After telling you the story of my fascination with orchids and unrequited love to them, I kept thinking that there were many aspects that I haven’t touched but which would have added more proofs to how I feel about these flowers. Not that it would matter to them. In human interactions that would definitely have the opposite effect and could even be classified as stalking but I don’t expect a restraining order from these majestic flowers so let me share with you how I deal with my orchid fixation.
Before I went down the proverbial rabbit hole and started stocking up on bottles, decants and samples on a SABLE scale (Stash Above and Beyond Life Expectancy ©Vanessa’s SIL), for a while I was into a costume jewelry. I liked and wore different pendants, necklaces and rings before that period and do it now, but for several years I was in the phase of the initial accumulation of costume jewelry to match things in my wardrobe.
There are some one-off, rare, vintage as well as “cheap thrills” pieces in my jewelry collection, but the same way as it often happens with perfume collections, when you end up with multiple bottles from the brand you like, my jewelry box (both real and proverbial) accumulated multiple creations by artists or brands that I like. But even that cannot explain why I own not two or even three but four (!) necklaces depicting orchids. I didn’t realize it until I was writing that first orchid post. Let me show you my orchids. And, unlike their living prototypes, they never wilt on me!
When I fell in love with Michael Michaud‘s botanical jewelry, it was mostly available from art galleries, boutiques and just a couple of online retailers. Now search returns pages and pages of sites where you can buy these beautiful creations.
This white orchid necklace made from patinaed bronze with a pearl was one of the first pieces by the artist I bought. I can’t say that I liked it the most of what was available then (he constantly changes the range introducing new items and retiring older ones) but it was a good price… So was the second orchid necklace (bronze with hand-applied patina and enamel) that I bought last year: I saw it on eBay right before my Hawaiian vacation and just couldn’t pass.
Chico’s clothing has never been my thing but for a while I was fascinated with the jewelry selection in the local store. Since then I found several Chico’s necklaces I liked and bought. They are not extremely elegant or subtle but I like them and they get me more compliments than my more sophisticated pieces (didn’t we all had similar experiences with mainstream perfumes in our collections?). One of these necklaces just happened to be another orchid (metal with enamel). And it seems Rusty likes it as well.
My most favorite of all orchid necklaces is the one by Franz Collection (I’ve previously features another necklace from the same brand – an iris one – in my In the Search for the Perfect Iris post). It’s made of porcelain and it looks exactly like it does on the picture below (I took a picture myself but then decided to use an official one because mine wasn’t doing the necklace justice).
Finally, I’d like to play my own “LUST – MUST” game (I hope you’re familiar with the concept).
There’s a new Orchid jewelry line from my favorite designer Michael Aram. I don’t think I’ll be buying any of these but I enjoy looking at them.
While Aram’s jewelry is outside of my purchasing comfort zone, his home collection is much more approachable. A couple of years ago my vSO gave me a diffuser from Aram’s Black Orchid collection as a New Year gift (I showed the picture of it in the post How Do You Take Your Amber?). And for the last New Year I got from him a candle from the same collection. I haven’t tried lighting it yet but unlit it smells nice.
Do you own any botanical jewelry?
Images: white orchid necklace, Chico’s necklace and black orchid candle are my own; the rest – official pictures.
Undina's Looking Glass 
I enjoyed hearing more about your orchid fascination – LOL at the notion of your stalking them, ‘stalk’ being the operative word, haha. I don’t believe I own any botanical jewellery to speak of, although I have a couple of butterfly shaped things because of my flittersniffer persona.
I like the white orchid necklace best – that is very much the style of jewellery I like, and which is often available in our local art gallery – the enamel pieces I think might be too heavy for me, plus I realise now that I tend to go for silver necklaces mostly, with tiny accents of gold sometimes. The other orchids are great statement pieces, though! Interesting comparison you draw between perfume and jewellery in terms of price and compliments. :)
Pleased to report that my mauve coloured orchid in the bathroom is still doing well. No withering in sight just yet!
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I have two butterfly necklaces! (I wonder what it says about my persona? ;) )
The orchid that can be seen on the last picture is still alive (I should probably water it again) – three months and counting. Though I don’t have a good feeling about its fate. But we’ll see.
