my new mother/child necklace

photo credit

When Annaleigh was around 10 months old {give or take a lot, my memory is momentarily failing me} I got a mother's necklace.  And not just any mother's necklace.  It was the exact kind I had created in my mind.  I thought it very fitting {and talented} for a company to pre-design my dream necklace directly from inside my head without me saying so much as one word.  {I had seen Katherine Heigl wearing a necklace, in her movie 27 dresses, that I just had. to. have...so I figured when I bought a mother's necklace, it would have a similar look.}

Me wearing
'the necklace'
July 2011

When I came across the website lifetimemothers.com, I was ecstatic.  It had a mother's necklace that captured the perfect essence of Katherine's necklace!  I purchased it with a December birthstone (only the charm...I already owned a 16" gold chain) and about a week later, it hung proudly around my neck.  {click HERE for a closer look} And I l.o.v.e.d it.

So naturally, when JD was born, I wanted to add to it.  Only to discover that the charms {JUST the charm} more than doubled in cost over the course of about 1 year.  more than DOUBLED!?  I got mad.  I got angry.  I got frustrated.  And then I was terribly sad.  To find perfection.  To own perfection.  And then to "lose" perfection.  {Because, there is NO WAY I'm paying what they charge...RI-DIC-U-LOUS.  They aren't worth that much.  Apparently, perfection isn't that important to me....}

So I swallowed my disappointment....hard.  And decided I should find something else just as meaningful and yet, would fit our budget.  {And future budget, if the Lord so wills our family to grow.}

I read the NieNie dialogues.  Love her.  Love her blog.  Love her writing.  Love her strength.  And she has given a shout out to the Vintage Pearl, now and again.  She owns a few pieces and swears by them.  I've always thought their items were delicate and beautiful.  So I checked out their product and prices with honest-to-goodness-intent {rather than saying, sure, they're pretty, but I won't ever own one of their pieces}.  

The result is obvious.

I ended up choosing a hammered circle charm with the letter "j" on a 16" chain, and I added a hammered flower charm with the letter "a".

And the total cost?  $45 {for the necklace, pearl, and 2 charms}

To me?  That's not that bad in a comparative sense.  And it's a special memento.  Things that matter are more than just things.  And those things are worth the $45 {but apparently NOT worth $179...haha}.

It's not my original necklace.  But it's still strikingly beautiful.  I love wearing it.  I love knowing my children's initials are strung around my neck.  I love "feeling" them with me wherever I go.  And it makes me smile.  And isn't that the point of great jewelry, anyway? 

As for 'the necklace'...I will wear it from time to time.  But it feels incomplete.  Like I'm denying the existence of my son.  Yet, it will still hold the special memory of the budding love for my children which began with Annaleigh.  Who knew a mother's love could grow so big inside a heart that it easily pours into those two small hearts I call my "babies"?  And that makes me smile all the more.