Hereâs all the jewelry you grew up viewing and admiring on the women whom had the most impact in your life. Now pick out your favorite pieces. Go!
Woof. I never know what to expect with this whole experience of my Mother no longer being here. Going through a loved oneâs things can be difficult, emotional, or straight up weird. Sometimes all three at once.
Earlier this week as I was cleaning out my Momâs vanity with my Dad and said âShe would just have a fit knowing weâre going through all her things.â My Mother was warm and welcoming but also an insanely private person despite having 5 children, aka constantly surrounding by people. Apart from personal care and fashion, she also had notebooks upon notebooks of her personal thoughts, prayers, and dreams.
June 8th, the day my Mother died and June 15th, the day of her funeral. Almost 260 attended her funeral. Each of my 4 siblings & I spoke. (This delicate bracelet is one of my favorites.)
My Dad, bless his heart, has been trying to get my two sisters and I all three together at his house to go through all the of jewelry my Mother had. I am going to give a few tips on how we went through everything and then show you a few pieces I got.
1. First thing we did is get everything out of the jewelry boxes and storage containers. It is much easier to go through things if you can see everything. Here is video of how much there really was. Although my Mother had a lot of jewelry, not many items were considered âpreciousâ despite many being precious-to-us. (Some families going through jewelry may want to get certain items appraised.)
2. Next what we did was take away things we thought were not things weâd be interested at all. These were newer pieces we didnât remember our Mom wearing very much, things that were too specific style wise, or too commercial looking. Then we put aside the items that had the most memories, we saw her wear the most, or the item just screamed âCarole Walker!â
3. After we did most of the sorting, we went back and forth about what we liked the most. I reminded my sisters, âMaybe some of this stuff isnât our style now, but it might be one day.â I zoned in on the things that spoke to me the most regardless of what was âinâ and came away with several things. I encouraged each sister to take the things they really wanted in the moment that each one was âhemming and hawingâ. One sister wanted my Motherâs wedding ring and the other wanted her locket with pictures of her and my Dad.
Now Iâll share what pieces I took home.
Can you tell I love gold tone earrings? I can never say no to simple studs. The black beaded necklace was one thing that I remember being briefly âinâ again when I was going through a hipster stage right after high school. So I grabbed it because it reminded me of those days when I would frequently borrow my Momâs jewelry. The square metal and stone earrings remind me of how distinct my Mom always was with her accessories. Although Iâm not a boho-chic girl, I couldnât leave these behind. Maybe someday a daughter of my own will be and sheâll love them. The dangle chain earrings are just so me and the half oval hoops are as boho as I can pull off.
Mom wore so many shades or green and blue. Turquoise was perfect for her, I *think* I got this bracelet for her in Mexico. I could be totally wrong about the origins, but this is something I remember her frequently wearing. As I feel the cool large beads it reminds me of her warm plump hands and beautiful nails. I remember sitting at her dining room table and at tough times she would grab my hand and say âCarrie, I really think everythingâs going to work out for you.â Then she would undoubtedly pray with me. And you know what? Everything did work out for me.
The funny thing about this is I found it earlier this week when I was having lunch with my Dad. I said âOh, I thought Mom had already given this to me. Iâll have to check my jewelry box and if itâs not there I think this one is mine.â Well of course I forgot to check between then and when my sisters and I were meeting up there. I found it again as we were going through things and told my sisters the same thing. Well lo and behold, I came across another one just minutes later! Now it seemed that Mom had a plan for these heart brooches. I said âOkay, I think Mom was intending for each of us to get one of these. Iâll check my jewelry box as soon as I get home and report back to you.â Above is the picture I texted my sisters after finding this in my jewelry box. Our Mother had three of these hearts and was planning on giving one to each of us, which makes this even more special. She just gave me mine a little early.
This little ring actually fits my finger! Hooray! I couldnât hardly believe it but there it is. I never dreamed Iâd have another diamond ring anytime soon. Iâd gladly trade it for itâs former owner but alas, here I am with this ring. I believe this ring is my Grannyâs (grandma on my Dadâs side) from her second and most definitely happier marriage.
Lastly, this watch was handed down to my Mother fromâŠsomeone older than her? Okay, I donât really know, of course it was someone older, I just donât know which side of the family. I remember sneaking into my Momâs room and snooping through her dresser. I used to open this little orange bag and look through all the treasures. I marveled at the loose diamonds (weâre still looking for those) and this beautiful watch. I was always so careful to put everything back. I would sit, admire, and imagine what life would go with something so elegant. (The answer little Carrie, is whatever life you want.) I will be getting a band to secure it because unfortunately it did not come with one. My cousin works at a custom jewelry store called Johnson Jeweler in Woodbury, MN and Iâm sure sheâll have some suggestions of what can be done. We will likely also get a few other things repaired and resized there.
Tomorrow, June 8th, is the one year anniversary of my Motherâs death. Iâm doing pretty well but I donât know what to expect for tomorrow. My whole family will be altogether for the first time since Christmas and viewing her newly installed headstone for the first time. As I was having a tearful momentâŠokay fineâŠcomplete waterworks mid-writing this post, I told my husband âThis is all just stuff, it has no meaning until you assign it. Iâd give it all away if I could have her back.â He reminded me, yes itâs just stuff, but having these things will give me bright moments to remember her and theyâll become even more special to share when we have kids.
I needed that reminder in my bitter moment, that someday they will carry the memories.
Do you have anything special to you from a living or passed loved one? What things do you hope to pass on to your kids or loved ones someday as a special gift?
My Motherâs Jewelry Here's all the jewelry you grew up viewing and admiring on the women whom had the most impact in your life.
