The Jade Necklace

By Sabrina Gotera

It may seem like an ordinary necklace to you but for my grandma this is one of her most prized possessions. Not because it is expensive but it was gifted to her by her late mother-in-law. She gave this to my grandma the day before her wedding with my grandfather. The necklace symbolizes a lot of things, one is the love of a mother-in-law to a new member of the family. Two, is the bond that will be formed between two different families. Three, is the long lasting love that is most important of all.

My grandmother can still clearly recall how, when, and where it was given to her. It was raining very hard and my grandmother felt anxious and worried before her big day. She kept praying for the rain to stop, then suddenly her brother called her saying she had a visitor downstairs. She was very surprised to see her mother-in-law. They hugged each other very tightly and her mother-in-law said “daughter don't worry about the rain”. “What's important is the love you have for each other”. “I am giving you this necklace for you to remember how much I love you just like my own daughter”.

The necklace is made of 18k gold, a round shaped jade stone, a small opal, two tiny rubies, and a golden bird in the middle. Jade is a popular stone that is referred to as the stone of luck and happiness. Opal on the other hand means amplification, hope, and purity. While ruby means love, passion, protection and prosperity. My grandmother said that a golden bird means positivity and optimism.

I have always noticed that my grandmother was never a materialistic person. She never cared about expensive bags or shoes; she would rather spend all her money on plants. The price of the necklace doesn't matter to her but it’s the fact that it came from her mother-in-law as a welcome gift means so much more to her. That's why when I asked her what’s her most prized possession she immediately said the jade necklace from her mother-in-law.

This necklace means so much to my grandmother especially when her mother-in-law passed away. This was the only thing she kept as a remembrance of the bond between the two of them. Nowadays material things are not that important. What really matters is your relationship with your loved one’s which money can’t buy. Hopefully, someday this necklace will be passed on to my mother, to me and to future generations.