Coffee Break: Bea Bongiasca Jewelry

81 Comments

1. Started a new job in December. Everything has been great, except HR…they’re terrible. They keep forgetting to tell me things that I find out about later – oh, even though you filled out that direct deposit form, you don’t actually get DD until 6 months in! Oh, you want your dental insurance cards? Here, I’ll just ghost you (I had to ask my supervisor, who told me where to download them online). They also mailed my first two paychecks to the wrong person – they’re a hot mess.

   I received my paycheck in the mail earlier this week and it had an extra $500 taken out of it, so I emailed HR to ask why, and they said it was for my health insurance. I’m pretty sure the cost wasn’t that high when I signed up for the insurance, but I can’t prove that, so oh well (I’ll be finding a cheaper plan during open enrollment). Then, I got another email telling me I owe my work $2000 for health insurance from the past 5 months that they haven’t been taking out of my paycheck. Apparently it took this long to process, but of course they don’t know why. This is a government job in a VHCOL area – $2k is more than half of my take-home pay for the month, and I’m already in a good amount of medical debt, so this won’t exactly be painless. I’m sure the answer is no, but do I have any recourse?

   1. The federal government will frequently arrange a modest payment plan to recoup debts like this where they’ll debit your check over a number of months. Not sure what capabilities state and local government systems might have – I’d try to go above your in-house HR office if there is one to get this answer since it’s so important.

      1. I work local government and they do the same

   2. Sounds like your company hired the HR person we fired! If they weren’t taking the money out of your paycheck for insurance, make sure you are actually signed up for insurance!!! That was one of the issues ours had…. she told people she had processed the paperwork and she hadn’t. Healthy people who don’t go to the doctor much might take awhile to notice. I use my health insurance weekly so I catch any problems with mine fast. Make sure you actually got the benefit before you pay it back.

   3. Gosh, that sounds JUST like the HR department at my first government job. The only thing that ever helped was escalating to a supervisor, and even then it was tricky. Going to your supervisor is a good idea – they frequently know who is competent in the HR department and/or get better service as a result of being senior.

2. Nope. Maybe it’s just due to my allergies, but I am not interested in costume jewelry, especially at these prices. There’s so much of it, priced as if it’s gold or precious stones, and it’s almost like they just don’t think we’ll notice it’s not?

   1. +1 I am getting a custom ring with a real stone and actual metal for around $900 and it is far better looking than these (and bigger).

3. $900 for enamel and faux stones because they are “instantly recognizable”? No. That’s paying a whole lot of money so that certain people know you paid a lot of money. That is not intrinsic value.

   1. I did spend $100 on an Alexis Bittar necklace I really liked, but otherwise — costume jewelry is costume jewelry, and is worth only costume jewelry prices. I can get plenty of fun jewelry for $50 or less that if I lose, NBD. Honestly I think this price point shown here is for suckers.

4. I do not care for this jewelry.

   For their stated plusses, is there a jeweler who thoughtlessly places stones? Are they all not thoughtfully placed (or does a robot do it, thoughtlessly, but according to the code written by someone who did think about it). Maybe the Queen’s tiaras are lovingly crafted, stone by stone, stitched together with the mane hair of unicorns, but the wording on this just struck me as odd.

   1. I think that’s a marketing way of saying, “look, it’s not centered.”

   2. Not my taste at all either. The one in the photo looks like a kids ring from an arcade game prize but it costs $900?

      1. In the photos it just looks like plastic to me, so I’ll pass.

      2. Was coming to write this. It looks like something you’d buy at Claire’s in the 90s and think you were really super cool with your plastic sparkly ring at school the next day.

   3. I think they’re cute, though not for this price or anything remotely close to it. But your comment is spot-on and made me laugh out loud!

      1. +1, their earrings look really fun! But absolutely not at $800+ a pair.

5. Ok I realize this is a weird question since you can’t see what I am describing but hoping you can tell me at least things to think about looking for. I am in a condo of four units – the bottom two have private entrances, I am on the top so share a stair way in the front and back with a neighbor. It’s really just the stairway although there is a little landing in the front before the stairs. Both of us mostly use the back (us especially – we use the back 3 plus times a day for the dog, husband leaving for work etc). I’ll use the front once a day for mail or a delivery. The back gets some dirt from shoes / the dog. The front is somehow way dirtier – lots of dust , cobwebs, and bugs somehow (spiders mostly). Any reason this would be happening more in the front ? Is there something like a seal I should check around the front door or way to make that more air tight? There is no screen door (on either ) the front door does have a stained glass panel that the back doesn’t

   1. Is it the way the sun and the wind come in? It sounds like these are interior stairwells – what about vents? Is there more circulation/movement in the back and more stagnant air in the front (especially if you use it less).

