One of my fondest memories as a little girl was going to visit my grandma and looking through her collection of jewelry together. She had jewelry for every occasion, and, though it may have seemed like too much for some, it was her way of celebrating life. At every holiday we kids would run to her to see what jewelry she was wearing. Firecracker earrings on the Fourth of July, a pumpkin necklace for Halloween, and a dangling Christmas tree bracelet for Christmas.
But she also had such a lovely collection of delicate jewelry with so many pieces that caught my eye and made me dream of a collection of my own someday. I remember holding those pieces in my hands and studying each detail. My grandma had impeccable taste.
Her passing last year, though we knew it was coming, was still so difficult. Her absence is never far from our minds and we really miss what joy she brought to the party of life.
I am so very thankful to have found out I was pregnant with our third just days before she passed away. I'll never forget looking through old photo albums with her in those last days, talking about young life and old and getting to soak in the essence of who she was for one last time. I told her that if I was blessed with a third daughter this time around, I would name her Evalie - combining my Grandmas first and middle names of Evelyn and Marie. I'll never forget the joy she expressed at such a thought.
So when we found out we were indeed having a girl - and then when Evalie arrived - I felt so blessed not only by the sweet little life, but to able honor another one that impacted me so greatly.
Time has flown by and now our Evie is 7 months old and my grandma has been gone for more than a year. It's taken a long time for all of her things to be looked through and given to the right children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. But there, in all of her jewelry, patriotic and pretty alike, was this "E" necklace. And my heart both ached and soared simultaneously to see this baby girl delight in a piece that was once worn around my Grandma's neck.
It's so special to all of us here. But I know one day this girl will realize what a gift this really is. A piece of jewelry that is so much more than just a necklace. An heirloom that I'm sure my grandma never imagined would become one. But here we are, 3 generations later, treasuring her treasures.
- blog by Annie Cline
Do you have a piece of jewelry that is meaningful to you? Email your story and photos to myjewelrystory@belkai.com to possibly be featured on our blog!