Behind the Scenes: Beloved Necklace
You may be surprised to hear that the creation of our new Beloved Pearl Necklace didn't begin here in jewelry production. Like many of our hand-beaded jewelry, this beautiful piece was first dreamed up on outreach in a brothel.
As you may know, outreach begins with building trust. Through consistent visits, we build relationships, friendships, with the women we meet in the brothels. Once these relationships are built and a woman begins to feel safe with us, we have the amazing chance to offer her the opportunity to escape her current situation and begin a new life of freedom at Starfish Project. Ten times out of ten, her answer will echo decades of voices that have spoken of unworthiness and inability to grow and hope for something different. Our invitations are often met with responses like, "I am stupid. You wouldn't want me. I have no education. I could never learn. It will be too hard."
Our invitations are often met with responses like, "I am stupid. You wouldn't want me. I have no education. I could never learn. It will be too hard."
It can take months of speaking value and hope into these old wounds before she can even begin to believe a change is possible. That is where these gorgeous hand-beaded pieces offer incredible encouragement! We often bring hand-beaded bracelets as gifts and are able to show women in the brothels how they are made. This hands-on experience is a key moment that helps her visualize a future outside of the brothel.
As we created the Beloved Necklace, we, too, were dreaming of the day when we will take this hand-beaded freshwater pearl necklace into the brothels to tell a new woman she is indeed beloved, valuable and has hope for a future of freedom. As you wear and gift the Beloved Pearl Necklace, you create more and more opportunities for women to take their first steps toward freedom, independence, and a dignified career at Starfish Project, where she will discover that she, too, is beloved. That is the forever impact of your purchase.