Personally, I’ve read too much Aurthurian myths to use the word HG lightly.
I think it should be something that is transformative. Something that you spend years trying to acquire. Often, it’s the last piece you ever buy, because nothing else is as good as your very lovely grail. It can be a common thing but painfully expensive and you are searching for an affordable version. It can be an inexpensive but rare item. A family item that was sold by a cousin. It is as much about the journey as the destination.
A unicorn is like a grail but even more rare. It is something you aren’t even sure if it exists. You’re pretty sure you can’t obtain it, and when you see it - it owns a tiny piece of your heart.
When it comes to my eternal list, m I’ve listed the 9 pieces I’d like to acquire some day. I try to limit myself to between one a year and one every three years. In the past, I’ve gone a little mad and bought John Hardy and Australian acrylic and costume pieces instead of the stuff I really wanted. The list is my way of keeping myself on track. Of those nine pieces, one is a grail. I do have a unicorn, but it isn’t even on the list. It’s just fun to dream.
So, since this thread is useless without pics:
My grail is the Tiffany Swing earrings. I loved them when they first came out, but they seemed expensive. I was still buying silver at the time and was sure I could just get them later when I was ready. They were discontinued not long after.
I love dangling earrings; the way they gently brush against your neck and how they sparkle; these speak to me because they are on prosaic chains and not too fancy - but they are pretty and fancy. But the real value, and what has elevated them to grail status was that they are a reminder of the value of time. It’s past time to stop saying someday; se no credulum posterum.
My unicorn? A JAR botanical piece. I don’t even care which one. Just something micropave and amazing. I saved this picture of the ice on a branch bracelet from the exhibit at the MET
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I would have waited but had the funds available after moving on some jewellery pieces that were no longer my style, plus I saw Cartier’s prices had actually gone down in the UK 
- so a no brainer! 
