I’ve been in love with jewelry my entire life. Since I can remember, I’ve been drawn by the elegance and the sparkle. Every time I would see the display of a jewelry store I was telling myself: “One day, I will buy the entire store! “. So falling in love with Magpie Gems was the natural thing to happen. But how did it all started?
My first encounter with Lavinia’s brand was in the spring of 2017, right before I left Ireland. There is a big Romanian community in Dublin so every now and then there were different parties organized, so of course I went to this one where there was a raffle. And one of the prizes was a pair of Magpie Gems earrings. I entered the raffle for fun, because I never win anything. But apparently this time the luck of the Irish was with me, leprechauns conspired so I could win! I went on stage, got my prize, without knowing this was going to be the beginning of a new friendship and also love at first sight! I had a won a pair of dazzling daisy ear threader earrings! It’s a mouthful, I know, but I will never forget them, as they mean the world to me! For two reasons: it was the first time for me to win something ever, and they were the most beautiful, sparkly, dainty, elegant earrings I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
But that was it. A few months later I left Ireland and moved to Geneva. However, fate made it so that I would cross paths with Lavinia’s brand again. I found the box with the earrings while I was preparing myself for an evening out. Since I was wearing a red blouse, I thought it might be a good match to wear them again. And since I had the business card in the box, I started looking more models on Etsy. You can imagine I added her to my favorites immediately! I had discovered the most amazing universe, the most amazing selection of sparkly crystals. And since ordering things in is not always easy, I contacted Lavinia for the first time to make sure she ships in this country. You cannot even begin to imagine how happy I was when she said “yes”! And to this day, I cannot stop myself from ordering jewelry from Lavinia’s brand. The only thing that stops me from time to time is my credit card :D
I waited for the parcel containing my first order with so much excitement! Imagine a kid come Christmas morning! I was a million times more excited! And now you’re probably wondering: it’s just jewelry, why so much excitement? Well, I invite you to take a tour of the site, and you can see it for yourself. Personally, I find the models so unique and elegant, and the crystals are so beautiful and colorful! And then there’s the sterling silver part. I gave up wearing silver jewelry as my ears were burning up and I would end up with my ear lobes dripping blood. Apparently, my ear lobes are very picky when it comes to silver and I found this out the hard way :D So when I started wearing my first pair of earrings, I was the happiest kid!
So what makes Lavinia’s jewelry selection so special? Plenty of reasons for that:
- They are really hand-made: you can see the level of detail and the hard work behind every model. I remember ordering a model that’s basically just crystals, 158 of them to be precise. So you can imagine the hard work and dedication required to create something as beautiful and intricate.
- Only the best quality material: the most sparkly crystals and the finest 925 sterling silver
- They are very versatile: all earrings, necklaces, bracelets are so dainty and elegant, and yet very wearable; I literally can wear them to work, going out, or for an event!
- They can elevate or compliment in the most beautiful way any outfit
- And for me, the cherry on top of the cake, they compliment in the most beautiful way my other passion, which is makeup😊 whenever I post a new makeup look on my Instagram page, I like to pair the makeup with one of the Magpie Gems pieces I have in my collection. Yes, I have a collection :D
These are only a few of the many reasons, the most obvious ones. But something I’ve never shared is that although I’ve never met Lavinia in person, we’ve become friends. Her passion to create jewelry and my love to collect and wear them brought us together. I’ve been trying for a couple of years to start my own business and work as a makeup artist during my spare time, and she’s been so kind to give me tips on how I should handle social media, on how to promote my business and attract more customers. She’s the most kind human being I know, to help a total stranger like that. And I believe you can see all the goodness and kindness in her transposed in her jewelry.
And her kindness doesn’t stop here. Since I love to pair the Magpie Gems jewelry with the makeup looks I create, it only seems fair to me to share with my community who is the creator of all these magical pieces. And now my looks are also present on the Magpie Gems site, presenting the beautiful earrings, bracelets or necklaces that are crafted with so much love and dedication. I am not an influencer, however, if I were to be the image of one brand, this would be it! Because it stands for everything Iove: beautiful hand-made jewelry made with love by a local Irish business woman. So if you are looking for out of this world pieces, you will find them in this store, and you’ll be showing support towards local artisans who invest all their time, money and passion in doing something they love.
Long story short, this was my experience with Magpie Gems. The love story started in 2017, and it’s been love at first sight. So to honor this, I hope that around the time you’ll be reading this blog post, I’ll be in Ireland, paying a visit to the person who created the brand and thank her in person for everything she shared with me and for creating such wonderful jewelry: classy, sassy and sparkly, with a touch of Irish magic!
Alexandra Prisacaru
Makeup Artist
Geneva, Switzerland
