OMC I have to ask...

[firegypsy]

How did your collection begin?  Did your parents collect as well, or is this something you picked up on your own?  What started your fascination?  Did you begin collecting for yourself?  For someone else?  OR just because this was the kind of art that appealed to you?  Are you in the business?  You seem to have a lot of REALLY notable pieces, so I'm quite curious! 

In the same vein...do you have other collections?  Do you also collect paintings/rugs/china/crystal/coins/memorabilia etc, or is jewelry your primary focus?

I hope I'm not being too nosy.  I love hearing back stories.  You don't have to answer me of course, but I'm very much hoping you do!

[Debangel]

Gypsy, whaddaya mean "do you have other collections"?  How about "DO YOU HAVE ELIGIBLE SIBLINGS"?? 

[oldmancoyote]

No eligible siblings, I'm afraid. I have a few rather impenitent cousins, but none of those shares the passion for jewels. My uncle is definitely an art connoisseur - not least because he researched and taught history of art for 30 years or so - but I don't think he is particularly eligible or interested in jewellery as an art form.

On the other hand, there's plenty of other collections - debts in the first place, closely followed by antique furniture, minerals and crystals, 17th century prints and maps, oriental rugs, a few paintings, pieces of silver and Chinese porcelain (preferably transitional 17th century, but a bit of everything). No, I'm not kidding and I have not been tested for packrat genes. Yet.

The collection mania - because it is that, or a form of OCD - started very early on. At the age of 3 I was picking pebbles with mica or pyrite somewhere on the street or at the playground and asking grandpa (an industrial chemist by profession) what they were. From pebbles to minerals there is a pretty short step, and from that to gems and jewellery an even shorter one (though the budget grows exponentially). While there were a few nice pieces of jewellery in the family, I inherited practically none of them - but I had been building a collection for several years before it came to inheritance, so my mum decided to leave the jewels to my sister, and we are both happy this way.

I am in the business of keeping several jewellery dealers happy and well fed; my involvement in the jewellery trade may become more substantial if destiny and finances allow, but at the moment I only help on a couple of forums and assist a few friends and colleagues with design ideas or connections to the trade in a totally unpaid fashion. I have studied enough (and bought enough) that I am now known in a few dealer communities as a serious collector, and that does have some advantages.

[firegypsy]

Debangel, I skipped over that since I happen to be quite smitten with my husband, and my sister is quite happily married as well!  An eligible sibling wouldn't have meant much to me-lol.

OMC, it's just incredible that you have amassed such an amazing collection.  I'm a "collector" as well.  Once I fancy something I am compelled to pursue it to the best of my ability.  I have nothing as impressive as you, mind you!  Though I've "collected" jewelry my whole life I don't have much to show for it.  I've time yet.  My two most important pieces of  jewelry are costume pieces!  Both were given to me under cool circumstances while I was working.  One, a piece of jewelry off of the arm of a modern hoofer, the other an old piece of costume jewelry given to me by a woman who survived a famous fire.  I treasure both, but they won't fetch anything at auction!

My biggest collections are things that of course fascinate me-but they aren't as beautiful as yours!  I'm grateful I got to hang out here and drool over it.   

[smsmth397]

I started with small jewelry collection mainly from online auction websites. Buying cheap jewelry fascinated me a lot while buying it from an online auction websites. Some of my friends gave me an idea to place bids on jewelry placed on online auction. In this way I started collecting affordable diamond jewelry and made good collection.
I am still collecting the diamond and fine jewelry at lower price from some of the good websites.