One of my very few rules for this blog is that it remain a politics-free zone. I’m firmly of the opinion that politics (and religion, and death&taxes) are off-topic and if they come up, it’ll all end in tears.

So, this is a completely non-political post. It should not be read as any kind of statement of preference of political party or individual candidate when I say that there’s something this year that’s proving fascinating to me for reasons other than the individual candidates, the issues, or their standing in the polls.

And that’s Hillary Clinton’s jewelry.

I realized this just the other night — I was reading an article, and kept getting distracted by the picture, zeroing in on her ears. Cool earrings! That doesn't quite look like topaz... is that apatite? Really? She has a habit of turning up at debates in big, chunky cuff bracelets, and appearing in front of crowds with bright, busy turquoise beads around her neck. Nothing shy or retiring, nothing subdued. She doesn’t necessarily go for ritzy or ultra-high-end, seeming to prefer multiple strands of colorful stone beads. Completely aside from what any of the individual candidates from either party are saying, it’s always fun to see what she’s wearing, to see if I can identify the stones by sight, and to see if I think she got it “right.” Completely separate from any statements that she might be making about the economy or foreign policy or whatever the scandal du jour may be, it’s great to see that she’s making a statement that jewelry doesn’t have to be cookie-cutter or predictable.

Certainly this has never been an issue for previous presidential hopefuls!