What We Wear, Who We Are: The Personal Meaning of Jewelry

Sometimes, before leaving home, I pause in front of the mirror to choose a piece of jewelry.

A pearl necklace today, or a jade bangle? Sometimes I am thinking about my clothes. Other times, I cannot quite explain the choice. One piece simply feels right for the day.

After years of working with jewelry, I have become more interested in these small decisions. We may first notice a piece for its color, shape or luster. But the reason we keep wearing it is often something more personal.

Perhaps it was a gift. Perhaps it marks a change in our lives. Or perhaps we simply feel comfortable wearing it.

What jade means to me

My affection for jade has grown in this way. Beyond its color and texture, I love the feeling of it against the skin and the familiarity that comes with wearing it over time.

On a busy day, catching sight of a bangle on my wrist can remind me of a quality I have always admired: a gentle steadiness. To speak a little more softly. To meet a difficult moment with a little more patience.

I do not always manage it. But I appreciate having that small reminder close by.

The pieces we are drawn to

Pearls bring a different feeling. I am especially drawn to the small differences between them. Some are round; others have uneven contours, distinctive luster or visible growth marks. When I am choosing pearls, it is often an irregular one that makes me look twice.

Our tastes change with experience, too. A piece we loved when we were younger may no longer be something we reach for every day. A color we once overlooked can suddenly feel very familiar. Looking back, those choices can tell us something about how we have come to understand ourselves.

A little space in an ordinary day

Studying Chinese medicine has made me more attentive to the rhythms of nature and to the ways we find our footing in a busy life. That interest also shapes how I choose materials, combine colors and think about jewelry.

Jade, pearls, and the colors and scents of plants invite me to slow down, observe and enjoy what is in front of me. I hope to bring some of that attention into Lansattic, so that choosing and wearing a piece can become a small pleasure in an ordinary day.

A meaning that becomes your own

I like to leave the final meaning of a piece to the person who wears it.

One person might love a jade bangle for its translucence. Another might think of a mother or grandmother. Someone else might choose it as a gift to themselves, to remember a year of beginning again. These meanings grow through living.

If you find a piece you love at Lansattic, I hope something about it feels familiar: its color, its texture, or simply the way it looks on you. Something that feels right for who you are today.

As you wear it through the days ahead, it will gather a story of its own. Yours.

— Lan, Founder of Lansattic