My First Tommy Bahama Necklace Purchase and Review

I have walked into the Tommy Bahama store in Crabtree Valley Mall for years wishing I could afford their beautiful beach themed jewelry. Usually it is very much out of my bargain budget of how much I will pay for costume jewelry. The prices can range from $50.00 and up.

In January, I was on a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC and I stopped into the Tangers Outlet that has a Tommy Bahama Outlet store. The outlet store was having a 50% off sale Wow! I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Interesting fact about the regular Tommy Bahama stores: They do NOT do markdowns.


This amazing bib style necklace is a statement piece composed of very shiny gold tone and rhinestone sprinkled sea life pendants. The pendants in the shapes of pieces of coral, shells, round shapes with the imprint of sand (?) and other random faux pearls and plastic beads.

It is a little over 18 inches long stretched out. The center pendant (the shell) is an inch long. The extender is 3 inches long with a crystal bead at the end.  Near the lobster clasp is a tiny tag with the initials TB.

This is a back view of the necklace with the clear faceted plastic bead. Side note: My necklace stand is not covered in lint. It is actually the sun reflecting off the velvet cloth on the stand. So annoying. LOL!

I really love this necklace. I will get a LOT of wear out of it. The quality of the piece is impressive. I don't think the gold tone will faint or turn. The rhinestones have a lot of sparkle and are attached very securely. The pendants have a lot of detail and dimension.

A couple of  close up views of the pendants. It is gorgeous! Definitely a standout piece in my collection.

There are only two downsides to the necklace: it is slightly heavy on the neck after wearing it for a while and the pendant do jingle jangle a bit when you move around.  While this is not very annoying, it is a lesson learned from here out to shake a necklace to hear if it will be noisy and feel how comfortable the weight will be around the neck.

I could not believe I was finally able to buy something from this expensive "resort wear and beach home lifestyle" store. This necklace was in an end of the season markdown at a Tommy Bahama outlet store. You might not find this exact piece but I have a link to the store's website at the beginning of this post.

There is no way I would pay $68.00 for a piece of costume jewelry. I was lucky to get this 50% off plus tax. Yes I think the necklace is worth the sale piece. I love the quality and the design of Tommy Bahama jewelry but I am can find similar pieces Versona.  Tommy Bahama is a bit better quality, designs and materials but the price is not what I am willing to pay.

I love it when I get jewelry bags with the purchase of jewelry. Anything that will help me keep my vast jewelry collection organized is appreciated. It was just a thin cloth drawstring bag.

Finally this is a back view of the necklace. It has a nice good quality gold tone finish.

My inner mermaid was definitely drawn to this beach themed jewelry. I am inspired to see if I could make a necklace like this from pieces I can gather from the beach and craft stores.

I have not only a beautiful statement necklace, I have a source of inspiration.


Please let me know what you think of this necklace.

thomasinawords@gmail.com

@ThomasinaWords - Twitter


 Thank you so much for reading my post.


Thomasina

Necklace Of The Day - Pale Turquoise Flowers

Pale turquoise plastic bead three pendant necklace with rhinestone accents and on a goldtone chain. Lobster claw closure.

I often find the best marked down prices on costume jewelry at Rue 21. This statement piece was only $2.00. Love this!  I could not make this necklace myself for $2.00. The materials alone would be a lot more than $2.00.

Nicely designed piece with a good weigh to it. The color reminds of the color palettes from the 1960s.

Thank you for reading!

Thomasina

DIY Necklace Display - Basket Weave Placemat

I am using this basket weave wall hanging "thingie" to hang my many necklaces on. Yes, I looks a bit crazy. Yes, I have a LOT of necklaces from Rue 21 (their $2.00 sale on necklaces is the Best). 

But believe it or not, my necklaces are on display, organized and they do not become tangled.

Since I can see the different pieces, I don't forget what I have. 

This DIY is just repurposing something I already had. The loops and spaces in the basket weave are perfect for attaching the jewelry display cards.

My dream is to have glass cases like at a store to display my costume jewelry. Until then, whenever I see something I can hook onto, drape across, etc. I will repurpose that item into a DIY jewelry display. 

