Have you ever heard of a "Jean Ring" ? No? Well if you haven't, let me fill you in; Jean Rings were invented in the 1970's in St. Louis MO, by a man named Marc. They are brass keychains, that can loop onto a belt, shirt, bag etc. They come in the classic shape above left and, a variety of other shapes, all brass. The exception is this little number on the right. This my friends, is a 14 Kt solid gold Jean Ring charm. Do you know how many Jean Rings you have to sell to get one of these?! Actually I don't, but I venture it's a lot, or that Marc was really fond of you….Yes, my mother had a turn at selling Jean Rings at gift shows across the country. Mind you this was at the height of the "excesses" of the era, to which my mother was not immune. I believe that there may have been more 'bartering" in illicit substances than sale of Jean rings, but that's just my hunch. Hey, my brother and I got a lot of Boris Vallejo themed blacklight posters and other 'Spencer's Gift' style paraphernalia out of the deal, so hey….But here is the hard part about this post, in direct opposition to the bag post yesterday, I asked for this necklace more than once, and my mom said "No." Flat out, NO. No hesitation, no wavering. I think about it now, and realize that I asked her for this when she was sick, and I think that she knew that things were not improving. I can't ask her why she said no, but in my heart, I believe I know why. I think that she was not ready to let go, she did not want to give it all away. She was holding on. Mom, I totally understand. Thanks for holding on as long as you did. You fought hard. When I wear this now, I feel your fight. I Love you.

Please do me a favor, and check out the Jean Ring Website- yes, they are still in production! There is an Urban Myth page that is very worth checking out. http://jeanring.com