Friday, March 16, 2012

Mom's Charms

Today is my mother's birthday. I wish I were still in MN to celebrate with her at the surprise party my siblings are throwing for her tonight, but I'm back here in LA.
While home last week, I scored a few great pieces at my favorite vintage store. But nothing compared to my mom's charm bracelets I found in her jewelry box which she let me "borrow". 
 I say "borrow" in quotation marks because like most daughters when we see something of our mother's we usually just take, er I mean appropriate, er, I mean we love them so much because they come from our mothers we just have to keep them. :)
But in this case, my mother really laid down the law and didn't just let me take she let me borrow and wants to know when they're coming back. These charm bracelets - both the gold and silver versions were made, over time and with much love and care, for my mother by her mother. So I can understand why they are so special to her.
The gold one is the more personal moments from her earlier life: there's an engraved medallion for each time she was beauty queen at whatever dance, her sorority pin, my father's fraternity and collegiate club pins, her father's high school ring, a silhouette of each one of her 6 kids with their birth dates engraved on the back...while the silver one is way more whimsical with just cute objects or maybe a momento from a destination travelled to by one of her aunts or her mother: Mexico, Nice, San Francisco. 
I remember loving them as a kid, I examined them for hours. Since I've returned I've been wearing them, one or the other - the silver with my watch and Je t'aime bracelet on my left wrist.
 Or the gold one with my Grace Lee gold cuff and black diamond bracelet on my right. I love the old with the new, and I LOVE the jingly jangle noise they make when I move my arm. How will I ever give them back?! 
Happy birthday Mom! I love you.
And Surprise!!

13 comments:

ilana kohn said...

these bracelets are amazing! and so special.

Bri said...

This is so special to see the charm bracelets up close and to hear the stories behind them. I only caught a brief glance in the office.

I'm assuming the photo at the beginning of the post is your mother. She is really so beautiful. You should add a CV gold charm when you return the bracelet.
xbri

Jony Gibson said...

Lovely bracelets. These all looks very nice especially the beats outside the bracelet.
Silver Charms For Bracelets

WobiSobi said...

Love Love All of your Bags. Simply Amazing!!!

WobiSobi said...

I use to borrow my mom's charm bracelet too. I love the history behind it.

Anonymous said...

I have my basque grandmother and great grandmother's charm bracelets. They are exactly as their names imply, charming. I love the sounds they make as they move up and down my wrist. I love to magine what stories and places and conversations they were in. I am now making one for myself to pass onto my children by a very talented friend who wil use cat's eye shells my son has picked up in Phuket, crystal found in our summer home in Europe and other bits picked up here and there.

Anonymous said...

I forgot, I love your oversized clutch. It travels with me (inside my larger bag) everywhere. It has been to several countries in Europe, Bangladesh, all over Southeast Asia. If only it had it's own passport!

grace said...

your mother's charm bracelets are amazing clare! xx

Natalie (NJ in L.A.) said...

This is such a beautiful post and I love how many stories a charm bracelet can tell!

Benedicte said...

They are fabulous, and, more, they have so many stories to tell...

KIARA - JUEGOS DE VESTIR said...

that beautiful bracelet ... has incredible things ... very striking ... as if you have to hand you stare sequence each object that is in the ...
looks great ..
I love it.
regards

maria said...

My Mom has these too! (well, I have the gold one) and I made her silver one into a necklace which she now wears all the time. With many compliments. It's great because she can enjoy it again. (I did keep the bracelet so I can "restore" it someday).

Luckie - juegos gratis said...

Years ago I want one of these bracelets! I look very chic .. also are always in fashion!