As I mentioned in my previous post, my grandmother’s cross is one of a small collection of costume jewelry pieces compiled during her lifetime. Curiously, though,  I don’t remember her ever actually wearing most of it. Granted, I was very little when we used to visit her–I think I was in second grade the last time I saw her in person–but the only jewelry I remember seeing her wear were her wedding rings and clip-on earrings.

Related to this fact is my grandmother’s health, or, more specifically, her allergies. This woman was allergic to practically everything, but one of her most severe allergies was to various kinds of metal. She had to cover her oven handle with duct tape and make other modifications like that to avoid her hands and wrists breaking out into a terrible rash. Considering that the cross necklace is made of an indeterminate composite metal, and also taking into account that certain “pure” metals  (like the gold in her wedding rings) didn’t cause a reaction, it is somewhat unsurprising that she didn’t wear the cross necklace but wore certain other pieces. How she originally got hold of it will probably forever remain a mystery, as the person closest to her knows nothing about it–why did she buy it if she knew she couldn’t wear it, was it given to her as a gift and by whom, etc.–but it is clear that the necklace was likely used for display or for personal comfort during my grandmother’s lifetime, rather than its intended purose as a means of accessorizing.

When I first came into possession of that necklace, I wore it more than I’ve worn any other piece of jewelry before or since. I felt as if I were taking a piece of Grandma with me, and so I wore it to church, to school, and around my home. At the time, it was much too large for me and probably looked a bit silly, but I didn’t care. As I got older, though, I stopped. I started moving out of my (incredibly short-lived) “girly” phase by the end of third grade (shortly after her death), and I didn’t wear jewelry, pretty clothes, or anything like that anymore. The necklace took a place in my jewelry box and remained there until I started looking into it more deeply for this class. Since doing that, I’ve worn it as jewelry a little more often (in keeping with its original purpose), but in my mind that doesn’t pay enough homage to what the necklace represents. I’ve considered framing it alongside a photograph of her (thus bringing its purpose back to display), but at the same time, I’d like to be able to wear it as my grandmother was never able to. Basically, although I can trace the necklace’s function, I’m unsure of what it’s function will be in the future, aside from the fact that it will always connect me to my grandmother and (hopefully) my children to their family history.