Author Archives: Alicia

A great gift guide for the TLC bride

Posted on by
Reply

Matching the right person with the right piece of jewelry is a really fun part of my job at Turtle Love Co. since we have such a wide range of styles and prices. For the most part, I work with brides and grooms who want engagement rings and wedding bands that reflect their personalities and interests. But there is more to wedding jewelry than what adorns the fingers of the lucky bride and groom - more and more brides are looking to jewelry retailers for their oh so important bridesmaids gifts.

Necklaces and earrings are fantastic gifts to present your ‘maids with to thank them for being a part of your wedding day - plus they can wear the pieces to your event! TLC has a range of necklaces and earrings to match any wedding decor and, more specifically, any bride.

The Quirky Bride

Turtle Love Co. has necklaces with with fun personalities - like our dinosaur necklaces and nut necklaces! Available in Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus and Pistachio, Peanut and Almond respectively.

The Traditional Bride

Nothing says tradition, sophistication and elegance like a pearl necklace and earring set. Pictured above are the Single Pearl Drop Necklace, Pearl Drop Earrings, and the Classic Floating Pearl Necklace with Champagne Silk.

 

The Modern Bride

Bree Richey‘s simple, brushed silver floral pieces are perfect for your bridal party. The pearl accents add just a touch of tradition to the modern, organic look.

 

The Nostalgic/Whimsical Bride

These also work for the Steampunk Bride - vintage-inspired key and keyhole necklaces for those who love antiquity.

 

The Outdoor Bride

For the bride with an organic spirit. Full Moon Branch Earrings, Branching Necklace, and Branching Earrings - available in gold plated bronze or sterling silver.

 

There you have it! A little something for everyone. We have so many more bridesmaid gift ideas on the TLC site - check them all out!

Vintage Ringspiration

Posted on by
2

One of my favorite jobs at Turtle Love Co. is creating the listings for our vintage rings. I get to photograph and describe beautiful works of art made from metal and stone – little round symbols of love and commitment – and make them as stunning on your computer screen as they are in person using imagery and words.

As much as I love to photograph, I think my favorite thing to do is name the pieces. The first batch of rings I got to name, I named after members of my family. The recently sold Paulina, one of my favorites, is named for a variation of my mother’s middle name, Pauline. The Josephine was named after my husband, Joe. The Lucille is named after my aunt, and Rochelle is my cousin’s middle name.

For the next batch, I decided to use the names of some of my favorite women in music. Regina is named for Regina Spektor, Joan for Joan Jett, Etta for Etta James. I love to match the names I have in mind to the style and feel of each ring.

I decided to use this blog entry as an opportunity to preview three of twelve new vintage rings I’ve currently named and will be putting up on the site within the next week or so. This time around, the names are based on female fine artists throughout history.

We’ll go in chronological order, beginning with the Clara. The Clara Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring is named after Clara Peeters, a Flemish painter born in 1594. You may have never heard of her because, like most other remarkable women in history, the fact that she was a woman prevented her from being as renowned as she should have been. But her work speaks for itself – the way she was able to render details in her still-life and floral paintings is truly remarkable. I chose Clara for the name of this ring because of its exquisite detail and floral motif.

Next up is the Elisabetta Diamond Vintage Engagement Ring, named for Elisabetta Sirani, an Italian Baroque painter born in 1638. Sirani died young, at only 27 years of age, but her breadth as an artist is remarkable. She had completed almost 100 works of art by the time she was 17, and doubled that amount by the time she died. Like many Italian Baroque painters, many of her works were very large in scale and used a lot of Christian imagery. What is most remarkable is that this young woman supported her parents and her siblings with her artwork. I chose Elisabetta as the name for this ring because of its simple, strong, and elegant presence.

