There was a time when I attended art auctions semi-regularly. My friends and I would drive to Toronto, do a bit of shopping, have dinner, then head to the auction. Most times we left empty-handed, but it was still a night out that we looked forward to. One particularly slow night, the auctioneer was filling the time by telling us more about the art and artists and about how he got started in the art business. This lead to more rambling than we were used to in an auction, but one of the things that did stick with me was how to stressed to buy what you love, not to buy because something was a good investment piece. He, unfortunately, probably lost most of the room when a few minutes later he cajoled us for not buying a piece that was a “great investment!”
Jewellery purchases can, of course, be for love or as an investment (or both). So far I’ve avoided buying items purely as an investment, and some of the retired charms would definitely involve a significant investment! But, since I do sometimes tend to think of my bracelets as little pieces of art, it does make sense to buy what I love. In fact, that’s how I try to keep my addiction under control. If I don’t love a bead, I can’t buy it, even if it would go perfectly with another bead that I already have perfectly. Sometimes determining if I “love” a bead involves a bit of back-and-forth with myself, but it usually leads me to the right decision.