I know the word marriage is a scary one. It is also a very important one. For
couples who love each other and want to be married, it means the world. Marriage
is not only an emotional commitment and sentiment reserved for those who meet
criteria (other than age of consent), but something that everyone should be
entitled to. In California, we once again have to make sure that everyone who
wants to marry retains the right to.
Marriage is a wonderful and very happy
thing. For some reason, there are people who feel very threatened by the idea
that everyone can marry the love of their life irregardless of sex. I don’t get
it. With all the problems in the world right now, expanding rights and freedoms
and tolerance should be seen as a good thing. Isn’t that the reasoning behind
every war the US has started? Shouldn’t laws protect people from harm? Neither I
myself nor anyone else is harmed by the freedom to marry. Heck, I’d say our
communities would be helped if our neighbors and co-workers are free to enjoy
the security of marriage.
As a mother, it is my hope that my children live in
an accepting and welcoming world. Is it too much to ask that everyone can be
loved and cherished for who they are?
Proposition 8 is a throwback to the bad
old days. It’s a terrible declaration of a state that allows itself to be ruled
by intolerance instead of compassion and reason. In the spirit of the belief
that this proposition needs to be voted down, Michael and Sarah took me to a
dinner and fundraiser in San Francisco. It was truly spectacular! We met the San
Francisco political big shots and had a wonderful, glittering night. Everyone
was dressed to the nines. I wore a simple black dress and some really big pieces
of vintage Tiffany. This must have been one the the nicest nights I’ve ever had.
The dinner was in a huge marble room, beautifully decorated, almost like a
wedding. There were wedding cakes on each round table. Lots of champagne, music
and elegant, beautifully dressed people. I will never forget this night and the
warmth and love felt by all.
It is my dear wish that everyone votes on
November 4th. I am praying that our new president will be safe and these last
dark, eight years are followed by a bright and positive time for our country.

Michael came home from Southern California with a bad cough. Breathing that smoke for over a week was really bad for him. He saw a doctor and is on medication. Marc was drinking coffee, sitting on a rail when a strong wind came up and blew him off. He came home with a huge lump on his head and a cracked tooth. He refused to go to the hospital, but he was checked out by our own EMT, Michael. I made him stay up all night and when he fell asleep, I became hysterical and had a hard time waking him up. He was just tired from staying up all night. Even our cat, Max, was jumping on him! He seems more like himself today, but I’ve been better…The bump is going down and he is back to his old antics.

On Halloween Eve we had a fairly big earthquake. Our strongest since Loma Prieta in 1989. No damage, this time, just a lot of frayed nerves. That morning, Marc took me to a large consignment store so I could look at the vintage jewelry. I spent some time looking and before leaving asked the saleswoman if she had any vintage Tiffany. She informed me that the only Tiffany worth buying would be something made by LC Tiffany. Anything else was “common.” I was so stunned by her stupid remark! I have trained and fired hundreds of salespeople. If she worked for me, I would have shown her the door. To imply to a customer that they have anything less then superb taste is the height of stupidity. I won’t be going back and I’m a pretty good customer for jewelry. I don’t buy just once in a while. Its my passion…

I bought some wonderful jewelry from a lady who has done a lot of traveling and has excellent taste. I am researching Roberto Coin and Hidalgo. I am fascinated with the enamel work on the Hidalgo and have found some interesting websites about European hallmarks. Each piece is like a little mystery and I am learning so much  I’m lucky to have Marc here to read all of the tiny letters and numbers. Plus, he is an excellent researcher.

The jewelers in Italy take so much well deserved pride in their craftsmanship. When Vito took me to Capri, I saw jewelry that would make you weep. I could tell he was not thrilled at the prospect of spending hours looking at some of the most expensive jewelry in world. He gets nervous just walking past Tiffany with me! He told me he would take me to every jeweler on Capri and take my picture outside each glorious shop. We did a lot of walking and had a wonderful adventure. I saw pearls as big as golf balls and diamonds in colors I never dreamed of. It was a holiday I will remember forever. Its an exciting 45 minute boat ride from Ischia, but feels like a different world. The villas belong to the most famous Italian movie stars and designers. I would be very happy living there.

