Happy Mother’s Day!

I’ve been working on a new necklace in honor of those oft-unsung heroes, and I thought you might enjoy hearing about the back-story for my design-in-progress.

When I was pregnant with my youngest son three years ago, I was on bed-rest for many weeks to prevent preterm labor, and to say that I was eager for my baby to arrive was an understatement.  But my friends and family rallied around me in ways I could only have imagined, and the outpouring of love and support was staggering.  They continually outdid one another with gifts of delicious food, creative distraction and entertainment, and thoughtful items intended to increase my comfort or just make me smile.

One such gift from my friend Hillary stands out in its sweetness.  It was a squat little figure rendered whimsically in a rather lumpish, oval shape, with a small circular niche carved out of the middle.  A gauzy organza ribbon was tied around it to secure in this cavity a small sphere, on which you could just make out a tiny pair of eyes and chubby face: a little ball of baby bouncing around in its pregnant mother’s belly. 

I love the idea of making concrete that fervent hope and prayer of an expectant mother:  “When the timing is right, untie the ribbon and let the little guy out,” said Hillary.  So I did.

What exactly does this have to do with a necklace, you ask?  The new design has an organic-shaped oval pendant with a small chocolate brown seed suspended from the inside, with the option of removing the seed at the appropriate time.  I think it would also be fun to have something to replace it with, a “bloom” of some kind, but I haven’t yet decided what.  A little flower bud in gold?  A small gemstone, perhaps related to birth month?

Having recently gone through that miraculous event again myself, I know how lovely and meaningful it is to wear a piece of jewelry to commemorate the remarkable blessing of life. You’ll be the first to know when I’ve gotten all the details figured out about this one!