Family Jewels

One of my super powers is the ability to untangle knotted up necklaces. As a kid, it was one of my jobs to straighten out the mess that was my mom’s jewelry box.

I was visiting my mother recently and she asked me to unknot her chains and otherwise organize her jewels. And I was happy to do it because I got to revisit some old friends.

Like the opal ring pictured up top. We had relatives that lived in Australia. And they came to visit us bearing gifts like jewelry and wallets made of Kangaroo fur. I got a little pendant, which I still have somewhere. This is not an expensive piece — the ring is gold plated and the stone is a doublet (a thin slice of opal melded with a glass dome) — but the fire of the rock always fascinated me and I still love opals to this day!

And the Caravelle watch belonged to my Grandmother. Even though it’s been sitting in the jewelry box since 2000, it is still running!

It’s also fun to know that like me, my parents liked to switch up their wedding bands too. People often question my multiple rings, but I always say the important thing is that I made a commitment to Mr. Andrew, not to jewelry.

And finally, my dad’s high school ring. I miss my dad a lot, but I like to also imagine what he was like when he was a kid, before I was born. This ring helps me channel young Lloyd.