I mostly have rings and necklaces, which I've been wearing since high school. My bracelets are kind of the key to this story because of the fact that I never wore bracelets until I got a specific bracelet in 2018, but after I got that one bracelet, I have never gone without them since.

Basically, I had a very hard goodbye in 2018, and I wanted to get a piece of jewelry to remind me of that person. I usually would go with a necklace, but I didn't want to have to choose between my new necklace and other symbolic necklaces I have. That's how I decided on a bracelet. Since I never wore any bracelets, I'd never have to choose. I now have 5 bracelets that I never take off (and it's fluctuated in the years since 2018, I think the most I've had at once that are constantly on my wrist is 8?). So it felt symbolic not only because of it being a bracelet, but because there are people that came into my life since then that are very important to me and have never known me without my bracelets, yet the person who is the reason I wear bracelets never knew me as someone who wore bracelets (and I think in my head it became more symbolic because it wasn't gradual, either). So. Here are a million pics! There are fandom ones at the end that are fun (I think)

bracelets

[left] the bracelet that started it all. it has gone through many iterations, mostly to the one on the right so that I could start adding more bracelets. [right] on the right there's also pearl and tanzanite (tanzanite is my favorite), a bracelet that says "hang in there" with a semicolon (an inside joke with someone important to me, and I used to be a gymnast so the irony of "hang in there" on a bar bracelet made me smile), and the butterfly one is from my younger sister.

[left] the colorful bracelet is from my best friend. it's rose gold, so I put it on my right hand and started getting more rose gold/mixed rose gold and gold jewelry. the North Star was part of a gift (I gave someone a matching one) and is an homage to If/Then: "you're my North Star, my map to grace." [middle] I have a ton of morse code jewelry now because then I could put names or phrases without people asking me about it. some phrases/names I have: Amber, Bernadette, I will if you will, everything changes, even now. the heart is a handwritten piece of jewelry. [right] this one shows my garden bracelet! The Language of Flowers is my favorite book, so I use my favorite flower dictionaries to choose flowers based on meaning, which is why I have a lot of flower jewelry. The bracelet has peony, snowdrop, poppy, daisy, and baby's breath.

[left] new bracelets are a cremation bracelet with some of my grandmother's ashes and one with stones representing the asexual pride flag. [right] I gave a matching "E" bracelet to a client a few years ago when we said goodbye and I read The Invisible String. The bottom is a variation of a morse code bracelet.

rings

[left] tanzanite with oak leaves! tanzanite is my favorite but can also be a december birthstone. one of the meanings of my focal child's name (a baby I became really close with when I did my case study for my minor) is strength, which is the meaning of oak leaves. [middle] my current therapist's name is Amber. [right] it's hard to tell, but the stone is pink! I got it when I graduated undergrad because it meant saying goodbye to the Pink Room (infant classroom where I worked).

fandom

[criminal minds] emily prentiss inspired earrings

[ant man & the wasp] hope van dyne inspired necklace

[wicked] wicked day last year: glinda bubble necklace, ring that reminds me of glinda's wand, watermelon tourmaline ring

the x-files [left] scully inspired cross necklace [middle] bee & disk that says "believe" (getting a sunflower one that I'll probably add or trade out with the bee to be more consistent with my other necklaces) [right] x pendant

[castle, left] rose (flowers in Beckett's wedding bouquet, 7x06; various meanings) and Beckett's badge number [the mentalist, right] orchid, date I joined tmsource