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Yes, I do! I have a necklace that’s in the form of Lothlorien leaf. :D
Does that cound since it’s a fantasy plant? ;)
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It does! (though I had to go to the search engine to figure out what you were referring to (I haven’t read this book in English)
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Some of us are huge LOTR fans and think everyone should recognize the references. ;)
Sorry about that.
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I did! Just not in English :)
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I missed the original orchid post, so I read them both now. I do love orchids as well, and have often based my patterns and illustrations around them. Their female shape is always intriguing and alluring. Like Vanessa I keep an orchid that I rescued from IKEA in the bathroom, and it has been doing great for 5 years now. At the moment it has about 18 flowers. I don’t own any botanical jewellry, but I’ve seen a lot of Art Noveau pieces I’d happily wear after I’ve won the lottery.
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5 years?! (faints) The only object I managed to keep alive for that long is my cat Rusty. Plants do not survive my love :)
If I’ve ever won a lottery… I’m not even sure what I’d want to get. Probably a personal cook/dietician.
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Orchids are such beautiful flowers. I like how you’ve accumulated a few in your jewelry collection. I’ve got quite a few poodles in mine. No big surprise there I guess. My mom has an orchid that she’s had for quite a while and it’s budded and ready to bloom again. I always think of orchids as hard to grow and fussy but she doesn’t do anything special to it and it’s doing great.
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I’m not sure I’ve ever seen poodles in jewelry! You should share some pictures :)
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Like V, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing more about your love of orchids. All slight/large obsessions fascinate me. Really enjoyed seeing the pics of your orchid jewellery too. I seem to be anti botanical jewellery for myself. I think anything with hearts or flowers puts me off because I don’t feel “girly” enough,
Please enlighten me as to the LUST- MUST game!
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Thank you, Tara. Though I do not like hearts in jewelry in particular, I think I have a couple… (I’m pleased that I can’t say that “I have a couple of ” in response to all of the comments but just some ;) ). I didn’t realize how much I liked everything related to orchids until I started thinking about it.
I’m not sure if Allure Magazine started that LUST-MUST feature, but I saw it there first and now you can easy find it online in other sources, e.g. on Pinterest. Demonstrating some fashion trends Allure usually shows in that section pairs of a really expensive item (for example, some couture blouse for $1.2K) and mark it as “LUST” and next to it something that looks similar (on a carefully shot picture, if you squint and turn on your imagination) but costs $39.95. That one is what probably the majority of their readers could afford while drooling over the expensive item (something like this).
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I truly enjoyed reading about your orchid fascinations. And, gosh, those orchid pendants and necklaces are gorgeous!! I really love the green one!! I went to a garden center today and found really cute miniature orchids. I didn’t buy one today but I’m planning to get a couple next week. :) I’ve been collecting some botanical jewellery as well, mines are mostly violets and leaves. ;)
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You should do a post on violets in perfumes and in jewelry! :) I don’t think I have any violets but I definitely have some leaves. I can think of 3…
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Undina, your orchid collection is lovely. Do you do as well with the actual flowers as you do the jewelry? In other words, do your orchids keep on blooming from year to year. Mine don’t, so I have given up on purchasing any more of them.
My favorite of your necklaces is the bronze orchid with the hand-painted patina in your second photo. I really like the colors in that one, and it’s not too big (for some reason I can’t carry off big jewelry pieces, although I wish I could. Speaking of which, Rusty, on the other hand, looks like he could carry off a big piece of jewelry, literally. He has a serious look on his face, as if he’s considering how to plot an orchid heist. Cute!)
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While you were on the vacation I complained about orchids not loving me back – that was how it all started :) So no, unfortunately, we can’t keep our relationship for two long – even though I’m trying!
Rusty got very curious about the necklace. It was one of those cases when I didn’t plan to take his pictures and genuinely tried to get the best shot of the necklace. So of course he had to participate!
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Hey there Undina,
Somewhere in my boxes is a navy blue enamel and gold orchid brooch that I picked for my Mum. When I find it I’ll send you a picture.
Your collection is gorgeous. Rusty, the handsome devil, and I share a favourite.
