Normally, I try to avoid tying my happiness to material things. I’m already a big packrat, harboring 22 years worth of nostalgia in my closet. I need to minimize my attachment to “stuff,” not encourage it. But there’s one thing I really and truly desire, with all of my heart. It will take a bit of explaining…
When I was 16, my house was robbed. I remember that it happened in April, so it was almost exactly four years ago. The details of the robbery aren’t that important, except for the fact that most of what was stolen was jewelry. My mom’s jewelry, which she was saving to pass onto my siblings and me… and my jewelry, as well. It infuriated me, because I knew that nearly all of jewelry was worthless at a pawn shop, which was the likely place the goods were taken. I suspect that what the pawn shop didn’t take was simply thrown in the trash.
Two years before that, I was a bridesmaid in my older sister’s wedding. I was quite proud to be a part of the wedding – both because my sister and I are close (despite our age difference), and because it made a 14-year-old me feel very grown-up. For her bridesmaid’s gifts, my sister gave out necklaces. I thought mine was the prettiest thing the world. It was just a cubic zirconia in a simple setting on a chain, but it meant the world to me, and I wore it nearly every day after that.
Except for the day the house was robbed. I don’t know why I didn’t wear it that day – maybe I had gym class and I thought it would be easier to not wear any jewelry. Maybe I was in a rush and forgot. Whatever the reason, the necklace sat with the rest of my jewelry that day, and not around my neck. As you likely suspect, it was a part of the jewelry that was stolen.
I know I will never get that necklace back – whether the pawn shop accepted it or it was thrown out, it’s long gone now. But I still search for it, consciously and unconsciously, to this day. Whenever I’m looking at jewelry, I always look for necklaces like it. I always hope that one day I will stumble upon a necklace that looks exactly like it. I’ve even toyed with the idea of finding someone who makes jewelry and commissioning them to make a replica.
But because I know I will never really get that necklace back, I’m not willing to pay much for it. I can’t really buy my sister’s gift back, I can only buy something that looks like it. And thankfully, I know that. I’m only willing to pay normal jewelry prices for a replica, which isn’t much, because I don’t normally buy jewelry! But something nags at me in the back of my head to find that necklace.
I think we’re all attached to something like that. Something from our past that we may never see again, but we look for anyway. It might be something meaningful like my necklace, or maybe it’s just fun nostalgia, like Ecto Cooler. But I’m willing to bet everyone has some lost object that pulls at them.
In case you’re wondering, my necklace looked a little something like this $6,800 necklace, only raised from the setting and not attached directly to the chain – there was a solid loop attaching it. So if you ever see a necklace that looks like what I’ve described, I’m begging that you let me know.
I hope that you get it back!
-Nate
I have a item like that. When I was in the 11th grade, I turned into a wild child- hooking school, hanging with the wrong folks, etc. As a consequence of that, I stayed back in the 12th grade and my Mom had a fit. I felt bad that I made her feel so terrible. Instead of taking the easy way out (going to summer school,getting a GED or dropping out), I went back and graduated the next year. For doing that my Mom gave me an expensive gold watch. I have worn this watch for the past 17 years. It’s special to me because everytime that I want to give up on something or do something stupid, it’s a physical reminder of what I CAN do. And that I have a family that supports me.
Steph, it makes me sad to read your story. I have a few trinkets that are worthless to anyone else but priceless to me.
Remember – it’s not the necklace that’s so valuable – it’s what the necklace represents – your relationship w/ your sister.
-Nate
Steph…if you got the necklace back as a result of this post, that would be the coolest story! You’d be on the news!
I know what you mean about obsessing about an item that was stolen from you. I had my bike stolen from me 2 years back. For months afterwards, I kept patrolling the neighborhood, hoping to find it chained up somewhere, poking out of someone’s window – something. Every time I go by that neighborhood, I still look at all the bikes on the racks.
The first thing my fiance ever gave me was a necklace. It was from a very small time artist that only was around once a year, and he made this necklace just the one year. It fell off the chain in Chemistry class one day and I’ve never seen it since. There’s no hope of ever getting a replacement unless I get it reproduced from pictures. I totally sympathize!
That’s such a touching story, Stephanie. I wish you all the luck in the world in finding your necklace again.
That happened to me. I had a small jewelry box that was sentimental jewelry only, costume pieces, but important ones to me. There was a bracelet of my great-grandmother’s that I wore to my wedding, for example. The devastating one for me was the set of pictures tucked in the top of the box of my grandmother, who I’ve never met. I won’t ever see those pictures again. I used to walk the pawnshops and other various places by our apartment hoping I’d see them. But it kills me that what was most important to me (the pictures) had zero financial value and ended up in a garbage somwhere.
I had a necklace stolen in Barcelona which was my late fathers. I treasured it and every time I thought of it I thought of him. Sadly I was mugged, and it was pulled off. I know I will never it see it again and it breaks my heart. Value to someone else zero – to me priceless
There are some things which may not be costly, but the events attached to them are priceless. And that’s why you always love to preserve them, so that you can keep going back to those good old days.
Something similar happened with my pearl earring. It was my first purchase with my first salary. This was the reason these earrings were so dear to me. A few years later, I just lost them; don’t remember when, where, but they were not there. I searched my entire house, searched my bank lockers, questioned a few people; no use. But, I was lucky, about a few months after this happened, I happened to find them in one of my regular suitcases. They were in one of the side pockets of that suitcase and probably, I had kept them there during my last travel. I was just so happy, they were like god sent!
Stephanie, hope even you find your necklace some day. Best wishes.