Would You Share Your Diamonds?
77If you heard about 13 women who jointly bought a diamond
necklace you’d think they were nuts, wouldn’t you? I thought it was a fairy
tale too, when I stumbled upon a book called ‘The Necklace’ at the library the
other day. The cover had a picture of a woman in pink looking coyly down at a
diamond necklace she was wearing. I picked it up, thinking it was one of those
examples of flippant chick-lit that was entertaining while it lasted but left
no particular impression.
Turns out I was wrong. It was the true story of ‘13 Women, 1
Diamond Necklace and a Fabulous Idea’. Five years ago 13 women in Ventura, California
contributed $1,200 each to buy a 118-diamond necklace that each would get to
keep for one month in turn. Share a diamond necklace worth $37,000? The mind
boggles at the thought. Well, these women were willing to suspend belief long
enough to invest in a necklace along with 12 others, some of whom they didn’t
even know! A few were so carried away by the idea they agreed to put up the
money even without actually seeing the necklace in question.
The necklace eventually went on sale and they were able to
buy it for $15,000, which was still a lot of money for any one of them to think
of individually. But it was not just about
diamonds apparently. The idea, which germinated in the fertile imagination of
one Jonell McLain, was to be an experiment in inclusivity, rather than the
exclusivity that an item of luxury such as a diamond necklace suggested. Not
only would that necklace be shared by the 13 women, it would also be worn by
others who could never otherwise dream of wearing real diamonds, even if only
for a few minutes.
Think about it. Sounds like a recipe for disaster! Can a
group of women actually share something like jewellery, leave alone a glittering
diamond necklace that would bring stars to most eyes? I don’t mean to let my
gender down but it’s not a scenario guaranteed to bring out the best among most
women, especially if they’re the type for whom a diamond necklace matters. Where
is the cachet in owning a necklace that at least 12 others, all living in the
same town, will be wearing? Where is the joy of ownership, the sneaky feeling
of one-upmanship?
The women, all between the ages of 50 and 62, did the
unthinkable. Not only did they share the necklace without any serious falling
out, they also lent it to others in their lives. They made very good use of the
necklace, wearing it around the house, to shop for groceries, to work, to dress
up an outfit for a special occasion, and even (firmly taped to the neck) to
sky-dive. What sounded like a ridiculous idea slowly morphed into a movement. They
named the necklace Jewelia and used it to raise money for special causes,
eventually raising more than they had spent on it in the first place. Their
investment brought unusual dividends.
Every month the women met to share their experiences and
formally hand over the necklace to the next on the list. The ‘string of bling’
helped them learn the true meaning of sharing, and how to value the company of
other women. They managed to ‘transform a symbol of privilege into an
experiment in humanity’, and in many cases transformed their own lives.
Sounds too good to be true? Can something like this actually work in today’s times, when consumerism is rampant, and materialism is the norm? Is sharing the answer to building community in a world rapidly falling apart? Can we really bridge gaps by pooling our resources? It requires a tremendous shift in consciousness. It seems inconceivable in an aspirational society like ours that people would be willing to share their hard earned toys. Diamonds today, luxury cars tomorrow, and the possibilities are endless. Would you be able to do it?
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Brilliant indeed... but I can actually imagine one of the ladies saying one day that its gone :-O
It's a great idea - more so as it was used for good causes as well as for fun. What's the name of the book - and is it a good read ?
FD, thank you! I think I wouldn't have an issue with sharing diamonds...now if it were chocolate we were talking about... :P But you're right - how often can you wear/use a luxury item even if you have a lifestyle that's suited for it?In fact if you have such a lifestyle you probably wouldn't be caught dead repeating the item in question anyway!
Ravin...the ladies were smart...they insured it!
Iphigenia, the book (paperback version) is called 'The Necklace - 13 women, I necklace and a fabulous idea' and it's written by Cheryl Jarvis. I think the hardcover version has a slightly different title. It's interesting to read how 13 women with diverse lifestyles and temperaments dealt with the experiment and what they got out of it.
