Is it difficult to buy jewellery online?

Many people say that to me when I tell them about JAM Gallery.

However, it can't be that difficult as there are some very successful online jewellers out there. I think it is a matter of the level of confidence that the purchaser has in the site they are buying from.

Also, when you speak to people who regularly buy online, they have a different attitude to their purchasing. Savvy online shoppers do not think twice about buying 3 or 4 items from one store, then trying them on at home to decide which one (or two) they will keep. Yes, they have to go to the post office to return them but when you consider the convenience of being able to try them on at home with outfits you already have AND ask your friends/boyfriend if they like them, it is time well-spent.

It means that you have an original piece of jewellery that very few people have access to without having to treck over to a different part of town (or a different city) to pick it up.

Think about it and while you are doing that, go to www.jamgallery.co.uk to find some beautiful jewellery worthy of all this effort!

Giving up wine is bad for you.

It happens every January - my husband gives up drinking and insists that I join him. I gave up drinking while pregnant (3 times), I say. I don't need to give up drinking. But he still says 'having a glass of wine, are you?' when I have a glass of wine and makes me feel guilty.

I wouldn't mind giving up drinking if it made me feel good but actually I feel dreadful. Since 1st January, I have had a cold, a cough, a migraine and almost daily sense of missing out that comes around at 6pm. Nothing that a good glass of wine couldn't cure.

Don't misunderstand me, I don't drink a lot - it's just a little treat that I award myself a couple of times a week and at the weekends. A glass of something delicious at the end of the day. Like Prosecco... Sauvignon Blanc... or Beaujolais Villages.

I think I have just given up giving up drinking!

You can count on jewellery...

So Christmas has come and gone and all we have to show for it is an expanded waistline. I ask myself every January - Why do I let myself go so much and allow excess to become the norm instead of the exception?

Oh well, the sales are on and even though none of my trousers fit anymore, there is always jewellery. It doesn't matter how big your bum is, nice jewellery still looks nice! And the same goes for shoes and handbags.

I always think that this is the main reason why women are so weak when it comes to these things. No matter what kind of a day you are having, a beautiful piece of jewellery will always look appealing and will make you feel good about yourself.

Jewellery is linked to self-esteem and therefore is compulsory. Enjoy some with our blessing at the jamgallery.co.uk 20% off sale.

How much shopping have you done and do you feel calm and organised?

So we have less than 2 weeks to go till the big day and the pressure is starting to build. Early on in the month, it's great as there is a wonderful feeling of anticipation and excitement about putting up the decorations, making lists of things to organise and people to see. There is also the small matter of Christmas presents.

Every year, I start off feeling excited about having an excuse to spoil everyone I know. I see things in the shops and think 'that will be prefect for ...'. As the month progresses, however, I forget what I saw and who I need to buy for. It all becomes less enjoyable and more of a chore.

There are some who start planning Christmas in January. They are the smug ones who have completed their gift-buying by October and their wrapping by 1st December. They are clever as they spread the cost too.

I am not one of those. If I started that early, I would surely misplace most of the things or forget that I bought something and buy two. I bought a game for my son at the end of November and spent most of this weekend searching the house for it to no avail. I know it will turn up eventually - probably around March!

Anyway, Christmas will come and go. We will all have a lovely time with our families and it won't really matter who gets what or if I forgot someone. The embarrassment of someone arriving at my house with a present when I haven't got one for them only lasts a few days...!

So, I'm off to check my shopping list and my memory for who I forgot last year. Enjoy the shopping - 'tis but once a year that we can buy, buy, buy!

Well, suddenly everyone is thinking about Christmas.

I think that's because all our children and grandchildren have started reahearsing their Christmas plays and we have to work out how to dress them as sheep or in my case, Saxon Farmers. Nothing that a pair of tights and some earthy-coloured fabric can't fix.

The shops are busy which is great news as things for everyone have been slow for a while. People who love shopping are grateful to have an excuse to shop again!

They switched on the Christmas Lights in Richmond on Friday and it was so crisp and cold. Just like I imagine Victorian Christmases used to be. We were all huddled round the local Richmond Hill butchers barbecue waiting for lovely warm sausages and listening to the school choir sing carols. Oh nostalgia!

In the JAM Gallery shop, we are preparing for Arundel by Candlelight on 11th. That's when the town lights are switched on and we serve sparkling wine in the shop from 2 til 7pm. The whole town gets involved and its another lovely Christmas thing for us to take part in.

Bring it on! It's the most wonderful time of the year, of course.

Pre-launch angst

So excited about our new site being launched tomorrow but obviously quite stressed too. There is just so much to do!

I am planning a little launch party at my house tomorrow so not only is there jewellery to organise but also wine, nibbles and how to display everything.

I hope we have lots of guests. So excited to show off our lovely new stock which is quite different from our usual style. That is what is so exciting about working with Jackie our MD and buyer - she won't just get the same old stuff because it sells well (and it does, trust me!) because she loves new and different things and bringing unique individual jewellery to the market is what she loves to do.

That's why her shop does so well and why the site is going to be great too.

There we go, I have made myself feel much better by chatting out loud to you all... Thank you!

I'll update you on how the party went on Friday. Don't forget to check out www.jamgallery.co.uk

Vintage dreams

We have just been discussing making some of our own vintage necklaces and bracelets.

It would be a very exciting new departure for us as usually we only make semi-precious and silver items but we absolutely LOVE the new vintage trend and would like to try our hand at it.

Jean who makes the jewellery is up for it and Jackie our buyer and MD is going to source the raw materials so watch this space.

Lots of lovely photos will follow!