Until just last week, I had a jewelry tree festooned with about 50 necklaces circa 2017 (the year I retired) on my bedroom bureau. Although most days find me in jeans and “athleisure” clothing, my work-necklaces were ready to go!
It wasn’t until I found a small bag of silver jewelry in my underwear drawer that my current relationship to jewelry changed. The necklaces in that bag were the sole survivors of my mother’s cache of fine and everyday jewelry. I saved this lot, hoping to pass them onto my daughter at some point. They sat unnoticed since 2021, the year of my mother’s death.
The Discovery
When I took them out to be photographed and sent electronically to my west-coast-residing daughter, I realized I had purchased most of these items for my mother, and I loved all of them! The pandemic and retirement had sounded a death knell for the subject of daily adornment for me. These silver necklaces flooded me with memories of the role of jewelry in my life through the years.
A Youthful Introduction
My earliest memories of the importance of jewelry come from my grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. When I was 7, her only surviving brother who had emigrated to Paris sent her a ticket on the SS France to travel with him in Europe. At that time, gold was affordable, and my generous grandmother brought back gold coin necklaces for my mother and I, along with some other fine pieces. Learning the survival tricks of her generation, she sewed them into the lining of her coat to avoid paying a tariff upon her return.
Jewelry also played an important role when I became a Bat Mitzvah. In those days, many gifts of gold jewelry were purchased at a shop run by another Holocaust survivor. I remember eyeing her numerical arm tattoo while choosing gifts for my friends.
It was also customary to buy the Bat Mitzvah girl a gold charm bracelet to house the unique charms which were frequently chosen as gifts. I recently found mine and admired the little golden ark charm which housed a tiny Torah.
Engagement and Marriage
At the tender age of 19, I became engaged! My first husband came from a family which placed jewelry high in its value hierarchy. It is possible this family learned the important lesson during WWII that jewelry is an easily convertible asset during challenging times.
One older family member had a mesh purse fashioned from silver coins her father had made for her when she emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s. Israel’s recent raid on Lebanese banks prove that this strategy is still going strong in war-torn countries. Lebanese residents used these banks to get loans based on the value of their jewelry, which was used as collateral.
For my engagement, my fun-loving husband created a treasure hunt, replete with 10 clues scattered around my house which resulted in the discovery of the beautiful 1.5 carat heart-shaped diamond engagement ring. My younger self was overcome with joy and exuberance about the future.
My first husband’s family generously gifted me many lovely pieces through the years. When my children were born, tokens of their affection included a tiny name bracelet for my son, and rings, child-sized necklaces and bracelets for my daughter.
The Tide Turns
Eventually, these wonderful years of growth and optimism were punctuated with loss. My clever, young husband died climbing Mt. Rainier, and I was left with a heart-shaped diamond which lost all its meaning. The stone was reset in a necklace, but it was eventually stolen by a cleaning service.
My mother spent her last few years in a continuing care facility, but never gifted her fine jewelry before her death. The bulk of it, too, was stolen, except for the few items which remained in a safe deposit box. The only other survivors were in the plastic bag I found in my drawer.
It eventually became my task to distribute two modest diamonds and a gold watch to the next generation from that safe deposit box. Trying to be fair, the items were appraised, but the pandemic interceded, and one diamond remained at the jeweler for a year until I reminded my niece. The gold watch was returned by my son-in-law because my daughter divorced him, and the other diamond is sitting in the jeweler’s paper envelope because its recipient isn’t much interested in wearing it.
What Is the Message Here?
Although the fine jewelry in my family has had an unhappy ending, I am not of the opinion that material objects are meaningless. Quite to the contrary. Finding the little bag of silver jewelry led to the discovery of other pieces, both precious and mundane.
My reunion with almost all the jewelry I found last week filled me with glee!
The little baby bracelet for my son was next to a small treasure chest filled with his baby teeth! I remember putting the tiny bangle bracelet on the wrist of my daughter when I pulled tights over her diaper.
The silver jewelry was still exactly my taste decades later. Most of it, vintage 1970s, was made by craft people, had a pleasing, simple geometric aesthetic, and/or featured interesting minerals. I immediately cleared the jewelry tree of its 2017 work-necklaces. These will all be donated with the remainder of my work clothes in the very near future.
The silver jewelry, although smaller in number, now populates that little tree. I gladly choose a favorite to revive that wonderful old habit of adornment, even on unremarkable days.
I still have a cache of precious jewelry which I truly have no occasion to wear. Dressing up seems very “pre-pandemic” these days, especially for retirees. However, when it comes to this jewelry, I prefer to be impractical, my alter-ego M.O. These items hold the history of my life’s best moments. They can stay in the wings, for now, but cautiously in a safe deposit box!
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What jewelry do you have from previous generations? Do you have plans to keep or pass on your jewelry? Does it make sense to sell the fine jewelry you own? Does jewelry now play any role in your daily life?