FP
What an interesing hub - the premise itself is thought-provoking. I don't know much about diamonds but I know something about loving something, like say, my passion. I mean if you really love something so so much, perhaps you'll do anything to keep it. :D
We prioritize whenever we need to do so. Shows that the diamonds are more important than the need to be exclusive! :)
Will each one have the right opportunity in the month they get it? Guess they can exchange time slots according to need! Interesting idea!
That was an interesting story. I have heard everything now, I hear they are renting purses (designer handbags) out to people now too. Pretty much sharing them. Almost the same concept. More than one person using it. Its nice it worked out for them. I wonder if they were able to insure it since it was in the hands of that many people most of the time.
I think the monthly interaction of the women is the interesting aspect ,as I make jewelry and wouldn't be excited by a diamond necklace. (really)! Great hub.
Wow! This is something. great read FP. Hard to imagine 13 women getting along like that so well and then doing good with it as well. Well, 13 men could not do such a thing to be honest about it.
Great reading ... but, like Ravin, I have this niggling thought that we haven't yet heard the last of the story. Even if it does last one generation, I wonder who all will have the rights of inheritance ... and what will happen then.
Chris, I guess it depends on how much you want to 'own' things...or be owned by them!
Uma, the system seems to be working well, and if someone needs it for a special occasion when it's someone else's turn to keep the necklace, they do ask to borrow it.
JJ, they did insure it. The good thing is they actually woar it - a lot of people would be scared to wear something that expensive even if it were insured.
Gypsy, apparently the interaction was an eye opener for many of them - showed them previously unknown sides of themselves.
CC, I find it hard to imagine men sharing their toys too!
Jaspal, those are smart women - they've already worked out all the details of inheritance. In fact they've made sure the next generation has met and is as committed to the experiment as they are. And a woman who chooses to opt out can do so whenever she wants - there are others waiting to take her place!
Thank you all for reading! :)
Hey - amazing! Almost like a time share - and why not? Maybe if this idea were extended to other things too - I'm thinking luxury cruiser, private jet, whatever.....many more people will be able to live the life of their dreams - and getting together to share experiences sounds wonderful!
FP - I just knew you'd say 'rather have chocolate' LOL
Hehe, predictable as ever, huh? :P
It sounds like a great idea in theory, but I think it would take a special kind of person to make it work...one for whom the concept of ownership is not as important as the experience of using and enjoying something.
True - it does seem to have worked as far as jets are concerned - in New Delhi anyway!
Interesting hub FP
What about sharing homes and husbands and wives - the possibilities are endless!!! Haha
Perhaps there is a germ of socialism in this idea - the good of the many versus that of the individual.
Thanks for this hub
That's great Shal - a lot of people are going to be flying high! :)
Hey Sabu, where have you been? Socialists would have a blue fit if they heard you applying their lofty ideals to diamonds and jets! Or spouses! :P
FP: I read this earlier today was about to add my comments but got distracted. I love the part of how they turned their diamond experiment into helping others, and allowed it to impact their lives. It could have turned into drama, greed and such, but it didn't.
Thumbs up! Thanks for introducing me to something I have not come across before. :)
I saw this! Interesting idea. I wonder if I could find 11 women to go in on buying a man we could share. Seems like there should be 11 women with a few extra bucks!
Poor guy!
Thanks VS...what I found interesting is that while they all enjoyed wearing the diamonds, none of them felt much attachment to them.
Tch, tch Candie, you shouldn't have to buy a man! On second thoughts...dealing with him for just one month every year sounds tempting! :P
I'm sure he'd get a day or two off a month! Not my month, but someones! I'm saving up..in more ways than one!
FP - it's kinda like hiring a chef, or housekeeper. It's just business!
Haha PM, focus on the diamonds!
Right Candie, of course! In that case he would deserve a day or two off...and other benefits?
yes mam. :(
This is possibly the oddest event in relation to jewlery that I've ever heard about! Just as you wrote in your article, it's difficult to imagine 13 women sharing such a piece, willingly, and gaining not only with the jewel but with the sharing experience. Well, wonders never cease! I'm charmed with this one, Feline!
