I have been meaning to write in my blog for a few days now. As I’m sure many of you know, much of Southern California is being ravaged by fires. Marc and I were riding down Main Street and the trees are breathtaking! The reds and yellows are almost too much to look at. The air, however is gray with soot from the fires. It hurts my eyes and we are 400 miles away! My son, Michael is down there. He is a volunteer EMT and left a few days ago to lend some medical support to the exhausted firefighters. He went to Louisiana when the devastating Katrina hit and I was in hysterics. This time, I am dealing with it much better. We have family and friends in and around San Diego. Catherines family has a vineyard nearby and they are there if Michael gets a chance to see them. My brother Mark and our dear Kerri, who live nearby, are  in Italy for his birthday. When I read that these fires were started by arsonists I am just crushed! Why?? What does this do except ruin lives and our environment? I am heartbroken when I see the news.

I can’t help but wonder what I would take from the house, if we had to flee in a moments notice. After knowing my boys are safe, my pets. The stuff? Pictures, my moms paintings. I have a fireproof safe, but I wonder if it could really withstand the heat of a fire that melts alloy wheels on cars? I never want to find out.

As much as I enjoy writing about the lovely jewelry I collect, I can’t wrap my mind around anything except what is happening in Southern California.

I love making sets. I know a lot of people are searching for a particular piece to complete a set. I was searching for a Paloma Picasso necklace to go with a pair of Picasso hammered sterling silver dome earrings. Well…I finally found it and its wonderful!! Marc has taken some really professional looking photographs so I can share it with you. If anyone is interested, please email me and I will give you all the information. Its truly a work of art.

I first saw these pieces offered as a set in Tiffany stores in the late
1990’s. Though absolutely gorgeous, I missed the train and before I
knew it Tiffany had ceased production of this set and the last ones
quickly moved off the shelves and into private hands. I checked with
friends who collect fine jewelry but it had seemed to vanish. I have not seen these pieces since then and certainly never in a condition or at a price that, although consistent
with the Tiffany inflation prices, seemed worth investing in. After
years of searching I am THRILLED to have been able to put these pieces
back together into a set that is store-shelf worthy quality without the
price-tag that would be expected.

We have been busy pruning the messy oak trees behind our house. The view is spectacular! The leaves on our trees are turning bright orange and red. Its gorgeous. I already have our Halloween decorations out. I love this time of year. Its so nice having everyone home from their travels. Marc is photographing some jewelry that I have been saving for the holidays. We’ll be busy getting a lot of wonderful jewelry on our website. I am so happy to have him home.

Michael and I walked through the beautiful public Rose Garden near his house. Even this late in the season its a riot of color. Its a huge garden and wonderfully planned so you can walk on the grass between huge beds of each variety of rose. Its peaceful and smells delicious. Then I helped Michael take pictures of a pretty BMW hes selling. When people walk by and admire his car, I can’t help but mentioning that its for sale. As my son noted, some things seem to come naturally to me, like selling cars…

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???

In the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of receiving four boxes of treasures. Trading jewelry is fascinating. I get to see what other people collect and then tire of. We are all, I think, refining our personal collections. This is really the foundation of ebay. Its a wonderful way, for people who love jewelry, add a piece to a collection. I have often wondered, why doesn’t Tiffany understand this and have a department devoted to pieces no longer in production?

I was thrilled to get some wonderful, older Picasso pieces. I love the big earrings and rings. I brought some interesting old watches to my jeweler for repairs and he was impressed with a few of them. I’m not a watch collector, but these are fascinating. I have my kitchen table covered in jewelry. Things to be repaired or  photographed and listed and some to be tested or appraised.

I will need to clean up this week as Marc and Vito are due home August 25. I am THRILLED!!! They are finishing up the last few projects and putting tools away. It has been very nice for Vito and Marc to spend this time together and with Vito’s mom, Ana. Marc likes to go out at night and explore. He told me that after almost a year in China and 2 weeks in Russia, he was never asked for identification other then the airport. Last night, on his way to have a snack, two carabineri pulled over and asked for his documentation or maybe identification. He told them he left his wallet at home. They wanted to know where is his home. He told them his family lives around the corner. His Italian isn’t as fluent as his Mandarin and they spoke only a little English, so there was a bit of a communication problem. Mostly, Marc thought it was very funny that he was stopped in the one place he does have a home. I told him to visit the carabineri office in town. Its a large beautiful office with white marble floors, a huge marble bust of Napoleon (I’m not sure why) and 5 or 6 Moto Guzzi motorcycles parked on the marble. These are the most beautifully dressed policemen I have ever seen. Life is so different in Italy.

This was the first day that I really noticed the piles of leaves of the ground. I know some schools are starting already. We are planning to help harvest the grapes in late September. It will be fun to see Ana and my friends who are so kind and make such an effort to talk to me. Here, we tend to drive everywhere and zip around. On the island, I can walk to the town or take a tiny bus that travels around the whole island in about half an hour. We do have a little car, but I find when I drive, with Vito hollering instructions and all the scooters racing about, its too nerve racking. I also love doing our laundry there. I have a clothes line outside the second floor windows. I hang the clothes and visit with anyone working in the vineyard. I love the smell of the burning weeds and garden cuttings. The first time I ever did this, I really felt like an Italian housewife. I always learn so much from Ana. Some of the food, I’ll never be able to make, but other dishes I make for the boys all the time.

