I believe in wearing pearls. I love that they symbolize strength, struggling to transform from a tiny grain of sand while trapped inside an oyster (if that’s not a metaphor for life, what is?). But they also convey a delicate elegance. They are uncomplicated, without the flash and sparkle of a diamond or emerald, but their understated luster has an undeniable glamour as well.
It’s difficult to wear them without thinking of the “pearl of great price” mentioned in the Bible.

I wear them to remind myself of those I love: my favorites are the opera-length set I’ve “borrowed” from my mother, the bracelet with a diamond clasp my parents gave me when a special friend committed suicide and the tiny necklace I wore when I was little. But don’t get it twisted: I wear ear bobs from the Beauty Supply that cost 99 cents and a graduated necklace from Forever 21 that cost $2 too.

I also wear them to remind me what I’m worth. One year someone gave me $5 in play money to tell me how much my work was valued. Yes, I was insulted. Yes, I was very hurt. Yes, I was very, very angry. But I kept my composure, and I let those emotions irritate me enough to serve as motivation to propel myself beyond that individual’s rudeness and low opinion. The next day, I put on my mother’s pearls and faced the day with my head held high. I decided that person’s opinion didn’t define me. Lesson? Never let someone else determine your worth, especially those who seek to devalue you.

You’re priceless. Treat yourself that way, and others will too.