Thanks Elena...kind of renews your faith in womankind, doesn't it? :)
Fascinating. I will have to pick up the book!
You should Tom, maybe it will inspire another one of your lists! :)
Caandie, I have been waiting for this one to come on. I just knew you wopuld be the one to suggest it be Man sharing. Maybe Pest would be interested?
LOL, been lying in wait, have you CC?
You could say that FP, I knew it was just a matter of time. hehe
I think it is a wonderful idea, and I could see it working very nicely. I have friends who own expensive clothing that they loan out when ever possible, just to see it worn. :)
Well of course Ralwus!! Ah, our absent friend Pest.. well I'll leave it up to him, but if he's game (and unattached) I think we could work out an arrangement!
FP - he's been lying in wait with the BBQ tongs in his hand
This sharing and generosity doesn't surprise me at all, FP. Girls, especially those over 50, have a tendency to play quite nicely in the sandbox.
My mom voiced this thought the other day, while we were on a long road trip. She was thinking about her friends at the senior center whom she wouldn't see for a week or so. She happened to say that if she had met some of these women fifty years ago or so, she probably wouldn't like them much, and maybe they wouldn't like her. I asked why. She said, by this time in our lives we've gotten over competing for the things that were important then, like a man, a house, and fine possessions; life is now more than half over...why ruin the rest of it by being petty, when we can get so much more out of it by being generous?
Thanks for this Hub, FP. I'm definitely going to get the book. And give my mom a special hug while I'm at it. :)
Ivorwen, I'm not one for dressing up too often and am quite happy for my friends and sister to borrow things that I rarely wear...at least they get used. So perhaps a lot of us are doing the same thing as those women in small ways! Thanks for reading! :)
Ahh Candie...you caught up! :P
ST, how wise your mother is! I imagine after a certain age, possessions and other such petty concerns do cease to matter...but then again there are those who will never tire of being one up on their friends. Not everyone is blessed with generosity of spirit. I'm glad your mother is one of the lucky ones! :) Thanks for stopping by.
What a sensational story. I think it would definitely take 13 extraordinary women to do it, heck I would give it a bash, sure, why not?
I would be very interested to hear how an experiment like that worked with someone I knew (or as far as you can know someone through cyberspace!)...so make sure you write a hub about it BP! :)
Members of hubpages write poems and stories together..so I suppose that is a start.
I think if one is not too attached to a particular thing, it would be quite easy to share it.This was an interesting experiment.
I have always wondered about the lives of women married to one man or vice-versa.Even if religion permits it...how do the people involved in the alliance feel?
Interesting thought Diana...perhaps you should elaborate it in a hub! :)
A bunch of women sharing the family jewels, eh?...sort of time share with a twist, what?.....:-)This sure was an interesting read, FP!...and a pleasant surprise to find that it actually worked!:-)
Cheers!...Women Rock!
What a great story. The sharing part is definitely very interesting.
Can't say I really get diamonds though. Personally, I don't wear any jewelry. They are not very comfortable, my hair gets caught in them, and I would be afraid to go places.
My mom owns some jewelry but she never wears them either - just keeps them all hidden away - lol. I really don't see the point. I prefer cash, or something else that has practical every day use.
It certainly seems to have worked, Rashmi! :)
I hear you shibashake, I'm not big on jewellery either...but different strokes for different folk! :)
Sound like a great story with a great idea bexind. I understand this story as a story not about the necklice and the diamonds but as the story about the unity, strength and sharing. I thing the most valuable in the story is that 13(?) people had a same dream and help eachother to fulfill the dream.
Novadays people can not help eachother like in the past. Or can?
What a great idea - I think what they did was marvelous! I haven't had the opportunity to share something as grand as a diamond necklace, but I have always shared what I do have, or recieve with others in the hopes whatever I have will improve their lot in life.
Great hub!
Thanks for stopping by gjuro. It is indeed amazing that the women were able to help each other live a dream. :)
That's a lovely thought Enelle...wish more people were open to sharing. Think how much less angst and envy there would be in this world. Thanks for reading! :)
I would never share my diamonds wit any one at all so thats that. On a another note check out www.dldirectory.com & www.playandsearch.com
That's your prerogative zens28 - thanks for stopping by!
