Yesterday I said I didn’t buy or make things that are only beautiful but not useful. That requires some clarification, I think.

I do like buying and making things that make our home more cosy: curtains, rugs, potted plants, and plants for the garden. Those are beautiful but not very useful.

I also like necklaces, and wear them on most days. Those are definitely not useful. But they are more practical than rings and bracelets, which I hardly ever wear.

I am too practically-minded and frugal to buy necklaces for myself nowadays. Although now that I think about it, maybe I should.

However I do like getting necklaces as gifts. In fact I think the majority of my necklaces have been given to me. Mostly by Eric, but also some by my mother, and some by other friends.

I like unusual, non-traditional, interesting necklaces: no strands of pearls for me! I have necklaces made of wood, of mother-of-pearl, of stainless steel. I have one that is made out of a silver fork, bent into a curious shape. I have a gilded lettuce leaf, and a 3d-printed geometrical structure.

Some of my favourites did not photograph well in lamplight; here are the ones that turned out well.

This was the first necklace I bought for myself. It is a silver pendant, designed to look like a Viking coin (but not a real one). The size of my thumbnail and paper-thin, and on an almost-invisible chain: an economical purchase for a teenager. But I still like it after all these years.

These wooden ones Eric made for me:

Ingrid made this bracelet:

Mother-of-pearl and steel:

3D printed tangle:

And here’s a more traditional one: