Its not just jeans you should buy two of...

The most tragic thing happened to me this afternoon - a chain broke. 

I've got this long silver neckass I brought in Cario, a really pretty, indvividual link patterned Egyptian silver chain and Kartouche, an ancient Egyptian nameplate saying, well my name. On the same chain I have a little Athenian owl, the symbol of the goddess Athena and the symbol of wisdom I brought on a tiny Greek island I have been to several times and I'll never remember the name of last October, and a little greek column of the ionic order of architecture I brought at Olympia the day after I brought the owl, representing this capitol I took a photo of at the ancient site of Olympia when I was ten years old. It was my first time is Greece when i took that photo, and it was that photo that made me become a photographer. I've hardly taken this chain off in fiver years since my Daddy brought it for me in Egypt. (This tells you a) how much I love my Daddy & b) I'm obsessed with ancient cultures and the fact I know this much about ancient architecture is an indicator that I study classics!) 

Well the chain broke today... snapped. Clean in half. Can't be repaired. I was gutted. Thankfully I didn't lose any of the charms but I couldn't wear it anymore! 

First moment I could I went out to all the silver shops I knew but I couldn't find one the same length the same. I ended up getting one as it felt all weird  only having my gold locket round my neck and not my silver charms. I tried putting the charms on the same chain as the locket but it still felt odd - and I don't like mixing gold and silver... 

I don't like my new chain though. Its not as pretty and individual as my egyptian one - its not individual. Its shiny too... I never took it of in water or even swimming pools (until I discovered that is you swim in a chlorine pool then get  into a bromine hot tub silver turns as black as night and its a hell to clean up shiny again). So my charms are this lovely dark but shiny silver with black in the detailed bits, like my old chain was in the swirls  -  the new ones all light and shiny and it will take ages to get it nice! And there's o detail so it will never have the black bits... 

And the moral of this story is? 

To add insult to injury I had to pay over 4 times the price of the original chain for the new one. Silver isn't exactly expensive (the chain cost £14) but I always buy my silver jewelry in Greece of Egypt where its dirt cheap and you get prettier, more individual less commercial pieces. Also sometimes when you replacing something you find something nicer. (my greek eternity bracelet for example - my little cousin tore it of my wrist (it hurt!) and I found a better replacement - a gorgeous silver eternity bangle on my next visit to Greece) 

The replacement cost £14, and the original in a jewelers at a Cairo bazaar right next to the pyramids, in a better design and a better grade of Egyptian silver... it cost me £3. Moral of the story is if you find that good a bargain buy two. Oh how I wish I'd grabbed two of those chains... Ladies... its not just the perfect pair of jeans you should buy two of...