Thimble Earrings

Yard sales, junk-stores, items left for the garbage, objects lost on the streets, wash ups on the beach. What do I love about these things? They are cheap (or free) and plentiful. They have a history and their own story. They have something that is not just my straightforward consumerism. Who lost it? Who threw it away? What was its use? What has changed, causing us to not need or value it now? Can this be transcended? Is it worthwhile to use an old object?

These earrings were created from a pair of mismatched thimbles. A fleeting symbol of “Women’s Work” They were an element in many stories. I can see a woman sitting, quietly and darning the socks of her family. Then the thimbles sat rusting, as socks became cheaper. Now it is easier to throw away than repair. There is new life and deaths within a family. Sentimental objects can wind up in a flea market. I found these objects there, and it touched me to know that they had been useful and touched by another woman. As I touched them, they have made their final transformation. They are now my work, and useless for Women’s Work. A finger cannot slip inside, rather many tiny fingers poke out. Or maybe a sea anemone is caught; supple, pink and forgiving.  The original function has been negated and a pair of earrings created.

2003
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