Just One Gem

"Open your mouth, and don't talk." My sister demanded from a middle school version of me. She knew I hated my teeth, so why was she asking me to open my mouth, especially if she didn't want me to say anything. But of course I always did what my older sister said. I opened wide and I saw her trying to balance a nail gem onto her pointer finger, and then poke it onto one of my teeth. "There" she said, "now you can smile with confidence." She knew I hated smiling, and laughing, and I generally didn't like my teeth at all. Who knew it would take just one gem to authenticate my life?

I discarded all of the old memories of me, and tried to get rid of all of my ugly pictures. Of course there are still a few floaties that I couldn't get rid of, in a few shoeboxes somewhere deep in a closet of a sibling. That week, I felt great in school. I answered questions in class, I laughed with my friends, (yes- all of a sudden I had friends!) and everyone started to treat me differently. Was this gem made of magic or something? My life was changing so fast I could barely keep up. Boys wanted to talk to me and I didn't know how to act. I began to get invites to the movies, to the arcade in the cool mall, it was incredible! How selfish of my sister to make me wait until middle school to tell me about this fashion secret. Simultaneously, how generous of her to share a piece of her past with me. She said all the cool kids did this when she was young.

One more thing I should add, I used to move a lot. So, I was usually the new girl everywhere I went. The next time I had to be the new girl, I wasn't just the new girl, I was the new girl with the gem on her tooth. Sure it called a lot of attention- attention that I was not used to getting. Check this- it got so crazy once that a small group of the girls I wanted to be friends with began to approach me. I thought I had sat in the wrong seat or took someone's book by accident. Nope- they were approaching me with a simple question or two. "Do you have more gems? Can we get some in our teeth too?" Next thing you know I had my backpack ready in the tiny pocket with crazy glue and hella gems.

Right before my junior year began, I had to move to Florida due to "bad behavior". I grew tired of super gluing it every few months and so, I decided to make it more permanent and take a diamond to a dentist in a Florida mall. I made an insane request and they made it happen. No questions asked, except for "Which tooth would you like it on?" That was it. The beginning of my new life. Every where I went I was no longer the girl people barely remembered, I became "the girl with the diamond on her tooth".

A decade and a half later, I am still rocking it, even as I write. I own a Mercedes Benz and I live in a 3 bed, 2 bathroom apartment with my fiance and my son. I never thought I would have any of this, honestly. I would say it was all a blessing, but really, I owe it all to this damn diamond.

One day, I woke up, and decided to add a little more to my image. I decided to be bold and add a head piece to my look. At first I was too shy to wear it in public, so I began how everyone does nowadays- taking a selfie and testing the waters with a new look on social media. At first, they were basic. Very delicate, thin chains with a small pendant centered on my forehead. I was not aware I could buy head pieces online, and so I began experimenting with necklaces on my head, and clipping it on in the back. Soon I discovered a small shop that sold them. They didn't sell them as head pieces, they called them bridal headbands. Sold, sold, sold. I bought every one that I could find. I NEEDED them.

I soon became obsessed after all of the compliments I was receiving every time I went out with one. You know how you leave the house and check to make sure you have everything? Keys- check, bag- check, it suddenly became "keys, bag, headpiece- check" for me. Shortly after, I began seeing people in my town wearing them on special occasions. I thought they looked just stunning and beautiful and never failed to compliment a headpiece that was on another head of hair, most of the replies sounded like this- " Thanks! I took the idea from you." Never ever did I think I would be a trendsetter. Granted I didn't invent the headpieces. At least not yet. I grew tired once again, this time I didn't want just any head piece that one could find on Amazon, and I had already purchased all of the ones that I wanted. I wanted something new.

Experiments began with clay, tearing apart old jewelry and exploring different designs, I started to make my very own head pieces and the compliments were more than I could handle. I was overcome with joy knowing that people actually liked something I had created with love and passion.

Fast forward to now, I quit both of my jobs as a customer service representative, and a home health aide, and started making head pieces full time. As to not advertise my brand, I will not name the self made company. Soon you will see my pieces on the heads of your favorite people. And you will know it is I, because I am the girl with the diamond on her tooth. Xoxo.