Vintage glass earrings and vintage hairpins

It’s funny how a big jewelry gal like me can be so easily persuaded to scale down. Despite my love of large, obnoxious rings and bulky earrings, I recently found myself browsing the classic designs in Karuski’s Etsy shop. Filled with vintage-inspired clutch purses, brooches, rings, earrings, and hairpins, the shop owner Minna keeps things simple and chic, and most of the wearables are on the smaller side. When my tiny package arrived in the mail, I found myself delighted by the intricate hairpins and dainty earrings affixed to butterfly-shaped cardboard.

Minna, who lives and works in Finland, is one of those brave women who left her corporate job to pursue her jewelry-making fulltime. Unprompted, she wrote to me about her decision and how she feels the worst jobs are reserved for women:

"I thought I could switch to something I really enjoy, no matter if it means even poorer income. I do hope that people would have courage to make their own happiness and bring happiness to other people's lives along the way. The sad thing is that the money rules the world."

Outside of traditional employment myself these days (though really, I was never behind an office desk for long), it’s like Minna is my crafter soul mate.

While I love the delicate white glass earrings, it was the hairpins that really did it for me. One affixed with some sort of vintage glass flower, the other with a simple black button, I stick them in my messy summer hair with pride and wait for the compliments to pour in.

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