My father worked overtime as a ship mechanic. One day, he spent a month’s wages on a set of English china sold at one of the ships; the most beautiful and delicate set, with pastel-colored flowers and gold trim.
My father was never demonstrative, but that gift was undoubtedly an act and a demonstration of love... and thus it became imbued with that meaning in my family.
Each piece was very valuable, not only because of the delicacy of its design, but also because of the hours of hard work invested in that gift and the significance of that gesture.
Every special Sunday; when we had visitors, on Mother’s Day, birthdays, Christmas... that set graced the table; and at the end of the occasion, my mother would wash the pieces carefully and put them away, placing a piece of paper between each one as she returned them to the china cabinet. In this way, that set also became woven into the celebrations of my upbringing, into the moments we shared.
A few years ago, while clearing out my mother’s house, my sister divided the pieces of that set and gave me half...
One day I saw María’s work on social media, and I chose a dessert plate with the hope of being able to extract 8 pills from it, to make something special, for special moments, for the 8 women in the family. I used 2 of those 8 pills to make 2 rings; one for my sister and one for me. Two different rings, with two different pills; just like we are, but both a little piece of the original piece.
I believe these pieces are like an amulet, a protection, the positive energy that objects can radiate, representing, simply and complexly, a succession of acts of love.
Rossana.