the building blocks of a versatile jewelry collection

the necklaces we touch for comfort

Happy weekend! Today’s newsletter is sponsored by my friend Chloe’s jewelry brand: Yeah It’s Jewelry. At The Molehill, sponsored work is an opportunity to expand access to my fashion + culture writing, so I’m giving away six-month subscriptions to 20 readers. Just leave a comment about your most sentimental piece of jewelry, and I’ll select the winners at random by Wednesday! ⭐

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In almost exactly one month, I turn 30 years old.

When my family and friends bring up what a big birthday it is, I nod vigorously in agreement. yeah…omg, I can’t believe it…how time flies…my third decade…

Everyone has a different relationship to birthdays.

What I want to say is: 30 is a culturally loaded age for women. We are bombarded with messages about how your 30’s are or should be your “best decade yet” because we are more confident, know how to self-advocate and have figured things out—or at least started to. Sometimes it can feel a little toxic positivity-adjacent. I don’t have an answer for what it “feels like” to be almost 30. Also, I hesitate to attribute any life lessons or epiphanies to the mere passing of 30 years’ time…it’s more about the inner work you’ve done, the acts of courage and self-love.

When I reflect on how my relationship to age shows up sartorially, I think about my jewelry collection. I think it’s the best representation of my life memories, my phases. Like how my $20 pink star plastic Polly Pocket necklace represents childhood. Or how my $70 fake jade bangle from a souvenir store could be seen as a “rip off” but I was bored out of my mind working a consulting job at the time and would take long walks in SF Chinatown during lunch and was happy to support a small shop owner—so yeah, the jade might be fake but the feeling of aliveness it gave me was real.

I have a lot of jewelry. I haven’t bothered to count every piece, but I’ve got something for every version of myself, every mood, every character I want to cosplay for a day. Fake vs. real, costume jewelry vs. fine jewelry, gold vs. silver, vintage vs. new, they all have a place in my definition of a versatile jewelry collection.

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Today, I’m going to focus on what makes the building blocks of a versatile collection.

These are the essentials for me, and they might not be for you—that’s ok! Jewelry is inherently personal.

My #1 building block—my signature piece—is a solid gold chain worn with a custom nameplate necklace from Yeah It’s Jewelry. If you’re going to wear something every day, I really believe in buying solid gold because it actually does last forever. You don’t have to worry about how the metal might degrade over time. I have eczema so while I do have some gold-plated pieces, they’re more of a “once in a while” thing because they tarnish over time with exposure to water and oils (I have a lot of oils…especially because of all my eczema lotions).

Chloe Weitman is the founder of LA-based Yeah It’s Jewelry which is geared towards the “sentimental maximalist.” Her business is centered around one principle: only selling solid gold. As a member of Gen Z, Chloe was sick of the way gold-plated jewelry was being marketed to her generation. In her words:

“The retail price for a plated piece of jewelry is priced as if it were made in solid gold. Even high-end luxury brands are guilty of this; selling gold-plated brass jewelry for thousands of dollars!”

This is how I wear my signature solid gold necklace. I love how curly the “Viv” looks in classic cursive font.

It’s versatile with a wide range of necklines and layered necklaces shown here.

• Worn over a thin turtleneck with a chunky candy beaded choker

• Adds visual interest to the gap between a white crewneck tee and a polo sweater with layered gold chains

• Mimics the v-shape of a crewneck tee under a v-neck sweater

• Worn over bare collarbone area with a little ribbon underneath

So, you see why I rarely take it off! There’s something a nameplate that makes me feel safe and grounded. I like wearing my name.

Also—this is a great moment to recognize the history of the contemporary nameplate necklace. While nameplate jewelry as an umbrella category for design centered on a name is not unique to just one time period or culture, the stylized nameplate necklace stemmed from the sartorial practices of Black and Latina women in New York City in the 70s and 80s. As Raquel Reichard writes for Mitú, such stylized nameplates were “a marker of one’s existence in a society and culture that had tried to erase their humanity, through genocide, enslavement, police violence and institutionalized discrimination.”

In Say My Name: Nameplate Jewelry and the Politics of Taste, researchers Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas point out how the top search results for “nameplate necklace” will yield a “pervasiveness of the name ‘Carrie’.” As in…Carrie Bradshaw. Why were nameplates worn on Black and Latina women disregarded as “tacky” and “low taste” by mainstream culture, but “cool” and “stylish” when worn on a white woman (also a celebrity)? It all boils down to how the Western notion of good taste vs. bad taste is shaped by hierarchal constructs of race, class and gender. (If you’re curious about this topic, you might enjoy my essay on the race and body politics of Carrie Bradshaw style inspo).

