EMAIL TO A FRIEND  

BUYING & SELLING TIPS

Inspiring idea for stickpins

It's been said that one can wear a heart on a sleeve, but a lifetime on a wrist?

That is exactly what one 90-year-old Palm Beach resident did, when she took the decorative heads from her stickpin collection and had them all mounted on a solid gold cuff.

"Every time there was an event in her life, like the birth of a child, or a trip that she took, the lady bought a stickpin," explains Toronto jewellery and fine art collector Carole Tanenbaum, who purchased the estate piece in Palm Beach. "It's like her life story in a bracelet."

Tanenbaum has a vintage costume jewellery that she sells in stores in the U.S., Canada and Japan and at CaroleTanenbaum.com.

But the stickpin cuff is one of several real gem treasures in her own personal collection. "It's such an inspiring idea," Tanenbaum marvels, comparing the concept to a charm bracelet, but done in a much more original way. The 50 stickpin heads include a platinum and diamond violin, a gold golf club with ruby "ball", and a pearl tennis racquet with turquoise handle. A favourite pet is remembered in emeralds and diamonds and there are mementos from trips to Turkey and Egypt.

The piece appeals to Tanenbaum's love of the offbeat, which is reflected in her extraordinary collection of vintage costume jewellery. "I'm attracted to the 'wow' factor," she says. And she has many clients who collect both real gems and fabulous fakes, which is also the title of her book. "Women who are interested in gems are expanding their horizons into fine costume jewellery, because they are interested in great design."