My sister and I were cherished nieces.
We ended up being the only grandchildren that my Dad's Mom had. She had 8 Children and just us 4.
Being my sister and I were the girls, our godmothers would give us all sorts of things. Dresses to wear and all sorts of jewelery. This one was the big one. Each year we would get a new charm to put on the bracelet that you see.
It is worth a small fortune and weighs a ton and basically, that is the problem. Every time I have worn it, more of the charms break.
If you look close you see the cat only has one eye. The ballernia lost an arm and a pearl on her dress. Even the piano has some bent legs. The final insult, my birth date had a garnet on it and now is also lost in time.
I have had it in a safe deposit box for decades.
A few weeks ago I made a decision and took it out of the vault. I talked to my sister and we discussed. Was I heartless to cash it in for what it is worth, or is it time to say goodbye to something that means so much to me and use the money for a vacation or something?
I think my decision is made.
I loved my aunt and I love that she cared enough about me, to make something beautiful. I will truly NEVER forget it, but it is time to move on.
The bracket is a little nicer than mine. However I still think it is a good move to sell it. I think Aunt Mary would agree with us. :-)
ReplyDeleteRoseann has one of these too. Her grandmother (Nanny) would give her charms for it, each year. It's that same Italian gold too.
ReplyDeleteMartha: Yeah, I thought so.
ReplyDeleteI think mine was the same as yours until I got the locket (that is now days on a chain) and she must have gotten a heavier piece to hold all of them, along with that one.
Ed: It must have been a big thing in the 50's and 60's.
Thanks for letting me know it was not just my Aunts who did this.
My (great-)aunties, too! Mine was base metal with silver charms. I know it's knocking around somewhere. I have my mom's as well -- hers has much cooler charms. I think they were better at that in the 40s and 50s when hers was being built than in the 60s and 70s when mine was. Certainly better than they have now!!
ReplyDeleteLetting go is hard, but moving on is essential. Cherish the memory, lose the "stuff".
Piglet: Yeah, I definitely get the feeling that it drifted off as the 60's ended. No great loss, IMHO.
ReplyDelete