About Time

I wasn't a "jewelry person" until I was put in charge of the jewelry at an art gallery seven years ago. Soon I had pierced my ears, learned the difference between karats and carats, and fallen in love with high quality, handmade jewelry. I now consider myself a jewelry snob, which means that although I will wear plastic earrings, I do not think several thousand is too much to pay for a good quality piece of jewelry (not that I have ever had that much to spend! But if I did...)

So it's no surprise that now, having worked for 8 months at a store that sells high quality watches, and being the one to research and write about the watches, I see that I am beginning to become a watch snob. But that's beside the point.

What I want to say is that there is one thing I have noticed about good watches: they are alive. When you wind them up and their little mechanisms, made of precious metals and jewels, start to go and their little wheels turn, they tick softly with a little heartbeat. And when you carry them in your hand you can feel a subtle vibration, a slight whir, as if you were cradling a small bird. When you open up the back, the turning of the tiny gears seems magical. It's like jewelry come to life.