All that glitters by Ali....: "Big girls need big diamonds"

Rushing to work this morning I was rummaging through my jewellery box looking for my favourite necklace and I wondered when my fascination with jewellery began?
With a tear in my eye I realised how I became this obsessive girl of all things sparkly - Nana Nellie.

Nellie, or 'the magpie' as my grandad would refer to her as, passed this 'awful' gene on to me and I believe her daughter (my mum) and my sisters also. During our weekly Wednesday visit to my grandparents flat just off Mountjoy Square in Dublin, I would run up their stairs to 'use the bathroom'.
At the top of the stairs, on a mission, I would head straight into her room and take a seat at her dressing table. Pulling open the heavy drawer I was greeted by a beautiful sight - rows of jewellery; necklaces, bracelets, earrings - all glistening, inviting me to try them on.I would sit infront of that mirror and layer my neck with the strands of gold chains on offer. Of course one ear was always on guard so with even the faintest sound of footsteps I would whip them all off and run straight down the stairs like lightening with the face of an angel.

As the years passed with an ever growing wardrobe full of black, grey and white clothing I loved that with a necklace, cocktail ring, chandelier or simple hoop earrings my look would change instantly. I now display my jewellery like art (much to the annoyance of boyfriend) on trays, hanging off hooks on the wall...when we buy our first home I will have my dream walk in 'room' wardrobe where a special area will be dedicated to my jewellery (Boyfriend made verbal agreement over too much beer in Barcelona - My walk in for his games room, sadly his interpretation of a games room may be slightly different to mine)

At one of my parents weekly family dinners I compliment my 8 year old niece on her bracelet, 'It's Tiffany' she says proudly. On closer inspection It's confirmed as H&M's best. A few days later on a catch up call with my sister she tells me that on a visit to H&M with her 2 year old daughter she spots said bracelet and announces she has to have it (this is a child who carries a handbag on her arm and has imaginary telephone conversations on her faux Blackberry...think a little red head channeling Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl) .

I hang up the phone a short time later smiling to myself - A new generation of magpies are born!

These are some of my favourite things....

Pumpkins playing hide and seek between the flowers...