Review: The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis
The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives
by Cheryl Jarvis
Jonell McLain was out shopping one day when she saw a stunning diamond necklace in the display window of a jewelry store. It was a simple “tennis bracelet” style, exactly what she wanted in a necklace. However, at over thirty thousand dollars it was way out of Jonell’s price range. So she came upon a clever idea: what if she split the cost of the necklace up with a group of women, and they would take turns wearing it? A time-share for jewelry, you could say, could make something of beauty available to many instead of an elite few. Men laughed and told her it would never work, but Jonell was determined to try…so she gathered together one dozen women, and together they took the plunge. Each month they met up to discuss the adventures of the necklace. For one woman it helped revitalize her marriage; another was motivated to lose twenty-five pounds. At times there was tension and disagreement - Who could wear the necklace? What was the point of their gathering together? - but ultimately the string of diamonds brought them together and made them a community. To some women it gave courage and to others hope. In all it fostered a sense of giving and sharing that spread to other aspects of their lives as well.
The Necklace is an interesting study in women’s behavior and sense of community. None of the women really knew each other that well when they went in to buy the necklace, but the single shared piece of jewelry led them to form a support group. For Jonell, the one who came up with the idea, this experiment could raise the groups’ consciousness. She wanted them to read books about consumerism and how the things we own really “own” us, but many of the others weren’t interested. Patti wanted to loan the necklace to a friend’s daughter for her wedding day, but the other women felt it wouldn’t be special if just anyone could wear it. At each argument I wondered if the group would finally fall apart, but friendship and finances are two powerful motivators. The author doesn’t say it, but I suspect at times the potential loss of the investment may have been powerful glue holding the group together.
I found the book quite interesting. It reads very quickly, and each chapter tries to focus on one of the women in the group and how the necklace affected her life, and what they did with it. I’m hardly motivated to run out and try to start a similar group, but the book did make me stop and think for a moment about my attitude towards my belongings and the friends I spend time with. It was an enjoyable way to spend an hour or two.
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