Today’s jewelry collection story comes from longtime collector Elisa of Chelsea Girl NYC – the original “junk pile” queen of the diamond district. Elisa has had a love affair with vintage and antique things since she was a little girl, eventually making it her lifelong career. She recently has brought along her daughter Ruby for the ride and between both mother and daughter they run both @chelseagirl.nyc and @talesfromthejunkpile
Excited to give you a look into Elisa’s personal jewelry stash and have her tell her story:
“When I was 6, my Spanish grandmother gave me an 18k gold charm bracelet with three charms…an artist’s palette, a tea pot and a bell. I. Was. Hooked. Even as a kid, I insisted that each charm have personal meaning. I would search for the perfect charms, no matter how long it took, and I always persevered. One summer in Spain I spent three weeks going to jewelry stores in search of a Spanish fan charm that met all my elaborate criteria (I was 10.) I added charms frequently, until college, when no more fit. Then I started a new charm bracelet, exclusively with handbag charms (I was always a purse fanatic!)”
“I love bold, confident pieces, especially ones from the Retro era (French tank rings and bombé rings in particular) because it was a time of immense creativity and women’s empowerment. To me, the jewelry from this period feels like armor, with its strong geometric and architectural motifs and chunky stones. I rarely purchase very old jewelry because I like to WEAR my jewelry, and fragile pieces just don’t work with my active lifestyle. I prefer a more modern aesthetic…pieces that make me feel powerful and fearless when I go out onto the streets of NYC! I’m also big on women’s history, so I love miniature portraits of women and anything having to do with suffrage.”
“I’ve always had a collectors’ mentality: I love the thrill of the hunt, I love to score a bargain, and I love beautiful objects. My Spanish grandmother shopped at the Madrid flea market every Sunday and had a house full of French objets d’art, paintings and ornately carved furniture. My parents filled our house with rustic antiques. Living with these objects made me appreciate their unique beauty. I’m also extremely conscious of respecting our planet so I’ve always avoided purchasing new items. Buying secondhand is a win-win, as far as I’m concerned. My love for jewelry in particular came from my (American) Nana, who was very elegant and always wore an armful of gold bangles…I adored how they jingled! Antique jewelry is so sentimental, so finely made, and most importantly, it doesn’t sit on a shelf: it’s wearable and enjoyable and you can take it out into the world!”
“I’m like a hunter stalking its prey when I shop: laser-focused and strategic, whether it’s online, at an antique show, in a thrift shop or at auction. I have to be, because if you search under “diamond ring” on eBay there are over 2 million listings (luckily, online searching is my superpower!) But the way I find most of my pieces is through relationships I’ve nurtured with dealers all over the world. They know what I like and think of me first when they get something special. My other favorite way of shopping is digging through pounds and pounds of “scrap” gold in the jewelry district in NYC…I find such treasures! I’m super picky about every piece I buy. For decades, I’ve had a mantra that helps me make decisions when shopping: “When in doubt, go without.” If my gut doesn’t say “I HAVE TO HAVE THIS, AND I DON’T CARE WHAT IT COSTS,” I pass.”
“I am THE WORST when it comes to jewelry display. I travel a lot and when I do, all my jewels go into the bank’s safe deposit box. So embarrassingly, I have loads of jewels in ziplocks, stashed away, and often I even forget what I have. I need Marie Kondo-level help! But I wear my rings every day and enjoy seeing them organized, so no matter what, I have them displayed beautifully, and everyday I enjoy the ritual of marveling over them and choosing which ones to wear.”
“My most sentimental piece is my Spanish grandmother’s diamond engagement bracelet from 1934. It’s just my style, and it has an amazing history. She came very close to losing the bracelet in the 1940s, when, after the deaths of both her husband and her daughter during the Spanish Civil War, she was forced to take a loan from a family member whose wife insisted that she “hold” the bracelet as collateral. My grandmother was furious but had no choice. With the loan she opened a successful clothing boutique in the Palace Hotel in Madrid. The wife of her family member was annoyed when she had to return the bracelet upon repayment of the loan. But she did. It’s now one my two most prized possessions.”
“I love chunky rings, but the piece I wear everyday is my mom’s plain gold wedding band. It’s a metaphor for her: it doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. It has a quiet confidence. It’s unassuming, but resolute. Wearing it makes me feel close to her but also serves as a constant reminder that the simple things are ultimately what are important in life.
My most recent find is a golf-ball-sized dome ring from France that as my friend Janet says, “It’s almost too big to wear…ALMOST ;)” I remember as a kid, a dealer told me that the older you get, the bigger your jewelry gets. I looked at her giant rings and chunky necklaces and said to myself, “Haha, I’ll never be like her!” And here I am…”