Talismans & Memories

The sentimental side of what we wear.

She wanders along a roadside, the warrior woman. Wearing all her belongings on her back, there’s so little room left for fashion, as function takes priority, and yet, all these colors, textures, and patterns hold some special meaning to her. It may not be obvious to onlookers, but there is a purpose in each piece she carries. And that purpose is as a reminder of home, a force of spiritual guidance. It’s a practical use that’s just as important as any other survival tool. Each piece calls back to a moment spent with a mentor, a lover, a friend.

We give tokens to the people who matter most to us, as a way to tie our memories to something tactile. A simple length of silver, a polished stone, can transport us right back to a place or time faraway and long ago. This is when a piece of jewelry becomes more than just jewelry and takes on a quality that’s almost mystical.

This is nothing new. In fact, it’s ancient. The queens and kings of the oldest civilizations decorated themselves with hammered gold, lapis stones, coral, dyed bone, and animal horn. They wore talismans of protection. These adornments often signified a status, given as a rite of passage, a knighting, a crowning, a marriage, a birth. We hold true to these traditions today too. Engagement rings, or even something as simple as a friendship bracelet, are a tangible representation of the bond between two people. There is comfort in holding onto something when we can’t be with the people we love; for them to take with them when it’s time for them to go exploring.

Travel happens in many forms. We can travel to different locations, we can travel through thoughts and moods, but we are all constantly traveling through time. Each new phase of life is marked with another stone, another amulet to preserve history and to protect us from whatever lies ahead. Every obstacle that’s tackled deserves a memento—something we can touch in times of worry as a way to recall our strength and capabilities. The things we’ve overcome prepare us for the challenges that may arise around the bend.

We ask you now to think of an object. Something given to you or something left behind—something that brings you comfort because it holds sentimental meaning. Tell us about it in the comments section below.