Lastly, we skip a few hundred years to the Louise Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring, named for Louise Nevelson. Nevelson, a modern American sculptor, was born in Russia in 1899 and moved to the United States (Maine, even!) at age 6. Nevelson is known for her large-scale wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures, and was first inspired to be an artist when she saw a sculpture of Joan of Arc at age 9. Nevelson believed that art should be an expression of the individual, and not something that should be categorized as masculine or feminine. Her pieces were large, dark and intimidating – against the grain for a female artist. She is revered as a pioneer in the feminist art movement for her ideals and her unique artistic vision. I chose Louise as the name for this ring based on its tall, sculptural quality and commanding presence.

Other artists I’ve named rings after in this upcoming batch are Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Lavina Teerlinc, and Mariette Robusti, to name a few. Make sure to check our site regularly for new vintage rings – you may even be able to guess which remarkable women the rings are named after.

How finding my inner Dude helped me love my wedding day: 5 easy steps - Alicia

Posted on by
1

My wedding ended up being the complete opposite of everything I wanted, right down to the smallest details. I wanted an indoor winter wedding with 20-30 guests - I ended up with an outdoor summer wedding with a guest list of over 150. I wanted my husband and his groomsmen to wear grey suits, and they ended up with black tuxedos. I wanted tulips and got hydrangeas. The list goes on and on.

This sounds like the perfect recipe for a grade-A bridezilla, right?

Fortunately for myself and everyone involved in helping me plan my wedding, I was able to quiet the beast and rouse my inner Dude.

If you haven’t seen a little film called The Big Lebowski, you don’t know what I’m talking about and you have my sympathy. Do yourself a favor and see it. See it twice, even if you don’t like it the first time. Like many of the most delightful things in life, The Big Lebowski is a masterpiece that gets better with age.

Without giving away any major spoilers, I will outline the premise of the movie and give you a little glimpse into the essence of one of film’s most awesome (even inspirational!) characters.

The Big Lebowski’s protagonist is The Dude - given name Jeffrey Lebowski - played by Jeff Bridges. The Dude gets roughed-up and threatened by two thugs who break into his house, looking to collect money from a local millionaire who happens to have the same name. It doesn’t take them long to figure out that he is not the millionaire Lebowski, based on his meager dwelling and unaffected attitude, but one of them takes the opportunity to relieve himself on The Dude’s rug before exiting the scene.

The Dude is a man so laid-back, so mellow that he hardly musters a reaction throughout the entire ordeal. The only emotion he shows is disappointment that his rug - which really brought the room together - has been ruined. After speaking with his bowling buddies (played brilliantly by John Goodman and Steve Buscemi) over the course of a game, he decides to confront The Big Lebowski and ask to be reimbursed for his ruined rug. As is the case for most movies, he gets more than he bargained for.

As an ambitious perfectionist, and a lady with an anxious demeanor, The Dude is my polar opposite in almost every respect - and just who I need to channel when I’m at my most stressed.

Without further ado, I present to you:

5 Ways to Combat Wedding Woes, Inspired by The Dude:

1. Go bowling.

Your flowers aren’t important. The caterers don’t exist. The bridesmaids dresses are a distant memory - your goal is to knock over 10 little white pins. If you can’t leave the wedding world behind you for a few strings, try imagining each pin as a particularly difficult member of your family.

2. Whip up some white russians.

Listen, I’m in no way implying that alcohol should be used to alter your mood or solve your problems, I just think the white russian is the most delicious beverage on the planet. Enjoy the creamy goodness.

3. Spend time in your pajamas.

The Dude constantly looks like he just rolled out of bed, because I’m fairly certain he always just has. If everything is bananas and nothing is going right, take a day to chill out in your pjs and ignore all the crazy for a while.

4. Go for a drive.

This helped me a lot during my most stressed-out moments. It doesn’t matter where you go - just go. Focus on the road, listen to music, and don’t look at the time. Just drive and clear your mind. Things will seem simpler after you’re spent some time on the road.

Lastly, and most importantly:

5. Don’t give a $&#%.

I can’t stress this enough. As a person who cares too much about the inconsequential, I can tell you that the main reason I loved my wedding is because I made the conscious decision to let the little things go. I decided to accept what I couldn’t control - which, when you’re planning a wedding, is a LOT - and realize that whatever choices ended up being made, the day would turn out amazing.

