My mother wore gold on her wedding night, on her first day in America, and for many months after first being a citizen here. Causally being adorned in ornately and intricately designed gold was not uncommon in Indian Culture. So her and her sisters all have their own unique pieces of jewelry that they all keep very safely and stored away in suitcases and dressers. Wearing gold in America for my mother was her form of celebration and preservation. After her arranged marriage with my father in 2004, she was gifted, as all Indian women are, with many jeweled treasures. By wearing gold in America, she wore what her parents and family back in the motherland gave to remain with her. By wearing the gold gifted to her by her in laws, she was reminded that she was welcomed and excitedly accepted into a new country and family. But gold is also a guardian for Indian women. Giving gold as gifts also counts as providing liquid assets if the woman is in desperate need. In case of an emergency, the Indian community set up a silent system of trading gold for cash and allowing women to sustain themselves and their family if they were not able to afford necessities and if their husband had failed to provide/left. Knowing that my mother had come from a foreign country to join my father, the uncertainty that surrounded her seemed to be alleviated with the presence of her gold. She had something that could be used for both visual appeal and financial support. Whenever I see her jewelry, I am constantly amazed at the story that each piece brings with it

– TA

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant