The artifact that was chosen was my Great-Great-Great Grandmother’s necklace. It was devised through the symbolism of love and hope that we will always prevail wherever we go. The individual beads are crafted by my Grandmother, which reflects the bonds that will tie our family through immigration and hardships. The necklace is now a heavy part of the family culture as it was worn through the generations. My Great-Great-Great Grandmother wore it at her wedding, then the next generation at her wedding, and it was at my Grandmother’s wedding necklace as it will hopefully be at mine. It is a vast tradition to celebrate the kindred spirit of my family ancestors from Romania and those that are yet to come. It was what inspired the determination during the Romanian Revolution, and the reason was said to be the links of the necklace that cast protection over them. I was the first of my family to bring it to a new continent, and the reason it will endure a whole new lifestyle. At one point, everyone in my family believed that some of the luck that came their way was simply because of the necklace that tied them all to the future and each other. It played a massive part in giving fighting will for my ancestors. It was all entitled to this necklace, a necklace of perseverance, protection, hope, and love. It was the dream that became my family’s reality. The artifact is reasonably heavy for its size and continues to impact my family and me to this day. 

– BM

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant