Jewellery and I are not good friends

Women in general have strong lust for beautiful jewellery. It has become part of a complete clothing that one might feel incomplete without wearing at least three type of jewellery (i.e. necklace, earrings and bracelets). This type of jewellery thinking has made its production massive and huge. From the production of jewellery which cost a penny to the ones which match the price of a good fully furnished house. Hence one might wonder how did it all came to start? When did women decide to start wearing jewellery?

I cannot give much opinion for the women who lives all around the world but I can share some fact to why Malaysian Malay women wear them. It actually starts as early as four months old. Parents dress their daughters with anclelace to signal the people around them that their new born child is a girl. Weird as it may sounds, Malay parents just want to stop people from asking them whether it a boy or a girl.

As the girl grow one and a half years old , some parents even had their child's earlobe punctured. I only had mine when I was four years old. I don't remember the pain but mum says I had cried only for the first hour. I think that is why people do it as early as one and half years old, they don't want the child to remember the pain. For the guys out there who wears earrings, I hear that it stings. I guess beauty is pain.

I am not much a fan of jewellery, counting to this day I only have four necklaces , two rings and seven bracelets. But I do have plenty of earrings. The reason of not wanting to buy more does not mean that I am not feminine enough, but its because I hate the idea of wearing expensive things on my neck. My mum bought me a very expensive necklace because I have good grades for my Malaysian Certificate of Education or also known as SPM. I used to wear it everyday and every where until the day someone followed me back home. It was horrifying as bad thoughts intensely circulate in my head at that time. Thus I vow to only wear it on special occasion.

But that is not the only reason, I hear lots of stories of family fighting over inherited jewellery. For one its maybe because it cost a lot and the price of gold jewellery does not depreciate, and secondly its sort of because it can be associated with personal desire that made jewellery seem more than just a piece of metal. In a way its like fighting over make believe things that by owning a jewellery signify something personal. I used to say that, since I only have a brother I would not have to worry for who gets the family jewellery. But a friend told me that if my brother does get marry and have daughters, he might demand for the jewellery as well. But then again, if such things were to happen I think I'll just give it to him, but i'm taking the houses. hahahhaha

Coming back to the question of "When did women decide to start wearing jewellery?" well the mass media for one did a very good job in advertising. Secondly the social status recognition of those wearing are elegant and beautiful. I also hear from married friends that wearing expensive jewellery on certain occasion also shows the generosity and success of the husband. It seems that, if people don't wear jewellery it might lower the pride of their husbands. It is like saying that the husband are not doing well in their business or working life. It a dreaded string of invisible social expectation. Though people would deny such things, it seems that there is no escape to such demand.

I remember an article taken from a book posted somewhere on the net. It says that young Malay women are asked to look and wear decent before stepping out of the house. It is about representing the family that you born from. It symbolizes that you are well mannered and that your parents did good in raising you. Besides that, looking good may lure good candidates for future husbands. And in those days most women are to get married as early as ten years old or the moment you hit puberty (That is why you can meet people who their children are only a decade years different of age with their mothers).

i don't know which stand i would side if there is ever a question between choosing to wear or not to wear jewellery. But one thing i know deep in my heart is that those beautiful mask you wear does not represent who you are. If finding a candidate of husband is about who wears the most expensive jewellery, I think that the husband are full of himself. It reflect that the guys themselves are actually materialistic (though they always say women are the materialistic ones). So here is the conclusion, good friends are the one you contact often while the not so good you contact when you have something you want. Thus, jewellery and I are not good friends as I only use them when there is a need to do so. And that is it.