My Everyday Necklace

I’ve been meaning to do a few posts on jewelry – today I thought I would share a piece that I wear every single day. It’s a single Van Cleef Vintage Alhambra pendant, yellow gold with diamonds. 

To be honest, this necklace was definitely not on my radar before. My personal taste for some time has been longer necklaces. I just like the way they look, and plus (it sounds a little stupid writing it out) I like being able to just put them on/take them off over my head without unclasping. I had a few favorites but after kids with all of their propensity to grab and yank I had put most of them away and hadn’t regularly worn a necklace for some time.

It was my mom who suggested it, to match a pair of earrings, and then I tried it on, and really liked it! 

The necklace is originally 16 inches, with a jump ring at 14 inches – I had it lengthened to 18 inches when it was purchased, so the jump ring would now be at 16 inches, though I always wear it at 18. I can’t wear shorter necklaces…I like the way they look but I always feel like they’re choking me. Van Cleef will lengthen two inches for free by the way, just ask for it at the time of purchase.

I wear this necklace all the time…when I sleep, when I shower, etc. I haven’t taken it off for over a year. I know that this is supposedly bad…? I was told to take off my jewelry at night to save on wear and tear. But my necklace seems okay so far, and I like the diamonds versus one of the other stones like onyx, mother of pearl, for this reason, so I can shower and get it dirty and not have to worry about the stones. Also, I cannot sleep in any other jewelry – I’m not someone who can sleep with a bracelet on, for example, which is why I’ve never been able to do the classic Cartier Love for long and don’t get me started on earrings, sometimes I’ll fall asleep with them still in and then wake up with a start an hour later that something is Very. Wrong. But this necklace, no problems. It is always with me and so it’s cost per wear is really great and plus it makes me think of my mom!

There’s been quite a few good deals on Van Cleef on resale sites lately (I myself have been eyeing this Lucky bracelet). However, Van Cleef itself has had a few price decreases, so check retail before you buy resale..also, when you buy direct, you can get some perks like the chain lengthening, etc. There’s also been some superfakes, so beware.

What is your everyday necklace? Do you sleep in any of your jewelry pieces?