Cynthia's in Jewelry - Cynthia Nash

Cynthia Nash is a jewellery designer from Nashville, Tennessee who uses Swarovski crystals in her designs.

The collection that caught my eye was "My Aunt Grace" where she states "She loved amethyst, and I loved her. It is simply wonderful, just like "my Aunt Grace."" My great Aunt Grace loved her amethyst as well. I remember as a child staring into her jewel box and admiring the amethyst rings and earrings. She had collected a couple of stunner's, which now would be antique, as they certainly would have been vintage already.



My Aunt recently passed away one day shy of her 92nd birthday on the 10th of March. She was the dynamic spinster aunt, who travelled around the world and worked across Canada. She was a women's liberationist before anyone really knew what the word meant. Married at 16, soon with 2 children, and separated from an incredibly abusive husband in her very early 20's; she made a decision to live and left her small rural Nova Scotia home for Halifax where she started in domestic services and then moved on to nurse's training and worked in the mental hospital. From there she worked in the 'old ladies' home', went to Windsor, NS for another job, so that she could be closer to her own family. When her mother died there was no great need to stay in the area, so she left for the west. Working with the First Nations youth in the Yukon, then Manitoba, then a girl's school in Ontario, and finally ending up at a very exclusive girl's school in Vancouver. After retirement, she returned to Windsor, Nova Scotia.

I adored her. The only glitch in our relationship occurred in the late 80's, when it was disclosed that her son was one of Canada's more notable poets and a long-time writer in residence at UNB. Those were difficult years and I mourned her passing long before it happened. We made up in recent years and had some nice visits. I will always be grateful for her influence and her assertion that not every woman is maternal material. I will always be grateful for the advice to follow your heart and your dreams. Life is richer because she lived.

Stumbling upon Cynthia Nash's collection for "My Aunt Grace" is rather serendipitous.

Until next Tuesday...