The Vintage Pearl

I remember the day I got my favorite piece.
It held so much joy and pain all at the same time. 4 and a half years ago my husband and I lost our youngest daughter. It was so hard on our family…I can’t put into words how much we miss her. When I first started working at The Vintage Pearl I saw our men’s leather cuffs and like everyone else immediately fell in love with them. I knew right then I would have to buy one for my husband with Gabby’s name and our oldest daughter Bella’s name on it. It was absolutely perfect for him. It said everything so simply and he loved it. The only problem is just having the girls names on my necklace wasn’t enough. It took me about 6 months before I decided on the piece I call my favorite. I went to our design manager with my idea and asked her what she thought and to my surprise she had it stamped and made before I could even think twice. I’m so thankful because it’s perfect…

My secret message heart stamped with “I’ll hold you in my heart until I can hold you in my arms” is by far the most beautiful piece of jewelry I have. I often joke with my friends that if I ever lost this charm it would be like losing my wedding ring. I feel like I hold Gabby close to my heart every time I wear it. It’s so much more than a simple charm. It’s a part of me and my love for my princess angel in heaven. I’m so excited to see her again one day…but for now I’ll hold her in my heart.

What’s your favorite piece?

Ryan and I are waking up in Dallas this morning,
we have a few business to-do’s,
but it’s also a chance for some much needed “us” time.
It can be hard for us (with 4 kids) to focus on each other sometimes,
it’s nice to get to finish our thoughts and totally listen to each other
with any interruptions,
even if it’s just for a couple of days!
Ryan booked us in a beautiful hotel,
it’s very unique and fun!
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This past Saturday all 4 kids played in a big 3v3 soccer tournament in Tulsa-
it was a BUSY day but oh-so-fun!

All together we had 16 games-
Tessa and Eden’s teams both came in second,
Jonah’s team came in third,
and Caleb’s team had fun!

School is out,
summertime is here (YAY!)
and we are so excited about our new pieces
inspired by summer!

These are just a few of our favorites-
I think many of them are sure to become
summertime staples!

Which piece is your favorite?

Shop our entire new summer collection here.

Many of you have asked and yes,
we have decided to continue selling the love for Oklahoma charm necklaces…

50% of each necklace goes to help the tornado victims of Moore
and also the most recent F5 tornado victims in El Reno, OKC and surrounding areas.
We are so thankful for all of your support,
because of your generosity we have already given the Oklahoma Red Cross checks totaling $198,000,
which is AMAZING!
I love that the orders have come in from all over the country,
from Hawaii to New York,
not just Oklahomans,
to show their support for our state!
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I have to brag on our team-
(I know it’s not nice to brag, but I gotta!)
we had many of our team members come to us and volunteer their time to help make these necklaces-
they are coming in early and/or staying late, past their normal shifts to get them done–
aren’t they awesome?
Totally unexpected and not necessary, but so appreciated,
and I love having a team with such big hearts!
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Shop for one here.

Last week the kids were on their first week of summer break (yay!)
and we decided to celebrate by visiting the Diamond mine in Arkansas and search for diamonds,
something we have wanted to do for a couple of years.
There’s a lake not too far away from the Diamond mine
so we rented a cute little cabin near the water
and rented a boat for the day…

The weather was perfect and thankfully the water wasn’t freezing.




We did a lot of tubing and then we tried water skiing-
I couldn’t get up on the skis (so frustrating!)
but Ryan and Caleb did…
(and so it starts, my 12 year old can do things I can’t!)

We went to the local diner for lunch and Jonah thinks he found the longest french fry ever!

Jonah also wants to grow out his hair this summer,
it could be interesting to see at the end of the summer if he sticks with it!

Saturday we headed to the Diamond Mine…

it was raining but we heard that was the best time to find diamonds,
there have been thousands of diamonds found there,
one was worth $60,000!
So we threw on rain ponchos and dug for treasure…

and we found some rocks!

Unfortunately they are just quartz,
maybe next time!

Caleb’s baseball team played in the Jenks tournament last weekend
and they made it to the semi-finals.
We were playing hard… (Caleb is catcher)

but the other team was playing better and we were down 3-8.
I admit I had started to think we weren’t going to win…
but then our team started to rally back,
run by run…
and the next thing we knew we were only down by ONE run!

The score is 7-8, 2 outs, bases loaded,
and Caleb is up to bat!
The other team calls a time-out so they can put in their starting pitcher.
The pitcher gets warmed up and then Caleb steps up.
The first pitch is a strike.
The second pitch Caleb smacks it way out to right field!!!

The first run comes in to tie…

and then the second run comes in to win the game!

and the celebrating begins!