There were zucchini blossoms at the produce market this morning and I instantly remembered the first time Ana showed me how to make stuffed zucchini blossoms. She has a tiny kitchen and very old pots. By the time I wake up, she has sauces and meats bubbling away. I am usually in charge of making the strong coffee and shopping for the best pastries in the world. I know, its hard work, but someone has to do it…

As you might have noticed, ebay is letting me list my vintage Tiffany jewelry. I had a really nice phone call and letter from one of the big shots at Tiffany, back east. He was really very kind and we had a delightful visit. He wanted to let me know, personally, that they are aware of my collection and know it is all authentic. He also told me that they are aware of my efforts to rid ebay of all the counterfeit Tiffany jewelry. I report a lot of pieces and I actually thought that was why I was kicked off…Anyway, I was thrilled to make this friend at Tiffany and he assured me that I can contact him anytime. He doesn’t know what a pill I can be. He’ll find out

My darling Chialing was one of the brides of 7/7/07. I cried all day. She told me that I am crying in every single picture. I really love her and hoped she and Marc would find their way back together. Well, you never know… We did most of the food ourselves. I was at the church at 10:00 am and she had helpers from the church to help. It was a big production. I guess there were about 300 people. At first I felt very self conscience. Her mom was there, from Taiwan. At this point everyone was Asian and I thought they might not accept me. They couldn’t have been kinder. It was a long day and I was an emotional wreck, but we got through it. Chialing looked like a princess. Chailing’s mother is going to become a Buddhist nun. She is deeply spiritual and sad, but so lovely. She spent the day here, with me and even though we are very very different, we are both moms. She invited me to stay at the monastery, in Taiwan. I think I would like that. They wear no jewelry…I tried to tone it down.

Catherine graduated from university and we had a great party for her. Her family is very much like ours. It felt like one huge happy family. It was one of the nicest parties we have ever had. We put our big table in the back yard and Vito grilled on his Fathers Day grill. Lots of wonderful wine, food and of course, homemade lemoncello. Even Catherines 90 year aunt came. She is a darling Irish nun who lives in Texas. We had a big cake for Catherine and her twin sister Sarah, who graduated a few weeks earlier. Catherine leaves for an 8 month dig in Ireland, so Mike drove down to see her off.

It feels like everyone is so far off…Vito is in Italy, Marc is still on his big adventure in Russia, Catherine off to Ireland. I want to keep everyone close. Mike is close and doing a great job of including me in his projects. He knows how easily I can become a recluse. My dear friend Ann calls me everyday and if I don’t answer the phone, threatens to come over. We go out at least once a week, to the same coffee shop in Palo Alto. We’ve been going for years.

This weekend, I have plans to visit with a friend who moved to Santa Cruz. There are fewer tiny shops, but I still love the out of the way places. Hopefully, I’ll find some treasures. I have received two interesting collections that I will be going through and posting. A few good pieces of old Tiffany, so I’m happy about that. Enough to keep me busy. Still, I feel restless…

I made cherrycello, gingercello and pineapplecello. We tried the gingercello. Sweet & Yummy. Vito will be surprised when he sees the line up of liquor…I think the cherrycello would be delicious warm, over vanilla ice cream.

It continues…Ebay wants Tiffany to give me permission to sell my own collection of Tiffany jewelry. What possible motivation could Tiffany have for doing this? Besides the fact that ITS MY JEWELRY!!! According to ebay, any entity who has copy write of a brand name can do this..again, I quote, “These laws have been in place for hundreds of years.” Okay, that means all those years I was selling cars, I really needed to ask the manufacturer if I could advertise and sell their cars?? This is getting ridiculous!!!

I am still suspended from ebay. I was also told today that once they let me back on, if I ever list a Tiffany item, if Tiffany hasn’t given their permission, I will be suspended forever. Its time for me to learn how to knit because the only thing we can safely list on ebay is home made crafts. I don’t know what will happen to ebay motors….According to ebay, only home made cars should be listed. That will be very interesting.

Vito is off to Italy. His mother fell out of a fig tree. I hope I’m climbing trees when I’m 80. Without ebay to keep me busy, I am working on my website and swimming.

Yesterday, there was a big fire in the hills near Stanford University. I was swimming my laps and flakes started falling from the sky. It was all very strange. Especially since Michael took me to see the movie 1408 (excellent movie) and I have been a little jumpy.

I have also taken my Lemoncello making to a new level. I have made Kumquatcello with kumquats from Catherine’s family vineyard. Today I made Mangocello. I’m not sure what I’ll make tomorrow. I know this is a funny hobby for someone who doesn’t drink…

I have heard from more sellers that ebay is removing Tiffany and other designer products at a new, alarming rate. Yet…The counterfeits continue to flourish. Interesting business plan, ebay…A huge website devoted to counterfeits, homemade items, and the truly strange stuff you see on Jay Leno’s running joke about weird crap people pay a lot of money for on ebay. If that is really ebays business plan then those of us who love to buy designer pieces need a new “venue.”

