A short discussion on pricepoints.

I'm addicted to design blogs like the ones linked on the sidebar, but I have an unpleasant double reaction to most of their posts: "Oh, gorgeous!" quickly followed by, "Oh my god, it costs WHAT!?"

I love beautiful, interesting, well designed objects--but I want to be able to afford them, and I don't think I'm asking too much.

A few months ago, all my favorite blogs posted about a certain pair of gorgeous gold earrings. They were lovely, bold but delicate, and you could wear them anywhere. But they were $240!!! For a pair of earrings! They can't be serious!

Sure, they were gold--but they also came in silver for the same price! Gold is, obviously, far more expensive than sterling silver, and it's only reasonable that companies pass on that savings in materials in the cost of the final product. I can't see where this flat pricing for both metals means anything other than THIS IS A HUGE RIP-OFF, which diminishes my joy in the design. I can't properly enjoy my gorgeous new earrings if in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "Boy, the people who bought the silver ones sure got screwed."

(That's as if I were willing to pay over two hundred bucks for a pair of earrings in the first place, which I am absolutely not. Unless maybe they had spy cameras in them or something, because that would be awesome.)

So, here's what I am looking for, and what I'll be posting in this blog--clever, functional, attractive items sold for reasonable prices. They're out there, but so far I haven't found a blog featuring them--so here I am, and there's my mission statement--certifiably awesome stuff that won't break the bank.