Himalayan Necklace - Oh the stories it could tell!

Do you ever wonder…?

I bought a necklace in India last year…

It is well traveled. Oh, the stories it could tell!

Where was it made?

(I was told it was local from the foothills of the Himalayas…)

Who made it?

Does she

(In my mind it was made by a lady,

hopefully not a child… and certainly not a man.)

Ever wonder who bought the jewellery?

Or think

‘Where in the world will it will end up?’

I fell in love with this necklace, seeing it as a connection to our 16-year-old son,
who was on exchange at an Indian boarding school, and as a memory of
my Indian Adventures…

Like the crazy twenty hour journey, I took just to reach him…

On an overnight sleeper train from Jaisalmer to Jaipur, leaving my girlfriends,
and traveling solo, for a six-hour train ride to Delhi.A mad taxi ride across Delhi, to the Airport, popping my anti-nausea pills to stop disgracing myself,
like an overindulged teenager, after a night on the booze…

A flight to Dehradun on some obscure Indian airline, with a load of school kids wonderingwhether any of them were friends with my son,
but then remembering he didn’t yet have any friends in India…
Or so he said,
(not entirely accurate as it turned out!)

Hitching a lift from the airport with an incredible Canadian woman
who was teaching English to street kids, and welcomed me in her taxi,
when mine was nowhere to be seen.

Stopping at her house meeting her Indian housekeeper’s children
who she was paying to attend an English language primary school,
then travelling on, alone, up into the clouds,
for a further hour into Mussoorie: ‘the Queen of the Hills’

and finally arriving at the hotel…

Rokeby Manor was a very welcome sight.
Our room (my son was allowed out to stay with me) was filled with lovely Himalayan decorations. We got him a haircut, at the hotel salon, he had been there eleven weeks by the time I arrived and was like a shaggy dog!

The food at Rokeby’s Emily’s cafe was amazing, not like this was the best food ever, ever, ever but this was a welcome mixture of Western and Indian food you know for those moments when you never want to see a curry again, and I was assured, safe to eat… I was still recovering from a good dose of Delhi belly. (As I did the entire month in India!)

So I bought the necklace from the hotel giftshop.

I loved it’s bright colours,

the rough stones

and the fact that buying it, supported the local community.

It came with me on the rest of my travels.

Would it’s creator be pleased to know that in the UK,
I wore it to Kensington Palace,

hidden deep under layers of clothes for a cold Christmas carol service?

Or that this was the necklace I was wearing when I sang

“The hills are alive with the Sound Of Music’ in Switzerland,

or that I wore it cycling in The Netherlands?

It came to the Czech Republic and visited the nuclear bunker museum

It rose to the occasion at Barcelona FC,

when we cheered on Messi to score three goals

Oh yes, that was a good trip…

And when the holiday was all over,

it came back to our routine life in Australia,

and joined me on the school run, walking the dog,

watching sports, and at the supermarket…

I do wear it a lot!

It seemed to go with everything,

or maybe I should say in Melbourne,

everyone wears a lot of black

and it often seems the perfect jewellery to brighten a dark outfit…

BUT then it broke!
I was left with a whole load of happy memories,
and beads all over the place!

In a previous life this would have been no drama, as there would have been a lady at the Jade Market in Hong Kong, or across the Chinese border inShenzhen, who would restring and mend, good as new, for next to nothing!

But in Melbourne? Where to go?
If I had needed to have some high quality pearls restrung, or maybe it was made of precious stones, that would not be an issue, but a whole pile of artesian beads?!!!

Time to call in an old friend, visiting from Hong Kong, used to my strange requests
to help me fix things in Australia that once seemed so easy in Asia…

So my necklace flew to Hong Kong …
And was fixed by a little lady somewhere in HK or China, I’m not sure!
My friend sent me a picture of herself wearing it for a night on the town, maybe Lan Kwai Fong or maybe the Kowloon Cricket Club, I forget where.
Then she returned it home to me!

So now my necklace is back on the supermarket run again…

Oh the stories, it can tell!
I do wish it would tell me about when it was made,
and who made it…

‘Would they be surprised to know that it has travelled around the world and now

Lives in Australia?

Would they be thrilled to know how many many people comment and say

‘Nice Necklace?’

Postscript!

Last Sunday I wore it to an Art Exhibition,

over champagne and canopies,

a lady leant over

‘Nice Necklace’ she said!

‘Did you get it in Nepal?’

Nepal?????, I replied,

‘No, I got it in India…’

and told her the story…

‘Well, I have some earrings that would match perfectly,

I’ll give them to you!’

I can’t wait to meet these new earrings from Nepal

I wonder what stories they could tell?!

Have a lovely week!

PS Update from Rokeby Manor (click comments below to read more)

Hi,
I’m Monish, the Guest Relations Manager at Rokeby Manor-Mussoorie. This necklace was bought from a local Tibetan handicrafts store. I was told by the lady who sold it to us that they buy the beads individually, an assortment of beads and semi precious stones, and then they are beaded into beautiful necklaces such as yours. She must have been in a very pleasant mood when she was beading your necklace as it is very beautiful indeed.

Wandering Wren

9 seconds ago

Edit

Hi Monish
Thank you taking the time and trouble to contact me. I am very happy to know more about my beautiful Tibetan necklace. I always feel very happy wearing it and it is often admired.
I hope you have been able to pass on my grateful thanks to it’s maker at the Tibetan handicrafts store. Perhaps hearing my story will put her in a very pleasant mood to create more wonderful necklaces?!
I hope to visit Rokeby Manor – Mussoorie again in the future.
Have a wonderful day!
Wren x