Over a century ago, in Italy, on the day of my great-great grandparents wedding, my great-great grandfather had a very special gift to give to his new wife. He gifted her a gorgeous platinum bracelet encrusted with diamonds and sapphires as a token of his undying love for her. This bracelet has been worn by every bride on my mom’s side of the family since then. My great-great grandmother brought this bracelet with her when she journeyed with her family to America in the 1890s. She came to America with almost nothing, like many families at the time, thus, this was the most valuable thing her family had, both monetarily and sentimentally. The oldest daughter of each family inherits the bracelet once the one who possesses it passes away. The bracelet was passed down to my grandmother after her older sister passed away at a young age with no living children. Though my grandmother still has it, it will be passed down to my Aunt Mary, who will then pass it on to my cousin Jeanne, who was the last person to wear the bracelet when she got married in 2014. She will also pass it down to her daughter, Evelyn, who was born earlier this year. Although I know the bracelet will never be mine, I will wear it on my wedding day just as the rest of my family has. This family bracelet is a symbol of everlasting love and building something where nothing once existed.

– Isabelle Bholat

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more