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Coffee Break: 14K Gold Chain

gold chain necklace

On the offfff chance anyone has diamond or gold jewelry on your to-buy lists, do note that Nordstrom has a lot of really nice Bony Levy jewelry marked 40% off. Most of it is still 4 figures, but 40% off seems like one of the bigger markdowns I've seen.

For example, this 14K gold chain necklace was $6895, but is now marked to $4137. It's handcrafted, 14k gold, and is 20″ long. (And fully 1/4″ wide.) Gold necklaces continue to be a strong trend, and this is a great, classic piece to invest in.

The necklace is $4137 at Nordstrom. Looking for something more affordable? This similar 14K necklace is marked from $825 to $495.

Other picks from the sale: there are a lot of great hoop earrings, including smaller huggies — love these delicate diamond ones for $850, or these for $550. Prefer white gold? These white gold and diamond hoop earrings are $990. On the pricier side of things, this delicate diamond tennis bracelet is also 40% off, bringing it down to $5097. This tennis necklace, with alternating emerald- and round-cut diamonds, was originally $25,975, but is now marked to $15,585.

Sales of note for 12.5

115 Comments

  1. Seeking Paris recommendations! I will be there for a weekend soon with my mom. Weather forecast looks rainy. We have the hotel lined up, and I’ve booked a spa for massages, a cheese tasting event, and a ghost tour. We’re not going to do the huge museums, and we’ll both be a little limited in how much walking we can do (injuries) so mostly getting around with Uber. Staying in the 6th.
    Looking for:
    Shopping: Any fun boutiques? Already planning a visit to Sezane and Le Bon Marche.
    Dinner: Looking for ideally small Parisian bistros, but any recommendations welcome! Great breakfasts? Great bars?
    Other: Any other things you loved in Paris? I’m thinking of doing the Musée de Montmartre.
    Thanks in advance!

    1. Near Le Bon Marché, I would walk down Rue de Bac for other cute shopping. The Rodin museum is lovely and convenient.

    3. I’ve recommended it before but Chez Monsieur is my favorite smallish (but not tiny) restaurant in Paris.

      Look into skip the line stuff. If you haven’t been all the way up in the Eiffel Tower before, that’s worth a few bucks and an afternoon of your time. I wouldn’t wait all day in the rain for it, though.

          1. I was on it right away, but unfortunately turns out Chef Yves is not available that weekend as it’s his birthday and he’s going to the South of France (lucky him). Another time. Thanks for the recommendation.

          2. Ha! I’m sure he will have a great time. I suggest browsing EatWith.com as they have a ton of great experiences!

    5. If you want to do a museum in Paris, but the Louvre is just too much, the Petit Palais has a wide array of art, is in a gorgeous building in a central location and is free. If the weather cooperates at all, there is a lovely courtyard too.

  2. Comfy clothes or purchases for chemo? My SIL has ovarian cancer, is getting chemo to try to reduce tumor size before surgery. She’s 4’11, 55, probably a petite size 4 or small most of the time, but I know she’s had some weight fluctuations and bloating/abdominal discomfort/swelling so if clothing, not looking for anything structured or tight. I hope to be with her during one treatment but can’t fly out for all.

    1. I’m so sorry to hear this. Honestly, any super comfy loungewear is great, especially cardigans or v-necks that allow for port access. I’d recommend good headphones, as treatment rooms are loud and the pumps beep a lot. My treatment place gives warm blankets, so bringing them is a bit unnecessary. A nice one for home on the couch would be awesome. The barefoot dreams dupe from Amazon is my fav.

    2. My husband recently went through chemo and I bought him a specific shirt to access his port. I’d look into getting one of those. Amazon sells them as well as various sellers on Etsy that make the access themselves. I’ll also second the Barefoot dreams or a good dupe for a warm wrap/cardigan. The infusion center was cold even with the warm blankets.

