Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.                                                                         - Allen Ginsberg

I saw her on a Saturday afternoon, walking crisply through the park. Her muted face projected a stony solemnity. I would be unable to conjure the details of her nose or eyes, only seconds later. Rather, I was seized by the sun glinting off the long strands of gold wound in slim skeins around her neck - pouring down the front of her purple sweater. Each finger was adorned with  gorgeous candy-colored gemstone rings – yet her hands did not harbor the weight; they fluttered at her sides with more emotion than her austere mouth, bangles sighing gently.

In that moment, I fell in love with the way she wore her jewelry.

How do you wear your antique jewelry?

Do you carefully wear one piece at-a-time?

Do you love to wear the same piece every day?

Do you wait until a special occasion to bring out your favorite piece?

Or, do you mix it up?

Whatever your style - follow your inner moonlight.

Allow the passion for your antique jewelry to guide you, portray you, emphasize your persona and your passion for life.

Instead of wearing one diamond eternity band, why not wear three? Instead of wearing a solo French chain, why not add a locket or a fob and add a shorter articulated niello chain for contrast?

Wear pearls and diamonds during the day; mix metals, and colors and eras.

I asked a friend what pushing the boundaries of personal expression meant to her in relation to her own jewelry collection. She told me that she tended to wear pieces that expressed her mood.

A sense of happiness spawned more gold and glamour than those days when she felt less than herself. And the pieces she gravitated towards more often were the pieces given to her with love.

Whatever your style - be true to who you are.

Marchesa Luisa Casati was known for saying that she wished to be considered a living work of art. She dressed over-the-top, threw lavish costume parties, and was partial to strings of pearls that fell to her feet. She followed her inner moonlight nearly all of her adult life.

Edith Sitwell was a poet famous for her strong personality punctuated by an acerbic wit, odd Elizabethan style of dress, and ornate rings.

Whatever your style – don’t hide the madness.