Photo by Avantgarde Concept on Unsplash

I am a big jewelry junkie; I love collecting earrings and have been doing so for over a decade. I still own pieces from my school days as I treat and care for my earrings with love. As much as I love mass-produced jewelry from HnM and Forever21, statement pieces have my 💓. 

Nowadays, I source a lot of my jewelry from Instagram vendors; I discover Indie vendors either organically or through amazing style divas like Kri, Sharmita, Sushmita. Buying from Instagram based Indie vendors ensure that you own one of a kind head-turner piece of art. Though slightly on the pricey side, the quality and craftsmanship are incomparable.

Bhavya Ramesh Jewelry

Indian-inspired, finely crafted silver jewelry with angular, and unusual shapes, that's how I would define this brand. I discovered this brand through Naina Ruhail when she wore one of the brand's pieces for Lakme Fashion Week. The earring I own is called "Honey Bee 🐝". The earring is set in silver and gold tone, and the finer detail on the bee, be it the double wings or the antennae, is very intricate.

Price Range: $$

Buy From: https://bhavyaramesh.com/

Acov

'Geometric shapes, light-weight, affordable', my choice of adjectives for this brand. Started by Blogger, Vishwa Bhavsar, the pieces are youthful, and fresh. I discovered this brand through Propshop24 and later started following them on Insta. I am a huge fan of geometric jewelry, and Acov's pieces are a gorgeous statement by themselves.


Price Range: $

Buy From: DM in Instagram

Aham Jewelry

Heavily influenced by southern temple jewelry, this brand provides a ton of pieces to choose from. The jewelry is majorly set in silver. They have an extensive online website and you can definitely find a piece that fits your budget. Some pieces are heavy, while some are dainty, suitable for office or brunch. The main USP is that the pieces are unique and limited in number.


Price Range: $$

Buy From: https://ahamjewellery.com/

I will share my favorite Insta brands in a monthly series. Check out these amazing vendors and do let me know how you liked them.

AliExpress Earring Haul

If like me, you live by the mantra #FasunIsMyPasun {hashtag credits: @nehadoodles} but don't believe in spending tons of cash on unaffordable-fast fashion, read on!

I was smitten by a particular earring, that was retailing around INR 1200 ($ 15) at Zara. I had the item in my checkout cart for the longest time, but then my brain somehow didn't allow me to make the purchase.

One fine day, I casually searched for "Zara earring" on AliExpress website, and boom! a world full of 'earropportunities' opened up. AliExpress is an online platform that connects Chinese sellers to potential buyers. I placed my order on August 14th, (the items were purchased from different sellers) and I received my items between 2 weeks to a month's time. So before you get all excited and make your purchase let's analyze some Pros and Cons.

Pros

1. Price, Price, Price 🤑 : It won't come cheaper than this!  
2. Refund Policy♻: AliExpress has a good refund policy, wherein which buyer protection is enabled for a 2 month period. In case, the item goes missing or doesn't reach you within the stipulated time frame, you can raise a dispute with the seller, and most oblige to either refund or replace the items.

Cons

1. Shipping Time📦: Unless, you are purchasing items for your best friend's wedding, next week, you are good. Shipping times may vary based on seller; Most reach you in 7 days to 1-month time frame.  
2. Finish😤: As for the quality, you cannot expect an Iphone at Nokia 1100's price. The finish is of far less quality than the original, for example, if you look carefully, you can see that the thread on the earring is uneven.

💡Smart Tip: If you like something, but would want it in a weeks time, check Shein for the earrings. The earrings might be a tad bit costly, but at least you have a guaranteed delivery timeline.

Pro-Tip

When buying accessories from AliExpress, check for:

• Read the policies accurately. What does the seller offer in terms of buyer protection?
• The same items are sold at different price tags by different sellers, so go over few sellers to ascertain the lowest price.
• Check for Shipping Charges. Most sellers ship items to India for free using standard post, but there are a few sellers who charge a small amount. If an item has Shipping Charge, search for a different seller.
• Ensure the seller has adequate reviews.
• Check/read through reviews and actual pictures posted by real users.
• Payment is via PayPal or Credit Card. Check the transaction rates carefully before ordering as most items are listed in US Dollars.

Let's get into the haul, shall we?

Item 1: Maroon Tassel Earring

Link To Buy

Price : $1 (INR 75)

Note: The threads are uneven. The top round portion of the earring is easily detachable, making the earring difficult to manage.

Item 2: Red Beaded Earring

Link To Buy

Price: $2.82 (INR 210)

Note: This is the earring that started the snowball effect. I have the same earring in Blue (purchased via Shein)

Item 3: Multi Color Tassel Earring

Link To Buy
Price: $1.68 (INR 126)

Note: This is a replica of the earring that is sold in HnM. The threads are uneven.

