Not on one strand are all life’s jewels strung.
 – William Morris, English artist, writer, textile designer, and socialist

Almost a year ago, I found Vivian in a shop across from Fat Apple’s Restaurant in El Cerrito:

Antique document holder with the name “Vivian” engraved on it.

She was in the display case of the cluttered shop full of antique and vintage jewelry, furniture, home décor, and housewares, vintage-inspired clothing, and oddly enough, a floral shop within the shop. The store was closing its doors for good, and I happened to come at the right time, when the prices of items were being discounted. As I asked to see what looked to be an old, very thin lighter, I was told by the shopkeeper that women immigrating to this country often wore document holders around their neck while on ships and pulled out their paperwork when they arrived on Ellis Island. I loved the backstory, and Vivian immediately came home with me.

For several months after bringing Vivian home with me, I had envisioned wearing the document holder as a necklace. Of course, that meant having it attached to a chain. But I didn’t want to just put it on a chain. At the beginning of the year, I finally took it to Kate Peterson Designs (KPD), and we discussed my vision for Vivian’s transformation. I wanted the chain to complement the sterling silver case, and I wanted to case to hang mid-chest. I wanted stones and since labradorite is one of my favorite minerals, we decided on five of them of different shapes.

Strung on an oxidized chain with labradorite drops and tags.

A close-up so you can see the tags and Vivian’s name engraved below the lid of the document holder.

I knew I wanted tags, so Kate suggested the word “spirit” to celebrate Vivian’s sense of adventure in coming to a new world, and I later added my name for the second tag to lay claim, so to speak, to the transformed piece of jewelry and to commemorate the two owners. I picked the necklace up last week at Adorn & Flourish (7027 Stockton Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530, 510.367.8548). Kate nailed it. Thank you, Kate!

So I had to try out my new statement necklace….

Vivian with a gray layered, asymmetrical hem dress and peep-toe booties – and my new short haircut.

Windswept hair on a windy day.

Showing off the back of the dress with Vivian, Kate Peterson Design trio of mantra bracelets (Adorn & Flourish, El Cerrito, CA), Sundance stack of rings, fan ring (Eskell, Chicago), and my own vintage sterling silver earrings from the early 90s.