Comment down below if you have any more inexpensive or free jewelry display ideas.

Thank you for reading my blogpost! 

Thomasina

If you have questions or comments, you can also email me at Thomasinawords@gmail.com

Hollister Antique Metal Blue Ribbon Necklace

A close up of the Hollister necklace I purchased recently on a super clearance deal:  50% off the markdown prices of $4.99 - $2.49!!! The regular price was $34.95. I love finding deals like this on the clearance racks.

Strange thing - I was looking through the bin on the bottom shelf of the clearance section and the marked down necklaces were "hidden" underneath a pile of underwear. Lesson: Always take the time to dig through the piles in the sales section.

Of course I had to buy two necklaces (and the matching bracelet) LOL! I think it is because I am a Gemini why I always feel the need to buy two of almost everything.

I would describe the necklace as antiqued bronze metal, rhinestones, and  two colors of blue ribbon/threads weaving in and out of the metal chain links.

OK let me explain whay I bought two necklaces. Besides the amazingly low price, I will alter one necklace and as a result I will have two similar but different necklaces. The two necklaces can be worn separately or stacked for an even more strong statement necklace style.

I'm excited to start wearing this necklace with my knit or sweater tops.

Here is a past blog post I wore about a gold chain necklace that also had a lot of tiers in it's design.

Thank you for reading!

Tommy Bahama Necklace - A Mermaid Would Love This

 I was browsing in the Tommy Bahama store in Crabtree Valley Mall, I took a quick snap of this stunning sea life theme necklace. Any stylish mermaid would definitely love this piece as a part of her accessory collection. It is definitely a big statement necklace.

 The colors are so perfect: smooth blue for sea water and textured gold for the sparkle of the sun on the waves. I searched the store's website and unfortunately necklace wasn't available anymore.

Inexpensive this necklace is definitely not. I believe the price was over $100.00 (just glanced at the tag and I did get sticker shock LOL!) and if I understood the sales associate correctly Tommy Bahama does not mark down their merchandise??

There is an Tommy Bahama outlet in Tanger Outlet store in Myrtle Beach, SC and the prices were much more reasonable. The outlet store had a 30% off sale going on recently.

Since there is no way I am going to pay that huge amount for costume jewelry, I took a picture so I could gather all the elements of the necklace and make it myself. I'm pretty confident I will be able to easily find the sea life pieces when I visit the shops down at the beach. The basic gold chain and the beads are most craft stores.

This is not difficult necklace to make if you have all the parts because all you are doing is just attaching the "charms" to a gold chain with jump rings.

I love when I get inspired by an expensive item in a store, study the different pieces it is composed of then construct my own version using what I have at home or inexpensive items.

Let me know if you decide to make a necklace similar to this.

Thanks for reading!

Necklace Of The Day - Daisy Chain Choker

Gold tone metal Daisy motif choker necklace

A necklace that gets better with age is always a great addition to my jewelry collection. 

I bought two of these necklaces from Limited Express or The Limited several years ago for a very good sale price of a few dollars. It is a dark toned gold tone necklace made of a slightly heavy metal. Over the years the color has become more burnished. The daisy flowers are very detailed and intricately molded.

 The short length of this necklace resulted in deciding to connect the two necklaces together to make it a longer and easier to wear piece. It's a very simple classic design. Because of the flower design it can be worn in warmer months but it's darker hue makes it nice accent necklace for a crew neck lightweight sweater.

The only downside to wearing the necklace is at a certain point in the day, I start feeling the weight of the metal around my neck. But overall I do prefer to purchase costume jewelry that has a bit of heft to it for a better quality of materials.

Another necklace of the day post is here.
 

Thanks for reading!

Necklace of the day - Purple Glass Pendant With Silver Chain

As I was downloading these pictures of this necklace, I had a thought, this looks similar to the necklace Anya the vengeance demon on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Loved that show! Anya was one of my favorite characters with her no filter no tact hilarious way of speaking the obvious.

I have no idea where I got this piece. Glass is one of my favorite materials for jewelry. I love the way it catches the light. It is also very versatile - color, texture and it is very inexpensive.

