I got my ears pierced when I was 8 but I lost interest after a few years and never wore them again. Then the summer I was 17 I was in Costa Rica for a month and living with a Costa Rican family in their little home just outside San Jose. The mom, who was so nice and cool and pretty and liked doing nails and wearing pretty jewelry, asked me why I didn't wear earrings. I told her I hadn't in years and didn't even know my ears were still pierced. She laughed, told me they definitely were, and proceeded to basically repierce them just by putting some earrings in. I am indebted to her to this day as I wore earrings for the rest of that summer, and have never looked back since.
Earrings are the best! They are pretty, fun, and can really add to an outfit. On a Friday afternoon the fall we were 19, L. and I went to a place on Telegraph in Berkeley and got more piercings in our ears. I got just a second piercing (of which I should take more advantage! For most of Berkeley I often wore 2 earrings in each ear but I rarely do so now...) and L. got the top of her ear pierced. I had felt really down about my appearance the summer I was 19 but I was feeling so much better that fall. My skin was clearing up, my hair was growing long, I was walking more and so was slowly (but surely!) losing some of the weight I'd gained the previous year, B. thought I was pretty, and I now had double piercings in both my ears. I felt so cool!! It makes me laugh thinking of it now, but I took all those things incredibly seriously then and I really did feel that that second piercing made me cool. (All the more reason to start wearing 2 earrings in each ear again - I think I'll start tomorrow!)
Probably the most fun thing about deciding I liked wearing earrings was getting to regularly buy them! L. and I used to go to this costume/jewelry store in San Francisco that N. told us about that had an entire wall of earrings. We loved it. They were also pretty inexpensive there. Another fabulous thing about earrings is that you can get really cool, pretty ones for very little money. I've since splurged (well actually my dad has! he has very nicely bought me three more expensive pairs on three different occasions; my mom has also gotten me some really pretty earrings) but usually I stick with not too expensive earrings, which is good because I buy new earrings semi-regularly. Whenever I go on a trip somewhere I love buying earrings because then whenever I wear them later I always remember that trip. Two of my best jewelry buying experiences have been at antique markets. I got the coolest long gold necklace with pretty different coloured (pink, green and blue) gems at this antique market in Brussels that was in the square in front of the hotel C. and I stayed at when we went there. And the neighbourhood of San Telmo in Buenos Aires has the best antique market probably in the world. I have been fortunate enough to go there twice and on both occasions I bought wonderful jewelry (this pretty pink pearl necklace and these great green earrings). I love buying and wearing antique jewelry because it's so fun to imagine the pieces being worn at fabulous Buenos Aires' parties of years past!
It's hard to say whether I prefer earrings or necklaces. I like and wear all types of necklaces but my favourites are long ones. I like them best because I think they look the best on me, and they feel way less constricting around my neck. Plus, it's easier to see them and have them really be a part of your outfit when they are long. There are lots of good things about shorter necklaces though too! When I was a bridesmaid for A. back in July 2006, she gave me a pretty long necklace with purple beads (the other time I was a bridesmaid, for L. this past September, she gave me a really pretty (this time silver and shaped like a bow) necklace too) which started my love affair with long necklaces. I love them! And have since begun buying a lot. I have three favourites. The first is of a clock (see picture below) which I bought at a store in Toronto two summers ago. For the first year I had it, multiple people told me it reminded them of Dali. I was too embarrassed to ask why until L. told me the same thing when I saw her in person. So I finally asked her and she explained that Dali painted similar shaped clocks. (See picture below.) My second favourite is of a (fake) diamond covered Eiffel Tower (see picture below) I bought at Forever 21 last spring. (Forever 21 has great cheap long necklaces and earrings!) I hesitated for probably a good 20 minutes, and kept putting it back worrying that it was tacky. But I can't believe I ever thought that as now I love it and have gotten multiple compliments. Plus it's nice to carry a little Paris with me some days. My third favourite is this long gold one with a few pearls that I got on sale from JCrew.com last fall. Necklaces are great! And the good thing with both earrings and jewelry is that you can never have too many of either.
In terms of other jewelry, I am not a huge fan of either rings or bracelets. I've bought (or been given) rings on a couple of occasions in the past and would wear them a few times but mostly I don't really like them. The same goes for bracelets. I do, however, like anklets! I haven't worn one since I was 12 and my friend K. (from elementary school) and I made beaded ones at her house. But I do think they are so cool. My aunt E. has been wearing a gold anklet for years and every year at Christmas I compliment her on it. This year she is getting me one! I am excited. And I plan on wearing it quite a lot. It'll be great in summer when I can show it off.
Wearing earrings or a necklace make me feel happy, and for that reason, and everything listed above, jewelry is, without a doubt, my most favourite accessory.
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