Sarah Coventry find in Goodwill Bulk Bag

My Grandmother never got her ears pierced, all my life I remember a unique thing about her was she only had clip on earrings. As I grew up she had trouble finding new clip on earrings that fit her elegant and polished style. Two years ago I started searching and collecting clip-on earrings for her. I moved far away and had not been able to see her in quite a while. I planned on surprising her on Christmas by showing up and bringing some beautiful finds that fit her. Sadly she died before I was able to give them to her. I design and make jewelry but there was something less meaningful making some versus finding pieces. This is against what many people would think but for me, it made sense. In her young years she saved every penny and sacrificed her material wants to raise her 5 daughters in a comfortable life. I imagine that there were many times she wanted something from a store or catalog and denied the want removing it from the list of more pressing wants, the top of the list--a wonderful life for her daughters. When I was searching for these pieces and with each one I hoped if there was a pair she once wanted even for a moment but turned away from them that one of the pairs would be it. After she died I put the large jewelry box of finds in the back of my closet and inside I packed some guilt that I should have gone to see her sooner, that guilt sparked an isolating depression that compounded when I was too ashamed to go to her funeral. I found the box the other day almost one year later and was looking at all the pieces and thought about the lesson I can learn from her.

By the time she died her savings and frugality allowed her generosity to expand from 5 daughters and 5 sons-in-law to 15 grandchildren. She widened that umbrella of care as she watched 7 get married bringing her 7 new grandchildren. As those grandchildren started families she gained 5 great grandchildren. She had the means to at anytime not buy us a random outfit or gift. She could have still done so and spend thousands on custom made earrings but she didn't. She loved shopping, always for others. I wanted to shop and find something special for her.

I began looking over the piles of costume jewelry and some had markings looking up the markings I found this site and thought I would share some of the things that I found. I am horrible at taking photos, at making myself take the photos, but here are two I snapped of a favorite pair. If anyone has history on them when they were made or a story of someone with a pair of these I would love to read them.