      1. Agree that port access is key. And maybe scarves to drape around a wider neckline.

    3. Skip buying blankets. I received like a dozen from different folks–so much so that my husband and I would joke that I had cancer not hypothermia. Not sure if it will apply to her situation (type of chemo and potential side effects vary), but neuropathy was very common for my colon cancer treatment. So socks that were warm without being binding on my feet or legs were appreciated. I would follow her lead though. So much of what foods do and don’t taste good changed over time. A gift card for meal delivery would have been more practical than say a gift box at times. Second the headphones suggestions. If she isn’t a subscriber, something like a Sirius subscription or gift cards for Audible might be nice to help pass the time.

    4. Forgive my ignorance, I’m not quite sure how ovarian cancer is treated – but they make seatbelt pillows and things that make the seatbelt more comfortable with ports.

      Does she run hot? Printfresh pajamas are fun, crisp cotton, wash great, and they come in petites. I have a pair of pants from Pax Philomena that are pajama like and they’re softer (but I bought them used), but at 5’4 I’m stepping on them.

      I have Vuori joggers and the dupes from Sam’s Club, I kind of prefer the SC ones.

    5. Do you know if her chemo is expected to cause hair loss? If so, I would buy a couple of beanies from Headcovers in her favorite colors. They have a variety of styles and colors, and they’re great for just throwing on – wigs aren’t always all that comfortable (and they can be very expensive, so not an option for everyone). Also, there’s a product called My Two Brows – basically, eyebrow stickers. You could get her a sample pack – I think the sample pack contains all of the colors and styles they make, so she can play with them to see if she likes them.

      For pants, I would suggest drawstring, not just elastic waist. It’s really nice to be able to adjust the waist depending on how you’re feeling on any given day.

      And one oddly specific rec – maybe buy a box of True Lemon powder (or one of the other flavors). Water tasted terrible to me for about a week after each chemo treatment, and the True Lemon/Lime powders helped (more than the Mio drops, or flavored seltzer, or whatever else I tried). The True Lemon was also helpful for drinking CT contrast solution – my hospital stopped providing flavoring for the contrast, but you could bring your own to mix in.

      Maybe a logic puzzle type of book – my treatments were long and tiring, and I didn’t always have the focus to read, but doing some quick logic puzzles was an easy distraction.

      I hope everything goes well for her. You’re a good SIL!

    6. I really like the pajama jogger pants from Tommy John. They could be worn to chemo. I’ll provide in a comment.

  3. The menu for my drop-in holiday party feels flat to me. I always go overboard and make too much of too many different foods, and my husband is begging me – for his sanity lol – to please scale back this year. This is what we came up with together, and I think it’s scaled too far back. A Sunday afternoon, 2 -5 pm. 150-ish people.

    Assortment of good cheeses with grapes, nuts, fig preserves, and water crackers
    Pretzel crisps with a hot-sweet dip (people love it)
    Mini ham sandwiches
    Mini olive & cream cheese sandwiches (people inhale these – trust)
    Assorted cookies

    That’s not a party! That’s grazing out of the pantry on a lazy weekend!

    Hubs also said he didn’t want a veggie tray because there are always too many leftovers.

    Input? Thanks.

    1. i don’t know where you live demographically but i would hesitate about serving ham. would do chicken or cheese or turkey, my crowd would like lox….

      1. OP here. Do you mean for Muslims? I happen to know there are no Muslims. (But very dear friends in another state are, so pork is something I’m used to considering when necessary.)

          1. yea, and honestly, many, even non jewish people I know, don’t eat pork products, or potentially don’t eat red meat (like on my team of 15 people in TX, i’m the only Jew, but I happen to know that only 4 people on my team eat ham), but you know your crowd best. someone below mentioned caprese skewers, but if you want to keep it easy, i think a crudite platter is fine maybe with more than one dip choice, like hummus and guac or hummus and some kind of yogurty dip. what about fruit? is there a signature drink or something else festive?

          2. Ah. I don’t know how I got this far in life without knowing that. I’ll check the guest list again. Thanks.

          3. While all true, this menu seems big enough that it’s ok if they serve ham and just identify it, right? I mean, all of these grounds can be in the same room as ham, they just don’t consume it, right?

        2. Just serve the ham and label it. I don’t eat pork but I’m not going to be offended if other people are and I know pork eaters love those mini ham rolls. As a nonpork person, I would appreciate some non-pork warm option.

          1. I may eat pork intentionally maybe twice per year, but I would go ham (pun intended) on a ham roll. There are few things more delicious.

            I think as long as it’s clear what it is, people can make their own decisions.

          2. Also, since in my imagination I’m already attending your party, please put out Malle dijon for my delicious ham rolls. (multiple)

        3. Leaving aside religion, many people avoid ham due to cholesterol or salt or fat calories–even if the deli slices low fat ham. I would offer a turkey option as well. TJ’s makes a great turkey, cheddar, and apple slices sandwich that I have started to duplicate.

    2. How about something simple to make and serve but more robust, like a chili bar? Chili goes into a crock pot(s) and is kept warm all afternoon, bar of “fixings” is out and available.

      I would do veggies. Make a plan for the leftovers, like a quiche or something.

    3. I feel like a vegetable is missing even if crudites aren’t popular. Maybe some gherkins or a pickled vegetable plate? Or another dip like artichoke or caponata or baba ghanoosh?

    4. I think you are missing something hot, to feel cozy. Crockpot meatballs, pigs in a blanket, mini quiches, lasagna…

      Trader Joe’s really has fabulous frozen appetizers. You could pick up a bunch of those and pop a few in the oven every 30 min.

      1. +1 to all this. I love grape jelly/chili sauce crackpot meatballs (google it).

      2. I do have help coming, they could do the frozen apps and the taking in and out of the oven and plating and passing. Any specific recs for TJs apps? No interest in going to Costco – I’ve tried theirs and they’re lackluster.

        2. Two I’ve liked recently are feta & caramelized onion pastry bites and mini spicy pumpkin samosas. They bring out new seasonal offerings every couple months and they usually look promising. I don’t know if you have kids coming, but my kids love their version of bagel bites (better than the brand name, IMO)

          1. The feta and onion pastry bites are pretty tasty. I’m hit or miss with any frozen samosas, but people seem to like them.

        3. There is a teriyaki cauliflower that is excellent. Agree this needs something hot.

        4. The little spanakopita and the pastry pups are both good. I was a little underwhelmed by the puff pastry with caramelized onion, but they have a new squash version that might be better. The Mac and cheese bites are also popular.

    6. All of that is pretty heavy. And a cheese board starts looking like a wreck after the first few people have chopped away, plus it’s a lot harder to casually grab and nibble like everything else you’re serving.

      Maybe do something like cucumber slices or bite-size naan with a dollop of hummus and feta on top? Mini quiches (as in buy some trays from TJs, not hand make them)?

    8. Falafel balls and dips/toppings for them. And a hot, festive drink, like mulled cider or hot chocolate.

    9. I’d be thrilled to go to a party like this! Personally I’d want veggies, especially given the timing, but it’s probably better for you to defer to your husband than a stranger on the internet ha. Just out of curiousity, how much does something like this cost to throw?

      1. OP. We normally do Saturday nights, which involves way more alcohol. Every few years we take a break and do a Sunday afternoon. Last year we spent about $1k just on alcohol alone, though we could have spent $800 – bought too much wine. I always hire kitchen staff. That cost varies depending on how together I am and how long I need the helpers (see: husband begging me to improve *something, ha). A minimum of $200 there all the way up to $650 if I need more helpers for a longer time. This year I’ll only spend $200 on day-of helpers, but I’m paying the neighborhood kids in advance to polish all the silver platters so there’s no scramble for the kitchen helpers right before the party (not that that happened last year, not at all, nope). Food…gosh, I don’t recall. I’d say maybe $600-$700? More when I was doing a really fabulous beef tenderloin sandwich.

        I absolutely LOVE doing this. It brings me genuine joy for weeks before and after. I have an entire armoire stuffed to the gills with silver platters and vintage Christmas mugs and all sorts of happy things that I get so excited to pull out.

        1. Anon at 3:30 here – thank you so much for breaking it down. I’d absolutely love to attend your party, you sound like a very thoughtful and welcoming hostess! I hope someday I can figure out how to do this (inevitably on a much smaller scale!)

    10. What you have is fine, but I’d add something like mini meatballs and the veggie tray your husband mentioned.

      150 people is a LOT! When do you find the time and energy to make that much food?

      1. OP here. If you’ll look closely, nothing really needs cooking, just assembling :) But I do devote the entire day before to it, as well as that day, so if we throw a Saturday party, I generally take that Friday off work.

        1. But how big is your house that it can hold 150 people, even not all at once?!? We had 100 dropping in and out over the course of a few hours at an outside venue larger than the first floor of any house smaller than 4000 square feet, and it was a LOT.

          2. OP here. It kind of turns into a crush :) The last several years, we’ve lived in houses that were 2500-3000 sq ft. People end up taking over the whole first floor. Depending on the house, that’s different rooms. The food is on a giant table in the dining room and there’s normally an office (read: former formal living room) nearby, plus you’ll have a family room and kitchen table area. And it’s never been bitterly cold, so we put coolers of beer out on the back porch and some guys hang out out there. We’ve said we’ll rent those heating torches that restaurants use if it’s ever super cold, but we’ve never had to.

          3. A chunk of the guest list is neighbors, so they walk, and the rest park up and down the street. The neighbors don’t mind since they’re all at the party ;)

    11. I’m with you — that’s not a party yet.

      I’d do a couple more kinds of crackers to go with the cheeses.
      Another “main” — something hot and a bit hearty
      Another dip
      A “side” – some kind of vegetable or salty side thing

    12. I would probably add a more interesting dessert. Caramel brownies, or cream puffs from frozen. Lemon bars perhaps. The rest looks fine for me. If you got 150 people coming, clearly what you are doing is great!

      1. One vote for shortbread cookies. Everyone loves them. I have shortbread molds that leave a shortbread imprint on the cookies. But you could buy them and they’d be equally delicious.

        My local Indian grocery has shortbread cookies flavored with coconut or cardamom or cumin seed or pistachio or almond. My personal favorites are the first two but the cumin seed cookies are surprisingly delicious.

    13. I’m on team add a fresh vegetable to the mix. It doesn’t have to be a full crudité platter, but something like Belgian endive leaves or mini sweet peppers stuffed with blue cheese are pretty easy.

      Other things I might add:
      – purchased sushi roll platter
      – Caprese skewers
      – Pigs in blankets and/or mini spanikopitas

      1. I haven’t done endive leaves in years! Forgot all about them. A fair amount of work for 150 ppl. Let me ponder that.

    14. I think warm spinach artichoke dip is always a solid choice. Pigs in a blanket are always a hit too.

      Can you do a smaller veggie tray with hummus to hopefully reduce leftovers? I think you are missing veggies personally.

      1. I do pigs in a blanket in crescent roll dough around mini turkey cheese smokies along with a ramekin of regular yellow mustard for dipping. They’re inhaled the minute they enter the room. I’m not serving 150 people though!

        1. That is totally valid that 150 people complicates pigs in a blanket! I also prep them with crescent roll dough. Yum!

      3. OP here. My husband has vetoed my spinach dip this year. I stupid love it, but he’s tired of it (in part because he does all the spinach squeezing and drying, so… lol). Boo.

