The story of this blog began shortly after my grandmother died at the age 100. Zella Hall was a feisty little woman who lived life fully. Her entire life she was the hostess with the mostess, loving parties and social gatherings of all kinds. Even well into her senior years, her social life far surpassed mine at any point in my life. Zel could turn anything into an event; she was famous for her false eyelashes, wig and high heels which she insisted on wearing, even for a quick trip to the grocery store. Her wardrobe was eclectic, but heavy on leopard print and marabou. And there was always jewelry to complete the ensemble.
Zel’s earrings and costume jewelry were her bequest to me. I knew she had matching accessories for every occasion, but it wasn’t until I saw it all in one place that I realized how much she loved jewelry. She had jewelry of every color imaginable and subtlety did not seem to be in her repertoire. She was a small lady, barely 5 foot 1, weighing less than 100 lbs, but, big and bold was how she lived.
When I inherited Zel’s jewelry, a good portion of it had already been distributed elsewhere. And yet, I found that I still had over 300 pairs of earrings and almost as many necklaces. One day, reminiscing about my grandmother, I decided to try on a pair. And then another. And another. The jewelry wasn’t always my style, but they were amazing and I needed to share them with someone. “Wait until you see these!” I’d call to my family. I’d come out and model the jewelry and we laughed til we cried.
But eventually, I started finding some pieces that I truly loved. Many pieces surprised me with how cool they looked once I had them on. More importantly, not only did I enjoying modeling the earrings, necklaces and pins for my family, the jewelry took me back to my grandmother and the special bond we had always shared.
Alzheimer’s didn’t come into Zel’s life until her 95th year. Though it appeared rather late in her life, it still robbed her of so much. Zel slowly started pulling away from her active lifestyle and her busy social calendar. Bowling and golf were activities she continued into her 90’s, but those drifted away with all of the memories of her life. She became angry and frustrated, and eventually died quietly and slowly. The end of her life was nothing like the life she had led.
My grandmother’s jewelry has allowed me to reconnect with my grandmother. Not the grandmother who couldn’t recognize her own family members in the end, but the grandmother that was bright and colorful and full of life, just like her accessories. The jewelry didn’t deserve to be shoved away in a box like my grandmother’s memories. The jewelry needed to be shared.
At first, I thought about just publishing a photo of each pair. One for each day of the year. A 365 day project. But what would I do with all that jewelry after the year was over? Something told me I needed to use the jewelry. I needed to get the jewelry into the hands (and onto the ears) of other people.
Ultimately I decided that I could use these treasures to fight the disease that took my grandmother away. And at the same time, I could celebrate my grandmother and other people with Alzheimer’s as well. The result is the website you see before you.
To make this website work for you, for me, and for Alzheimer’s research, please visit THIS PAGE.
For several months I’ve been sorting and cleaning, repairing and photographing (and even numbering) the jewelry. I’ve been matching up earrings and pairing them with necklaces and brooches. The whole project has become a much bigger undertaking than I ever imagined, but I hope it will offer some healing and joy to those who explore the site. May you enjoy Zel’s collection and the Alzheimer tributes connected with this project.