By: Blonde Two
I was recently the recipient of a most special gift. This gift came from far overseas, from the same land in fact as another precious gift that arrived about 10 years ago.
My original shell (on the right) was sent to me by my sister who was living in New Zealand at the time. I missed both her and New Zealand very much and decided to wear the shell as a necklace to remind me of both of them. Eventually this shell became a lucky charm or maybe a talisman for me. As a general rule, good things happened when I wore it and it accompanied me on all of my outdoor adventures.
When I was eventually lucky enough to visit New Zealand again I went back to the Coromandel Peninsula which was where my shell had come from and found some similar ones for my family. A few years later Not-At-All-Blonde visited and she too chose herself a shell.
And then this week my present arrived. It travelled back with Dad but once again had been in New Zealand with my sister. I am not very good at being a jewellery wearer (I am on my 5th wedding ring – same husband) so I don’t do it very often but this necklace is going to be the exception because it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever owned. The artist who created it has a similar affinity to these Totorere shells. Her husband slipped one onto her finger during her first trip to New Zealand and ever since then she has collected and sketched them hoping to find the perfect one to turn into a collection of jewellery. To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary the collection has been released.
If all of this wasn’t enough for an emotional Blonde to cope with, the message that accompanies my necklace really spoke to me.
“Whether worn as a symbol of achievement, a celebration of your own inner strength, or given as a gift in recognition of remarkable grace under pressure, I believe the purity and simplicity of the design speaks to the spirit of strong women everywhere. Women who have pursued their dreams wholeheartedly, who have persevered and never given up.”
To the giver, thank you!
