Growing up in the United States, I was adorned with synthetic jade at a young age by my mother as a way to be fashionable; heck, the first birthday gift I received was a gold pendant with my Lunar animal zodiac. Over the years, however, I started to view these pieces of jewelry as more than adornment. To me, jade bangles as well as my Lunar zodiac pendant became a symbol of self-acceptance.
I was never comfortable in my skin due to my relationship between the U.S. and my motherland. Looking back on memories, I could recall being the only Vietnamese kid in my class and many of my peers shaming me for my culture. To my Vietnamese refugee family, wearing 24 karat gold chains with a Buddha pendant represented prosperity, but to the West it was either called “ghetto gold” or an accessory used for cultural appropriation.
To me, hiding my culture was more than me being ashamed of my roots; it’s a way for me to run away from taking chances and expression, in fear of getting hurt.
That’s pretty much the story of my life; however, applying to Berkeley made me find the will to challenge myself, and it all started with a lavender jade bangle.
It’s a gift from my Bà nội (grandma in Vietnamese) that I received mid-March, prior to college transfer decisions coming out. She knew I was nervous about my fate because, a year prior, my initial plan to transfer had backfired. Knowing how I was feeling, she told me to wait in her kitchen as she went upstairs to get something. I waited, and when she descended from the stairs, she pulled out a box with five jade bangles inside.
Out of all the bangles in the box, I ended up choosing the lavender bangle, and the jewelry that came with it was a reminder to bring courage into the next stages of my life.
What felt like a good luck charm slowly became something more. It became a symbol for me not just to hide my cultural identity, but to keep looking forward, no matter what negativity I’ve felt for myself in the past.
To me, wearing my jade bangle was an act of cultural celebration as well as an act of renewal, as I’m taking a piece of jewelry that had be associated with tradition and turning it into something that represents my soul.
“To me, wearing my jade bangle was an act of cultural celebration as well as an act of renewal, as I’m taking a piece of jewelry that had be associated with tradition and turning it into something that represents my soul. “
Tara Phamluong
After getting into UC Berkeley, my love for Vietnamese culture has become my anchor. As my collection of Vietnamese Jewelry has grown into an assortment of Jade pendants, silver Kien Deo pieces, and many stacks of bangles, I’ve realized that I’m not just carrying a piece of jewelry. I’m carrying with me the history of women from my motherland who were never given the chance to live out their dreams. Dreams of expression, education, and freedom while staying true to myself through fashion.
In a period within my life where my goal is to build independence for myself, Vietnamese jewelry serves as a reminder that those who came before me will always be present in whatever room I walk into. Whether it be into a journalism seminar, an interview, or simply making choices for myself, Vietnamese jewelry isn’t just my way of showing cultural pride, but a symbol to dive into the unknown without any fear.