This morning I woke up very early to go to the antiques sale in my town. This is an annual event to benefit the Festival of Lights Parade that takes place during Thanksgiving weekend. Its really to kick start the big shopping for the holidays. I enjoy this event very much. I always run into old friends and get to take a good morning walk in my beautiful village. I am very focused when I go to any estate sale or antiques show. I get a big cup of coffee and go around to check out all of the jewelry first. Happy to say I found some fantastic old Tiffany. Of course, I paid dearly for it, but there were some real finds. I actually found a few pieces that have been on my list for a very long time. I have been so lucky to meet some wonderful people who share my passion for Tiffany. I was able to email two of these friends to let them know I located and bought the one piece they have been searching for.

After I tuck the jewelry into my bag, I start looking for vintage garden furniture. Today I bought Michael some wonderful old wicker chairs for his garden. I also found a beautiful old glass table that Vito loves. Heres the rub of the day. I’ve had Mikes pick up and wanted to drive it to the antiques sale today. My next door neighbor borrowed Mike’s truck from us 2 weeks ago. He went on vacation without letting us know or returning the key. Once again, I was stuffing furniture into my Jaguar. We’ll have a little chat when he returns.

Vito and I painted the chairs a pretty cream color. Mikes house was built in the 1920’s so the vintage wicker will be perfect for the garden. Tomorrow night we are having a dinner party for Mike’s 23 rd birthday. I just can’t believe my little guy is older then I was when I first got married. I can’t believe how young I was when I made such a huge decision. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

My experiments with lemoncello continue. I have made hazelnut, coffee, almond and kumquat cellos. All delicious. I also made chili cello with chili’s I brought home from Ischia. Vito gave it the first taste test. He started chocking and hollering at me that I was trying to kill him. I was not trying anything like that…It was very strong, though. I put a tiny drop on my tongue and it was painful. I wonder what I can do with it???

A few nice ladies, who know I LOVE beautiful jewelry, told me about the exhibit at The Legion of Honor. It is all French jewelry of the twentieth century. Catherine was my kind and willing cohort for this grand adventure. It was amazing. I will remember this for the rest of my life! The kind of jewelry that is more brilliant them the Crown Jewels, just because of how it is crafted. It was enough to bring me to tears. And also to make me consider the life of a jewel thief. We took the whole tour 5 times. We honestly missed the sign that said, “No photography,” so I don’t know why they made such a big deal out of a few pictures…I will ask Michael to help me post those

We each have a favorite, but the amazing thing is how we kept changing our minds, each time we went through. Catherine has exquisite taste, I must say. I think my taste is getting more “over the top.” I would wear those pieces all the time. Gardening, I don’t care. Think Liz Taylor in a sun hat and wellies. I would wear them pinned to my nighty!!! The descriptions, of each piece, were  delicious and entertaining. I have so much respect for the artists who designed and crafted these pieces. Surely, these are the finest examples I have ever seen. There was one gorgeous piece of Tiffany. It was a tiny vanity box, inlaid with opals, with tiny gold drawers to hold little pats of powder. Most were made by Cartier, Lalique, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Boucheron. Many pieces had unknown designers and that does seem sad. We left grinning, hearts pounding and on a jewelry high.

Driving around the city was its own special challenge. You would think a tourist capital would put one or two signs around. We finally stopped and asked a tiny old man for directions and he knew every road and short cut. After the exhibit, we drove to the convent where Catherine worked and wrote about for her thesis. They had a lovely tea for the volunteers. It was really delicious. Our dear Catherine is so loved there. She even won a little Irish teapot and teas. After that we drove down to Santa Row and walked around. We were very tired from our grand adventure, but wanted to keep talking about our day. We were not ready to let go of the excitement.

Vito and I had been gardening all day. Since nothing looked interesting in the fridge, I volunteered to pop over to Trader Joes. Since he’s been back from Italy, he has no interest in pasta or anything in tomato sauce. I didn’t bother to change, after all, I was just running to the neighborhood market. I guess my jeans and sweater were a bit shoddy. I might have had a bit of dirt on my face and hands. One thing was different about my hands…I wasn’t wearing the big glitteries I normally do. Anyway, who do I have to impress at the grocery store? The fun part of Trader Joes is that in the back, you can get a small cup of excellent coffee and a little sample. So, I made a bee line for the big silver coffee pot and made myself a cup. Then, I went over for a sample of a little square of cake and a raspberry. I waited and waited, after everyone had their sample, I asked if I could have one, too. The lady gave me an up and down look and a sneer. I asked again..I could tell she didn’t want to give me a tiny cup with the little treat. Finally she pushed it towards me like I was a disgusting piece of crap.  She pushed it at my me so hard that the tiny frozen berry bounced out of the cup and on the floor. People standing around were shocked and I was humiliated. I knew what that look was…They thought I was a street person..I started crying and ran out. I’m sensitive…I haven’t been back since. Of course, there  was a little comfort in that I ran to the plush leather seats of my gorgeous blue Jaguar. The nicest car in the parking lot.