   2. Is it just the wind that causes things to collect differently in different places? I’d try a better door seal to keep stuff from getting in. And vacuum or sweep more often.

   3. If the front faces the street, it’s more likely to get dust stirred up. I know when I lived on a busy-ish street, our front window sills got much dirtier than the back ones.

      1. It does face the street – but it’s a totally interior hallway. Maybe just more in the air ?

6. This is worthless costume jewelry. I’d pay $150 max.

   1. Look at miss moneybags over here with her $150. /s

      I’d call myself crazy if I spent over $30 on this..

      1. Lol fair.

      2. $0.30 is too much since it only takes a quarter to play a gumball machine. Sorry to the designer, but that price is absurd.

      3. +1. $150 is what I’d pay for a real gold chain or something (likely second-hand).

7. Light question for today, does anyone have any good podcast recommendations on the subject of how to incorporate more fun, spontaneity, and adventure in your life? I really enjoy hearing practical tips for how to break out of ruts and stop using screens so much and seize the day and all of that good stuff. Bonus points for anything geared towards the outdoorsy crowd. What have you been enjoying?

   1. I don’t have any podcast recs on that exact topic, but I’ve seen this referred to as “creating microadventures,” small adventures that you can fit around a full time job. https://www.msrgear.com/blog/microadventures-tips-and-ideas/. It’s not really focusing so much on ruts/screens though, just fitting adventure into the daily grind.

      In terms of general outdoors podcasts, I like to listen to She Explores, the Outside Podcast and Wild Ideas Worth Living.

      1. Thank you! I actually listen to each of those podcasts already but it’s been a while since I followed She Explores. I’ll check out the MSR link!

   2. I’m really late, but Atlas Obscura is a fun one that always sends me on a rabbit hole of looking up the location, finding books about it, and finding similar local places to check out.

8. This looks like the ring equivalent of Silly Bandz – hard no.

9. This looks like something you’d get in a vending machine at an arcade.

   1. Came here to say this! Looks like something out of a gumball machine.

10. Moving to Dallas in a few months, and buying a new car. The car will live outside. How much of a bad idea is it to get a car with black leather interior? Horrible idea in TX heat or is it fine? Buying used, and having a bit of difficulty finding the car I want with beige leather interior.

    1. How about something that is a cloth interior instead

    2. Horrible idea, tbh. You will burn your bottom every time you wear shorts.

    3. It’s not the end of the world – but your car interior will get HOT in the summer. If you can’t get light interior, a compromise is to make sure you put up a windshield sun shade whenever you park your car in the warm months…it helps a lot. Cracking windows helps a lot too. Parking in the shade is ideal. Welcome to Dallas!

    4. Terrible idea unless you like burning your backside when you sit down. I have black upholstered material and even that gets unbearable in the summer, though I at least am not actually burning my skin like leather does.

       I live in Dallas, born and raised Texan, FWIW. I would never buy black leather interior.

    5. Get a sun shade and park in the shade wherever possible. You can put a towel over the steering wheel and dashboard as a second layer of protection against heat soak and sun damage.
       Cloth is definitely better than leather for warm weather.
       It’s my understanding paint holds up better in the sun than it used to, so I don’t worry about severe sun sun bleaching on the exterior. I owned a black on black (but cloth interior) car in Texas for a few years, but not long enough to confirm there wasn’t noticeable fading. Dallas gets so hot, especially with all the concrete and the cabin of your car will be hotter still when it sits in the sun all day.

       1. +1 to the towel. I have gray leather seats and park on the street and need the towel over the steering wheel and seat.

          1. When my sister lived in Yuma she always had a towel on her steering wheel. She also had to carry an oven mitt in her purse so she could open her car door and her front doorknob.

