Interview with Jillian of Sweet & Spark

Meet Jillian!  She's the lovely lady behind the amazing vintage jewelry brand, Sweet & Spark!

Sweet & Spark is an amazing curated vintage jewelry brand, run by Jillian and her father (read about their story here, it's pretty amazing.)  Sweet & Spark sells the most beautiful vintage jewelry!

Today, I'm so happy to be interviewing Jillian.  She was so kind to answer a few questions about Sweet & Spark, vintage jewelry, and her sparkhuntin' adventures across America!

1.  All your pieces are amazing!  How long does it take to find a good vintage piece?

          Sweet & Spark started as a lifestyle blog in 2011 as a break from life on the road as an apparel buyer. When the brand I was working for closed, I decided to take some time off and found myself back at yard sales & flea markets with my dad, like I did as a kid, for the first time again in twenty years. I was amazed at the quality and style of vintage costume jewelry and was puzzled as to why there wasn't a brand dedicated to making vintage jewelry cool again. So I re-launched Sweet & Spark late in 2012 as a curated vintage jewelry brand with my dad as head buyer! We're doing the dirty work for you and you can follow our hunt (#sparkhuntin') on Instagram @sweetnspark. Most everything we sell is under $100!  Since we span decades, there’s always something for everyone. 

         I joke that my brain is a big rolodex of jewelry, for as much jewelry as we see, it's rare to see the same thing twice. It doesn't take long to find a good vintage piece. The challenge is getting it before someone else does. Jewelry is competitive at flea markets , estate sales etc. so in order to get the best stuff you have to be there first. And that can mean waking up as early as 4 or 5am!

2.  What's your current favorite jewelry item sold by Sweet & Spark? 

I'm a sucker for statement earrings. The bigger the better. I love rhinestone ear cuffs back to casual weekend wear as much as I love bold gold hoops back to a colorful print.

3.  Has there ever been a piece that you didn't pick up and regret not buying?

Honestly, I see so much jewelry that I hardly can keep track of what I do own. When we're out #sparkhuntin' we buy everything we see. You can follow the adventures on instagram @sweetnspark! We're actually heading out late next week. So stay tuned, we never know what we're going to find!

4.  Why is vintage jewelry better than jewelry manufactured today?

Vintage jewelry is better than today's fashion jewelry because most of it used to be made by hand here in the US and the finished were triple plated. Totally they are usually only dipped in the finish once so that's why today's fashion jewelry tarnishes more quickly. Also, if you were to compare the weight of vintage to today's jewelry, you'll notice that vintage jewelry is substantially heavier. Jewelry manufacturers today have a hard time producing the delicate details that are unique to vintage, like safety chains on bracelets, etching on chains and heavy clasps on necklaces.

5.  Do you ever keep a great find for yourself?

I definitely have my favorites, which actually inspired the exclusive collection Sweet & Spark for Piperlime. As you can tell, I especially love the 80s :)

6.  What's your favorite memory from starting Sweet & Spark with your father?

My dad is the vintage expert and I'm the fashion expert so together we make a solid team! He lives in Florida and I'm in San Francisco so every few months we get together and Spark Hunt the smallest towns in America. You can read more about our vintage jewelry curating process here. What I love most about our trips is that they keep me humble. They remind me of what's important in life and that's being happy and being able to spend time with my family when I want to. And I secretly love days that I don't wear any makeup :)

Thank you so much for the interview, Jillian!

Be sure to follow Sweet & Spark on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter!

Also, check out the lookbook for beautiful pictures!