My grandchild Opal Eleanor Armstrong Zwicky was born 3/4/04, so they’re 21 years old today, 3/4/25 — the final legal hurdle to adulthood in my country — and, wonderful coincidence, today is Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, the last day of Carnival, etc.), so we should be tossing them a string of opals. I suggest something along these lines:
(#1) A blue Australian opal necklace (with an electroformed copper chain), jewelry by Anaika from Etsy (US$50)
Mardi Gras beads. From Wikipedia:
Mardi Gras throws are strings of beads, doubloons, cups, or other trinkets passed out or thrown from the floats for Mardi Gras celebrations, particularly in New Orleans, the Mobile, Alabama, and parades throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States, to spectators lining the streets. The “gaudy plastic jewelry, toys, and other mementos [are] tossed to the crowds from parading floats”. The ‘throws’ consist of necklaces of plastic beads, coins called doubloons, which are stamped with krewes’ logos, parade themes and the year, plus an array of plastic cups and toys such as Frisbees, figurines and LED trinkets.
… Beads used on Mardi Gras … are purple, green, and gold, with these three colors containing the Christian symbolism of justice, faith, and power, respectively. Traditionally, Mardi Gras beads were manufactured in Japan and Czech Republic, although many are now imported from mainland China. As Fat Tuesday concludes the period of Carnival (Shrovetide), Mardi Gras beads are taken off oneself on the following day, Ash Wednesday, which begins the penitential season of Lent. As such, one of the “solemn practices of Ash Wednesday is to pack all the beads acquired during the parade season into bags and boxes and take them to the attic”.
And, in my very own household, an assortment of Mardi Gras beads, here on my beloved Rainbow Bear, appropriate for Opal as well as me:
(#2) From my 8/9/16 posting “The old curiosity shelf”: Rainbow Bear, a stuffed teddy bear in a rainbow sweater, with a lot of Mardi Gras beads around its neck (party on, bear boy!)
Rainbow Bear is sporting green, gold, and purple beads, plus silver.
We are all glad you were born, Opal.
March 5, 2025 at 6:31 am |
That necklace is gorgeous. (Opals are one of my favorite gems.)
March 5, 2025 at 7:41 pm |
That’s a surprisingly affordable necklace!
Jason has been kind enough to get me a couple of boulder opals, the variety found in Queensland. I did not get Opal an opal, despite seeing them Sunday (we’ll catch up again around my birthday on the 12th, when Jason has returned from Australia).
March 6, 2025 at 4:52 am |
For readers: Ann is an old friend, now living in Pittsburgh with her Australian-born husband Jason — and serving as my grandchild Opal’s good aunt while Opal’s at the University of Pittsburgh (from which they’re about to graduate).
March 7, 2025 at 10:31 am |
Thank you for this lovely post! I had forgotten it was Mardi Gras so you can imagine my surprise when I went out to dinner and there were beads everywhere.