       2. Yes, towels! We had a light leather interior in our car when we moved to Texas, and even that was super hot. Part of my commute time every day involved putting up the sun thing in the windshield and putting out my towel. I learned the hard way to be careful about how I grabbed the seatbelt and the clasp, too, during the summer.

    6. I had a silver car with a black leather interior in Florida and southern Louisiana for 17 years. It was fine. Occasionally, I’d need to wait until the AC kicked on to sit in the seats–but, once or twice a year, and that doesn’t seem different than people who have to wait for the car to warm up in the winter.

    7. given the towels you’ll need to drape over the seats to keep them livable you might as well just go straight to a cloth interior!

       1. But you can’t wash a car seat; you can wash a towel.

    8. Texans, correct me if I’m wrong, but hail damage to a car kept outside is a very real possibility in Dallas, no? My parents lived in Ft Worth for 10 years and every spring would clean out their 2 car garage so they could actually fit 2 cars in it if severe storms were on the way. If you have to park outside I’m not sure what you can do, but something to consider. (I park my car on the street in NYC but have low standards for it cosmetically).

       1. You want to park in a garage in the spring during storm season. During the last hail storm there were pictures on the news of cars with numerous big holes (~ 4″ diameter) in their windshields. Tons and tons of car damage after hail.

       2. Yes, I live in Fort Worth as well, and we also clean out the garage every spring so the car can fit in it if a storm is on the way. But hail (or tornadoes, or damaging wind) produced by the storms is very localized, even if the storms are widespread. You’ll be rolling the dice each year you leave your car outside, but most years you’ll win and not get hit.

    9. I’m in Dallas and have a black car with black leather seats. I never use a window shield or towel on the seat. Usually, it’s not bad. My car is rarely parked outside for extended periods of time (shopping, gym, restaurants, etc.). It’s uncomfortable a few times a year. I actually like getting into the warm car in the summer because most places crank the AC.

    10. I learned this morning that in addition to UV protectant, you can also get heat protectant applied to your windshield. Maybe that is something to consider?

    11. We live in New York and my black leather car seat gets terribly hot when it’s sunny outside! The car we wanted didn’t come in cloth seats.

    12. Late comment but can you 1) tint the windows and/or 2) get a remote start (so you can blast a/c)?

11. We have a shaggy pandemic puppy that we got early in the fall. I think we will shorten his noon walk to just a pit stop and brief sidewalk walk (streets are black pavement — that could be too hot for him maybe)? Do we also need to shave him (or will that make him more likely to get a sunburn)?

    1. What breed? I absolutely would not just shave your dog without doing some research first. You shouldn’t shave a dog with a double coat.

    2. You need to talk to your vet.

    3. This may be a dumb question but our shaggy dog is a mutt. Do all shaggy dogs have undercoats or two coats? We adopted our dog and have no idea what he is and it wouldn’t dawn on me to ask my vet about grooming.

       OTOH, I need to go in and ask: do you have some heartworm meds my dog will eat? B/c he does not like the chewables no matter how much peanut butter I put on it. He just licks it off. Is there maybe a pill or drops? Despite the packaging, he does not think it is delicious and this is a dog that will eat a napkin out of the trash if it has food on it.

       1. My dog WILL NOT eat any form heartworm medicine, no matter what we do to it. She eats her bladder medicine just fine if I stick it in with her normal food. The heartworm one, she can smell from a mile away and hates it. That one is just force fed in our house.

       2. There are MANY different coats and when you start mixing breeds, you get different proportions of what’s typical with each breed (why the whole “non-shedding doodle” thing is total BS. They’re cute mutts). I’ve had coated mixed breeds that shed steadily all year ’round (like a lab) and ones that blew coat once per year (like a husky) and things in between.
          Don’t clip your dog down (aside from sanitary areas and pads) unless for medical reasons. Keep their coat well brushed out and reasonably clean. Make sure you have an idea of what condition their skin is in under all that hair. A full coat can hide all kinds of skin conditions and even surprisingly large wounds if you haven’t been paying attention.
          The area behind their ears and in their armpits are the most likely places for mats to develop. Comb it out gently, but regularly to prevent mats. A bit of human detangler can help. If you’re dealing with true, honest to goodness mats, Eqyss Survivor Detangler/Shine is magic (and it even smells good). That stuff has saved me from getting out the clippers many times over the years.
          As for the heartworm and other pills, pry their mouth open and put it far enough back that they have no choice but to swallow. 2 seconds of discomfort beats an endless fight over it.

