Jewelry Primer & Friday Fashion Facts

I don't know about you, but I love vintage jewelry. It usually has more character than brand new stuff and is, quite frequently, more affordable. The best places to find reasonably priced vintage jewelry is at garage and estates sales and thrift stores. Costume jewelry is just fine and dandy (the above pieces are nothing more than base metal and glass), but sometimes you want a higher-quality treasure. The trick is knowing what you're dealing with. 

I have the advantage of calling a coin and antique dealer "Father", but not everyone is so lucky to have a family member who will give them free appraisals (or free jewelry). So I've compiled a list of the basic jewelry marks you will find on finer pieces. You need a keen eye, since the markings are frequently very tiny and are usually punched in the metal in inconspicuous places

Silver (most common & most affordable)

925

.925

"Sterling"

"Sterling Silver"

Gold (In order of  highest to lowest quality)

24k or 999

22k or 916 or 917
18k or 750
14k or 585
10k or 417 or 16

Platinum
I'm not as familiar with platinum and rarely see it at thrift stores or garage sales. If you want to learn about it, this article from eHow is very useful.

When you get into really old or really fine jewelry, you may start to see hallmarks and stamps alongside the codes. These vary widely depending on maker, country of origin, etc. I recommend getting a book of hallmarks if you're interested in learning about them or have some pieces that are hallmarked.

Update: My dad emailed me and said I should also recommend you bring a small magnet with you when you're shopping for vintage jewelry. Test any pieces you find, because sometimes even stamped pieces can be fake. If it sticks to the magnet, it's base metal. Just make sure to keep the magnet away from your bank cards!

Friday Fashion Facts
The numbers stamped on jewelry usually refer to the percentage of gold or silver they contain. For instance, sterling is marked "925" and is 92.5% pure silver.


♠

Look of the Day: emerald city

I just read an article on CNN about why Seattle is better than Portland (it was part of this special city vs. city thing on their travel site). In all honesty, I was a little disappointed with it. It didn’t make a good argument for why we’re great. Instead, it was like reading a travel brochure.

 So I wanted to put my two cents in: we are so much more than Starbucks coffee. We are more than the “birthplace of grunge” (this saying makes me shudder). The views alone will take your breath away (one thing the author had right). We have amazing restaurants, music venues, art museums and are home to many, many coffee shops that are 100 times better than Starbucks. People here have real jobs (cough*Portland*cough) and a good local economy. As my husband says, the dream of being a productive member of society is alive in Seattle.

I never get tired of exploring all the neighborhoods here (Ballard, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Columbia City, to name a few of my faves). I love the people here the most and am proud to call this city home, despite the flying fish at Pike Place.

Come for a visit. When the sun is out, nobody shines like Seattle shines. And when it rains, just the roads shine, haha 

American Apparel skirt (similar) - Vintage Bill Blass shirt (similar) - GAP sweater (similar)- GAP clutch - Vintage & F21 bracelets - Vintage watch (similar)

Look of the Day: little old lady

My hair has kind of gone over the platinum edge and is now is blue-gray country. I quite like it. I was feeling cheap, so decided to dye it myself, instead of going back to my stylist. She told me "I hope it doesn't turn orange!" She was WRONG. It's blue. Shows what she knows!

I am now, head to toe, the same color as my apartment building. Hurrah. I should use my property manager powers to have them paint the building a cool new color. I have grown weary of this one. It probably won't happen, though.

 Vintage Liz Claiborne bag - Cooperative canvas wedges - J.Crew jersey cardigan - Forever21 lace tank top - Vintage belt - H&M sunglasses (similar) - vintage polka dot skirt (similar) - vintage and handmade necklaces

Look of the Day: namesake

Dear Suede Jacket,

Poor neglected little jacket. I'm sorry I forgot to style you. You see, I just wasn't sure you worked with "my style". I was wrong, and I'm woman enough to admit it.

