So, it’s like this, pussycats.
I wear silver hoops almost every day. They’re my favorites, they’re a signature, and they’re the one pair of earrings I take with me if I’m limiting my packing to the bare minimum.
Over the years, I have usually purchased my silver hoops from Macy’s, ’cause they’re cheap.*
So what happens? I have nice, classic hoop earrings that get dirty and banged up in a relatively short amount of time, and tarnished beyond the ministrations of the polishing cloth, ie, the finish just comes off. This happens even to those earrings labelled “Sterling.”
Sometimes it pays to get the good stuff in the first place.
Yesterday I purchased a pair of silver hoops from a jeweler in Rhinebeck, New York for $68. They’re a nice, substantial hoop, they’re a good grade of silver, and I am tired of throwing away cheapies from Macy’s.
Lesson: if you use or wear something every day, if it’s a signature piece, get the best you can afford. It will be more economical in the long run.
Ta-ta, darlings.
*my second favorite source is small bazaars in Mexico and at art festivals in the U.S., which often have beautiful, unique pairs.
I’ve always favored local craft shows where you buy directly from the artist who made them. Thereby you support your local economy. As an added benefit, these artist/artisans are almost always really interesting to talk with.
I wear silver hoops–small ones–when nothing else will do (job interviews, anytime something dangly would be distracting). I have a pair of sterling silver ones I got about 16 years ago for $12 at a small shop in Wilmette, Illinois. Sterling is often not terribly expensive.
Hope you’re enjoying the Hudson Valley! I grew up just south of Poughkeepsie.
My silver hoops came from a shop in Estile, Nicaragua, so they are especially special to me.
I got very inexpensive strands of clay and glass beads in several colors on a trip to Mexico 25 years ago. They look very nice have held up better than almost anything else I have. If I had only known I would have bought a lot more! Sometimes cheap is great, but obviously they were well made and not priced for gringas.
Another silver/white gold/stainless hoop person here.
Macy’s jewelry, both “fine” and “fashion”, blows.