A few weeks ago my aunt started cleaning out my grandmother’s room {she’s currently living in a nursing home for round the clock care}. While my aunt was ready to toss most of the stuff or just donate to the thrift store, I quickly stopped her. See the thing is, my grandmother loved to dress back in the day. And she really loved jewelry. I’m all for donating to the thrift store {obviously!} but I wanted to go through some of her beloved items to see what serious gems she had.

Let me tell you, I’m so glad I did and stopped my aunt before she just bagged everything up. Also, since I’m doing my Thrifty Threads 365 challenge {no new clothes for a year, only thrifted!}, I can use all of the accessories I can get.

Check out just a few of the amazing vintage jewelry I found in my grandmother’s closet.

The pieces ranged from purses that were hand beaded in France to pretty brooches to dainty bracelets and tons of clip-on earrings.

This is just a small portion of what I found so far and my grandma still has a ton of other drawers we have yet to go through.

Vintage Tip: I had no idea how painful clip-ons can be! A few weeks ago I wore a pair of the earrings and they pinched my ears so badly I had to take them off after a few hours. But some of you guys shared tips with me on Instagram and suggested wearing pads on the back or even applying a numbing agent to my lobes, the same stuff you use on teething babies.

I always suggest people raid their mother’s, grandmother’s, aunt’s, cousin’s, etc. closet to see what they might find. It’s so special when you can learn the history behind a garment or accessory. Since fashion is so cyclical, you’re bound to find something that may fit your modern style. Also, even though my grandmother and I are world’s apart size wise {she’s 5’8″ and I’m 5’2″}, jewelry is one size fits all.