Statement Necklaces

One of the items that I inherited from my mother after she died was her jewelry box. When I was a kid, I would periodically go through her jewelry box and admire her necklaces and earrings. I’d lightly touch them and feel a mother-daughter bond. These were items that my mother wore, and now they were mine. I could put them on and feel a piece of her with me.

In recent years, I have grown a collection of statement necklaces, thanks to second-hand stores, thrift shops and clearance rack. I probably haven’t paid full price for a necklace in…. forever?

Whenever I add something new to my collection (aka my Nieces are never inheriting actual money from me), I feel joy. It makes me feel giddy. While I’m not the girliest of girls, I love necklaces like I love chocolate. Ever since my double-mastectomy in 2012, I gravitate toward clothes that hide my scars and pretty much the work of Dr. Heckler.

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I bought this yellow necklace from a clearance rack. I like to wear it with solid color shirts or in this case, a black and white striped shirt. Instead of wearing clothes that hide my mastectomy and discourage people from looking at my chest, I’ll wear clothes that hide my mastectomy but encourage people to check out my upper half.

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I bought this Kate Spade necklace from Style Encore. I was drawn to two things on this necklace: it’s shiny and blue is my favorite color! Additionally, the shiny ball spins around, so it’s almost like a fidget spinner for adults. I love wearing this one with long sweaters, as it makes me feel so fancy.

Instead of hiding completely, I can play up what I like about myself and still camouflage what I don’t. I go out with confidence and some swagger to my step. I wonder if this is how my mom felt when she wore her costume jewelry.