Its my fear…To be homeless. To be unloved. In my own little town, where I grew up and never left. Wherever I go, there are people I grew up with. I raised Marc and Michael here. I love this town. This is my town. But, at that moment, I was an outsider. There were no childhood friends there, none of my dear neighbors, just strangers looking down their noses at me. Oh, this can be a cruel, snobbish place. This is where the Silicon Valley big shots live…I can’t imagine what it would be like to spend every day being treated like that.

I told Michael, last night, “If I am ever homeless, I’ll buy a lot of huge fake diamonds, so people won’t know I’m homeless.” My brilliant son thought it would be better if I bought food. I have been thinking about this ever since it happened. I assume that its because of the nice people and polite society that I am always treated so well. Now I wonder if its the fact that I wear lovely clothes and gorgeous jewelry that I am treated well. I am the same person, scruffy from my garden or dressed and bejeweled. I drive the same care, carry a stack of Vitos money. Its still me…

My good friend Bill took me to an amazing estate sale. He likes old military stuff and I go after the jewelry. We don’t step on each others toes. I bought some wonderful pieces. Some I will put in my ebay store, some on my website and most (sorry Vito) I am keeping. There were quite a few vintage Elsa Peretti pieces. Two gorgeous old Peretti flasks. One was particularly interesting to me. Its exactly the like the ones that are signed Tiffany & Co Peretti, but this huge old flask just has EP on the handle. Its been worn, but what a find! Very 70’s.

I don’t like being alone. The house is quiet except the talking cats and dog. Vito is still in Italy, Marc is in China and Michael went to Washington this week. Every inch of the garden is planted, raked, watered and fertilized. I know Vito will find tons of things I didn’t do while he was gone, but it all looks finished to me. Tomorrow I plan to visit some of my old haunts. I love the little shops on the back roads to the coast. I spent a fortune on gas for my car today. Its washed and the top is down. Marc and Michael put 2 brand new tires on it, so I’m excited about a mountain drive. I love living in California. Its just so beautiful. Maybe not a dramatic as the island in Italy, but I really love it here.
I have lived my life in beautiful homes in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have been very lucky.

A friend of mine has had a bit of bad luck with a seller on ebay. She signed for a box that was supposed to contain a very expensive diamond ring. Well, the box was empty and the seller is already gone. She has filed claims with everyone and is taking it pretty well. Two years ago, I was scammed by a seller in Canada, I lost over $3,000.00. Paypal and ebay were no help at all. I filed claims for months, but ended up with nothing. It was a very difficult lesson. Now I am very careful and only buy from sellers with a lot of feedback.

I have seen other sellers on ebay, using photographs of my pieces. Just because a seller has a picture of an item, doesn’t always mean they have this item. The internet is such a wonderful way to find vintage and designer jewelry, but you have to be careful. I only sell pieces that I have collected and love. Many of these items I found at the little shops I visit. Many of them I bought at Tiffany, when I was working and had to have designer suits and jewelry. I still buy what I love, but most often I wear it with jeans. I have a huge diamond salamander brooch that I wear on my gardening apron. I love how it glimmers in the sun.

This afternoon I loaded 400 pounds on flagstone in the back of my Jaguar..Sorry Vito, but it had to be done. Michael brought home a can of roofing tar and quickly got to work on the roof of his guest cottage. The dark clouds moved in and it was clear he would need more tar and help. I drove over to an old neighborhood of San Jose and bought 4 more cans of tar. On my way back to his house I saw a tiny antiques store, complete with bars on the windows. I generally don’t go to stores with bars on the windows, but this one had something gold and unmistakably Paloma Picasso peeking out between the old black bars. I pulled over and bought a fantastic pair of Tiffany earrings. I’m sure I looked a sight, in my work clothes (Vitos old sweatshirt and pants.)
When I got back to Mike’s I went on the roof and we got the whole thing finished before dark and before rain. I stopped for gas, back in the neighborhood and I really did look like a wreak. Vitos old clothes (covered in paint and tar) and my hands, face and hair with splotches of tar. At least I was wearing a gorgeous pair of earrings! I am over worrying what people think of me.

