Gold v. Silver

I am one of those people who has always loved silver. I've also pretty much always been at least a little bit wary of gold. When I was a kid, I was pretty extreme about my distaste for it, going so far as to refuse to wear anything with any kind of gold color to it. My parents once bought me a delicate sapphire ring--it was gorgeous--but of course it was gold, so I hid it in the back of my jewelry box and never wore it.
I actually found the ring last year while my parents were selling their house and I was going through boxes of all my old (mostly silver) jewelry. Now it is finally getting some of the wear that it deserves. As I've gotten older, while I've had less of a distaste for gold, I have always maintained a strong preference for silver. It's just what I've always been comfortable wearing, what feels like "me." Since starting out as a jewelry designer, I have found myself having the same silver-focused instincts. I was surprised my first week at The Market when people gravitated towards my gold pieces--it's almost like I forget that anyone in the world has different preferences than I do and would prefer gold to silver. And a funny thing has been happening as a result of all my jewelry making... Believe it or not, I've actually started to like gold. I can't believe it, but I'm actually planning to wear gold accessories to the wedding I'm going to this weekend. And that is probably a first for me! Which is pretty amazing when you think about it, because I am 27 years old!

This past week I have really been on a mission with gold in terms of jewelry making. It is truly amazing to me just how much I've started to enjoy using it--well, it's mostly brass that I'm working with at this stage, not real gold, but it's just so different from silver--so much brighter, "flashier," and it interacts with gemstones in a different and really beautiful way. I am even--gasp!--thinking of making pieces that mix silver and gold, something that I never thought I would not only tolerate, but actually be excited about exploring. My golden horizons are finally expanding!! My next challenge with gold--well, with silver too--will be using more precious metals. Moving from brass and gold-plated to 14k, from nickel and silver-plated to sterling. I'm actually already using a good bit of silver-plated and sterling, but using real gold is something that I'm more afraid of. Also because it's significantly more expensive! But maybe once I start making some more sales I will invest in some real gold wire and chain.... For now I will stick to my brass and gold-plated wire!

For the wedding this weekend, I haven't decided yet exactly what jewelry I'm going to wear, but I am particularly in love with the pieces on this page. I am going to be bringing gifts for some of my female relatives, so if I don't end up wearing these, then I think at least one of them might end up in a gift box. And of course, there will be some silver gifts given too.....I'm not THAT obsessed with gold! But I'm glad that I have finally started to appreciate it. Will post pictures of what I end up wearing for the wedding!