Blue Whale

The owner was very rude and very snobbish. The jewelry is expensive just for costume jewelry. Don’t waste your time here.

FINALLY. A place for a thrifty girl to go that has *unique* and *inexpensive* jewelry. This place is just STOCKED. There are golds, silvers, reds and blues. There are bracelets and rings in all different hues. There’s as much great jewelry as you can accrue!
Okay, enough with the Dr. Seuss.
If you’re a girl who could give a crap if her ring is something carat gold and her earrings are some size of diamond, then the Blue Whale is for you. As Heather W. so eloquently put it, it’s very much like a ‘grown up Claire’s’. Or at the very least, a more creative Claire’s. I got a beautiful colorful necklace with some fantastic earrings for about $ 17. I started regretting getting the expensive margarita that fine Saturday so I could spend more. But alas, it will have to wait for my next shopping binge.

wow did I just discover the candy store for females! i have never been more excited to write a glowing review of a retail store before… this is THE place to go to for affordable, cute jewelry. i cannot express it enough. When I entered, I felt like Charlie entering the Wonka Candy Land.
*dim lights… cue music*
«Come with me…
And you’ll be…
In a world of
Pure imagination
Take a look…
And you’ll see…
Into your imagination»
Yes, seriously it was just like that. the song was playing in my head as I skipped into the store. ok thats a lie. no its not. yes it is.
it really is like a grown up claires. prices range from what you would find there (but much nicer looking and more well-​made) up to higher end items made with real stones and such. In the time I spent there — like seriously over a hour — I observed prices from about $ 5 — around $ 65. Pretty much everything I got was around $ 9-​$ 11.
There is everything you could imagine. Every color of the rainbow, every style, every metal — like seriously, challenge me to not finding at least one item you are in love with… if not 20 like me.
The owner is such a sweetheart too. She is really cool and mellow, friendly but not at all pushy. She spent time in NY studying accessories and is a jewelry designer as well (though says she’s so busy she hasn’t be able to invest time in that anymore). I enjoyed talking to her and getting her opinion on the things I was picking out.
During my visit she was giving out 15% off to everyone and asking if you wanted to join the mailing list to get $ 20 to shop with for your birthday (mines in the a month yay!).
Such a dangerous, dangerous place… and since everything looks so good, and is reasonably priced, it’s easy to grab tons of stuff you want to purchase. To give you an idea, I bought 4 necklaces and 2 earrings for a total of $ 43 — every item (thanks to the discount) was less than $ 10 each. Most were $ 5!). And I feel pretty fashionable now B-​)
The store is located on the Newport strip… but on the far end of it near sunset cliffs. It’s across from the big Antique Store, you can’t miss it.
I implore you to visit there… for a nice treat to yourself, or a gift from someone else. I guarantee you will be happy. and won’t break your bank!

When Blue Whale first opened, I was thrilled beyond all reason. I couldn’t find anything for more than $ 15.00, the selection was amazing, and the owner (while coming on WAY too strong) seemed quite sweet. I bought two necklaces — one for myself and one as a gift — for less than $ 15. I’ve gotten tons of compliments on mine, as has the recipient of the gift.
I popped into Blue Whale again last week for the first time in two months, and my heart sank. The prices had gone up — exponentially. There were now racks and racks of costume jewelry that were priced at $ 50 or more. The discount rate on the door is absurd (spend $ 200, get 10% off? Who the hell would spend $ 200 on costume jewelry … in OB of all places?). I even saw a necklace I had bought the last time I was there (having paid $ 11 for it) was now going for $ 47. It was heartbreaking.
If Blue Whale went back to their old ways, they’d have a hit on their hands — but raising prices when your customers were psyched about the deals you offered is NOT a good business plan.

I was walking down Newport when this store caught my eye — literally, because the sun was glinting off all the CZ in the window — and decided to walk in.
If you need ANY type of necklace, bracelet, earring, etc and don’t want to brave the hoardes of tweens at stores like Claire’s, this is definitely the place to go.
Extra points for being meticulously organized (just bliss for Virgos like myself) and the cute little daughter of one of the owners shlepping the goods better than most professional salespeople.

Should you be a fellow slight-shop-aholic…recite the accessor-​enity prayer upon your entry to this veritable Mecca of Regalia :
God, grant me the serenity to accept the baubles I cannot afford,
The courage to forgo the finery I probably already have,
And the wisdom to know when cut up the credit card.
~Amen
THIS is the answer to your cheap accessory prayers, My Ladies!
Screw the Icing, forget Charlotte Russe, and consign The Closet to oblivion! (and yes… I did once tout The Closet as THE place to quell a bangle debacle)
The bracelets, the necklaces, the earrings… OH MY! And I don’t think I saw one item or matching set more than $ 30 (and most were under $ 20!).
Plus, I LOVE the organization:
There is a silver sector, a gold zone, an enamel table, a crystal section, a bead kiosk, a wood and naturals fraction, scarves neatly folded, and rings artfully displayed, headbands for your pleasure and… and…and…and…
It is accessory overload. lest I get a little too excited… I think I’ll go put on one of my blue whale bangles now.