The Jewelry I'll Never Get Rid Of

The Jewelry I'll Never Get Rid OfWe all seem to go through periods in our life that are so special that the jewelry we wear or receive at the time takes on a special significance. I'm not one who goes crazy over accessories, yet I have a small box filled with jewelry. Some of it's expensive, but most of it is on the cheaper side, and all of them are full of precious memories. I'll never ever get rid of them, no matter how ugly or out of fashion or how poorly they match my outfits. We all have these little stashes, don't we? Here's a look at mine -- and the stories behind it.




Braided Bone Necklace 1. Braided Bone Necklace
When my husband and I were newly dating, he was the type to climb up mountains, wear braided bracelets and Birkenstocks, send pressed flowers in love letters, and listen to a lot of Dave Matthews Band in his Jeep. Now he's an international tax attorney in the big city wearing a nice suit. Back when our relationship first started getting serious, he asked if I'd wear one of his bracelets, like getting pinned or wearing a promise ring. It was so stinking cheesy and delightfully adorable. I picked this braided bone bracelet, which he'd picked up from a street market during his travels in the Philippines. I've worn it most of the last decade. Oddly, it's become quite trendy in the last two years.


Dogeared Karma Necklace 2. Dogeared Karma Necklace
For Valentine's Day when we'd been married about four years, I put in a little request for this gold necklace. We had little money at the time, so I was very surprised to find it wrapped in a little box that Valentine's evening after dinner. Brandon wrote in the card, "I can see why you wanted this. For all the wonderful things you put into the world, you deserve something lovely back." Before the note, it was just a necklace. After the note, it was a reminder I could wear around my neck to keep me trying my best every day to deserve that great guy I married.
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Related: 9 delicate necklaces to wear forever



Michael Kors Gold Watch 3. Michael Kors Gold Watch
Here's another too lovely gift from my husband, this time for my birthday. I love its oversized heft. I love its classic-looking face. And I love that my husband used an unexpected work bonus (he got to choose between tickets to a sporting event or a department store gift card) to get it for me. It's ridiculously trendy, but I suspect I'll wear it long after the trend has run its course.
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My Arm Party 4. My Arm Party
These bracelets have been gifts from various shops since I started blogging in 2005. I've recently been able to turn my love of the Internet into a little extra income for our family to pay off our student loans, and I feel so incredibly grateful. When I was in high school and the guidance counselor urged us to imagine what we'd do if money wasn't an object and try to turn it into a career, I had no idea that THIS could exist - because it didn't! Not back then. These bracelets are a fun reminder that I'm living a little slice of my dream.
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My Wedding Rings 5. My Wedding Rings
I have four of them. No, I only have one husband! I started with an engagement ring and wedding band.

When we got engaged, my husband was working the night shift at Costco doing a lot of heavy lifting, and thus his ring size was a full sizer larger than usual. Once he landed himself a cushy desk job and those fingers shrunk, his wedding ring no longer fit. Rather than spend the money to resize the brushed gold band, Brandon did the proper guy thing and marched himself to the mall to buy himself a nine-dollar sterling silver replacement. To soften the blow that he'd no longer be wearing the expensive ring I saved up for and picked out so lovingly, he bought me one to match. And thus, the second wedding band was born.

We had just moved back to New York City, it was hot and miserable out, and I was fully and uncomfortably into my ninth month of pregnancy, when I found a $20 antique signet ring at a street fair. I wore it for a while on my right hand, not sure whether the H was meant for my last name or my future baby's name. A few weeks later, the night Henry was born, my fingers became so swollen that I tore all my rings off and stashed them in a mint tin in the hospital room. A few days later as we left the hospital, I hurriedly put them all back on, all at once on my wedding ring finger. I liked the way it looked so much I decided to leave it that way forever. The H is definitely for "Holbrook."

- By Natalie Holbrook
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