Why Jewelry is the Most Important Travel Accessory to Me
There are many things to check on the list when packing to travel somewhere. Among that list, the top accessory for me is always jewelry. I simply can’t travel without my signature pieces of jewelry, and here’s why.
Conversation Starter
Jewelry is a highly noticeable thing, whether it’s subtle earrings or a flashy bracelet, people notice. When people notice something, they typically want to talk about it. Wearing jewelry brings out a certain curiosity in people. It makes them want to ask questions like “Where did you get that?” or “What type of stone is that?”. People will want to know more.
There can definitely be a language barrier depending on where you travel to. The thing I love about traveling with jewelry is, even with that language barrier, you can still talk to someone about it. It’s so easy to point and smile at a piece of jewelry. It can get a conversation started even if the words are kept to a minimum.
When wearing jewelry, I can always expect someone to point it out. I love talking to people wherever I’m traveling, so I love having something to talk about. If you travel a lot too, you can save yourself from awkward silence on a plane, waiting in line, or sitting on a bus. People talk about jewelry.
Encourages Compliments
Compliments are so rare when it comes to strangers and traveling. Everyone is often grumpy due to jet lag, running late, or their day just isn’t going according to plan. Wearing jewelry encourages compliments. When someone compliments your jewelry, it’s your naturally instinct to give them a compliment back.
You never know how one compliment could change a person’s entire day. If you notice a nice sparkly ring on someone, ask if they were recently engaged. Listening to someone’s love story will warm their heart by allowing them to share what means the most to them. Compliments for jewelry is all about taking the little things and making them into big things.
Represents Importance
Jewelry can have a multitude of cultural meanings. The Navajo tribe believed that turquoise was a protective force that connected them to the earth. The Africans used beads to represent tribes. The Chinese believe that jade represents yin and yang, balanced forces of good and evil. To every culture, jewelry is used to represent importance.
Gems and stones can make you feel safe. It can give you a sense of home. It can remind you of love. Whatever it is, it’s something you should bring with you wherever you go.
Brings Personal Meaning
It’s always heart breaking when a loved one passes away. A great way to keep them with you is by wearing their jewelry. I absolutely cherish the sentimentality of heirloom jewelry. When it’s passed down from generation to generation, it allows you to have a sense of pride for your family and loved ones. How could you not want to carry that with you wherever you go?
Jewelry also allows your personality to shine. Different people wear different kinds of jewelry. Everyone should express themselves, and jewelry is a great outlet for that. When you travel, you might be in different cultures, so wearing jewelry can make you feel more comfortable and confident.
Promotes Culture Awareness
Traveling meanings different cultures. If you are going out of the country, you know you’ll be experiencing a different culture. It’s hard to buy unique jewelry at home, so when you travel you find things you wouldn’t see anywhere else. The same works for the jewelry you wear in other cultures. The locals may have never seen anything like it before.
Wearing jewelry promotes culture. The best kind of culture awareness in jewelry is fair trade. People work hard all over the world to make jewelry. It’s an art and takes both practice and skill. People deserve to be paid for their time, effort and craft of jewelry making.
That’s why a jewelry store that sells fair trade items is a great place to get jewelry. So if you’re traveling, you can ask about the jewelry you may want to buy to make sure that it’s fair trade. If people notice the jewelry you wear you can proudly say where it came from.
So, if you can’t tell, I absolutely love jewelry. I could go on about the beauty of the jewelry itself, and the beauty it can bring wherever you go. Jewelry may seem like a small accessory, but it leaves a pretty significant impact.