April Fools!

Now, I love jewelry as any girl should, and I love rocks and gemstones more than the average fashionista. I collected and catalogued them when I was young, I excelled in geology in college and I still have a penchant for examining the pretties. And okay, I still buy a handful every time I go out of town. I used to be able to tell you where each piece of my collection came from, but I no longer discriminate. Still, pyrite, more commonly known as Fool's Gold, is just that: a cheap and ubiquitous stand-in for that coveted and gleaming soft metal. Though abundant in my collection, in all honesty, it looks nothing like gold, and acts nothing like gold. It's only link to it is that sometimes, it's found in the same proximity as gold.

So. NOT precious.

Worth approximately 8 to 10 cents per carat, this closer-to-brass iron sulfide appears in affordable jewelry, accompanied often by the considerably more valuable lapis lazuli, the ordinary crystal or some other semi-precious cut of gemstone. However, Alex and Lee (who are they?!) laced some silk-covered rope around a few pieces, smattered some druzy and pearl in there, added a detailed silver closure and slapped a nearly $900 on this puppy, currently for sale at Anthropologie:

It IS breathtaking, and I would wear the heck out of this Knotted Pyrite Choker through every season and in every climate. But, I have both a rockin' pyrite ring from last summer's Banana Republic inventory and a one-of-a-kind pyrite and lapis necklace I purchased at an art fair, and together they cost me less than an eighth of this piece.

Nevertheless, it's in my wishlist, begging the price to drop.

Would you spend this kind of dough on a couture necklace?