I am a firm believer in the fact that jewelry tells the best stories. Where did the materials come from? Why was the piece picked from a glowing case of sparkles? What kind of a life did the jewelry lead?
Estate sales are often my favorite jewelry spots. Rows of dusty cases holding sparkly baubles, each little gem protecting someone's story.
The best part of selling jewelry, in my opinion, is a toss up between the joy you find on someone's face as they discover a new little treasure OR the joy you find when they are telling you their story. It is my intention to collect these stories and share them. I find it comforting to find that we are all connected by little pieces of twisted metal and gems. That deep down, we all have our lucky talismans to twist or clutch when times get tough and scary. The first little story will be my own.
I have memories of rooting around my mother's jewelry armoire (with permission, of course. I find that jewelry boxes are a bit like a woman's purse, very private). My sister and I would sort through discarded earrings from the 80s, necklaces, tennis bracelets, and big bangles. But, my favorite piece of all was, and still is, my mother's charm bracelet. A collection of tiny silver figures crammed onto a silver chain bracelet, all representing the significant parts of her life. For my 16th birthday, I asked for one of my own. My parents started me with a silver chain bracelet and a claddagh of my own from Gendron's Jewelers. I am not even remotely Irish, but I am a sucker for symbols (love, loyalty, and friendship, in this case) and the claddagh was incredibly popular at my high school. Typical.
I quickly made it my little mission to fill up my bracelet as fast as possible. I added lucky horseshoes and four leaf clovers (shout-out to Dad for the Portuguese superstition), a coin for my confirmation, the astrological sign for Leo, and the required "Best Sisters" and "Best Friends" charms (those super cute ones that you snap apart, treasure forever, and snag on EVERYTHING). My quest for charms became more personal right before I graduated high school and on through college. The jewelers at Gendron's never turned down a request to turn an old trinket into a charm for my little bracelet. My Memere's garnet necklace pendant, religious icons and an earring from my Babcia's jewelry box, my Alpha Delta Pi lavalier... The list goes on and these little pieces of metal, silver and gold, have become lucky charms. They've become the
talismans that I wear when I am angry or anxious, the disks that I finger to keep my mind off of the problems at hand. This little bracelet has almost every milestone from my adolescence and is my most prized possession. Priceless.
Do you have a story to share? Comment below to get in touch!
