The story began around 2023, a time when I was going through a life crisis, to the point where I had even forgotten how joyful I used to be during my school days, with the optimism and innocence of an 18-year-old. Through a friend who enjoys silver jewelry, I had the opportunity to visit the HELIOS store on Ba Hat Street.
At that moment, questions suddenly popped into my head: “Why silver?”
For someone who was only concerned with their outward appearance at the time, that question might sound funny, until I experienced it and received an explanation from my friend. Then I was certain of one thing:
It had to be silver!
Swords, blades, lotus flowers... they reminded me of my school days, when there were once flawless “lines.” But then time "tempered" them, adding more “fading” and “hardened” lines, because time not only takes away initial meticulousness but also our "self-definition." When I was little, I used to think I would become this kind of person or that kind of person, but in reality, time always makes us forget the person we once wanted to be.
The pressure of what kind of person I would become was so great that I tried to confine myself within a framework that wasn't even my own, and there was no one to share it with.
But eventually, I had to realize that I was the one who needed to understand who I needed to be. I had to understand what I liked.
In the end, I found my calling in hairdressing, one of the trending professions today, and it helped me re-evaluate what kind of person I truly wanted to be. Although the path to this profession was not easy, as I constantly received criticism from those around me, even my family, because no one thought that someone who once presented themselves as a "perfect child" would now become such a strong-willed individual, so different from before. But no one truly knows how much "erosion by time" I had to endure to become the person I am today.
Therefore, I feel even more connected to these pieces of jewelry, like companions, because isn't "silver" itself also undergoing "erosion by time"? But ultimately, those patterns and lines become even more special because they contain stories throughout time.
So no matter how long or how much time erodes us, "silver" or "we" remain the most special. The experiences and lessons learned over time make us more profound and shine in our own unique way, no matter who we are, what we do, or where we are.
Even now, I no longer feel as lonely as before, because accompanying me are these pieces of jewelry that have "tempered" with me over time, still sensing my stories, and making me the most special in my own way.