Very nice hub. Pooling money sounds similar to Kitty parties only much much bigger. As for as sharing is concerned then family jewelry being passed from mom/grandma to us is also sharing but for a longer period of time....LOL
Hey there countrywomen, haven't seen you in ages! You're right, handing down heirlooms is sharing...but a group sharing something at the same time in history is a little different! :)
Man! I'd be a nervous wreck!
Haha LM, as if you don't have enough to worry about, eh? :P
Wow...what a lovely idea. Women sharing it made me think even more. Are these women from outer space?? Never heard women sharing a diamond necklace. On a more serious note I think pooling the resources is actually a billiant idea. Lets see how it shapes. Please tell me the names of this women. They cannot be mortals LOL.
Hehe...they are mere mortals indeed jay! Thanks for reading! :)
Hubs like this are the sorts I have been trying to find since I joined HubPages recently! This was such an inspiring hub. To reiterate what so many have said, I love the implications of such generous sharing in the context of greater society today.
Thanks for dropping by Chris (are you one or two? :P) and for your comment. It would indeed be wonderful if we could take the concept of sharing beyond a diamond necklace.
Yes... I have certainly shared my diamonds... although they are not the diamonds in a necklace! I consider my family, the man I love and the people who are dear to me to be my diamonds.
What a wonderful way to truly "share the wealth"...and what a wonderful idea to spread the bounty to others. They are blessed to have such a group of friends in their lives!
Red :)
sarmack, what a lovely thought! Thanks for dropping by! :)
RE, sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it? :)
A shift from individual to group consciousness is indeed what we need, and your article demonstrates that it is possible, and how beneficial it can be. The importance of using what we have for the good of many. Wonderful stuff!
What we all really need now is a rise in group consciousness, and maybe there is a glimmer of hope out there. Thanks for stopping by sannyasinman. :)
Fiction is stranger than truth!
Indeed it is, quicksand! Does this hub help confirm I'm female? :P
O Prophetess feline, I do not need further confirmation. There is sufficient evidence already. However, it was just that Garfield is a tomcat and prophet is the masculine version of prophetess! That's all! :) --------- :) (wide grin!)
By the way, I made reference to you in one of my hubs as "respected fellow hubber Feline Prophet." Now I've got to change it to "respected fellow hubress!"
Hubress? Prophetess?!! How politically incorrect are you quicksand? :P
And which hub did you refer to me in? Gosh, fame at last! :P
Politically incorrect but grammatically precise O Prophetess Feline!
Lol! I made reference to you in my hub entitled The Music And Movies Of Elvis Presley! Haaah! That shows you don't read my hubs! :) ---------------------------------- :) Wider grin (with even the gums visible)
Oooops...how did I miss that one? (sheepish grin) Thanks for the mention, quicksand! :)
Well Prophetess Feline, you were probably busy with your offline chores. :)
Sharing jewels? Hmmmmm..Gosh,Feline..never realized that..that..ahem..I'm capable of that sneaky feeling of one-upmanship!I am totally disgusted with myself now! :(
Good to see you here Lyla, and don't fret...we can't all be paragons! :P
I certainly would share the diamonds that is the problem in today's society so many have forgotten the true meaning of being human. I wish that would happen to me what a wonderful experience that would be. :)
Hello AE! I hope you have the opportunity to do something like this soon! :)
Wow! this is a great story. Wish I am a member of the club so I can share also in the diamonds. This is the love of sharing and seeing others become as happy as you are at its finest. Thanks for sharing the story.
Thanks for reading, emievil...perhaps one day you can be part of something like this too. :)
frogdropping says:
7 months ago
Feline - I read this, typed a comment, pressed enter and IE closed down. Was a bit of a trip to get back again!
I said (originally) that I thought it was a great idea - and something I wouldn't have an issue with. Materialism is the norm these days and for some - what to buy/own next is a part of their lives.
Great hub Feline - rated up :)
*carefully clicks enter*