CHOICE OF JEWELS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28699, 24 September 1958, Page 2

CHOICE OF JEWELS

6 N.Z. Women Need Educating’

‘ ‘New Zealand women appear to have little appreciation of precious and semi-precious jewellery,” said Mrs H. H. Morris, of Wellington, yesterday. She is in Christchurch with her husband who is attending the annual conference of the Jewellers’ Association, of New Zealand.

“It is not because they cannot afford it— on the contrary, the men are quite willing to give their wives racehorses and firmly believe that is her preference,” said Mrs Morris who has a fine collection of precious stones.

Women should be educated to use discrimination in their choice of jewellery and instead of buying vast quantities of metal and plastic chunky bracelets and necklaces, invest in a small but genuine clip which would not date and would give far more lasting pleasure.

"This semi-precious topaz brooch is 15 years old,” she said, “and it becomes increasingly valuable to me. What a woman wears is the barometer of her husband’s success. What is the use of her owning a racehorse which nobody ever sees.”

Mrs Morris feels that fashion parades could make women more jewellery conscious it models were encouraged to wear jewels with the clothes they display. “This would not only show women how and when to wear jewels, but show the effectiveness of a few real stones as preferable to a gaudy mass of paste,” she said.

A widely-travelled woman, Mrs Morris can compare the tastes in jewellery of women in many parts of the world. “In the United States they appreciate ostentation; they like to wear big rings, in semi-precious stones, and clusters of diamonds, and obviously agree with the song that says ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’.” The English were more conservative in ’ their tastes but always discerning. They preferred to wear a small exquisite piece on a plain dress for its dramatic effect. Mrg Morris hopes that people from the Continent bringing choice pieces of jewellery into the Rbuntry will influence the tastes of the New Zealand woman.