    15. Agreed that you need a veggie and you need something hot. I would replace the ham sandwiches with 2 warm apps.

    16. You and your husband presumably know your audience, but since I’m not a cheese or ham person, I wouldn’t be eating much of this and would be more excited about vegetables and chips and dips (hummus, baba ganoush, guac, salsa, seven layer, spinach-artichoke, dill, ranch, etc.). Olives or pickles or similar are nice too.

      1. I can add a relish tray. Some years they’re popular, some they aren’t. But this afternoon party is probably the right venue to try them out again.

    17. I don’t know where you are and how people like to eat, but I try to eat very little meat and dairy and I would feel your spread is a bit lacking. I would definitely appreciate something vegetable forward, not necessarily crudités. Pickles are great!

    18. There needs to be some sort of vegetable or fruit for balance. You need a good balance of soft and crunchy, room temperature and hot and cold, sweet and savory.

      1. OP here. Thank you, thank you for this crucial obvious reminder! Doing this for this many years, you’d think that’d always stay in my mind!

  4. I am realizing that I am overcommitted. I technically have time, but I definitely do not have the energy. There are a few things that could go, but I am feeling super guilty about it. Like I believe in volunteering my time, but this doesn’t seem to be my era for doing that unless it involves my kids and family in some way. I like hosting, but the idea of hosting anything bigger than a super casual get-together with my closest circle of friends sounds like more than I want to take on. I haven’t been to church in months because by the time Sunday rolls around, I just want to stay in my PJs. And on and on it goes. Help me reframe this? (I have two kids which are in a very active stage of life, my mom has a terminal illness, I work full-time in a medium-big job, DH also has some elder-care responsibilities … it’s just a lot right now.)

    1. It’s ok not to do everything, all the time, all at once. You are in an era where church isn’t happening. It’s ok. I am in the same. Between my disillusionment with organized religion, given the rise of the religious right and my own need to take Sunday morning slow, I have just leaned into it.

    2. Life comes in chapters/seasons. Work, active kids, mom with terminal illness, and husband with eldercare issues is more than enough. Resign from all your volunteer roles. Keep small, easy gatherings with true friends and go to church for social/spiritual support during a tough season. Listen to your body – you need to do less right now. Donate your money instead of your time if you can.

    3. I am a person who volunteered and lead other volunteers. I’d much rather a volunteer step aside than continue to volunteer when they didn’t really have the energy, both for their sake and for mine. I don’t want to add to an overburdened plate and I don’t want to chase someone for what they promised to do.

      I don’t volunteer for a lot of worthy things I technically have minutes in the day for because it’s too much for me. I pick what I can do, execute well, but try not to let it bother me that I’m not helping with allll the things that are needed in my community.

      You have a lot going on and it’s ok to have seasons in life where you do more of one thing than another.

    4. Take it from an empty-nester: you will have tons of time and energy for these things, later. I kept up church, but it was all I could do to be there on Sunday mornings. Now that the kids are almost grown, I do more of everything. I work more. I volunteer more. I host more. It helps me to think of my life in seasons. There were the single years, the little kid years and now the pre-retirement years. The next era will be retirement years, but I have 10 more years of pre-retirement before I get there.

    5. I agree with everyone else that there are seasons and you can’t do everything all the time. I had a regular volunteer gig before I had kids, but I just couldn’t do it anymore after baby #2. Then I had a chamber music group I played with a few times a month, but I couldn’t swing it once my kids were in the phase of All The Activities. I was sad to let them go, but my retiree friends understood! (For both of these, travel time was really what killed them… I still volunteer now, but only at my kids’ school, which is a 5 min bike ride away.) We haven’t been to church in a couple months either, between illness, exhaustion, and sportsball conflicts. I haven’t hosted anything more complicated than drinks around my firepit or “come over and let’s order pizza for the kids and let them watch a movie while we catch up” in years. I am at peace with all of this, and looking forward to adding some things back in when I have time again…in retirement. or at least when a kid or two has moved out.

