Family Tree Jewelry
Family Tree Jewelry In the beginning there was my own family tree. My mother gave me one part of it. For years the scraps of paper had been pressed between the pages of an old photograph album. The other part I received from my grandparents. With the help of some old documents and photographs they tried to recall the names of their nephews and nieces, uncles and aunts. I wondered if my genealogical research would solve some mysteries. Is the nature of my being a result of the various branches of my family tree that ultimately come together in my own being? Is the source of our potential in life hidden behind the leaves of this tree? Can my tree tell me how far my talent reaches? After I completed my own family tree, I stitched all the names of my ancestors on a handkerchief, blew my nose, and that was that. Then there is Runa, 17 years old. A beautiful and smart girl with many talents. She gave me her genealogical tree to research and in return I made her a necklace. The collier is inspired on the ‘name-jewel’ that girls of her age tend to wear. The piece of jewelry I made for her has every single name of her family members. From her ancestors on her breast to her close family embracing her neck. She wears the collier like a genetic palette. © Sarah van Gameren 2004 Family Tree Jewelry close up