image via @lemon_laine
Last year on Black Friday, I was just a month shy of completing my year of no shopping, and keeping tabs on all the incredible sales felt like more than my self-control could bear. This year, I like to think that I took into account the lessons I learned from that time of austerity and spent the weeks leading up to today thinking about the recurring things I wanted, doing research to find pieces I loved and then culling that list to the bare minimum. Rather than a feeding frenzy or a complete dearth of purchases, my spending today has felt very measured, and I’m super excited about the pieces I have coming my way!
And that’s the thing about buying less, isn’t it? It makes the stuff you do decide to spend on feel special and earned, much like a piece of pumpkin pie after a long, post-Thanksgiving meal walk. One of the pieces I’m most excited to receive in the mail is a stunning, sculptural vermeil ring by Mejuri. In fact, I’ve been spending a lot of time lately editing and investing in my jewelry collection.
I’ve always been a jewelry person—for as long as I can remember, a new bauble thrilled me more than a pair of shoes or a new bag ever could. In elementary school, I cultivated my nascent entrepreneurial spirit by braiding friendship bracelets for my classmates (for a nominal fee, of course). I recognized the power of the accessory even then. How a brightly colored rhinestone collar necklace could pronounce your effusive personality to the room before you even opened your mouth, how a second piercing at age 13 spoke to a (much coveted by me) devil-may-care attitude regarding your parents’ wishes, or how a pair of delicate gold hoops indicated elegant restraint.
As I’m now officially on the other side of year 30, I find myself craving more of that aforementioned restraint when it comes to my jewelry box. I love to dress colorfully, and while I can appreciate an occasional pair of shoulder-grazing tassel earrings, I’ve found myself reaching day after day for simple gold pieces that can be layered and stacked to suit to the occasion. In that spirit, I’ve decided to celebrate Black Friday by rounding up deals from some of my current favorite jewelry vendors.
Maybe you want your jewelry to say, “I exercise and drink Moon Juice on the reg, but I bought these direct-to-consumer gold hoops on sale so I’m more of a down-to-earth, carpool-with-kids Gwyneth than an I-only-brush-my-teeth-with-a-French-silk-toothbrush Gwyneth.” (But for real, now I want this toothbrush.) Or maybe you’re looking for something along the lines of, “I wear stacks of delicate gold chains around my neck and somehow it doesn’t give me an anxiety attack when I see them all tangled at the end of the day because I calmly take them off one by one and lay them away in my velvet-lined jewelry box, and I certainly don’t suddenly feel like I’m choking and I can’t breathe because I have everything. under. control.”
We all have goals, right? Scroll down to do some shopping and get that aspirational jewelry talkin’.
Mejuri
10% off 1 item, 15% off 2 items, 20% off 3+ items
I just received this turquoise-studded pinky ring as a birthday gift, and I promptly turned around and ordered this dome ring for my right hand. Mejuri literally never goes on sale (because their prices are already so great), so I highly recommend snapping up one of these pretty pieces now.
AUrate
25% off everything with code BLACK25
Like Mejuri (and many brands on this list, actually) Aurate is part of a new wave of demi-fine jewelers aimed at lowering prices of genuine gold and precious stone jewelry by selling direct to consumer and I am here for it. Show me a perfectly delicate twisted solid-gold stacking ring for $60 and I will show you my order confirmation page.
Fox & Bond
10% off with code SHOPSMALL
And now we’ve moved on to the wishful thinking portion of our show. I hesitate to use this phrase because I find it trite, but I genuinely have been lusting over these ombré rings for months. They look like candy, I love candy, I love these rings. What more can I say? If you have a spare $850 laying around, please buy one and DM me pics.
Lele Sadoughi
20% off $75, 25% off $350+, 30% off $1000+
Lele Sadoughi, purveyor of trendy headbands that can be seen crowning the coifs of stylish women the world over, also makes great jewelry! Lately I’ve felt a very strong pull to the chaste Victorian society girl vibe, so pearls are where it’s at! I love these drop earrings because the proportions make a classic material feel fresh and modern without sacrificing that old-world elegance I’m after.
Monica Vinader
Up to 50% off rings
I just love a bezel setting, don’t you? The small diamond ring my parents gave me when I turned 13 is set in a white-gold bezel and I’ve always loved how low profile and understated it is. Fast forward a few years and 31-year-old Hannah still loves a bezel. This green onyx ring from Monica Vinader would look perfect stacked with my keepsake diamond.
Cinco
20% off with code loveblackfriday
Alright, here we go. Now we’re going to do some serious layering. I’ll take this sweet little square-pendant necklace, this delicate chain with a cool toggle clasp and this wonderfully nostalgic best friend necklace. Who wants to go splitzies?
Shashi
25% off everything with code BF25
And last but not least: Shashi. I found this brand at the end of an online shopping rabbit hole which started with the shockingly priced emerald pieces on The Last Line’s Instagram page and ended right here. I’ve been very into the look of classic tennis bracelets lately, and I love that this version offers vibrant emerald-hued stones as well as a more modern cuff silhouette. Sold!
Happy Black Friday shopping, and I’d love to know: what do you want your jewelry to say about you?
