Of course our love of vintage extends beyond vintage engagement rings. How about this awesome vintage wedding picture that I found at a shop in Oakland, California? What do you think the story is behind this photo? I suspect the bridesmaid on the left is the sister of the groom. The older man must be the bride’s father. Where is the bride’s mother? And what is the maid second from the right thinking about?
The results from this photo shoot of vintage engagement rings and tiny N-scale people were some of our favorites ever. We have a lot of fun imagining the stories that go with these people and the engagement rings they’re pictured with. What captions would you give these images?
People often ask us how they should wear their engagement ring after they’ve gotten married. Here are some options:
1. Wear your wedding band and engagement ring together on the left hand. This is very common in the U.S., and is probably based on the fact that the heart is on the left side of the body. The wedding band is typically worn inside the engagement ring (closer to the heart). Wearing the rings on the left hand is particularly advantageous for right-handed folks, because the left hand generally stays more protected.
2. Wear your wedding band and engagement ring together on the right hand. This is popular with guitarists, violinists and other musicians, and those who need maximum dexterity in their left hands. It can also be a good choice for left-handed people whose right hands will be less active than their left hands.
3. Wear one ring on each hand. (This is what I do.) Depending on the style of the engagement ring and wedding band, they may look better each standing alone. Wearing one ring on each hand helps protect from wear caused by rings rubbing against each other, and it reduces the bulk on any particular finger. Because I’m right-handed, I wear the more delicate ring on my left hand, because it doesn’t get as much wear there.
But of course, you can do WHATEVER you want! Plenty of people choose not to wear their engagement rings after they’re married, or only for special occasions.
If you’re in the market, be sure to check out our wedding rings and engagement rings!
Our Mom & Baby Elephant necklaces and Mom & Baby Duck necklaces are perfect gifts for Mother’s Day! You could order yours now to avoid the uncertainty, or you could take your chances at winning one in our Pin & Win contest!
To enter:
1. Follow TurtleLoveCo on Pinterest
2. Create a Pinterest board and name it “TurtleLove.com Mother’s Day Necklace Giveaway”
3.
4. Leave a comment on our contest pin with the URL to your board entry.
We’ll decide which board is the best, and choose a winner! If you win, you’ll receive the turtlelove.com mother necklace of your choice, just in time for Mother’s Day!
Boards must be completed by noon on May 5, 2013.
For full contest rules, visit turtlelove.com/pinandwin
Despite being known for singing that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, the diamonds Marilyn Monroe is seen wearing in numerous publicity photographs and public appearances were on loan from prominent jewelers and not from her own collection. Monroe’s personal style was more down to earth with a free spirited feel to it that lent itself more to simple colored glass and faux pearl necklaces. In 1999, a Christie’s auction of Marilyn Monroe’s personal belongings revealed that most of her jewelry, save for a genuine pearl necklace and the diamond eternity wedding band, was costume jewelry, showing that she valued design over decadence. Behind the public image, Marilyn was the type of girl who would have liked Turtle Love Co.‘s unique designs and appreciated our simple, yet elegant rings, necklaces, and earrings.
In this Polyvore collage, we’ve styled an outfit Marilyn might have worn around our Silver Petals Pearl Earrings by Bree Richey and our Oval Peridot Ring in White Gold. This style collage was inspired by the fashion choices Marilyn made in the late 1950s and early 1960s during her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. Her clothing and accessories from this period are more reserved than in the early part of her career and she wore more simple pieces of jewelry, like the necklace seen in the photo in the upper left corner of the collage.
Marilyn Monroe’s diamond eternity wedding band (image from here)
To learn more about Turtle Love Co.’s Classic Eternity Wedding Band with Diamonds and Rubies click this picture!
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.
Hi there! I’m Jenny, it’s nice to meet you, if only virtually. I am a brand spanking new employee of Turtle Love Co. and I can already tell what a fabulous company it is to work for!
I happened upon the job opening after finishing up an internship at a non-profit, and the timing could not have been more perfect or the position a better fit. The listing was asking for someone versed in customer service, some experience in photography and a love of social media. Enter me: a part time photographer who pins on a daily basis, is trying to write a novel on Figment, and has been practicing customer service since first entering the workforce at age 16. I was so thrilled to get a second interview, and then even more amazed when I was offered the job! Most recent graduates I know are working part time at multiple jobs so I know I’m lucky to be at a job I actually enjoy.
In my down time I am trying to build my photography business, JennyJeanne Photography, something I have been passionate about since my high school years. I am also a pretty focused activist: the views expressed by Turtle Love Co’s philosophy are in line with my own - equality for all! Let me get more specific: I believe in full marriage equality, and women’s rights. I am a feminist: its connotation as “bra-burner” and “man-hater” is ill-earned, it simply means equality between the sexes, equality for the LGBTQQIA community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer, questioning, intersexed, and allies) and the questioning of societal norms and/or barriers. This part of me is not shunned by Turtle Love Co, instead it is reinforced and respected.
Back to my role here at TLC - I will be working on a weekly basis to bring you some eye-candy: dress-up Friday photos, photos of new pieces, and maybe even some just-because photos. Keep an eye out as well for my weekly Friday posts, topics will range from keeping it green to all things sparkly.
Cheers!
Jenny
The prolific Brooke, whose Tumblr, Highly Fashion-Able, is full of thought-provoking images, is a member of Turtle Love Co.’s Vintage Style Council. Among her amazing finds, she’s been posting an eclectic selection of unique jewelry, like our Classic Six-Prong Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring with Side Stones,the Petite Angled Key Necklace, and our Water for One Necklace, which benefits WaterAid’s efforts to bring clean water and sanitation to communities worldwide.
Brooke’s montages are lovely, and some of the images on her Tumblr are definitely worth a peek (or a double take). Check out the astonishing shark swimsuit, the not-so-sweet dismissal bracelets, and this amazing skirt.
Brian Rupp Photography, via Ruffled
This post on Ruffled about a double wedding caught my eye. Two sisters and their husbands shared a beautiful wedding ceremony and party.
Beautiful and practical and tricky.
MOST IMPORTANT: I’d be SO proud if my two daughters got along well enough to share a wedding.
(Not that I have two daughters. You get my drift.)
Yep, we sell fine jewelry: vintage engagement rings, artisan wedding bands, awesome earrings and necklaces… but we can sometimes get distracted from one kind of eyecandy to another.
It’s a funny little secret that we get excited about our email newsletters from MyFonts.com. And by “excited” I mean that we holler between our offices about ligatures and shapes, devour the content, and develop minor (or sometimes full-blown) crushes on type designers we’ll never meet. The latest MyFonts email is super-interesting. Check it out!
Oh, and here’s another interesting MyFonts newsletter…
Do you receive awesome “junk emails” that you love?