          1. I’ve been told by a couple different vets that dogs have a “hump” in their tongue, maybe 2/3 of the way back? Once you get it over that hump, the swallow reflex kicks in. Or something like that.

             1. Pretty much, yeah. In a big dog, you can fit your hand waaaay back there.

       3. Mine get a shot that protects them from Heartworm for 6 months.

       4. Depending on the age of your dog, you can get the heartworm shot! That’s what I do for my two pups. Proheart 12 is what our vet gives. It’s so convenient to not have to worry about it, and I just schedule a year out so I never forget.

       5. I chop the pills very fine and mix with wet dog food (my boy usually gets dry) It works well for pills too big to coat with butter and shove down his throat.

       6. What does he like? Cheese? Liver? Wrap the pill in his favorite treat, then feed him a treat without the pill immediately followed with the treat with the pill, and then another treat without the pill. Or maybe a different kind of chewable? My dog thinks Heartgard is a treat. I realize your dog may disagree.

    4. You’re finally getting to the best months of dog ownership! My tips: During hot weather, I try to walk on sidewalks or grass (not asphalt) so paws aren’t burned. If you’re doing something more than a simple walk (like going to a forest preserve for an hour or two), bring a thermos with some water. I keep a dog bowl in my car to make it easy. For grooming, I’d talk to an experienced groomer (not like a PetCo but an actual dedicated shop) on what is best. It may sound counterintuitive, but for some coats it’s actually cooler for them to leave it long. They should be able to advise you by looking at the texture and such. You also may find it useful to keep some doggy wet wipes/a towel in the car or near your front door. Some dogs love to jump in puddles or roll in mud to stay cooler.

12. I have good news to share!
    I posted here last month about being in a job I don’t like and finally starting to apply to other jobs… I passed the phone screen and am moving to the interview round! I know this is just the first step but I am excited and nervous. Please send some good vibes and share your good news in the replies :)

    1. Yay! Good luck.

    2. Congratulations!! Sending good juju your way.

    3. VIBES!!! Congratulations!

13. Framing Q. My bathroom has a lot of marble and white cabinets. Chrome trim. If you were framing art for in there, what frame would you use? Silver or chrome metal? White doesn’t seem right. Wood painted silver/metallic? What if it is a black / white photo? Walls are BM Wedgewood Blue.

    1. Probably a thin black frame. I forget which designer had the rule of thumb that every room needed *something* black in it but I’m never disappointed when I follow it.

       1. I think this is good advice. And definitely a plain black frame for a BW photo.

    2. I would do silver or, my preference, gold! I don’t mind mixing metals though (silver/chrome) and do it liberally in all areas of life.

    3. I would do a white mat and a matte silver frame. example link to follow

    4. Just as an example
       https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Michael-Harrison-Lillies-White-Matte-Silver-Framed-Wall-Art-White-Matte-Silver-Frame/10698302/product.html

    5. Black, white, or light wood.

14. Ok hive mind, help me out. Just received a soft offer for an inhouse counsel position. (waiting on final GC approval) Fortune 500, conservative, midtown Manhattan. The catch: I’ve been a SAHM and PT/remote lawyer for 8 years, so YAY ME for nailing the job, but what do I wear to work? Scheduled to return to the office in fall 2021. I have literally worn jeans and Gap tees since the kids were born.

    1. Sorry I can’t help with your question, because I am also a PT/remote lawyer looking to ramp back up. :) Just wanted to say huge congrats!! and also to ask if you wouldn’t mind sharing if you have any tips as to how you got this job? It feels like an uphill battle to me. I’ve had a couple interviews but have a hard time addressing the choice to step back; I feel like people view it suspiciously but won’t come out and say or ask about what they’re really thinking, so I’m never sure how proactive to be with addressing it.

    2. Congratulations!!
       I am definitely not a lawyer, but have been hanging out here long enough to know that the answer is always sheath dress + blazer.

       1. Hahahaha, I am in-house, but not in Manhattan. We are biz cas, but I always lean biz and agree that sheath dress with a blazer to start until you you get the lay of the land is the way to go.

    3. MM LaFleur! Classic, not too crazy/expensive and a lot of you can machine wash.

Comments are closed.