JVlog #7: Japanese Jewellery Haul

Good Day Everyone,

In this Japan vlog I take you jewellery shopping. This is not shopping for traditional Japanese jewellery but more of what's available in the shopping malls. Japanese women tend to have a very feminine dress style and this is reflected in the jewellery styles available. The jewellery tends to be very delicate and dainty looking. Most jewellery pieces are silver or gold in colour and there are a lot of pearls (real or otherwise).

In the department stores such as Takashimaya (think John Lewis in England) there are independent jewellery makers selling their own unique pieces and these tend to be more colourful and often larger pieces, kind of like statement necklaces. We also have stores such as H&M and Zara which are great for statement necklaces as well as slightly more delicate pieces, although not quite as delicate and fragile looking as those in the local Japanese jewellery stores.

Something that I did find particularly interesting was that in all of the local Japanese jewellery stores there was a huge selection of earrings available for those that don't have their ears pierced. I was truly surprised by the sheer volume and diversity of the styles/designs available.

Its been a long time since I bought any new jewellery and so I picked up a few pieces. You can see more about the Japanese jewellery stores in the vlog above.

Store: Shazbot Karako / Cost: 1,620 Yen

My favourite piece is this necklace that I picked up from a store called Shazbot Karako which are two separate stores (Shazbot and Karako) that share the same shop space so I'm not quite sure which store the necklace belongs to, but it's located in the Bay Quarter mall in Yokohama. I love that the stars are different colours and the copper colour is especially pretty. The stones in the centre of each star catch the light beautifully and sparkle.

The stars are not fixed onto the chain as they're threaded onto the chain from the back, and move independently of one another. I can actually remove the stars from the chain which gives me the flexibility to wear all three or just two or one of the stars as the pendant. The chain is a fixed length and so I did try the necklace on in the store just to ensure I was happy with it.

I picked up two pairs of long dangle earrings as I have quite a lot of stud earrings. The first pair are these silver twists which look really pretty against my dark hair when I wear it down.

Store: Puretre / Costs: 1,080 Yen

The second pair are three gold coloured diamond shapes that hang within each other. Both of the earrings I bought are nickel free and were clearly labelled as such in English on the packaging. Most of the jewellery pieces I bought were labelled as 'made in Japan'. I tried to ask the sales assistants in the stores whether the jewellery I was buying was hand or machine made but my lack of Japanese and their lack of English didn't make for a fruitful conversation.

Store: Guilty / Cost: 1,404 Yen

I also picked up the four rings below. I'll be honest, I haven't worn many rings over the last few years due to me feeling particularly self conscious about my arthritic fingers with their slightly deformed joints and my unsightly psoriatic nails. I haven't liked to draw attention to my hands but this is something that I'm trying to overcome as I do actually like rings. So I'm trying not to let my own insecurities about my fingers and nails get the better of me because this is just part and parcel of the disease that I suffer from :o).

Store: Puretre / Cost: 2,268 Yen - Store: 3 Coins / Cost: 324 Yen - Store: Before the Boom / Cost: 1,190 Yen - Store: Before the Boom / Cost: 1,400 Yen

The first ring that I picked up was a gold floral cutout ring with a flower in it's centre. This fits on both my index finger and my thumbs and I love the swirly pattern either side of the centre flower. The second ring I got was from the 3 Coins shop which was an absolute bargain. It is a dirty gold colour band with leaves. I love it's simplicity and colour. The next ring is one that I've had my eye on for a couple of weeks and the store was actually having a 30% off sale on the day I went shopping and so naturally I took that as a sign ;o). It's a pale coppery colour and I love the design around the stones. It looks quite Aztec-y to me. It is a pinky ring that's a bit too big for my little finger and so I bought it to wear as a midi-ring on my middle finger. Finally the last ring I got is a bit more dressy with the gold and the diamond-esque stones (I've no idea what the proper name for such stones is). This is also a pinky ring and does actually fit my little finger perfectly but could also be worn as a midi-ring.

I hope you enjoyed my little Japanese jewellery haul and the vlog showing you what the shops look like. If you want to read more about my experience of psoriatic arthritis then click here and about psoriatic nails here. I hope you all have a lovely weekend :o).

Love Sheen xxx