The ump called ballgame and the boys ran over to celebrate with Caleb…

Such a fun and exciting moment we’ll never forget,
great game boys!
The final championship game is tonight,
let’s go Eagles!

Hello friends– after many emails, phone calls and in store requests/demands for
the “love for Oklahoma” charm necklace
we will continue to offer them through this Sunday or while supplies last,
and donate 50% of each ($24) to the Oklahoma Red Cross to aid the Moore tornado relief.
If you ordered before noon today then your necklace will still donate 100%,
and after noon today your purchase will donate 50%.
We are working quickly and with great care to get each one made!

Each one is hand-sculpted, filed, fired, sanded, hammered, brushed, soldered, oxidized,
hole punched and polished,
then hung on a sterling chain with our signature freshwater pearl!

We are so blessed by your response
and how much you all want to help.
Thanks again for your support,
we could not have done this without all of you!

All of us at The Vintage Pearl are so sincerely OVERWHELMED by the response
of our “Love for Oklahoma” charm necklace.
Because of the generosity of thousands across America and due to the hard work of our team,
The Vintage Pearl has raised over $100,000 for the tornado relief in Oklahoma.
This is AMAZING for our little company, we are so humbled by all of your support!

Yesterday Ryan and Eden delivered a check to the Oklahoma Red Cross for $111,000
designated for OKC/Moore tornado relief in which 100% of our check goes towards,
with another check for the remaining necklaces sold next week.

We anticipated selling a few hundred pieces and ended up selling several thousand!
Due to the enormous and surprising response,
we have completely sold out of the “Love for Oklahoma” piece,
both online and in stores.

We thank you so much for your giving hearts
and please keep those in Oklahoma affected by the tornado in your prayers.

Our hearts are broken for what happened in our home state,
as we were glued to the televisions to make sure the storm wasn’t coming to Tulsa
(tornadoes have a trend of coming up the Turner Turnpike from OKC to Tulsa)
we saw the destruction the tornado left in it’s path in our neighboring city of Moore.
Schools, hospitals and homes have been completely demolished,
loved ones are missing, some have died (including children),
and many people will be starting completely over.
I have heard newscasters say this may be the worst tornado our country has every seen!

I have to say that I am SO proud to live in a state where EVERYONE wants to jump in and help.
My facebook feed is full of people wanting to know when and where to donate,
how can they get more needed resources in
and ready to jump in the car to drive down and help sift through rubble.
Our church is already there with semi trucks full of water, gatorade, food, toilet paper and other needed items.
My brother works for the state of transportation and has been vigorously clearing off the roads and highways so emergency vehicles can get through,
and keeping everyone else out so it’s not chaotic-
he has sent me pictures and it’s simply heartbreaking to see.

We want to help.
This morning, first on our agenda was what can we do to help?
And here’s what we came up with:

These bronze “Love for Oklahoma” charm necklaces have a sterling silver heart placed over Moore and are hung on a sterling chain with a freshwater pearl.
100% of each necklace sold (so $48) will be donated to the American Red Cross to help aid in their relief efforts.
Please help us spread the word to get these necklaces sold,
we pray they will be a sweet tribute and a great reminder of what happened on May 20, 2013.

I’m super excited about our new handstamped sweetheart jewelry boxes!
They are something that we have worked on for a long time,
and I’m so glad they are finally ready!

We hand sculpted both the heart shaped box and lid, and then cast them in fine pewter. This handstamped jewelry box looks beautiful on your bedside table, ready to hold your favorite tvp pieces and keeps them safely stored when you’re not wearing them.

This jewelry box makes a sweet gift for mom, grandma, a new bride, a teacher or a graduate and more!

They are on sale today only- shop for them here!
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Congrats to Ashley Williamson, our Facebook friend that won a sweetheart jewelry box! (pictured above)
Please mail us your address, Ashley.

Last fall we built a chicken coop and bought some chickens,
and haven’t purchased eggs since,
these ladies keep us well stocked with up to a dozen a day!

We have a black bantam chicken that has the cutest little feathered feet
and we named her Ethel.
Ethel began brooding, meaning that she would nest on her eggs and wouldn’t let us take them,
she would actually growl at us when we tried to get them.
Our friend Matt advised us that she will continue that until she has babies,
but since we don’t have a rooster, babies were not in her near future.
Last night Matt brought over 4 freshly hatched baby chicks (they are 3 days old!)
and we replaced her eggs with them–
she has become a great mother hen and has taken well to her new little babies!

Aren’t they so cute?
They even have feathered feet like Ethel!

The others aren’t so sure about them yet…

Happy Mother’s Day, Ethel!