Fashion brooches? NWR

CMGragain

My daughter just told me the NOBODY wears Swarovski crystal brooches anymore.  I have a large collection of them that I have gleaned over the years.  Should I start giving them to my older friends?  Should I tell daughter to wait until they come back in style?  Some of them are worth a lot of money on Ebay.  (I only collected the Swan signed ones.)  Advice, please?

missJeanLouise

Do you care who has them or what they do with them after they have them? Do you want money for them? You could donate them to a charity auction, sell them yourself on Ebay, give them to your daughter and let her decide what to do with them, or give them to people you think would appreciate them. 

 If my mother gave me a bunch of broachs I had no intention of wearing I would probably figure out a way to artfully display my favorites in a shadow box or something. 

ILoveBeachMusic

Maybe give some to friends but I would talk to your daughter about giving her some of them. My mother had brooches (not collectable ones) that I have. When she passed I didn't wear them for quite a while but now I do. Styles and tastes change. I wish I had more of her brooches, now.

MobKaz

When my mom was making those decisions, I had zero interest in any of her jewelry.  I have never had an interest in wearing much jewelry at all, including my own wedding rings.

I cannot tell you how glad I am now that I did take much of her jewelry.  Some of it has been "reworked".  I had gorgeous earrings made for my DD for her wedding day, and a beautiful ring for my DIL for her wedding day.  When there is a special event for my nieces (mom's grandchildren), such as a Sweet 16 or graduation, they get a piece of mom's jewelry.  I have several things put aside for my two granddaughters, who are obviously my mom's great granddaughters. 

Although it is not often, I do wear some of mom's things now.  On almost a daily basis, I wear her old wedding band, which she had remade from her original band.  I have a few pair of earrings I wear on days I wake up thinking of her, such as her birthday. On those days, whether they are "in style" or not does not matter to me.  I have one pair in particular that always draws a question or comment.  My answer is always, "They were my moms and I had a need to wear them today".  I always get a smile and nod in response.   I even saved a few of her kitschy pieces, such as holiday themed earrings, and wear them on "funny days" at school.  (There are many when you work in an elementary school.)  Who knew that having a pair of earrings that look like candy canes would come in handy!

Give them to anyone and everyone who would appreciate your gesture and the love behind it.  A piece does not have to be worn to be appreciated. 

ernursej

I would give them to your daughter with the instructions for her to keep them untouched for 1 year. After that year, she can keep, sell or rework. 

I had had all of my Gran’s old brooches but turned them into some stellar hair combs and three into a show stopping bracelet. My Gran’s brooches were exquisite but they would have sat in a drawer if she had been insistent on me keeping them as brooches. 

STARMOON44

Do you care about the money? If not I’d give them to anyone happy to have them- sounds like probably your friends!

MairePoppy

From what you've said, you've passed along some jewelry to your children and a nice scarf collection to your daughter. I think you should have the pleasure of giving mementos to your friends. 

charlotte989875

I think brooches are really cool, and would love to have some passed down from a family member; and do see a fair number of them in my circle. But I love @ernursej's suggestion about reworking them into other pieces. Would you feel comfortable talking with your daughter about that?

CMGragain

So, you are telling me that brooches are really out of style now?  I don't follow fashion much.  I haven't bought anything new in over a year, especially since I don't get out much anymore.  I wear pants suits to my ladies club meetings, but most of those ladies are older than I am, so nobody worries about fashion there.

I do know better than to wear those stupid cold shoulder shirts, or short skirts.  Skinny jeans or yoga pants - puleeze!  My crooked legs have always embarrassed me.  I have a friend who is stuck in the 1970s.  She wears long skirts and hippie accessories, and she can sit on her hair.  She is a hoot - also a practicing psychiatrist.

Daughter is addicted to Vogue magazine.  She has always enjoyed being current in her fashion.  She has even copied some dresses to wear and had comments.  (Wow!  That was in Vogue!)  She says tassels are the thing now.  I can't picture myself wearing them.  Too "Gone With the Wind" for me.  Funny thing, I do have a silver tassel necklace from 1964.  She will want it.

I wonder what the fashion industry will invent for us next?  At least current brides have a choice to wear a wedding dress that ISN'T a strapless ballgown.  2011 was not a good year for bridal fashion.

