Friday, April 1, 2011

Shiny Object Saturday: A Golden Calf by Any Other Name



I've never been an enthusiastic jewelry collector. Like socks, I never can seem to find just the right thing to go with whatever I'm wearing. One of my sisters (both, maybe?) prefers to wear only fine jewelry, and she does have lovely taste. I, however, am eclectic, and you're liable to run into me wearing sparkly diamond earrings and a wooden WalMart bracelet. Whatever seems to work at that moment.

There's also the cost issue. If given a choice, I'll take a shiny new bathroom, a new roof, or a new front door over a diamond ring, any day.

That's not to say I'm against receiving jewelry as a gift. Oh, no, indeed.  I love a sparkly prezzie as much as the next girl. I just would feel too guilty to buy it for myself--especially if the roof is in disrepair.

I like jewelry that has meaning. One of my very favorite pieces is my charm bracelet. Charm bracelets go in and out of style, but that doesn't matter to me. The only prohibition I have against wearing it is when I'm also wearing knit clothes. My sweet husband bought me a cupid with a bow and arrow that tends to catch.

Other charms: A revolver that I had fitted with a clasp so that I could remove it for air travel. Seriously. A book that's a memento from my BFF for the publication of Isabella Moon. A snowflake for our time in Michigan. A cross, a star of David, and a mustard seed, for faith. A Christmas tree for our 20 years of Christmas tree adventures (I'll talk about that some other time.). A maple leaf for Four Days, the film Pinckney wrote that was shot in Canada. A star for our time in Roanoke. A slot machine for my 40th birthday trip to Vegas with my sisters. Golf clubs. A watering can. A Fisherman's Wharf memento. A set of wedding rings for our tenth anniversary. And my two favorites: A miniature of the fountain in Cincinnati's Fountain Square; and a Longhorn head, which recalls a private joke.

Here's the Shiny Object:

The best (and maybe only) Agrijewelry website, ever. Such a thing could only be conceived in Texas, don't you agree?

I came across the site while I was doing web research on cotton bolls for a novel and was captivated.

I want this because we live down the road from a winery:


This, because we used to live on Pinckney's parents' dairy farm:


This, because it's gold. And it's a llama.



The cotton boll earrings. They're dangly, too. I love dangly.



Aside from the my Longhorn charm, the only other agriwear/jewelry I have is a spider pendant, because I've been told I'm spooky. And a few random rabbit pins, for Easter and whatever.

It seems I have gaps in my wardrobe. If you're thinking of my birthday, any of the above would suit me much better than cow socks. Definitely.

6 comments:

CarrieMarie said...

oh my heck, i want that llama charm!! maybe it would ward off the drama llama... ; )

i love all your charms, miss laura, especially the revolver, which OF COURSE you would need to remove at the airport, because OF COURSE a 1" revolver is a danger to society.

happy weekend!

Laura Benedict said...

I definitely agree about the llama, Carrie--it's adorable. And I can think of a couple people right off the top of my head who could easily be labeled drama llamas. The $$ would be totally worth it to cast an anti-drama llama spell over them.

Yes, the revolver issue is a giggle. I can't tell you how much stress it caused me before I got the connector--bad dreams about having to turn my bracelet in to the TSA. Soooo ridiculous.

Hope you have a fab weekend, too! xo

Coolkayaker1 said...

The lucky charm cupid from your husband catching on your sleeve sounds very much like it could be used in a novel.

Thanks, Laura, for your post.

Michelle's Spell said...

Hey beautiful,

Love all your charms, especially the revolver! So adorable. Weirdly enough, I've never had any problem getting through airport security with my bullet necklace. Most of my jewelry has been presents. It's the one thing I almost never buy for myself because other people have much better tastes than I do! I think your jewelry is exquisite! xo

Laura Benedict said...

CK1--I agree! Talk about the uninventable detail. : )

Sweet Michelle--I can't imagine any bad old TSA agent messing with you, bullet, or no. If they do, tell me, and I'll give them a good talking-to!xoxo

maggie said...

My favorite part of this post is that you were doing research on cotton balls. And that there is a word such as "agrijewelry." And that your revolver charm unclasps . . . which begs the question: will one of those newfangled body scanners see it if you slip it into your pocket???