March Roundup

Meat, milestones, markets, mending, metal, and more. The alliteration was there and I just had to take it.

(01) Meat Up: KBBQ Edition

My friend Josh visited town from SF this past month and we did what we always do when we get together: we hosted a Meat Up. We started Meat Ups back when Josh used to live in NYC, and they consist of getting people together for a big themed meal — always with meat at the center.

Each Meat Up usually has a theme, and this time we decided to do Korean BBQ. We had a little grill set up at the dining table where people could cook up their own bulgogi and galbi, and a giant spread of banchan (small side dishes) for grazing. There were too many guests to sit comfortably at the table anyways, so the casual setup worked especially well for our purposes. I also personally love dinners that have a communal and collaborative element to them, like the pasta nights I sometimes do.

You don’t have to go as all out as Josh and I did — a skillet on a stovetop or outdoor grill would work just as well — and you can also pare back the number of elements. If I were to do this dinner again simplified for a smaller group, I would probably just do galbi (you can buy this pre-marinated at HMart) eaten as lettuce wraps with rice, romaine, pickled radish slices, and ssamjang. I’d also make this Grape Tomato ‘Quick Kimchi’ by Eric Kim, which is a delicious low-effort high-reward recipe that I plan to make all summer. If you haven’t heard of them already, his gochujang cookies are always a crowd pleaser for dessert, and admittedly were the first thing I ever made using gochujang.

Despite being half-Korean and half-Chinese, I don’t have a ton of experience cooking either cuisine. One of my goals this year, however, is to get more comfortable using Asian ingredients, so if you have any go-to recipes that are beginner friendly, please send them my way!

(02) Family Stones

Another special part of Josh’s visit to NYC was that I was also able to spend time with his wife Bridget and their baby son Max, who I first met when he was just twelve days old (the freshest baby I’ve ever met)! I was also excited to reunite them with their wedding bands — a custom set of 18k Side Set Rings — which I had previously taken back to do some work on…

Max was born in November, so to honor his birth and symbolize their growing family, Josh and Bridget had me add a citrine (his birthstone) and an additional diamond (both of their birthstones) to each of their rings. Now each Side Set Ring has three stones, one to represent each member of the family.

Josh and Bridget's wedding bands just before their wedding, and their rings now.

I decided to keep the marks and scratches their rings have collected since their wedding, as I think jewelry showing its wear is one of its most beautiful qualities. As you can see, they also had me leave an empty spot open for a fourth stone — saved for a future family addition. I love that the Side Set Rings can evolve with the wearer over time, and I can’t wait to see how Josh and Bridget’s rings develop in years to come.

(03) Not a Normal Market

Not a Normal Market had their spring event this past month, and I finally managed to check it out (they have a few shows throughout the year and I’ve always been curious to go). NANM is a curated pop-up market that features brands selling everything from vintage designer pieces and reworked fashion to custom furniture and one-of-a-kind handmade goods. My friend Megan was exhibiting her ceramics line Opsin Archive there and I wanted to support her, so it was the perfect excuse to go!

Proud friend alert :')

The market is located in the former Barney’s flagship and while it certainly has something for everyone, it is especially a vintage and thrift shopper’s heaven. I spent a few hours there (yes, hours) because there was so much to explore and sift through. I have an ongoing list of items I’m always on the lookout for secondhand, and I found having that list really helped ground me while I wandered the floors. It made me stay focused, otherwise I think I could have gotten really overwhelmed (or impulse bought stuff I don’t actually need).

You have to buy a ticket to attend and there’s usually a line to get in, so I was previously a bit unsure about the market — I generally try to avoid situations in which I have to get in a line. Ultimately I was really impressed by NANM, however, and absolutely thought it was worth it. I also found one of the items on my list, which brings me to…

(04) My Thrifted Find

One of the wardrobe items on my aforementioned List is a trench coat. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve tried on in various thrift stores, and I’ve always known it would have to be something I find in person (I bought a coat secondhand online once and I’ll never do it again!). Besides, most trench coats fit me strange on the shoulders and sizing can be inconsistent with older pieces, so I’d rather play it safe than sorry.

When I came across Philadelphia-based Allen Studio at NANM I was instantly drawn in — the vintage seller’s curation was clearly extremely thoughtful, with a focus on natural fiber materials and simple, elevated designs. It was there I found my trench coat: an oversized wool number in a delightfully ambiguous shade of olive-taupe-brown, selling for $118 “as is.”

The “as is” referred to a couple of spots where the coat had been darned (funnily enough I wrote about a darning workshop I took in my March ‘24 roundup). These little repairs were done by the owner of Allen Studio, Iris, herself — and honestly they make me love the coat even more. Similar to the scratches on my friends’ wedding bands, these barely-perceptible marks show that someone loved this coat before me, and someone else cared enough to mend it so it could have another life. It’s all part of the story of the garment, and I’m excited to continue the tale and take it on new adventures.

So thank you Iris (if you ever read this) for seeing the potential of this coat and for so carefully and beautifully mending it.

The attention to detail 🤌🏻

[P.S. To the customer who recognized me there and said hi, thank you for introducing yourself! Maybe this is lame but that was genuinely a highlight of my month 🥹]

(05) Gold Chat

Surprise surprise, I’ve been chatting about gold again.

This past month gold breached $3000/oz., another unprecedented milestone in a seemingly never-ending streak of all-time highs. ICYMI, I wrote about the current situation and its implications for the jewelry industry here on Substack as well as on the Abel Journal, and hosted an AMA on my Instagram to answer your questions (now saved as a Highlight on my profile).

Btw — if you have any gold scrap you’d like to get rid of, I’m happy to purchase it from you in exchange for store credit.

It’s a subject I never tire of discussing, so if you have any additional thoughts or questions feel free to leave a comment here or a message in my Substack chat. By the way, anyone is able to start a new thread there!

(06) Diamonds are… on Alibaba?

If you’re craving more industry intel, I have a podcast rec for you: This month Planet Money published an episode that starts with one of their reporters purchasing a suspiciously cheap diamond off Alibaba, and follows along as their team figures out if it’s real or a scam. It takes them on a journey that is not only entertaining but also very informative, and raises questions that I honestly wish were discussed more openly in the jewelry industry.

I have a lot of complex feelings about diamonds, many of which I’ve never discussed publicly — though if you’ve ever asked me about them in person, you know I have a LOT to say. I don’t want to reveal any podcast spoilers so I’ll hold my tongue for now, but would you be interested in reading a post I write about diamonds? Is there anything about the stone you’re curious about? As always, my inbox is open.

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Thanks for following along on these monthly roundups, it still always floors me when someone shares they took something away from one. If there’s ever anything you want to see more of here, feel free to let me know! See you next month xx

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