I am really picky about jewelry. A piece isn't beautiful to me unless there is a compelling story behind it.

Otherwise, it's just more useless, meaningless stuff.

Right now, I currently have a crush on two types of charms that both have a great narrative: fobs and intaglios.

Fobs (pictured below) became popular in Victorian England when pocket watches were all the rage. Often made of pinched gold, they acted as weights to keep the chain tangle-free and usually featured the family seal of the watch owner on the bottom (which came in handy back then, since that dapper generation still sealed letters with wax).

 Courtesy of limogebox.com

I love the idea of wearing a fob as a necklace for two reasons. First, the idea of wearing a seal is great. It's like a little mini work of art right there on the bottom of the charm. So cool. Second, wearing a fob as a necklace is a great way to feminize an otherwise masculine accessory. I like the allure of that contrast. You know, like when a woman wears a menswear-inspired trench coat? Um, exactly.

Okay, so now onto intaglios. An intaglio is the opposite of a cameo. It's carved INTO a stone, while a cameo is more of a raised carving. Intaglio also refers to a form of printing (on paper or on wax), a process that's been around since ancient Rome. Back then, intaglios were thought to bring good luck. They often featured pastoral or military scenes and were also worn as jewelry. In Victorian England, intaglios often displayed silhouettes. The bracelet below is a modern reproduction that includes both intaglios and cameos. All you need with it is a white T-shirt and jeans. Done.

Courtesy of extasia.com

Some intaglios are too pretty to wear and work better as art (below, courtesy of 1stdibs.com)

Imagine about ten of those framed over a little settee in an entryway. Amazing!!