Mom's jewelry box

When I was a kid, I used to sneak into my parents' bedroom and open my mother's jewelry box. I'd pick up each brooch or earring and study it in detail. (I don't think I ever tried them on.) After Mom died, I inherited all her costume jewelry -- brooches, clip-on earrings, and rings. I don't wear them...but by drawing them, I can keep my memories fresh.

This brooch and earring are part of a set. I remember Mom wearing them for the (rare) cocktail parties she and my Dad hosted.

I don't know if these earrings are real jade. My mom grew up in Oakland and worked in San Fransisco, so there were plenty of places nearby to find jade jewelry.

A metal brooch with lilies...

This brooch has tiny pearls.

This watch pin might have belonged to my grandmother. Some of her valuables ended up in my mom's box after she died (at age 100!)

During the Vietnam War, my mom wore a copper bracelet for a P.O.W. solider she never knew.

There are a few more pieces, but my colored pencil skills aren't quite up to depicting them yet (lots of faceted glass).