 Thanks for bringing so much boho-vintage chicness to my basic jersey maxi dress. It was in dire need of some bad-assery! (note: I just made that word up). Thanks for making me feel a tiny bit like Kate Lanphear.

Sincerely, Catie

 P.S. I got this super cool, GIANT vintage leather bag at Kaleidoscope Vision on Capitol Hill when I was hanging out with all those cool ladies from the Seattle Style Bloggers meet up. 

H&M Maxi Dress (similar) - Felicee leopard print belt - Vintage suede jacket (similar) - Vintage Liz Claiborne bag - Urban Outfitters sunglasses - DIY infinity scarf - Bracelets are vintage & Forever21

Breaking Rules

According to rules of taste, these pants should not be worn by anyone. They are ridiculously loud and rather shapeless. Yet somehow, they are not completely unflattering.

Underneath the sweater, the pants are attached to a tube top, so technically it's a jumpsuit. But the elastic is fading and the top is no where near as awesome as the bottoms. This is where the cropped sweater comes in.

It gives the whole thing a slouchy, yet polished look. Think 80's power-suit goes on vacation.


In these photos:
Vintage jumpsuit
GAP sweater
Vintage frame bag
Aldo flats
Vintage watch and costume jewelry
Forver21 sunglasses

neighborhood

The good news:
The duplex behind me has all these lovely flowers that sprout up everywhere. They're all well established and come back year after year. Two of my favorites, iris and poppy, are the most notable. There is one giant pink poppy that has probably a dozen buds on it. Then there are these little orange Icelandic poppies. They grow along the rockeries in the front and back. They are day-glow orange and so papery and delicate; photos don't do them justice. The irises bloom like clockwork every May.

The bad news:
Crime is getting more noticeable in my neighborhood :( I was actually interviewed by one of the local news channels today in regards to safety at the park where I got married. Then last Wednesday, I was awoken at 3am by ADT, because our office had been broken into. It's two doors down from my apartment, which made it easy to go talk to the police when they arrived. *Sigh*

Luckily, nothing was stolen; they just broke our door knob and smashed one of our windows with a HUGE rock. Honestly, the flood we had in January was worse than this.

Ok, enough of about that. I have decided to go on a clothing fast. No shopping for the month of June! No malls, no thrift stores, no boutiques, nothing! The past two months have been so spendy (wedding, after wedding,after wedding), that I will be in serious financial pain if I do not take a break from buying clothes.

It's time to work with what I have (which is about 5,000 skirts). For instance, I just bought this mini at H&M. Isn't it a cool color? It was $6. I also bought a great little lacy top that I hope to style soon.


Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

In these photos:
H&M mini skirt
Nordstrom Men's Shirt (cropped)
Cooperative wedges
Aldo bag
Vintage resin and shell pendant

Coral & Orchid

It's almost Spring, which means it's time for something new.


Time for some personal envelope pushing and more colors in my wardrobe! I found these tights, which are the exact shade of purple I hate the most, but thanks to these tights, I now love it!



During this photo session the lighting changed dramatically and I was able to get some really neat shots. They're so graphic.







What are your plans for your Spring wardrobe? What shapes and colors are you hoping to add? What are your favorite Spring trends right now?

In These Photos:
Thrifted DKNY tights
Thrifted H&M Dress
Thrifted Cocoon Sweater
Vintage Coral Necklace
Handmade Necklaces
Bamboo Heels

Stuck in a rut

A soft, sexy rut. I can't stop wearing tights and stockings.


They're all I want to wear. Mostly I think it's because I have "image issues" when it comes to my legs, and I've found I really like my legs in all those cozy, sheer, gossamer layers.



I will try to limit myself to one posting a week featuring this combo.

On a side note, I'm also in love with my new vintage bracelet. Real costume jewelry! For only a dollar! For serious!



In these photos:
MAC lipstick
GAP cardigan
Forever21 Stockings
Cooperative wedges
Vintage hat
Thrifted scarf
H&M Lace Vest