Isn’t it funny how you can hear a song.…and “shoooooo!”, you are whisked away to an exact moment in time. You thought you were walking downtown but no, now you are in your mother’s Buick Regal and Earth, Wind, and Fire is on the 8-track. It was a hot summer day and you were sitting on towels so the vinyl “upholstery” wouldn’t burn your bum. Well, when I hold this necklace up to the light and see the sparkles of light reflect off the crystal and sterling, I remember listening to an 8 lecture series on monotheism that I took out on cd from the library. Wanting to learn more about the largely Islamic student body that I teach, I listened to a series of comparative lectures on Judaism, Christianity and Islam while I worked in my cramped studio. Choosing my materials and listening to the lectures led me to Israeli sterling silver, Austrian crystal, and Indonesian (Bali) silver beads and now I think of this necklace as quite the union, hence "paqja" Vital Stats: 16 inches, sterling silver chain and caps, Swarovski crystal rounds and rondelles, Bali silver beads, vintage faux pearls, always handmade