8 Jul, 2012

My Charmed Life is the Love, Loss and What I Wore for Jewelry

Posted by Stacy

Jewelry expert, personal stylist, and Senior Editor for national jewelry magazines INSTORE and INDESIGN, Beth Bernstein’s new memoir, My Charmed Life: Rocky Romances, Precious Family Connections and Searching For a Band of Gold
tells the story of her loves, losses, and life lessons through the jewelry handed down to her, pieces she received as gifts, and gems she bought herself along the way. Bernstein’s book candidly touches on the subjects women talk about amongst their closest friends: their mother/daughter relationships, ex-boyfriends and lovers, growing up and getting older, all of which she connects to the pieces in her own jewelry box.

Readers will come away with the message that jewels are not just pretty things to own but actually represent sparkling memories that are intricately linked to a person’s most significant life events. There is the comical tale of how Bernstein’s first boyfriend took back his ‘going steady’ ring and regifted it to another girl (after it turned Bernstein’s finger green), to her mother’s post-divorce transformation from Jackie O style pearls to 70′s love beads, to the memories her grandmother’s dime store fantasy jewels conjure up, and the story of how three watches from different men helped define Beth’s romantic relationships. Bernstein also draws readers into the moving relationship she shared with her mother and the impact of her mother’s unexpected death. Bernstein’s honesty and wit will resonate with anyone who has loved, lost, struggled, and gained strength along the way.

As a jewelry expert, Bernstein also shares practical advice such as how to repurpose a treasured heirloom so that it still retains its connection to the past and provides tips for purchasing never go-out-of-style jewelry for oneself. Bernstein will share her expertise and hold an in-person reading at 7PM on July 18th at Barnes & Noble at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack. On July 19th, she will hold a second reading and styling event at Landsberg Jewelers, in Rye Ridge Plaza, Rye Brook, NY from 5:30-7:30 PM followed by a wine and cheese reception.

Bernstein has written for dozens of women’s and lifestyle magazines and has worked in the jewelry industry for twenty years. She lives in New York City. Visit her at www.beth-bernstein.com.