Seven Jewels in Search of a Treasure

When I decided to have my alchemist jeweler, Winnie, design a one-of-a-kind sterling cuff bracelet as the prize in the Trove Armchair Treasure Hunt, I knew each jewel I chose from my personal trove had to be just so. I wanted every precious stone to tell a story—mine, yes—but also stories that might feel familiar to you.

So here are the meanings of the seven stones embedded in this bracelet. Each stone connects to a part of my memoir, Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure that will be released by Brown Paper Press on September 19^th. You can read the book to learn the details of my journey, but I hope the jewels in this bracelet will evoke memories of yours.

The person who solves the clues and finds the stone I have hidden somewhere in New England, will receive this bejeweled bracelet appraised at $2200.

Sapphire: These two blue gemstones are the eyes of the stranger that you see across the room, or on the boat traveling to a faraway island. How could someone that you have never met feel so familiar? When you catch eyes, it’s as if you’ve both spent lifetimes looking for each other. Now here is your chance. To not say something feels like a missed opportunity to know a soulmate. But does this person recognize you, or is this just your dream?

Sapphires are holy stones that cast their hue upward to create the blue of the sky. They are the jewels of the heavens, of reincarnation, and communication with your past. Sapphire also evokes the vastness of the sea and the possibility that the world is yours to discover if you open your eyes, have a look around, and maybe say hello to that familiar stranger.

Emerald: You love someone you are not supposed to love. They aren’t available. Or you aren’t, but the heart doesn’t obey those rules. It wants what it wants, and it would rather not wait. This emerald is the green of envy, the forbidden, and the grassy knoll where you sit with the restlessness of time passing so painfully slow, while your heart beats inside your chest like a caged bird. Emerald is also the fertile ground upon which true love eventually grows.

An emerald calls forth successful love and the leafing on the tree of possibility. All of nature is contained in an emerald’s brilliant green color. This is also the stone of intuition. If you look closely, perhaps you can see your own future reflected in the faceted depths.

Ruby is the sparking red heart of a grandmother who shows you unconditional love. She makes a lemon cake with raspberry preserves then sets it on the pantry shelf, as if daring you to sneak a lick. You do, and she smiles, never scolding. She takes showers in the rain to save water and teaches you card games with pennies that you, in turn, will teach your children. She is love and fried dough with powdered sugar and walks to the pond to feed the birds. When she hugs you, she smells warm and dusty like cinnamon.

A ruby is zest for life, passion, and purpose. It is the blood that a family shares and sheds for each other, and a reminder to be fully alive in the world, to always sneak a lick of the raspberry preserves.

Citrine: These two tear-drop shaped stones with their golden yellow glow summon and reflect the power of the sun. The citrine is belief in your own strength, even when you feel drained of vigor. It is the decision to take a risk and journey untethered from the judgment and constraint of others. Citrine is the bright light of manifestation and the brilliance of your own power, as well as your ability to illuminate the path for others.

Pearl is pure white treasure—yours to find and imbue with meaning. My one tattoo is of the lucky Chinese dragon Futs-lung holding a precious pearl as he guards the treasure of the underworld. What is the treasure you guard above all others—your family, your time, your creativity, your hope for the world? I found this single pearl on the streets of Tokyo when I moved there alone in the late 80s. A treasure lost. A treasure found.

My treasures are many because I choose to find them everywhere. Look around and find yours. Or maybe even this one.