Last night, my dear son, Michael, took me to see Little Texas in San Jose. I love this band and it was an amazing treat to watch them play, maybe 6 feet away. They played our favorites and I didn’t really mind the drunk cowboys. Michael and I both love country music. In the past few months, he has taken me to see Rascal Flatts and Brooks and Dunn. Very nice of him to include me. I don’t know what I did to have such wonderful sons, but I feel incredibly blessed.
I have always played music for the boys. Its been something we all enjoy. I don’t remember much music from my childhood, but as a teenager, I loved going to every Grateful Dead concert. It seemed like 3 times a week, a great band was playing in San Francisco. Somehow, the city felt safe to a group of rather spoiled teenagers from Los Altos. We used to visit this Chinese restaurant called Sam Wo’s, on the 3rd floor of a very strange building. Our waiter was called Edsel Ford. He had quite a temper and just brought us what he wanted us to have. It was wonderful and exotic food. He used to holler at everyone and sometimes send us down the street for some special “tea” that came in a little silver thermos. It was all part of the great adventure.

This evening Marc leaves for his teaching job in China. I will really miss his company. While he was home he created my website: Tiffanycollector.com and my blog. This has saved me since ebay isn’t letting me list my collection except a few pieces at a time. Marc also bought me a huge wonderful safe and he has been wonderful company.

Vito is still in Ischia for another month, so it will be very quiet here. Luckily, I have my cats and dog for company. I will have time to help Michael remodel his guest house. Marc and I have been there for the past 2 nights and it has been fun working with both boys. So far, the sheet rock has gone up beautifully except for one small incident. By mistake I shoved my hand through a wall. Luckily I was wearing my huge Tiffany gold Peretti cuff, so it actually saved my wrist from a huge bruise. Jewelry that looks good and serves a purpose…It doesn’t get much better. I have blisters on my palms from the hard work. I love it.

I have been thinking about the lady who wrote about how to spot a fake on ebay. I am going to write more about that this evening. Its such a huge problem and getting bigger everyday. I’m convinced that ebay is making a safe haven for counterfeiters and getting rid of the people who sell the real thing. I was told a few days ago that it wasn’t ebays idea to give me listing limits, but rather it came from Tiffany. Ebay claims Tiffany&Co is upset about my listings. They claim its copy write infringement. Really?? I don’t use their pictures or descriptions. Where did that come from?? So, I sent Tiffany an email asking if this was true and why they did this. Have not heard one word from them. Ebay keeps changing their story and Tiffany ignores me unless I’m shopping. I’m going to get a complex pretty soon.

Michael took me to visit a huge store yesterday called Ikea. This was a first for me. Usually huge stores, that aren’t Tiffany’s, intimidate me. This is a huge, cavern of a place that smells like cinnamon sticky buns as soon as you walk in the door. Of course, this makes everyone leaving  buy a giant 6 pack of the puffy treats. Mike bought a new bed for his beautiful new house. I bought sticky buns and Swedish coffee. Michael was kind enough to stop at a little antiques shop in the area and I was rewarded with a fantastic Tiffany silver bamboo necklace. I just love this bamboo collection. I wear my Tiffany bamboo hair clips almost everyday. Nice of Mike to indulge me with an antiques store. When Marc and Mike were little guys we would go to Monterey and Carmel, at least once a week. Not only are the beaches gorgeous, but there are fun restaurants and shops. The boys have excellent taste and it was always fun to find the hidden treasures. They would look at vintage toys, especially old Superman stuff, cars and space ships…Even 20 years ago, the vintage jewelry held more appeal to me. I look at a lovely old piece of jewelry and can imagine wheres its been….Living close to San Francisco, there are many of these wonderful old shops and exotic pieces from the great old California estates.
Treasure hunting for everyone means something different. For me, its finding a rare piece of Tiffany jewelry.