The price of collecting is dusting.

I've said it before: The price of collecting is dusting. I can not remember the last time I dusted inside this curio cabinet. As I started to dust the outside I saw the dust gathered inside. Knowing I'd lose track of where everything goes, I thought I'd photograph it. Honestly, without the photos it's hard to believe that all this fit in the small curio cabinet. So here it is, dust and all.

For a while I collected perfume bottles.

Old jewelry from family jewelry boxes fill in the gaps.

Surprisingly this hand beaded coin purse doesn't need dusting. The uneven coloration reveals that the beads are probably made from shells.

It is a three tiered curio cabinet I picked up for less than $20 because the cabinet door has a repair area where the wood glue has been replaced with a poorer quality white drying glue. Fortunately, the glue line is only apparent when the door is wide open.

This is one of two earrings from a family member. She couldn't bear to part with the set even after the costume jewels were lost. It's a handled basket with a jeweled flower bouquet.

In the foreground are the parts of a necklace I bought which fell apart almost immediately. It was on clearance so I couldn't return it. The leaf and pearl pin was passed down from family. The bracelet hanging on the side of the Raphaël Réplique perfume box was something I purchased decades ago. The Avon perfume bottle came from an antiques store where I apprenticed. I bought it because I like the lace collar on the bottle. Always buy what you like when collecting. If you buy for financial reasons most times you'll be disappointed. The collectables market changes with each generation. Tastes change, values changes, valuation changes.

Piano composer bust next to the classical pianist in the family.