      So, give yourself permission to scale back. You can substitute things that are lower time/energy commitment, or you can just say no for a while. It is OK. It sounds like you have limited time left with older relatives, and prioritizing time with them and mental/emotional recovery time is a very, very reasonable choice. Everyone will understand. Do try to keep something that truly fills your cup, though.

  5. I’m in a job that stands to be affected (negatively) by the election and change in presidential administrations. Everything at work has been in a flurry. I need to buckle down and focus, but I keep having days where I’m honestly just struggling to get out of bed in the morning. Any advice?

    1. It’s ok to feel election grief, I think. Compartmentalize the best you can when you need to focus. Unwind with silly, fun things like romance books or reality tv.

    2. I’m in the same boat. I was comforted by what someone said here last week: “Administrations are going to come and go. I don’t work for them, I work for the people.”

  6. suggestions for my young adult not quite step children for xmas? (my boyfriend’s kids, they’re in college, one boy one girl) last year got them quince cashmere sweaters… about $100/ each. ideally would like to get them the same or comparable things.

    1. boys are so hard to me. i’m currently intrigued by all the personalizable blanket options on Baublebar if they go to school in a colder area. ugg slippers?

    2. I was just in a store that has a lot of Vineyard Vines men’s stuff, and I loved a couple of the hoodies – I think they were the Calm Water and Salt Water styles. A bit more than $100, but they were so soft. If they came in tall sizes, I would have immediately bought them for my nephews.

    4. People this age have no money, generally speaking. I’d go with consumable and cash

      1. + 1. I do $100 in a crisp bill in a card and something fun to unwrap that they can eat or use (fancy shower gel, hot sauce, whatever suits their taste…)

    2. The primary vaccine that you get as a middle aged adult, up until you start getting shingles, etc., is tetanus. And I really don’t think there’s a legitimate risk to the tetanus vaccine. I hope…

    3. Tetanus = TDAP, and the pertussis part of that booster is very important if you plan to interact with a newborn!

    4. You can ask your doctor to get your antibody titers measured for your childhood vaccines- this determine if the shots you got as a kid are still protecting you. If they’re not, getting those vaccines again can do a lot to protect you!

      1. I don’t think he’s pushing a ban, but to withdraw FDA approval and start a new approval process. That could cause some disruptions.

  9. I need to stock up on warm winter socks. What are we recommending these days?

    I want really warm, but not itchy. +sensitive skin.

    This is not for hiking etc.. Just wearing around the house or out in the winter cold or sleeping (I love warm socks in bed). My hands and feet are always so cold!

    2. Smartwool Classic Mountaineer socks are so thick and cushy. I buy a new pair every other year or so.

      1. I’m sensitive to wool but not allergic, and I really like the Smartwool socks.

    3. I am allergic to wool. I like the synthetic hiking socks from Darn Tough, the cotton socks from Le Bon Shoppe, and the Daily Practice socks from Anthro. Bombas are horrible–they are too wide, they scrunch up inside your shoes, and they wear out quickly.

      1. +1 for the costco meino socks. They are great and I think exactly what you are looking for. Like 5:51 pm below, I agree you don’t want 100% wool.

    6. Honestly? My favorite socks for daily wear in winter are the Kirkland Signature merino wool blend. My frame of reference is someone who is very outdoorsy and pretty much exclusively lives in wool socks if socks are called for. I find the socks soft, as warm as you can get without having to go up a shoe size, reasonably durable, and a great price. Socks that are 100% wool are likely not going to be soft enough for you, or they’ll be so fine that they’re not all that warm or durable, but a wool blend should help keep you warm without being too wooly.

    8. Darn Tough in any of their high cushion versions. The wool isn’t scratchy at all and they are so cozy, warm, and come in fun patterns.

    9. I bought a 4 pack from Pacas at the beginning of the pandemic and they are still going strong. Admittedly, I was sucked in by advertising, but they are really warm and I love them.

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