I’m thinking maybe a ring or set of earrings. Budget is 50-100 USD. Shipping to Japan or EU, either works (we are in both in the near future).
How should I start? I’m so lost.
If it helps her style is halfway between elegant and hippy (witchy) and she gives off autumn vibes (wears dark greens and maroons a lot, paired with light skin, often wears turtlenecks and dark colours).
I just don’t have a clue what websites to look at, what is considered good or bad etc.
Just ask her to go with you to buy the present. Everything doesn’t need to be a surprise. People have this misconception that every god damn thing (birthday parties, presents, etc) needs to be a surprise. It doesn’t!
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With your price point, I’d highly suggest looking at Swarovski crystal jewelry. You can get much “nicer” looking jewelry at much lower prices, but obviously it’s just crystal rather than gemstones. Almost nobody can tell just by looking at it though.
When I was dating my wife I got her dangle drop earrings and a necklace, matching, crystal, nothing too spendy but looked super elegant, and told her she was gonna need those, because we’re getting dressed up and going out on the town. And it worked. I could only describe her style as ‘art teacher’, pretty creative and undefined, but I took a gamble and she loved it. Going elegant and using it as a lead up is def an option
I guess Etsy could be a good place to look. It has gotten annoying in the last few years, but sadly it’s still the best place for a lot of people to sell their crafts.
She might enjoy a unique handmade piece by a silversmith there just as much or more as a high-end necklace, and unique hand-made designs can be cheaper than diamonds. Maybe you can even reach out to a silversmith and design something together.
I tried searching for #jewelry on mastodon.social, and @kosmimatis@handmade.social was the first thing to pop up. Of course you probably want to look around more, but their latest post is not necessarily a terrible starting point. For illustration purposes of course.
In short, I think it’s possible to go about it looking for a silversmith rather than a jewellery store. What it lacks in expensive stones it makes up for by being potentially personal. :)
Go to a jewelry shop and ask for advice. If they’re any good at their job, they field tons of customers just like you and make recommendations based on what you tell them about your partner and maybe a photo.
Can’t go to shops I’m immunocompromised unfortunately (thanks Covid)
Etsy has lots of unique and affordable options when it comes to jewelry. You can use keywords about her style and whichever type of jewelry you are considering.
I took a quick look for autumn witchy earrings, and I found a ton of cute options. I will share some of what I liked below, but of course you know her tastes best!
I’ve always found earing and necklace sets that they enjoy (they don’t have to be expensive) and are fun to wear are always a hit. Its also a good way to test the water with something relatively cheap (>$50- $100) to identify their style. If possible, I would strongly recommend buying in-person at something like a craft market or farmers market: anything in-person. How something looks online often just does not translate to in-person.
The key here is a set, something they can add in-combination to something they already have.
At a jewelry store.
