Honoring Madeleine Albright, who passed yesterday, with a humble little post about her use of jewelry as a tool of diplomacy. A clearly opinionated woman already, I'd be really curious to know the extent to which her jewelry explicitly spoke for her or was merely used as reinforcement of her opinion. I imagine it changed depending on the situation. Would love to have been a fly on the wall.
HERE is a link to the exhibit planned at The National Museum of Diplomacy
And HERE at M.A.D. museum where it was originally organized
NPR has an interview HERE
PSA: The important thing to remember about jewelry as signal is the intent behind it. We have the information to know that Albright did intend for these PERSONALLY VALUED AND CHERISHED pieces to be read as such. She had these in her cache and we know the why. We've been informed. