I am hooked, my friends. I feel this is a beginning of a new long-lasting romance. A pinch of magnetism and shimmer and I capitulated. The charm is back into my charmless life and I don't want the spell to be broken. I fell in love with the most beautiful charm bracelet in the world:

Stunning Charm Bracelet (Silver Tone)

Why do I exactly love it? Because every charm bracelet has a purpose. Your friendship, first love, college graduation day can be strung on a chain link. It's a bracelet that will let you look back at the milestones in your life (both sweet and bitter) or it can make you look forward and motivate to accomplish things you're longing for. You are the master. It all depends on what charms you wish to add to the bracelet.

Charms or small pendants come in different shapes and sizes: hearts, butterflies, keys, locks, teeth, crosses, Cupids, starfish and many more (I even saw a leaf of cannabis ). Looking at it in a longer perspective, a charm bracelet can be a perfect gift: you can present different charms on various occasions in your friends' lives to update their collections.

My purpose for a charm bracelet is an amulet. I know it's silly, though that was one of the earliest reasons why people wore charms in the pre-historic times - to guard themselves from evil spirits or bad luck. If you were a walking catastrophe just like me, you wouldn't be sneering at me now .

Clear and understandable things – that's what I prefer in jewellery. You will hardly see me wear anything chunky, bold or loud. But when I'm watching one of my this summer's favourites - 4th of July (Fireworks) by Kelis – I get a little envious. It made me step out of my comfort zone a little and see what is going on behind the blinds and shutters in the world of bold jewellery.

My tunnel vision of acceptable and wearable has been shattered . An infinite palette of showy, sparkling, jumbo things to discover and improvise with. A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. The same with improvisation. It is only good when it is prepared.

I usually take a few pieces and improvise changing outfits to pick the best "background" for the jewellery since bold and chunky jewellery has to be the "major exhibit". I follow a simple rule borrowed from one of my favourite sculptors, Auguste Rodin. I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need. That's exactly what I do when choosing what jewellery to wear. Then I ask myself: "Are you ready people will be looking at you and some will be staring?" If the answer is yes, that is probably all I need to know.

Anyway, things happen. If I feel like I'm examined under the microscope or keep asking my friends every second if I look stupid, then my choice was completely wrong. That's a long road of bumps and bruises. But when I enjoy the attention, that's the best criteria to say this time I compiled a perfect match. After all, for me it's all about having a great time and feeling comfortable in whatever jewellery I choose.

I will still wear something classic and down-to-earth, with a softer edge but I keep on fighting my demons of doubt and fear of failure, pushing myself to go a little beyond and once in a while let go of the everyday and familiar with bold jewellery.

I'm a sloth and I mean a SLOTH. I can spend the entire day lounging around in pyjamas and daydreaming about ... guipure lace Thea dress by Stella McCartney (it's a die-for this autumn). Anyway, these days are so rare I can't even remember when was the last time I was "slothing" . What's more, new attacks of do-nothingism vanish when I get this consuming mood.

I'm not a shopaholic. I don't shop for therapy (I eat more deserts instead ). But I'm the worst kind of shopper. I'm an impulse shopper. I see something I like (like is the key word here, not really need) and I must have it right away. Or even worse: I do last-minute shopping when I do need things. My vacation is in two weeks but I haven't got myself a new swimsuit yet. I keep putting it off. Why? If you're not Monica Bellucci, buying a swimsuit can be quite depressing sometimes.

Buying jewellery is a completely different story. The choice here also depends on your complexion and body type but it's not so 'restricted' by your physique. My personal preferences are floral patterns and designs. They are never out of style. And the variety they come in is just terrific. You can always find something for any season, all year around. So next time you're planning to buy something you really have to buy but you don't really enjoy the experience you're going through, leave room for dessert – buy jewellery once you've made all major purchases.

Shopping doesn’t have to be a torture. Not always though:
Carrie: "Honey, if it hurts so much, why are we going shopping?"
Samantha: "I have a broken toe, not a broken spirit!"

"Forget Venus and Mona Lisa. Perhaps the most precious Italy's work of art is the beautiful Sophia Loren. First of all, she has a gorgeous, sensuous body – looking at her you can study the anatomy of feminine perfection. Then, her face – expressive like espresso with an extraordinary blend of contradictions: Neapolitan eyes that sparkle with wit or flare up with indignation; a large mouth, a smile that conveys passion and humour."¹

"Though the Vatican is against cloning, in Sophia Loren's case perhaps we could make an exception."²

Would you buy a book with such reviews? I did. A couple weeks ago I was dragging along the street during my lunch break and to hide from this terrible heat I stopped by a bookstore. And there she was, looking at me from a black-and-white cover of the book written by Warren G. Harris. I wasn't planning to buy anything but as it usually happens - ka-ching-ka-ching - and here I am with a book.

Finally at home I was about to read one more story about a girl growing up as a princess, about her wonderful, happy life full of miracles. There were miracles. But of a different kind. Raised by her mother and her big family, abandoned by her father, Sophia lived in a house with two bedrooms and seven people sharing them. At school children pointed fingers at her laughing and whispering behind her back because she was a child of unwed parents. She was an awkward, tall and skinny child.

War, overwhelming fear, poverty, hunger ... doesn't look like a fairy-tale. But in September 1947 something might have happened in the heaven's office and one of the first miracles in Sophie's life began to unveil. As she mentions it took exactly 18 months for it to happen. She was 14 and a half, and now if someone pointed a finger at her, they would do that to say: "Bella!"

The ugly duckling was gone.

If you google Sophia Loren, the results will be a bit ... boring because they are all the same: sex symbol, unforgettable, style icon, glamorous. What's more boring - I'm not going to object. She is a style icon. Feminine and curvaceous, she knows about this and uses appealing clothes and jewellery to attract and allure.

Sophia Loren is an inspiration. She inspires directors to create cinematographic masterpieces and jewellery designers to devise collections devoted to her. A few years ago Damiani created a dazzling Sophia Loren collection: earrings, bracelets, and pendants of rose gold and diamonds. Sophia is like a rose that inspires by just being there. By the way, they do cultivate a variety of roses called Sophia Loren.

Here's a picture I took last year:

Now when I'm finishing the book, I realize this time I got lucky and the cover was worth the story inside. It made me re-discover Sophia Loren: a strong woman who had ups and downs in her life, an intelligent and talented actress, a loving wife and mother.

1. My interpretation (a rather free one) of the review extract by the New York Times.
2. These words belong to Archbishop of Genoa (again translated by me).

My childhood memories are woven from the flavours and smells of my Grandma's kitchen: a spoon dipped in a still hot apricot or raspberry jam that I was allowed to lick clean after the jam was ready, or a longed-for piece of the ethereal cherry pie melting in my mouth. I remember myself a tall, clumsy kid running around with always scratched knees and elbows (who do you think had to pick all those raspberries and apricots in our orchard?) or chasing some poor creature (really sorry now, Spotty, if you are still some place out there).

If it rained outside during the weekend or there was another reason (and I'd rather not elaborate) why I couldn't go out and play in the yard, I would tiptoe to my Grandma's bedroom and sit at her bedside table. And my eyes would be locked on one thing. My Grandma's wooden jewellery box. My favourite things that I would take out and simply gaze at them were a powder box and a golden ring.

Now when it rains during the weekend or there are different reasons (they definitely are now ) why I don't go out, I still have them: my Grandma's powder box and a golden ring. She gave them to me a long time ago and I love this feeling of continuity. Life long things that get more precious with every scratch and stain adding a little history, a little story that my grandchildren will be telling some day. Wonder what it would be about...

If you have any family jewellery (and those don't have to be all diamonds and pearls), take good care of them.
It can be a modest brooch but if taken through generations, it may become the dearest jewellery on your daughter's wedding dress. If you don't have such a tradition at your home, why not start it today? Find your jewellery and time will help you make it special for you and your family, for your memories.

My memories, reflections and imagination revive and nourish on such things. Every time I go by a confectionery shop on my way to the office or a jewellery shop with some really amazing things two blocks away, I can't help but remember. They are my time machine. They take me back to the happiest place in the world I have ever been – my Grandma's kitchen.