Favorite site: Ruby Lane

As much as people like to tout 'vintage' (especially in this economy), I have not wholly bought into it. There are a few upscale resale/consignment shops I like here in NYC (that's for a future post), but overall I find Salvation Army and Goodwill shops pretty gross.

This brings me to my semi-problem, which is my growing obsession with YSL costume jewelry (like this, which I've been stalking for months now). Online, it seems you can only order from YSL.com and Saks. However, experience has taught me that waiting for a sale leaves you with nothing. All the good stuff mysteriously disappears-- where the f does it go!??!

Since I have other needs more pressing than buying YSL jewelry, I went hunting for sales (of course) and stumbled upon RubyLane.com. In all honesty, I have not done a lot of exploring on the site-- I pretty much spent the entire 2 hours browsing the Vintage and Antique jewelry. This site is a treasure trove of fun things at very reasonable prices. I ended up getting this, and I'm really excited!

You can find Mikimoto brooches and strands, and if you like clip-on earrings, some nice pairs of Chanel, YSL, and Dior. Be careful and read each item description thoroughly, though. I saw some vendors 'mistakenly' misspell "channel-set" and it ends up looking like "Chanel set". Or you'll look for brands like Cartier or VCA and get results from a jeweler who once apprenticed or worked there. But there are great bargains in addition to real antique jewelry from Kenneth Lane or Jay Strongwater.