Probably when I was little. Mom had great great taste in jewelry. She never had anything vlauable, just cheap costume stuff, but it always looked nice, and I loved to sort through her jewelry boxes (and organize them!), and play dress-up in them. Back when I could wear costume stuff, we'd even borrow each other pieces.
Even though I always wore jewelry every day, I REALLY fell in love when I discovered my metal allergy could be alleviated by wearing sterling and 14kt (or higher) jewelry. I then became fascinated by the aesthetics and the workmanship, and by how an ugly rock can be made into something beautiful AND valuable.
My dream job would be to work in a fine jewelry store. DH even said to me last week, "Go for it someday! You have such a passion and love for jewelry, you'd be great at it." Alas, that will need to wait many years, until retirement. I couldn't pay my mortgage without my present job!
After DH, my pets and my friends, it's the other love of my life! I just can't get enough of buying it, reading about it, talking about it, designing and repairing it, etc. I'm even discovering, after Mom's death in June, that it can be part of the grieving process (seriously)--the charm bracelets I started to honor her, and the pieces I'm now designing around a glass tile pendant that's in support of lung cancer ("I wear pearl in honor of my Mom") are helping me honor her in a way I think that goldsmith and jeweler's daughter would love. It's also made me re-discover how much I enjoyed jewelry making, and I am finding a new surge of creativity I never knew I had.
Gosh, I LOVE jewelry! LOL
