Per Diem: Gracie Wiener

Per Diem is a series that profiles interesting people's everyday jewelry and the stories behind it. Gracie Wiener is the Social Media Editor at AIR MAIL, creator of the Instagram account @ironicboatandtote, and our favorite person to follow on TikTok.

"One of the most important things for getting to know me and my character is knowing the family I was born into. My last name is Wiener (pronounced exactly how you are hesitant to say it). Because I was born on Halloween, my parents—one being my father, the urologist—highly considered naming me Holly. Holly Wiener. I am not sure whether to be grateful or bitter that I was named Grace Caroline instead, but that original joke set the temperature for the rest of my life."

"I grew up in North Carolina, went to boarding school in Pennsylvania, then back to North Carolina for college. During college, I considered a few other cities for my post-grad life, but no matter where I visited, New York was always the answer. The industry I wanted to work in (fashion), the life I pictured, and most of my extended family were here. It just made sense. I moved in with my aunt in the West Village a few months after graduating without a job, nannied for a crazy family for a week (I was one of three nannies and was never paid!), then got the job I had been gunning for by more or less loitering outside the Lingua Franca offices.”

"I studied Art History, Studio Art, and Entrepreneurship in college, which left me with a path towards not a lot unless I wanted to further pursue a job in art. One place I knew I would be able to fake-it-till-I-make-it with was social media. I felt like I had the certain “it” required, and I had experience running accounts for two small brands in college."

"I worked for the luxury cashmere brand Lingua Franca for two and a half years. I was the 6th hire, as the creative assistant. By the time I left in January 2021, the team had grown to over 10, and I was running the website and website sales, customer experience, custom sales, organic marketing, and assisting with social (plus helping with just about everything else). I learned so much at LF. None of us really knew what we were doing and weren’t afraid to just test stuff out. We thrived in the scrappiness!!"

"From LF, I moved to a VC-backed wellness tech startup with the goal of helping people lower their anxiety. I was so excited about this mission, as someone who cares a lot about mental health, but within a month or two, I found myself really suffering from my own due to the work environment. I knew I needed to leave and desperately started searching for a new job. By the grace of God, I landed my dream job by January 2022."

"I am currently the Social Media Editor at AIR MAIL Weekly, a digital publication from Graydon Carter. AIR MAIL has been on my radar since it launched in 2019. It was extremely serendipitous when I came across the position on LinkedIn midst of my job search. I knew it would work out as soon as I applied. I cannot emphasize enough how much I love my job. I get to do really cool things and work with really cool people."

"One of my most prominent childhood memories is playing Pretty Pretty Princesses with my sister, a board game I was obsessed with. I don’t think there was any real goal other than to collect jewelry, which is kind of like my life now. I am really lucky to share a love of  jewelry with my mother. She has always had a wonderful collection. The first piece I remember owning of my own was a silver charm bracelet my mom gave me. I believe my sister and I got matching ones, as sisters do. I have no idea what happened to that bracelet, but I hope my mom has it in storage somewhere! I also have so many fond memories of accompanying my mom to the local jeweler to pick up/drop off pieces and just playing with the jewels."

"These days I have a set of jewelry that basically never comes off and I feel naked without. I know it is not great that I keep these piece on 24/7, but this jewelry has become part of me at this point, being meaningful nostalgic pieces. My permanent set includes many special vintage pieces handed down to me from my Mom, my high school class signet ring, my Fewer Finer Eternal Bracelet, multiple scarab bracelets (which I started collecting last year), and honestly too many more to list!"

"For earrings, I change what is in my first lobe piercings pretty frequently—I love fun, funky earrings, but I also love fine, elegant, antique duchess-y feeling pieces. Victorian and Georgian are my favorite periods for jewelry. I have seven piercings in total an am really bad about changing my additional ones.

"I would say where I have the most fun is with my necklaces. I collect a lot of vintage and antique chains and charms and love to mix and match them. I think a long gold chain, like an antique watch fob one, is essential for any jewelry collection. When styling jewelry, I tend to take the Iris Apfel approach. One of my best friends, Ashley Harris, has a jewelry brand called Don’t Let Disco, so I have several unique beaded piece from her that I am rarely without."

"I love buying jewelry for myself. Right now my budget doesn’t necessarily fit my taste, and I don’t really believe in buying low quality, plated, or vermeil jewelry. It is often such a waste of money since the pieces don’t last (but there is a time and place). I make my investments sparingly. I live down the street from Muse, a fantastic West Village jewel box of a store that focuses on fine, yet fun jewelry. I have an ever-growing wishlist and have discovered many designers through them. Instagram is my favorite tool for discovering jewelry designers. I also spend a lot—I mean a lot—of time scouring the internet for antique and vintage pieces. I really want to get into collecting Victorian mourning jewelry—the ones made from woven hair. The pieces are so harrowingly beautiful, but I cannot decide if I would be welcoming a bad omen into my life or not."

"I will spare you my full Fewer Finer wishlist, but at the top of the list is a ring (either the Oval Signet or Cigar Band) engraved with “Living Well is the Best Revenge.” This is the title of the 1962 Calvin Tomkins New Yorker interview of the Murphys—Americans who lived a grand and tragic life in pre-war France—originating from the 16th century poet George Herbert. This is a phrase I’ve kept close since my role model and cousin Kara introduced me to the Murphys. I am also hoping to find the perfect vintage watch. I have a few Pateks, Piagets, and Cartiers I have fallen in love with. The dream is a Crash, but more realistic is a Baignoire, Tank Louis, or Américane."