Portia xx
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Is your brooch one of those real orchids electroplated creations? I was looking at those online but have never had a chance to see them in real life.
I gave Rusty a treat for the great taste :)
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No Undina,
It’s a lifelike representation, navy enameled on metal and then gilded around the edges. Mum used to wear it on her navy blazer or use it as a scarf pin
So glad Rusty got a treat.
Portia xx
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I can’t say that I have any botanical jewelry of my own. But these necklaces are all so pretty and unique, maybe I’ll start keeping an eye out for floral-themed pieces. The Aram pieces are especially gorgeous, and I love the ring in the photo you’ve chosen. It’s a little out of my purchasing range, but it’s fun to look!
And how nice to see Rusty again, I’m glad he’s making his taste in necklaces known!
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I also like the ring (and another one in the same collection, with just one flower). Maybe this is what I’ll buy if I ever win a lottery :)
I suspect that Rusty wouldn’t mind playing with the rest of my collection as well but I managed to take other pictures while he was sleeping.
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I own several pansy pins (but seldom wear them anymore). Love your orchids!
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Thank you, Faroche.
I don’t think I’ve ever worn a pin (or have one) but I noticed that I almost completely stopped wearing brooches.
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Ahhhh, the return of Rusy! I am so happy.
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I promised to post his pictures! :)
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Oh Undina, it’s NOT fair, I have a collectors gene you know, and the Michael Michaud jewellery send me straight looking and wishing… So many gorgeous things. Very well spotted.
If slightly stylised flowers count too, I do have a few things. A quite famous Danish flower design by Georg Jensen from the 1940s called Daisy, a marguerite. The old versions are the prettiest I find, but I have a new version in black that I like a lot too.
A friend of mine makes jewellery and made a pretty necklace with little green and blue glass bead flowers.
Your orchid jewellery is just beautiful.
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Asali, let me make it worse: many other pieces of Michaud’s jewelry are ever more amazing than these two orchids that I’ve shown.
I have one daisy in my collection – though not as stylish as yours.
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I love your beautiful orchids, Undina! I especially appreciate that they require minimal care. About 20 years ago I had a very large, live orchid collection. When I decided I needed my sunporch/greenhouse for other purposes I gave hundreds of orchids to my brother-in-law. Lately I have been unable to resist accumulating just a few more plants to populate my new greenhouse. Surprisingly, even though I have a huge collection of botanical themed costume jewelry, there is not one orchid piece in the lot!
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Thank you, Azar. For some reason your “huge collection of botanical themed costume jewelry” sounds reassuring :)
I’m curious: did your orchids survived parting with you?
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Lovely post and jewelry. And yay that Rusty is back; he is so collectible.
I have botanical jewelry and they tend to feature daisy. I should haul them out to wear!
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You absolutely should!
As with perfumes, I’m trying to rotate my jewelry. But sometimes I still manage to forget I have something – and do not wear it for a long time.
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Orchids are simply beautiful. I can understand your love of them. While I do not have a lot of botanical jewelry (I don’t own very much jewelry period), I do own one beautiful necklace. It’s by Frank Gehry for Tiffany, and its an orchid drop necklace. http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=21121967 It’s no longer available, but I remember thinking it was stunning and being fortunate enough to receive it for an anniversary from my (now) hubby. I should probably try to get an actual orchid too. :)
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What a beautiful necklace! It’s so subtle and elegant.
As to the actual orchids, if you get one fresh, it’ll bloom for at least 2-3 months with minimum care. So even if you never get a single flower from it after that, it still beats buying fresh flowers every week (unless your hubby is really good about it ;) ).
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This sounds like a challenge I should engage in! (Garnering more blooms after 2-3 months, that is)1
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Any botanical jewelry? Only one piece ever seriously tempted me and that was a pair of JAR earrings made out of…aluminum in the shape of sweet pea blossoms. Very light, very realistic, and unfortunately very EXPENSIVE. But that’s JAR.
I do like your orchids though, the white orchid with pearl is stunning!
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Thank you, Blacknall.
I’ve never seen any of JAR’s jewelry but I can imagine they are expensive.
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These necklaces are lovely and I found this post to be really affection-inspiring.
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Thank you, Neylon.
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