On the upside, the website called “Tiffanycollector” has more then doubled the visitors then just a week ago. I am busy adding some vintage Tiffany Bamboo, Atlas, Etoile and Peretti that has been locked away for quite some time. Please let me know if you are looking for any specific pieces to add to your collections. Also, I love to trade and I’m busy buying collections from people who, like me can no longer sell on ebay. I can thank my son, Marc, for making this website to keep me busy the last time ebay decided to punish me for the great crime of listing my vintage Tiffany on their website. Master criminal mind that I am.

Ebay is not speaking to me. Even the power seller rep, who had been so “helpful” before, won’t return my calls. Thanks for that…They are letting me submit, via fax, proof that I am who I say I am. ie. phone bills, etc. And a signed promise that I will not break the rules of ebay and sell fakes. Lets see…Seven years on ebay, over 2000 transactions. One negative feedback in all that time… The buyer who didn’t read the measurements of a bracelet and wouldn’t return it for a refund.Thats it. And my crime wave continues…

Thank you to everyone who is writing to let me know they understand what is going on with ebay, and share my concern about the removal of so many honest sellers.

I have been suspended from Ebay again. I am crushed, but not entirely surprised. At first, I was told that Tiffany had issues with my listings. They think by using the words Tiffany & Co I am committing copy write infringement. Okay, they removed about 50 items and notified buyers that I had committed some mysterious and unfortunate crime against ebay and Tiffany. Then, today, they removed everything, including the none Tiffany pieces, and suspended me for a minimum of one week. All of my listings are gone and if I ever want to have them on ebay, I would have to start over again. 200 listings. I don’t think so.

During the last few months, the number of counterfeits, on ebay, has increased at an alarming rate. I thought I was helping innocent buyers, by reporting the most expensive of these pieces. I saw a counterfeit collection go for $1800.00 on ebay!!! Every piece was a fake. Ebay and Tiffany let that one stay, even after I reported it. Someone is walking around with a bunch of terrible fake Tiffany silver jewelry.

Here’s what this means..Tiffany LOVES the counterfeits on ebay. Every buyer who gets stuck with a counterfeit on ebay becomes a Tiffany retail buyer for life. They will never buy on ebay again. The buyer who gets a great deal on an authentic piece of beautiful Tiffany jewelry, will continue to buy on ebay or (hopefully) my website. Thats a loss for Tiffany. This is so logical…

Here’s something else I have noticed…Tiffany stores are more crowded then ever. Business is booming for Tiffany. I wonder how much of this can be traced back to the growing amount of counterfeits on ebay? So, it stands to reason, Tiffany is forcing ebay to remove anyone who has a lot of authentic pieces. The fakes can stay. Its all income for ebay. They really don’t know whats fake, nor do they really care. As I was reminded, once again, “Ebay is a VENUE.” At this point, I have to say, there are 50 fakes for each piece of authentic Tiffany on ebay.

I will be working hard on my website and hopefully Tiffany will leave me alone. They have shut down my website, only once. To all of my friends who love ebay…Be careful. Be very, very careful… 

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.

One of the best things about spending my life in the same town is also one of the worst. Everyday, I see people from my past. This can be a wonderful treat or a reminder of some very wild times.

A few months ago Vito and I were having Chinese food in town. This lady turned around and said, “I know that voice…” It was my high school Spanish teacher, Miss Prescott. I couldn’t believe she remembered me, but then she told Vito and her dinner companion about how I used to ride a motorcycle up and down the halls at my high school. Then she explained that not only did I drive sports cars and motorcycles, but I liked to do this in a yellow bikini..Vito was surprised to hear to about this part of my past. Of course, I still drive a sports car, but sold my motorcycles when I became pregnant with Marc. Still, I am tempted, every now and then, to take Michaels motorcycle for a ride. No bikini…

So, yesterday morning, at the garden center, I ran into the mother of my high school boyfriend. I have seen her over the years. Her daughter was my best friend and maid of honor. As I said, its a small town. We went for coffee and caught up with each other. The things she remembers are amazing. Our parents were so scared of the boys getting drafted, that I think they put up with a lot from us. My mother always said, that was a difficult time. High school and the few years of college are hard for me to remember. I felt like my life really took shape when I started in the car business and had a family. Before that, its a happy blur…

My old friend did remember one thing about those days…I always wore good jewelry..Its been a passion as long as I remember and its so much fun for me. I am expecting a piece of vintage Picasso to be delivered this weekend. I have been working on getting this diamond brooch for almost 2 years. When it was first introduced  years ago, at Tiffany, they had it in the small display window and I just stood there in a trance. I can’t wait told hold it and wear it. What I love about this brooch is that is decorated with Paloma Picasso’s most famous designs, all in diamonds! I doesn’t get much better!!! Everyone will have to wear sun glasses just took look at it. I am very excited.