Guest Blogger
Jaclyn Gross, Professional Organizer in South Florida
Age 27
As I’ve grown through the years, my style has evolved. I always loved dressing up with my “pretty, pretty, princess” kit as a child and covering myself with loads of “jewels.” The feeling of dripping in earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings makes you feel better. Makes you feel royal, makes you feel confident. Or at least it did for me.
But then something happened. I turned 6. And on my 6th birthday, my Oma gave me a pearl necklace. It was a gold chain that had just a few tiny perfect pearls in the middle. I loved feeling how smooth and cold they were. It made me feel different. Every year for Christmas, she would take my necklace and place a few more pearls on it. She did this for my cousin Jillian and I who are just one year apart. So when we would get it back in time for the yearly Christmas party, we would have our new pearls on our necklaces. Every year it would grow just a little bit more and did this for about 10 years until it was fully covered. That was very special to me and it was also the first time I had ever had a “real” piece of jewelry. It changed how I felt. No more plastic for me; I had graduated onto the real thing. I felt like once I felt the feeling of a “real” piece of jewelry, I could just never go back.
My grandma always wore the most stylish and exquisite pieces. I always wanted to be like her. Right now as I am writing this, I am wearing a tiffany silver ball necklace and matching bracelet that I inherited from her. She was a main influencer in my jewelry choices. She had a safe where she kept her really expensive pieces, but the rest were all tucked away perfectly in their original boxes and pouches in one of her dresser drawers. She was so organized. I loved that about her, too. She maintained the sparkle of her jewels. They never tarnished or dulled. They were cleaned, repaired if broken, insured and never out of place. She took care of her belongings. Anything that was hers, whether it was her diamond ring, her child, grandchild or home was taken care of fully 1000%.
I always adored her choices from her broaches to earrings, rings, bracelets, ankle bracelets, and necklaces. She always looked like a celebrity. I should have taken more pictures of her. Her style was just impeccable; perfectly put together everyday. And the jewelry was what tied it all together. I just loved all of her choices in style because her style was timeless. It influenced me then and still does today, and will forever. This is what I pass on to my clients, too. When I take them shopping for a new wardrobe and when I weed out their old items- we focus on timeless classic foundational pieces instead of hip and trendy for just 1 season.
I wanted my Oma’s collection of jewelry (and clothes- but I couldn’t fit in them since she was a size 0 her entire life, and I’m definitely not!) And the funny thing is that her collection of jewelry, even after all the decades that have passed would mean nothing to the jewelry because they will still be just as magnificent as they were on the first day. She had mesmerizing yellow diamonds, white diamonds, pink diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and of course white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, platinum and silver. I was hypnotized every time I saw her brilliant collection. I couldn’t wait to build my own collection; to have my own treasure chest of fine jewelry. So far my collection does not involve many diamonds (yet!) but I’m working on it.
Over the years, as I was with her in her room helping her get ready before parties (my dad lived with her for a few years after my parents divorced) I watched as her outfit transformed from already stunning to just over the top magnificent stand-out with the help of a few classic, timeless classic pieces of jewelry. It made the entire outfit pop. I helped her as we went through her selection and picked the right pieces.
This was eye-opening to me as a child to see this transformation. With just a little (or not so little!) perfect sparkling well-placed diamond or jewel can make all the difference.
I recently discovered Diamonds by Eyal in Boca Raton, Florida. The store is run by Elise & Eyal Cohen. They are the nicest couple ever. They pay so much attention to you and make you feel like royalty. Even though I wasn’t purchasing anything extravagant, they treat you like you are. It doesn’t matter to them whether you are purchasing something for $500 or $250,000, because either way, they want you to enjoy the experience and educate you. They sit down with you and explain everything. It is by appointment only so you don’t have to worry about people coming in and distracting you.
The time you have with them is your time only. They make you feel so special and this customer service is so rare to find these days. I truly appreciated them spending their time and energy on me. I was able to leave there feeling confident in my purchase and knowing that this will be the place that I will be buying all future jewelry pieces from, and telling my friends and family to come, too. The prices truly can’t be beat (as I went to many different places and compared!) and the quality is the best. They also don’t do any advertising, so that speaks volumes! It’s all by referrals. I love that! I recommend this business whole-heartedly to anyone who has a special occasion (or any occasion!) coming up. The gift of jewelry is something that will be truly treasured for their entire life… at any age!