A world away, I was remembered for my grandmother’s ring

Jewelry will always be the most important thing a woman wears. It leaves a lasting impression on people, and distinguishes you from others. Leaving aside its financial value, its significance lies in its ability to communicate on many levels.

“Aren’t you the girl with the ring?” exclaimed the barista at Milano Linate Airport to my all but clueless sister. “What ring?” my sister asked. After the barista took the time to explain the shape color and look of the ring, my sister realized the barista, who lives on the other side of the world to me, had remembered by jewelry from a previous trip and confused me with my sister.

That is the power of jewelry, it leaves an everlasting impression on people and identifies you amongst tens of thousands.

If it is gifted to you, it represents love. If you have gifted it to yourself, it represents empowerment. If it has been inherited, it represents sentimentality and family values. This is what makes jewelry so significant, personal and unique to the wearer.

Whenever you hear of a proposal, no matter how happy you are for the couple, all that matters to the world is the ring.

Instagram is littered with images of engagement rings. Everyone is saying “I have the ultimate ring,” not “I have the ultimate relationship,” because to the world the latter comes with the former.

For those not in relationships, jewelry is the ultimate self-reward. You feel good when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and something shines back at you.

There is something mystical about a piece of jewelry that was worn in a previous lifetime. It has seen things you will never see, been places you will never go, and a story only the wearer can tell.

The fact that the piece of jewelry is no longer attainable is what make it so special, no one has my grandmother’s ring but me and that is what made me identifiable to a barista in Milan.

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