Gold jewelry has always been interwoven with sociopolitical power dynamics and it’s important as jewelry wearers and enjoyers to engage with that history! I also believe our identities shape our relationship with gold, and that imbues the jewelry with even more personal meaning. For example, many women around the world keep and pass down gold to their daughters as a form of security against bad economic times or an abusive marraige. Personally, as a Chinese-American living in California, I reflect on how the Gold Rush fueled by Chinese immigrant labor—many of whom who died handling dynamite. When I wear gold, I think about their stories and their contributions to the place I now live. I wonder if the gold necklace I’m wearing might have been melted down from a gold nugget from the 1850s.

Gold is personal. I think it makes for a great foundation to any jewelry collection, whether it’s your first piece or the crown jewel of your expansive collection.

Build your collection slowly and with intention.

Here’s my star face charm, worn over a baby pink knit. I find it very satisfying, how necklaces can interact with a collar line to create dynamic shapes and textural contrast.

The vintage charms are my favorite thing to shop from Yeah It’s Jewelry. Chloe is literally always sourcing, so the website has periodic drops with new batches of charms. This is her perspective on the treasure hunt that is jewelry sourcing:

“When 1 vintage item that I want sells, 5 more pop up in its place! There is so much beautiful, gold jewelry already out in the universe to find.”

Here are my 3 favorites from the site right now.

Gingerbread Man charm: I mean, are you kidding me? I love playful charms like this and it’s perfect for fall and winter. Layer this with a candy-colored chunky bead necklace so it’s like the gumdrops to the gingerbread ;)

Miffy Charm: she’s a bestseller for a reason. Wear a little friend around your neck at all times. I’m also insanely jealous of Chloe’s Gumby charm shown here!!! (Please put me on the list for more vintage gold Gumbys).

Dainty Rolo Chain: This style and weight of rolo chain is my preference because it’s got some subtle *architecture* to it.

Lastly, I had to ask Chloe about how LA inspires her process, as it’s a city with such a rich artistic past AND present. These are her favorite spots:

“If I am in need of inspiration, I’ll walk around Beverly Blvd and stop into Platt Boutique (vintage jewelry), MA+39 (interior design), and grab a bite to eat at Escuela. You’ll often find me replying to emails at the Brentwood Country Mart too :)”

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Silver cuff bracelets

A stack of silver cuff bracelets is an absolute essential for me.

I’m not so into thin chain bracelets…they’re a bit too much work to take on and off. I hate doing the lobster clasp claw thing with one hand, it’s so frustrating. With sterling silver cuffs, I just pull them wide, cuff them on my wrist, cinch them and I’m done. Super easy. I like stacking them with a watch for texture contrast, or slip one on each wrist (or over the cuffs of a knit sweater in winter).

They are also really affordable if you know how to shop vintage silver online. I’ve never paid more than $30 for .925 sterling silver cuffs, so eBay is definitely the move here.

I bought all my cuffs from one ebay seller: cathedralrock. You have to check often but they upload SO MUCH STUFF and there’s always a bunch of silver cuffs up for auction or purchase.

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Pins & Brooches

I have to end with pins with they’re so slept on. Big bold brooches really had a moment in the 80s and I feel like they never really came after 90s minimalism took over. I think of a pin as a smaller version of a brooch, but it can be so many things. It’s the swiss army knife of decorative metal objects. You can even loop a chain through the back and turn a pin into a necklace.

I styled this vintage Peggy Miller brass horse pin on a cotton black tank top, and suddenly the look is not so basic anymore. Pins are like wearable tattoos. You choose little motifs that you identify with or feel inspired by.

One designer who has changed the way I view metal is Chopova Lowena. A lot of what makes the pieces stand out is the use of metal objects, whether it’s a belt buckle, a hairpiece, grommets, or a pin. Ever since I found my amazing chainmail belt, I’ve felt inspired to wear more metal in my outfits in creative ways. When I look at photos of Chopova Lowena’s most recent runway looks, I realize many of them could be approximated with the clever use of pins and brooches.

Here are some vintage pins and brooches I love:

playing cards suits pin

swirled star pin

peggy miller silver art deco pin

silver ballerina pin

silver spider pin

sand dollar pin

a perfect puffy star

Thanks for reading. Hope something here inspired your magpie eye :)

xoxo viv

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