A Winter Wonderland

Christmas on Marco Island is such a strange phenomenon. I’ve celebrated it on the beach, under a chickee hut, sweating bullets at 90 degrees. It’s a stark contrast to Christmases past in Massachusetts, that’s for sure! Our island weather can be unpredictable but one thing is for sure, there’s no chance for snow! Christmas in retail can be exhausting. When I was young, my poor father would arrive to the Christmas Eve festivities at 9:00 PM and promptly fall asleep on the couch next to the tree, worn out from making everyone else’s Christmas wishes come true. Fast forward 35 years later and now it’s me exhausted on Christmas Eve! How things change!

Retail during Christmas is a whole other animal. It puts a distinctive, stressful spin on all things merry. What you may not realize when you walk into our store this December is how long we have been preparing for this holiday. When we return after our break in September, the thing on all of our minds is Christmas preparations. In fact, I procured our Christmas decorations in August at Hobby Lobby. As soon as we reopen our doors, a steady stream of our longtime vendors visit us and showcase all of their beautiful things. We spend hours examining thousands of jewelry designs, contemplating what’s hot and what’s not. It sounds fun, but it can become overwhelming. We try to focus on the most popular and in-demand styles with an eclectic mix of unusual and original designs. We select loose stones in aquamarine and emerald and sapphire to custom design the pieces we think you will love.

Our most recent design, The Marco Island Pendant, was born during this time. It was a fun collaborative project between me and my dad. He wanted a Marco map pendant and entrusted me with the final design. I selected the colors to offer and spent many weeks contemplating the perfect phrase for the engraving on the back. I finally settled on “Marco Island is My Happy Place.” This has a very personal meaning to me as well. After living for 20 years in Naples and going through a divorce, I returned to Marco Island as a resident and I truly have never been happier. It has proven to be a popular choice and I quickly made a new order so as not to run out. In fact, the only problem people seem to be having is picking their favorite color! The ocean blue seems to be slightly outselling the seafoam green but just barely.

As always, our sea life jewelry is a no-brainer gift for Marco Island ladies. Turtles, crabs, dolphins, seahorses, sand dollars, palm trees, and starfish are plentiful. An 18-inch chain is standard for most ladies, but if you get it wrong it can be quickly and easily remedied with a simple chain swap. Earrings are also another easy gift. No matter how many sweet treats we eat, our earrings always fit! The lab diamond studs have proven to be a solid choice. Last year, the total weight of four carats was the choice of all; this year seems to be the three-carat total weight. Trends can be funny and predicting them is a toss-up. When I see a new item being asked for more than a day or two in a row, I scramble to add it to my inventory. Crosses have had a moment and I have a plentiful selection to suit any taste, big or small!

Our Larimar pendants are always a hot item; the ocean blue color reminds people of Marco Island’s blue skies and beautiful Gulf waters. They’re set in gleaming sterling silver. It makes a great gift item that won’t break the bank. If sea life isn’t your thing, we also offer the Larimar in modern settings, with a touch of sparkle added with cubic zirconia. Lafonn is also a very well-known sterling silver and cubic zirconia line. Their new flexible bangles have been a strong seller, with little clovers in mother-of-pearl or onyx. The flexi design makes them very comfortable to wear and easy to take on or off. Come in for yourself and view our amazing selection.

You also don’t want to miss the finished jewelry pieces set with lab diamonds. This year I went all in on finished lab diamond jewelry and have a huge selection to try on and build a stunning collection. You can also select a loose stone and we will build the custom jewelry design specifically for you. This has made a lot of ladies happy this year and I expect this trend to continue. When you choose a lab, you have a bit more money left in the budget to make the ring of your dreams. Trust me, ladies. Your husband is thrilled to hear that you are more than happy with a lab diamond. Big and beautiful on a budget is music to their ears. They want you to be happy most of all. Set up an appointment with me ahead of time and I will go over all the possibilities. These projects are the most fun for me. It’s a great opportunity to flex my creative muscles.

Well, there you have it. Hopefully, this will help some people come up with ideas for Christmas gifts. If you’re still lost, stop by and look around for inspiration. We are here to help, and my goal is to make you look good on Christmas Day. Remember, gentlemen. She may not recall the exact year you gave her jewelry for Christmas, but she will remember the year you gave her a vacuum!!! (In my father’s situation it was a microwave, but the result was the same.)

Thanks again, Marco Island. We are honored to be your chosen jeweler for these meaningful gifts. Hearing your stories about how special your gift of jewelry was to your loved one warms our hearts.