The well-dressed woman buying stamps at the post office wore a silver ankle bracelet. I guessed her age to be about 80. As I waited my turn in line, I eyed her anklet, appreciating her stylish ensemble, and chastised myself for feeling I was too old to wear a similar piece of jewelry.
Linda O’Connor isn’t going to assign age limits to jewelry choices. Funny, as I grow older, I seem to place new limits on what I can and cannot wear. Large, colorful earrings, for instance, I long felt were off bounds for someone my age.
Flashy earrings should only be worn by younger women, I thought – that is until I met a stylish woman who was clearly older than me who rocked earrings of all shapes and colors. They looked fantastic on her and made me feel foolish for restricting myself. If she could wear them, why couldn’t I? Bold, stylish earrings soon became part of my everyday wardrobe.
I receive compliments on my earrings all the time and feel good about my appearance with baubles dangling from my ears; but an ankle bracelet was something different, at least in my eyes. Although the small accessory is subtle, I always thought anklets were kind of sexy and meant for a younger crowd. After seeing the woman in the post office, I did a little research.
Surprisingly, I learned that anklets are some of the oldest known pieces of jewelry. They’ve been around for over 8,000 years! I wonder if women years ago put as much thought into wearing an anklet as I was putting into it today. Still.