Skip to main content

Alexis' Heirloom Real Pearl Necklace: Chapter 7


By Sharon Smith

Alexis rips open the letter from her grandmother. She is 22 today, and she can hardly wait to read it. Since she turned 16 and received a string of heirloom pearls and the first letter, she's become obsessed with these letters that her grandmother wrote about their ancestors before she died. Last year, she learned about Eimi and the Ama. Who will it be this year?

Dear Alexis,

It's time for you to meet Hanako, the potter - or Hana, as she was known. She was Eimi's great-granddaughter and she had spent her childhood years training under Hiroaki, the famous potter in the marketplace where her family had a stall.

As she grew older, she started trying new techniques and appearances. While Hiroaki preferred gray and red, Hana worked in different glazes: green, yellowish-brown and white. By the time she was a teenager, she had developed a style all of her own and her pots were admired far and wide.

Hiroaki should have been proud, but far from it: he was jealous. Until then, Hiroaki had been the master potter. Never did he dream one of his students would overtake him. And Hana was not one to stand back. She made more and more pots, fuelled by admiring glances and the handsome prices people were willing to pay.

Hiroaki's jealousy turned to anger and then to viciousness. First, he started telling stories about Hana to prospective clients and people were less willing to buy from her. But when that wasn't enough, Hana came to her stall one morning and found every single pot had been smashed to pieces.

She was devastated. For days, she sat at home. She knew she couldn't go back to the marketplace. Not only did she have nothing to sell, but she had become fearful of what Hiroaki would do.

It's then that her great-grandmother Eimi shuffled into the room and handed her a small, worn bag of cloth. Inside: a gleaming string of pearls.

"It's time for you to have this," said great-grandmother Eimi. "It's been passed on for generations. Remember, a pearl can only form under the most difficult circumstances."

Hana knew what her great-grandmother meant: she couldn't give up now. The next morning, she set off for the Buddhist temple that was being built near their village. Little did she know what she was about to discover. At the temple, they were making pots in a whole new manner: on a turning wheel. The monks taught her all there was to know about their techniques, and Hana became even better at her craft. She was sad that she couldn't go back to the market, and she missed making her own work, but she was grateful for the income.

Then one morning, Hiroaki showed up. She was terrified. What would he tell the monks? Was he going to destroy the new life she created for herself too?

But Hiroaki was there to find work himself. His stall had gone out of business when people heard what he had done to Hana. And when she looked into his eyes, she could see he had suffered. She didn't like it, but she knew what to do. The next day, as Hiroaki took a seat next to her at the turning wheel, she put her hand on his.

"Let me show you," she offered, in a kind voice. Hiroaki froze. Hana froze. Would he accept?

Then he smiled. "Thank you," he simply said.

Hiroaki and Hana mended their friendship. As the roles were reversed and Hana had to teach him the new techniques, newfound respect grew between them. When the temple was finished they returned to the marketplace, but this time they set up a stall together. Hana became a famous potter, lifting her family out of poverty. And when people asked her how she found it in her heart to forgive Hiroaki, she always said that it was the pearls who gave her the wisdom.

Credit: This site offered some background on the type of pottery that was made in Japan in about 500AD.

*******

Do you have an heirloom real pearl necklace that you can pass on to your daughter or granddaughter to remind them that the challenges in life make them stronger? Visit our shop to start your own heirloom pearl tradition.

Know More Detail:   https://www.timelesspearl.com/

Pearl jewelry designer Sharon Smith gravitates toward handcrafted pearl jewelry, which provides pearl tips and education. Her articles have included fashion, jewelry, business and current news. She was also briefly a story writer/reviewer for a community newspaper.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kecemburuan semacam ini

Jacey melemparkan cangkir kopi kaca, (Mug Kaca Berinsulasi Dinding Ganda Zwilling), melintasi dapur. Itu menghantam dinding yang baru dicat (Behr, Sweet Coconut Milk, M230), dan hancur menjadi triliunan kepingan. "Inilah yang telah kamu lakukan pada kami!" teriaknya, suaranya berderak karena cemburu, kuku jarinya yang terawat (Orly Cold As Ice - perawatan bernapas + warna) menusuk udara ke arah tumpukan puing-puing kaca. Blayne menundukkan kepalanya, dagu keduanya mengenai dadanya terlebih dahulu. "Maaf, sayang," gumamnya. "Maaf?! Maaf!" Dia mengambil sekotak Wheat Thins dan mengangkatnya di atas kepalanya. "Tolong jangan melempar yang lain!" Blayne memohon, berdiri dari posisi setengah duduk di bangku logam di dapur. Ini adalah bangku yang sangat tidak nyaman (Bangku Meja Grejsi dengan Bingkai Logam), tetapi Jacey menyukai cara logam itu memantulkan sinar matahari di sore hari, jadi itulah yang dia beli. Dia mencondongkan tubuh ke arahnya,...

Thirteenth step

My grandmother attends the church basement on Tuesday evenings. I saw him there among the metal folding chairs and antique coffee pots, his figure trembling under the fluorescent lights that buzzed like dying insects. She wears the same powder blue pullover she was buried in, the one with pearl buttons that catch the light like little moons. Others can't see it, of course. They just feel a sudden chill as they pass by where she is, or smell the ghostly smell of her Shalimar perfume mixing with the smell of burnt coffee that never leaves these rooms. But I see clearly. He's been following me to AA meetings for three months since I got my first white chip after five years of being back in the bottle. "Your grandmother was my godmother in 1985," old Pete told me after tonight's meeting, hands shaking as he poured a seven-pack of Sweet'n Low into his coffee. "Toughest godmother I ever had. She saved my life." "Mine, too," I said, not specif...

A-Z of Corporate Governance Law

Corporate governance law can be seen as the law that states the way a company is regulated and managed. Any student of law must have a clear idea about the corporate governance law. This article provides an insight into the law, along with its importance. Corporate governance law  describes how a company will be managed and governed. This topic is an important one for any student pursuing a degree in law. They may also receive academic papers to write on it. Hence, individuals should be clear about this law. The article aims at clarifying the idea behind the law and why it is important. What exactly is corporate governance law? A business is directed and controlled by the system of corporate governance. It is a process for governing a company, establishing the policies, customs, and laws for all employees, starting from the highest to the lowest levels. It states the distribution of responsibilities and rights among the various participants in a company like the di...