Best thing about this necklace is that it is easily in the category of "just throw it on and go". Not every necklace is like this. Some require a little or a lot of thought. How heavy is this necklace? Will it start to bug me and get in the way during a very busy day? Is this necklace to big or too dressy to go with this or that outfit.

This simple pale purple glass pendant necklace is one of my favorite costume jewelry pieces when I want to add a little bit of color and shine to almost any outfit.

Thanks for reading!

Neckace Of The Day - Silver Flower Pendant

I do love pendant necklaces. I have quite a few of them with all different types and sizes of pendants. When any piece of jewelry breaks and cannot be repaired the next I do is to see if the pieces can be hung on a chain or a cord to become a "new" pendant necklace. Recycle and reuse then you always have your own unique DIY accessories.

This silvertone openwork flower pendant necklace reminds me of jewelry from the seventies. I wouldn't wear the clothes from that time but I do like some of the jewelry. I think this silver chain necklace would probably have been worn with a dark brown or mustard colored ribbed turtle neck sweater and hip hugger flared jeans.

This necklace is a lot easy to accessorize than the pendant necklace I blogged about yesterday. As with all of my larger size pendant necklaces, I keep my choice of outfits just solid colors and a streamlined silhouette.

The tassel as the bottom on the silvertone disc is a nice detail that adds a bit of extra movement and sparkle when I wear the necklace. Lesson learned. When I buy another vintage pendant necklace, I will be careful about noticing the actual size of the pendant. I will definitely try it on and look in a mirror to see if I can get a lot of wear out of the piece.

Do you have any pendant necklaces? How do you style them?

Thanks for reading!

Easy DIY Framed Mirror Necklace Holder

Easy to make!

 All you need is a mirror with a frame or border that is soft enough to insert push pins. Insert your push pins in the frame and your done. A quick and easy DIY necklace holder for your necklaces.

You will have your necklaces on display and you will have a convenient mirror to see how they look as you try them on.

Do you think you will make this DIY project?

Thanks for reading!

Necklace of The Day - Gold Chains Go With Everything

I LOVE wearing this necklace. I got it at the Salvation Army or a Flea market. It probably only costed a few dollars.   The best thing about these bold statement pieces is they can instantly dress up any top. My signature look is to wear one of my signature necklaces with a regular T-shirt.

 It can be worn anywhere with anything. As a statement necklace this piece adds a lot of bright shiny impact to any outfit. The gold tone is in a couple of different tones and textures. There are also alternating gold and iridescent crystal beads.Any necklace I can instantly thrown on and get on with the rest of my busy day will become a favorite.
 
Vintage costume jewelry like this is first place on my search list whenever I go thrifting. I have seen similar pieces in shops recently but of course they do not have the weight in the materials or workmanship. When I buy things I expect them to last. I am definitely not a disposal clothing or accessories type of person. Buying things that will not hold up in the was or will quickly tarnish - not my style and a waste of money.

Two wishes I have for this multi chain vintage necklace: I can find another similar and I can find one that I could take apart and wear the chains as separate necklaces. I hope my gold chains choker statement necklace dream will come true soon.

Do you have a gold necklace similar to this piece?

Thank you for reading

Necklace of the Day - Turquoise, Silver and Rhinestone Choker

This vintage dainty necklace is puts me in the mind of a bright warm breeze spring day. It looks like the previous owner really loved this flowery piece. Slightly wounded pieces never stop me from wearing them. I love the history and character of vintage jewelry.

This is a very feminine necklace that will compliment any tank top or flirty spring dress. It is just the right length as a choker and sits beautifully on the neck. I really wish I had matching earrings, pin and bracelet for this piece. Research is in order. Maybe there is more to this necklace than I imagined.

Thanks for reading!

Necklace of the Day - Red Bead with Silver Flat Beads

This is another red colored beaded necklace in my collection. This color can be described as a cranberry. A dark rich warm color. I like wearing this piece in the winter with a black sweater. For spring, any pastel colored tank would compliment this color.

I like the graduated sized beads. Usually I prefer my beads to be small to medium sized. One of the best things about these vintage necklaces is that you can just throw it on and go. It was a statement necklace before there was the term "statement" necklace.

Here is another red necklace I've written about in another post. Link

Thanks for reading!

Necklace of the Day -Yellow Popcorn Satin Bead Vintage Necklace

The earrings were a simple DIY of just winding thin gold wire through the beads and attach a french hook.

I DIYed this bracelet. I just restrung the beads when the necklace string broke.

Buttered popcorn is what this necklace reminded me of. The beads are a sweet pale yellow and light as air. I have no idea what they are made of but they have a shiny rich satin feel to them. This is definitely a springtime happy necklace. Wearing the entire set will set me apart from a lot of people because this really isn't done anymore. Being matchy matchy don't bother me.

I would love to find this type of necklace in many different pastel colors. I haven't seen any necklaces made from this type of bead material since finding this piece.

This accessory is vintage. So that means it's got a little age on it. With older necklaces the string will wear down and break eventually. I don't panic but take the opportunity to make lemonade out of "loose bead lemons". I just restring the beads as they were before or I make earrings and a bracelet.

Thanks for reading!

Necklace of the Day - Blue and White Rue 21

Turquoise and white Rue 21 necklace

Recently Rue 21 had an amazing accessory sale. This is one of the many necklaces I was lucky to purchase in a huge haul. I love this colors together. This piece says spring to me. Light airy and crisp. Perfect for a white button down shirt.

Thanks for reading:)

Blue Beaded Choker

Vintage Blue beaded choker Necklace

Blue is one of my favorite colors. So many choices of blue colors in this necklace. I love the beads with the square cut facets. One of the best things about wearing vintage jewelry is that you will definitely not see anyone else wearing your identical necklace.

Water is what this necklace reminds me of. The different depths of waves and ripples in water. Simple gold button earring or tiny gold studs  to wear with this piece.

Thanks for reading :)

Necklace of the Day Loved this one so much I brought two.

Pale pink droplets on a gold chain Rue 21

I bought two of these necklaces. They look so good on. To be inexpensive costume jewelry, they are very well made. There are several rows of pink plastic beads that hand in descending rows. I decided to get a second necklace as a back up for layering or if the first one breaks. When a necklacs break and cannot be fixed , this is an fantastic opportunity to make a pin, bracelets or earrings from the pieces.

Thanks for reading :)

Necklace and DIY Earrings of the Day Pale Blue Glass Beads

Vintage pal blue with white marbling necklace and DIY earrings

This necklace is one of my favorites because of the beautiful pale blue sky with white clouds colored glass beads. I love glass bead necklaces. I think glass beads are a lot better quality and color than plastic beads. Because the beads are heavy, I can feel the weight of this piece when I wear it. A sparkle of light reflection is another attribute of glass beads.

This necklace is vintage. The bad thing about vintage necklaces is the string that is holds the beads can deteriorate over time. One day, the string broke. I was able to not loose any of these precious beads so that was a good thing. I restrung the necklace and decided I can make a pair of matching earrings. It was a simple matter of winding gold wire around and through the beads and attaching a french wire. Instant necklace set.

Thanks for reading :)

Necklace of the day 3-20-14

Green Beaded Necklace

The beads on this vintage necklace are usually the biggest size I will wear. There are a lot of different textures happening in this piece. Shiny, gold, cravings and even a suede covered bead.  I wear very simple gold filgree or openwork earrings with this necklace.

I love watching movies from the 50's and 60's to get inspiration on how to style these types of accessories.

Thanks for reading!

Necklace of the Day - Red and Dark Red Beads

Red beaded necklace

This necklace reminds me of cherries. It is two colors of red light and dark. I love wearing this with a white or black top and gold earrings.

Necklace of the Day - Indian Necklace Set

Indian necklace, earrings, and head ornament. I DIY the earrings in the upper left hand corner. I took apart part of the head ornament.

This necklace set is one of my most expensive pieces. I was at an Indian cultural festival and fell in love with it. I have always been fascinated with Indian jewelry. It is so colorful, intricate and ornate.

The bell shaped earrings are hard to wear because they are heavy and oversized. As a result I DIYed myself a smaller easier to wear pair of earrings. I hope to be able to buy a lot more Indian jewelry in the future. The hand flowers are one of my favorite types of Indian jewelry.

Thanks for reading