One of the ways my father use to express his love to my mother was to give her jewelry, he started this tradition early on in their marriage. One of my favorite jewelry pieces, was her charm bracelet. Every charm was different and had a special story behind it. I wish I could of heard from my father what each charm represented.

My mother loved her bracelet and would wear it on special occasions. After she got dressed and put on her makeup, she would  go to her jewelery drawer and bring our her bracelet. She would ask my father to help her close the clasp, and after a brief moment to pause and admire it , they were off.

Sadly one day, when we were on a family outing, someone burglarized our home, and took all of my mother’s jewelery, including the charm bracelet. Whoever it was, probably  thought “oh this is nice”, or sold it for a value that did not equal what it meant to my mother and father. Strangely enough, my father never replaced that bracelet, he continued to buy my mother jewelry but the tradition of  the charm bracelet was over.

I guess that is why I have always had a little obsession with charm bracelets, I remember when I was growing up, I received different versions, but nothing as special as the one my mother had. Long after my father passed away, I surprised my mother by giving her a new charm bracelet from Tiffany & Co. She was so happy, and wears it more often then her original bracelet. It has a charm that if  she loses it, it can be returned to the jeweler and they will contact my mother .

I find great joy when I go into the store to find a new charm. I see which charm conjures up a special memory or occasion. When I give my mother the Tiffany blue box, she is smiling from ear to ear. It is really more about the memory of what the charm represents. Now we can share our special stories with everyone. I can proudly say, the charm bracelet tradition is here to stay….Buttercup, are you reading this?