here’s the weird thing, my radar is still set for antique bohemian garnet jewelry. Maybe it always will be!

Now it’s your turn…what makes your heart skip a beat?? What was the birth of your collection?