Memory Lane

I checked my mail this morning at work- this is probably the 2nd or 3rd time I've done this in the history of working here. It's usually junk mail and usually my friend Maureen grabs my mail for me because she is very dilligent about clearing her mailbox and it drives her bonkers that I don't do the same. Anyway- there was one item in my mailbox today...a Mother's Day catalog from James Avery. I haven't thought about James Avery jewelry since high school...and let me tell you that in high school we thought about James Avery jewelry quite a bit.

James Avery was the go-to jewelry line for everyone in Fredericksburg, and probably the hill country as a whole. Every girl had a few staple items from James Avery, and every girl HOPED wildly that her boyfriend would get her one of the more romantical pieces at Christmas or on her birthday. I tried to explain this to Maureen this morning...she was completely underwhelmed by my obsession. But seriously- the favorite pieces for couples were "the lovers knot" and the "mitzpah set" which is very reminiscent of the "best friends" charms, but instead of saying "be fri" on one side, each one said "God be with us together and apart". These romantical gifts always cracked me up because seriously, in high school, people might have been "doing it" but they certainly weren't "lovers"...and I always thought the charms were so stupid because most people that wore them were wildly unreligious and never left Fredericksburg (to get to the "apart" part) anyway.

Anyway- ten years later- James Avery hasn't changed much. Which kills me. It kills me because it means people are still buying this stuff. Ugh.

So the pictures below show the lovers knot, a tacky butterfly ring, and the earrings I find the most offensive. They are on posts. Imagine what they look like on your ears. New rule: If it's a post earring- it should be a stud earring.