The real deal

These three exceptional rings are now in the shop. A bit of a departure from the costume pieces I normally stock, I know. I will continue to supply those, too! But you can expect to find a few "fine" rings in the Jean Jean Vintage collection from now on. It was only a matter of time, I suppose, before I discovered the thrill of real gold and gemstones :)

Edwardian 18K gold and rose cut diamond snake ring

Edwardian 18K yellow gold and diamond wedding ring

Victorian 15K gold and turquoise Etruscan Revival ring

A pretty bride with vintage earrings - what more could you ask for?

The ultimate, ultimate joy for me as the owner of Jean Jean Vintage is when I get to send a piece of jewelry off to a wedding. Most recently I got to send this pair of frosted glass earrings off to a bride-to-be named Lauren (@ellednyc on Twitter). The note that she sent with her order was, "I'll be wearing these beauties for my elopement next month." As if that wasn't enough to make my day, I later learned that she was set to marry the beautiful Shani in The City of Lights! Joy overload.

When I saw their photos from Paris, first on Dear Golden's blog and then in a few follow up shots kindly sent by Lauren, I was so moved. To think that my little Jean Jean earrings - rescued from a dusty shoebox in Iowa - were a small part of their big day makes me so grateful. Grateful for vintage. Grateful for girls who wear vintage. Grateful for celebrations of love. Thank you, Lauren and Shani!

Photo credit: Lauren Cooper 

1930s wedding bands

1920s-1930s wedding bands are just about the prettiest things. Here is an ad for bands from my 1932 Fort Dearborn catalog. I recently listed a sterling version of these platinum/white gold bands in the shop. It has the same "blossom and baguette" design as the advertised rings in the right column - so sweet! I wish I could find a dozen more like this one.