THE NONNATIVE

I once had an ex-boyfriend say to me, "Why do you buy so much crap jewelry? If you just saved all the money you spend on this shit you could afford something nice."

I think all men must think this about women, we buy costume jewelry, fake stones, cocktail rings, and they must look at it & say to themselves, "And I'm supposed to spend 3 months salary on some engagement ring...?" Well, whatever I like to spend my money on a lot of different things so I can have variety! This doesn't mean that when I want something nice I don't go ahead and spend the money on it. But I'm a shopaholic, what would become of me if I went out splurging on "nice" jewelry all the time? I mean there's the old nursery rhyme about the Old Lady Who Lives in a Shoe, I don't know if I could build a cave out of jewelry.

About two years ago was one of those times when I really wanted to have a special piece of jewelry. In fact I didn't want to simply buy something unoriginal, I had a a toy ring that my mother had bought for her father for .10 cents as a little girl that she had asked me to get made in gold for her. We decided we would get one made for each of us, hers in gold and mine in white gold. This picture isn't the greatest, but up close it's a ring with 3 snake heads & a different colored stone on each snake.

I asked a friend where I could go to get the ring made, and she took me to a little jewelry boutique at 36 Pottinger Street - Saturn Essentials. There I met with Liz [Last name], who helped me to get in touch with a guy who could custom made a mold from the aluminum ring I had. It took about a month for the rings to be made and each one was about $5,000HKD - not bad at all. The ladies at Saturn Essentials were incredibly kind and helpful, giving me suggestions about specific mold questions, sizing, and choosing the right stones.

In addition to what I had made, their store is filled with some really eclectic items. A lot of their jewelry is silver and earthy stones, giving off a very bohemian vibe. They also have countless necklaces made from all different types of materials, chains, rope, pendant, necklaces you can layer. Most items in the store range from $x-$x, while it may not be costume jewelry it's a funky and affordable addition to your jewelry box.


Pottinger Street Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36+pottinger+street,+hong+kong&sll=39.908173,116.397947&sspn=1.599057,2.411499&ie=UTF8&ll=22.28209,114.154674&spn=0.001884,0.002355&z=19