the bangles

Here’s how a bargain-shopping blitz generally works with me: Something catches my eye in a magazine…I look it up on the internet…go check it out in the store…and eventually decide it’s overpriced. At which point—if I’m really fixated–I find myself back on the net searching for cheaper versions of the same thing.

Not surprisingly, if I find it, I buy it. (And then, to justify said purchase, I write about it.)

But a few months ago, I was in JCP checking out their fashion jewelry line called mixit–a collection of playful baubles (bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings) at ridiculously low prices. The downside is that you often have to paw through a tangled mess on the jewelry carousel to hit paydit. But hit it I did…with a really charming bundle of gold-tone, flexible-wire bangles studded with delicate crystals and flowers. The $16 price tag made me whip out my credit card faster than you can say “impulse purchase.”

JCP mixit bangles (floral or crystal-studded); $16 per set

Also available in gem-tone crystals...

And the white-gold version...

I wear my bangles frequently and haven’t been disappointed in their quality or their unique charm.

The other day, though, I was walking through Nordstrom (which involves passing their fashion-jewelry counter) and a flash of gold caught my eye. Want to guess what I saw? A doppelganger set of my favorite bangles, exquisitely showcased on their own Lucite stand, no pawing required. The price tag was $98.