Sonnet Necklace

I named this necklace Sonnet because of a classroom, of all places. Shakespeare was one of the first texts I properly studied, and before that class I thought Romeo and Juliet was the ultimate love story, the one everything else got measured against. Then a teacher who actually made you think pulled it apart in front of us, showed us the lust underneath the poetry, and by the end of the lesson the whole room had completely changed its mind about it. Still a love story, just a messier, more honest one than I'd given it credit for.

That lesson stuck with me for years, mostly because it's when I started noticing how many forms love actually takes. It's car rides singing along with your best friend at the top of your lungs. It's your family showing up before you've even asked. It's butterflies with someone new, and it's a completely different, steadier glow with someone you've loved for years, the kind you feel over coffee in bed on a slow Sunday morning. It's a nan who wants every detail of a story you thought was too small to mention. It's a friend who's in your corner without ever needing a reason.

I've been in love more times than I can count, with family, with friends, with partners, even briefly with strangers who were kind at the right moment. I think loving deeply is one of the great honours of being alive, and I've never wanted to hide how much I feel things.

This piece is for anyone who wears their heart a little on the outside too. For the people who make you feel seen, the ones who stay, the kind of love that never needs explaining. I wear mine to remember how lucky I've been to love and be loved in so many different ways. I hope it brings someone to mind for you too.