I have always thought of pearls as an icon of style, simplicity, and perfection. I’ve always loved pearl necklaces and bracelets. When I was picking out material for my wedding dress, I chose the material with pearl decorations. The pearls made me glow on that cold December day in New York.

What made my bracelet so special was that it was made of the same pearls that had decorated my mother’s neck. One day, my mom took off her pearl necklace and never put it on again. That was after we lost our father. He was my mother’s best friend, support, and her true and only love. I never asked my mom why she put those beautiful pearls away. But one day, she told me that with the death of my father, there was no reason for jewelry because she had lost all of her reasons to keep wearing it.

My sister later asked our mother if she would be okay with taking her old necklace and giving it a different shape. My sister wanted to turn it into two beautiful bracelets, which would adorn her hands and mine. This way, we could still be connected even while we were miles apart.

This past year, my birthday present from my husband came early. He bought my sister a plane ticket from Bosnia to visit me. I was so excited to see her. She was also bringing the bracelets made from my mother’s pearls. But just before she left for the airport, we realized that her tourist visa had expired. We both cried. I saw how quickly all of our plans for going on walks and museum tours, and celebrating our joint birthdays, fell apart.

My sister, in her sad voice, told me that she would send me the bracelet by mail the next day, so I would get it as soon as possible. I received my pearl bracelet in seven days. I loved wearing it every time I left my apartment. Whenever I looked at the pearls on my wrist, I thought of my family, especially of our happy times when I was teenager, and my whole family was together under the same roof. My parents were so happy together. The three of us, my brother, sister, and I, had a very nice childhood. I remember my mother, wearing the pearl necklace, sitting next to my father in our family car during a vacation trip. My father glanced at us in the rearview mirror as he smiled and sang.

My husband and I decided to watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of a building in Greenwich Village. I wore the bracelet that night. When I returned home, it wasn’t on my wrist.

At first, I believed it was somewhere in the house, in a bag, or a pocket, or some drawer. I searched everywhere, all in vain. The bracelet must have slipped off my hand, perhaps while I was in a crowd, without my noticing it. I don’t usually get attached to objects, but this white pearl bracelet was an exception. It was a birthday gift from my mother, and I lost it. I tried looking for it so many times. It took a very long time to tell my mom and sister that I had lost it.

I hope that somehow, somewhere, I will find my bracelet. I feel so sad, as if my happy childhood memories have been taken away from me.

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Mirela Trebincevic comes from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her first language is Bosnian. She has a degree in Art History and Library Sciences from the University of Sarajevo’s Philosophy College. In 2018, she came to New York City, where she now lives with her husband. At the Queens Public Library’s Sunnyside branch, she is in an advanced class with teacher Fran Schnall. Mirela Trebincevic enjoys fashion, art, nature, and fitness, and she hopes to find a job in her field.