In My Treasure Box I Have These Turkish Earrings

Years ago, I handed in my BA dissertation, went home, got my suitcases, and headed off to the airport to catch a flight to Marmaris, Turkey.

That city was the best place for shopping! I went to two different kinds of markets and then the high street of shops. These earrings were made by a Turkish lady.

She wore a dusty dress and had long dark hair that needed cut and brushed. Her face was tan and wrinkly from the sun but her eyes looked youthful and hopeful. She didn’t say much to me. She didn’t have to. Have you ever met someone that you felt something for but you didn’t know why?  I saw these earrings and bought them almost instantly. The lady smiled and thanked me. I thanked her in return, but didn’t say what I really wanted. I could have sat next to her all day and listened to her tell the story of her life.

I met her only once. I’ll probably never meet her again. But I hold in my hand something she once held in hers. And we will be forever connected.

In My Treasure Box I Have This Pendant

One of my favourite pieces in my jewellery collection is this pendant. It is brown with an unusual picture of a turtle with swirls above it. I have no idea what it means. Nor do I have any clue that it is actually a pendant. I just wear it as if it were one.

This pendant once belonged to my grandmother Eva. After she passed away, we inherited  a number of interesting items. The ones I am most keen on are the things she kept from her years living in Shanghai. This might be one because it was with a bunch of cool oriental jade stuff.

This pendant has a sense of holding secrets, the untold stories that I’ll never know. Like how it came to be in my grandmother’s possession. Was it special to her? What is it really, if not a pendant?

Each time I wear it, I am connected to the mysterious past.