CMGragain

PS.  I wore a pair of Mom's clip on Swarovski earrings to church yesterday.  ($89)   They fell of my little ears three times in one hour.  I looked around the congregations, spotted an 80 year old lady with huge earlobes, and gave her the earrings on the spot.  They were heart shaped, so she can wear them next week on Valentine's day.  I think my earlobes have shrunk!

I do want to get rid of some clothes that I won't need.  I still have dreams about Mom's overstuffed apartment with clothes from 40 years ago.  What a waste of money!  She told me that she didn't want "poor people" to get her things after she died.  Fuck that.  It went straight to Salvation Army and Goodwill.  I gave her reclining chair to one of the movers who wanted it for his trailer.  I hope he enjoyed it.

Special stuff I own:
jewelry (good stuff)
Hermes scarf collection
Artist's collection of glass paperweights  (Mostly gifts from DH.  Very special to me.)
120 year old sterling souvenir teaspoon collection (MIL)
colonial silver from DH's family (1780's)
musical instruments (son wants these)
quilts

Stuff.  Death brings perspective.

ahoywedding

My grandmother had a lot of jewelry when she passed (none of it super high quality). A couple of my aunts kept most of it, and they pull it out for family hoildays & get-togethers. All of us women choose a few pieces and wear them for the night. 

I also have a few pieces from my other grandmother that I've re-fashioned and wear occasionally. 

I said that to say, your daughter may want more than she thinks right now. If you've got friends asking for specific pieces, that would be a great memento to give them, and I would say give the rest to your daughter. Tell her to hang onto them for a while, and then sell or re-work them into something she will wear.

MobKaz

CMGragain said:

PS.  I wore a pair of Mom's clip on Swarovski earrings to church yesterday.  ($89)   They fell of my little ears three times in one hour.  I looked around the congregations, spotted an 80 year old lady with huge earlobes, and gave her the earrings on the spot.  They were heart shaped, so she can wear them next week on Valentine's day.  I think my earlobes have shrunk!

I do want to get rid of some clothes that I won't need.  I still have dreams about Mom's overstuffed apartment with clothes from 40 years ago.  What a waste of money!  She told me that she didn't want "poor people" to get her things after she died.  Fuck that.  It went straight to Salvation Army and Goodwill.  I gave her reclining chair to one of the movers who wanted it for his trailer.  I hope he enjoyed it.

Special stuff I own:
jewelry (good stuff)
Hermes scarf collection
Artist's collection of glass paperweights  (Mostly gifts from DH.  Very special to me.)
120 year old sterling souvenir teaspoon collection (MIL)
colonial silver from DH's family (1780's)
musical instruments (son wants these)
quilts

Stuff.  Death brings perspective.

My mom died 6 years ahead of my dad, both at a young age.  After my dad's passing, my siblings and I went through all the "stuff".  We took some things for the sake of memory, or, in a few cases, need, and donated the rest to Goodwill and other local charities.  Only after the donations were sent did we find a rather thick packet filled with appraisals of many of their items, many of which were donated.  Knowing the value of some of those items did not change our interest in wanting any of them.  I hope they all went to folks who appreciated them!

I just bought DIL a pair of navy tassel earrings from Anthropologie for Christmas.  She loves them!

If your daughter has the space, don't dismiss some of your things when passing them along to her.  My mom had a small collection of "diamond" glam jewelry, ala Marilyn Monroe.  Huge rhinestone earrings, bangles, and necklaces.  One of DD's friends during her HS years was an old soul and loved all things 50's and retro.  Her friend accessorized her entire prom outfit with that jewelry! 

MesmrEwe

I wear brooches all the time!!!!  My winter dress jacket even has a brooch (was sad when my snowflake broke this week during a business trip - thankfully I still have all the parts, though not the point).  When I wear jackets on stage, there's always a brooch on them!  It's a point of interest/talking point (mine tend to be either spirals or bees with some snowflakes for winter)...  It's one of those things that is the individual.  

If you know someone in your life (or even an acquaintance) who would appreciate them, that's what to do.  Otherwise, my vote would be to sell on Ebay! as that's where I got many of my older pieces that fit a particular designer's theme (Dodd).