The flowers weren’t what I wanted, but I knew they would be pretty anyway, so I went with it. The dress styles I liked best didn’t come in my size, but I knew I could make any dress work with some tailoring. The food, the location, the tuxes, everything - not getting my number one choice for any of those things was SO not the end of the world. In reality, a lot of the compromises ended up being just as special and beautiful as what I originally wanted. The more perspective you have, and the more you consider what is best for your own sanity and wallet, the happier you will be.

If you’re anything like me, your own wedding day will be amazing because the most important choice you’ve made is who you’re walking down the aisle to, or who is walking down the aisle to you: The person who brings your room together.

A Case for the Unconventional - Alicia

Posted on by
Reply

Engagement rings and wedding bands have long been a custom in Western culture. They date back to ancient Egypt, when it was believed that a ring’s circular shape was a symbol of endless love, and that the opening was a gateway to the events of a life spent together. The ring would be placed on the fourth finger of the left hand – believed to contain what the Romans eventually named the “vena amoris,” or “vein of love” - connecting straight to the heart.

It sounds romantic and all, but marriage has had a rockier past than this little tidbit of history would lead you to believe. Throughout the better part of the past 2000 years, Western marriage was more of a contract for the ownership and control of women than a celebration of love and partnership. As a woman, and a feminist to boot, it can be difficult to fully appreciate the custom.

Fortunately for me, my fellow lady folk, and really anyone who one day wants to marry, while the symbol of engagement and wedding rings remain, the rules of Western engagements and marriages have changed significantly. Thanks to people who became fed up with the status quo, marriages are now partnerships, and in more progressive states in the US it’s a custom everyone is allowed to take part in and benefit from.

Part of the reason I’m really digging working at Turtle Love Co. is that our philosophy stresses the importance of creating a more open and inclusive engagement and wedding culture – one that supports equality and personal expression.

Some people don’t believe in marriage because of its less than ideal past, but like any custom, there is always the option to make it your own. Preserve the points of tradition that work for you and leave the rest in the history books. Or even better – you can create your own traditions. The more our marriage experiences vary, the more open the cultural landscape of marriage becomes.

Even the ancient custom of presenting your partner with engagement ring is fully customizable. If you are a vintage and thrift-store maven or antiques aficionado, a vintage engagement ring might be the best match for your personality. If you like the outdoors and all things natural, you’d probably like a band with an organic twist or an eco-friendly and conflict-free ring. If you aren’t fond of diamonds and love a flash of color, a gemstone engagement ring is probably more your style. I’m crazy about purple, so the main stone of my engagement ring is a brilliant cut amethyst – it’s not very traditional, but neither am I.

The point is to choose what makes you happy and what feels right - to not be scared of bending traditions and customs in a way that works for you. Diversity within wedding culture is a beautiful thing - it helps create a more accepting climate and happier, healthier couples.

By way of introduction- Alicia

Posted on by
Reply

Hello, Turtle Love Co. friends! My name is Alicia. Pleased to meet you.

About a month ago I happened upon a job listing that spoke of an opportunity to do customer service, social media marketing, and a touch of design for a socially- and ecologically-conscious online jewelry retailer. As an unemployed graphic designer and front desk coordinator with three tumblr accounts, two twitter accounts, a livejournal, a facebook page and about 12 boards on pinterest, it sounded like a match made in heaven. Did I also mention I’ve been collecting silver and gemstone jewelry since I got my very first paycheck from my very first high school job? Yeah, I knew this was the place I was meant to work.

In addition to an internet and jewelry obsession, I have another passion: feminism. Feminists are very misunderstood creatures, so I’ll be clear: Feminism is about being an active supporter of equality and rights for all people. Civil rights, gender equality and marriage equality mean a great deal to me and are things I think about and am vocal about each and every day. Turtle Love Co. shares those same values, and that’s a major reason I feel so privileged to be a part of this family.

So that’s a little bit about me. From now on I’ll be creating posts on the TLC blog every Wednesday about customer service and engagement/wedding culture with a focus on jewelry. I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them.

Alicia