The Ghost Bride

by Yangsze Choo

Women had little security other than jewelry, so even the poorest among us sported gold chains, earrings, and rings as their insurance.

This was absolutely true for women in the past, and still is today in many parts of the world. Jewelry was a form of insurance for women, who were often unable to own or inherit property; in fact, an older lady once told me that “you should always try to get 24 karat gold jewelry, not 18K, as you can pawn it more readily.” Jewelry could be taken with a woman when she got married as part of her dowry, and it was considered personal property in a way that other things were not. In times of war, famine, or need, many women sold their jewelry, or hid it by sewing it in their clothes. I think we forget nowadays that there was a time when a woman couldn’t even open a bank account without her husband or father’s permission. In your own family’s history, you might also have stories of certain pieces of jewelry which were used to as redemption, guarantees, or a means of escape from difficult situations.