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January Guest Blogger: Sari Tuschman, Editor-in-Chief, Los Angeles Confidential

Our Charm & Chain guest blogger this month is Sari Tuschman, Editor-in-Chief of Los Angeles Confidential and jewelry connoisseur extraordinaire. Sari not only has an unparalleled eye for good jewelry (her taste level rivals her icon Rachel Zoe when it comes to accessories) but like many of us, she also sees a deeper sentimental meaning in the act of wearing, buying and giving jewelry. Sari recently shared with me her special perception of what jewelry means in context of a story about her family history. I thought the anecdote was particularly poignant for anyone who appreciates jewelry, so I asked her to share the story with our readers. Its not often that we stop and think about the power of what we wearhopefully her words will give you pause to do so!

Jewelry’s Endless Story

It’s a common nightmare: You’ve shown up somewhere and realize you’ve forgotten to put on clothes, only to jolt yourself awake and realize it was—just that—only a bad dream. My idea of a nightmare is similar, only it’s arriving somewhere and realizing I forgot to put on jewelry. As far as I’m concerned, I would rather show up sans clothes than sans my accessories.

I come by this obsession rightfully. My grandmother (my dad’s mom) was always, always dressed to the nines, which meant she was constantly fully accessorized with a purse, scarf and of course necklace, earrings, and rings. The piece of hers I remember most vividly was a pair of gold earrings that were a lion’s head with a ring in his mouth. She wore them so often that when she passed away (she even went to the hospital for the last time fully done up), my cousin and I decided to each take one because they so reminded us of her. I later had my friend and Lulu Frost founder and designer Lisa Salzer put the earring on a chain along with a few other antique charms, giving the beloved heirloom a modern twist. The result was a beautiful necklace I treasure. Along with that one earring, I have many other of my grandmother’s pieces—mostly rings and bracelets and one spectacularly beautiful watch. I wear them all often and always feel closer to her when I do. There is simply something very special about being able to wear treasures that have traveled through so many decades.

Though they were not blood related, my own mother is also always beautifully decked out for any and all occasions (and this means a black-tie event or going to buy milk at the grocery store). My mother had the most beautiful collection of jewelry I had ever seen—anniversary and birthday gifts that told the story of my parent’s 44 (and still going strong) years together. She also had a few very special pieces of my grandmother’s she was saving for me—one breathtaking bracelet in particular I always dreamed on my wedding day. Sadly my parents’ house was recently robbed while they were away on vacation, and as a result they lost almost every piece of jewelry save for what they had on them on their trip. My parents raised me to believe that you are only allowed to let something like losing a possession upset you for a small amount of time. It’s an inanimate object—if everyone you love is happy and healthy you aren’t allowed to wallow in that kind of loss. And while they are right, this loss seemed particularly tragic. Not because of the monetary loss, but because of the loss of the precious stories each piece contained. The life each piece had lived.

Lisa Salzer once told me that the metals in jewelry take on the energy of the person who wears them. I found that to be oddly comforting when I think of my parents’ stolen items. Their energy—along with my grandmother’s—will live on in those pieces, no matter who currently has them. Hopefully over the years to come, my parents will assemble a new collection of jewelry that will tell the story of their lives together, perhaps in just a different way. Regardless, the robbery taught me an important lesson, as so many of the difficult things in life do. It taught me that jewelry is about more that beauty and trends. It’s about more than gemstones and monetary value. It’s about the person who wears it, the story behind it, the story it tells. The pieces of jewelry we wear, and how and why we wear them often tell the complicated and unique story of who we are as individuals. So perhaps now you can understand why it would be such a nightmare for me to ever show up somewhere without my accessories; they are simply too important—they’re part of who I am.

Sari Anne Tuschman

Tags: Guest Blogger, January Guest Blogger, Los, Sari Tuschman

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