There’s a lot of bad sparkly stuff in the world at this time of year, and it can really wear on a girl. All of the wreathes and the holiday hullabaloo are covered in a thick later of disorganized, not to mention highly adhesive glitter and its looming presence is threatening to make me wary of all things sparkly. I suppose I’m extremely particular about my sparkle preferences because, while I like sequins and refracted light, I hate glitter with the fire of a thousand suns.

As Demetri Martin and anyone else who has ever owned a glue gun says, “it’s the herpes of the craft world“, and once it’s on you – it’s on you.

This is one of the many reasons I need to beef up my jewelry collection. Some of the sparkliest things I’ve ever seen were in jewelry form, and while ‘m not interested in diamonds or anything over $50 (let’s be honest), I am definitely interested in more affordable, equally interesting pieces from places like Gemleys.

Gemleys Lilac Fun Fair Ring

The Fun Fair Ring in Lilac, $22.65

Gemleys is all about gemstones, so everything they’ve got is either sparkly, shiny, or some combination of the two. That’s my kind of place.

The little disco ball above is now on my wishlist. I love how simple but exciting the design is, and the lilac color is really subtle and interesting. It’s just minimalist enough for me to justify wearing it with anything.

Gemleys Butterscotch Petal Golden BIrd Necklace

Butterscotch Petal & Golden Bird Necklace, $29.12

If you’re more of a put a bird on it type, they have a few of these styles in stock with different gemstones and slightly different designs. I like the fact that the bird is a bit understated – it makes me feel like you’d look less like a first grade teacher while wearing it. (Not that there’s anything wrong with first grade teachers, I’m just not looking at them for style advice, know what I mean?)

(That being said, this would be the perfect gift for any first grade teachers you might have in your life.)

Check out the rest of Gemleys sparkly bits!

Probably watching Netflix.