Reading: The Jewelry Blog Nobody Reads

I write a blog about jewelry—specifically, my jewelry. I spent an entire career writing for money. Now I write for no money, and it’s the greatest luxury of this part of my life: saying exactly what I please for no fame and hardly any readers. It suits me, though I never planned it this way.

I spent years working at women’s magazines and mostly enjoying it. The internet changed that. Staffs got smaller, the workload got larger, and publications I’d worked for started winking out like lights: Mademoiselle. Self. And More, which was dear to my heart because it was for women over 40. Most of my colleagues there were well over 40. It was a great place to go through menopause.

I was freelancing at More the day it was shut down. Editors were summoned upstairs, one by one, to learn about their severance packages. And I was talking about jewelry: a whimsical necklace by the great Mexican silver artist Matilde Poulat, which I’d worn for the amusement of my colleagues. It had a story—and so did every piece of jewelry I owned. Suddenly I realized I was losing a job but gaining a blog.

I’ve always adored jewelry. I forget people’s names and faces, but never their rings and bracelets. I knew I owned too much of the stuff (though I gave quite a lot away), but was unable to stop myself from buying more. The blog has helped; it makes me appreciate what I have. I do a lot of online research for each post to make sure I know what I’m talking about. This also gives me a great excuse to look at pictures of jewelry, which, paradoxically, reduces the urge to shop.  

I don’t believe this blog is my ‘next’ career. It’s what I’m doing for now. And it’s satisfying because I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m writing a personal memoir in jewelry form. Whatever else might be said about it, it’s something only I can write.

Marcia Menter writes about jewelry at www.marciamenter.org

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