Theodora Heirloom Bracelet

by Kristine Schroeder.
(Saint Germain, Wisconsin,  USA)

Theodora Bracelet, showing the chainmaille

I made Theodora out of sterling silver wire, sterling silver beads, a mother-of-pearl cabochon, cultured pearls, and blue chalcedony beads. It’s an ID-style bracelet, with chainmaille going around the wrist, and a hand-sculpted double hook clasp.

Making Theodora triggered a memory for me, and set me on a journey. I began the bracelet by fabricating the frame and setting the MOP cab, then I laid the frame down on my workbench to contemplate my next move. Suddenly, the memory of a tiny mother-of-pearl ring set in sterling silver washed over me…

Side view, showing the hand-sculpted double-hook clasp

As a little girl, like my mother before me, I wore a mother-of-pearl ring that had belonged to my great-great aunt Teddy, who died in the 1918 flu epidemic at the young age of 18.

From that moment, the bracelet became a tribute to Teddy.

I’ve begun a journey of learning more about that branch of my family. It’s bittersweet – while it’s fun to imagine their reactions to things like the first powered flight, or the Earth’s passage through the tail of Halley’s Comet, I realize that during Teddy’s lifetime, American women didn’t have the legal rights or variety of choices we enjoy today.

So here’s to you, Theodora Pinckard. You are remembered.

Kristine Schroeder
Kristine Schroeder Studio
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