Item 4: Pink Beaded Tassel Earring

Link To Buy

Price: $2.88 (INR 216)

 

Note: This earring was part of ZARA's last seasonal campaign (inspired by African tribal  jewellery). The stud portion of the earring is made of metal, and not beads. This earring is very heavy.

Item 5: Geometric Green Earring

Link To Buy

Price: $2 (INR 150)

 

Note: Probably, the most practical and most worn item from this haul. Again part of ZARA's last seasonal campaign.

Item 6: Red Tassel Earring with Rhinestone stud

Link To Buy

Price: $1.5 (INR 100)

Note: Least favorite out of the lot. The threads are coming off and also the rhinestone stud looks cheap and tacky.

So, did you like something from this haul? Have you shopped from AliExpress? What are your thoughts?

Jewelry Trend Spring 2017

Instagram is the new Vogue. It is the first place where a trend crops up, and in a matter of weeks, it is all over my feed. Instagram gets brownie point in tempting poor consumers like me who are lured by the influencers to buy the items that they have showcased in their feed. I have been keeping a close tab on the Spring 2017 Jewelry Trends, and here are my favorite 4.
 *On a side note: spring? what spring? we are in midst of full blown summers.*

1. Pom-Pom Earring

I am obsessed with this trend, colorful pom-poms on my dress, slippers, and earring, I can take it all.   Pom-poms are made with multi-colored woolen yarn. If you are crafty, make your own pom-poms while the lesser mortals can salivate this trend from online portals. I would wear my pom-poms earring with monotone outfits to add a pop of color.

Check out Kraftly, Limeroad

2. Chokers

Definitely a spill over from 2016 fall trend, I used to rock the chokers way back in 90's and sadly no one appreciated my fashion sense then. Chokers are basically a neck piece that is tighter around the neck, comes in all sort of material and colors. Pairs well with a grungy look, I would wear these with an off-shoulder top.

Check out Forever 21, Koovs

Image: Forever21

3. Nose Pins

Down south, I see the nose pins taking over, these are bigger and better. Large motifs like lotus or goddess that make a strong statement are a big rage. Nose pin goes well with ethnic wear like sarees and kurtas.

Check out Himaani, Myntra

4. Afghani Jewelry

Kuchi jewelry incorporates elements of colorful glass, jingling bells, coins, etc. in their designs. This category of jewelry has a worn out or rusted silver finish and originally came from the Pashtoon tribes that wandered the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghani chand balis /coin necklaces paired with long kurtha and skirt, it is like me falling in love all over again.

Check out Shringar, Bejeweled Jewels, Oneshineshop

So what are your favorite trends for Spring 2017?

Aqua

The aqua earring is a recent purchase from Forever New. The earring screamed class and elegance and I just had to buy it. Forever New has pretty decent collection of earrings and the best part is : They have online shopping option so, you can shop until you drop from within the comforts of your home (Review in my next post). The earring is priced at 500, I bought it for 250 after sales price. You can score similar earring in delish shades from their site.

Original image from the site

Also, these are few other earrings that had my attention

Couldn't resist the temptation of posting the pic of this lovely bracelet.

Stay tuned for my review on online shopping experience with forever new.

Shopping spree:)

Retail therapy is the best anti depressant, have a dose of it each week to stay happy and smiling through out the week. Been long since I had gone out with friends and yesterday when Lak suggested that we go out and soak in some fresh air I was all out and supportive of it. Being broke doesn't matter, only greed does and mine has a strong grip over my senses:). We walked, went inside stores with absolutely no intention of  buying anything, saw the price tags and gave an eye rolling sigh and walked out. Sometimes, greed got better of us and we did end up buying which we hadn't planned to, sticking by the list never applies to my rule book. By the end of the day both of us were tired, hungry and trying to balance multi million paper bags. It was all worth it, all of it right from walking from TDM, to convent and then to MG road, entering random shops and making complete fool of ourselves, spending hours in Goodwill. We should be doing this frequently:).

So, this is what I bought.

1 salwar material( Sorry no pics as I had to give for stitching)

A haul at Goodwill.

My goody bag

Lets see what's inside:) .

 

 OOOh!! another packet....

• Studded belt

 

• 6 purple  bangles, which I plan to mix and match

•  An earring (Quite obvious)

•  A tribal neck piece: Did u see the girl on the magazine?. She is wearing exactly the same neck piece. I saw the new VANITHA mag, early in the morning, throughout had eyes on this gorgeous piece  but never expected to find em but, when I did I just had to get it . Talk about being an impulsive buyer I am.

A skinny jeans from Jealous 21. For now the jeans gods are happy and satisfied, until I come across another shade that takes my heart away. Yeah saw a cute way of tying the belt in the store. Use your scarfs girls be innovative, tie it as a belt.







 

Time for me to go get some good sleep, until next time tata bubye :). And ya ZARA is opening it's store in Bangalore at Phoenix  Market city mall :). Happy girl I am.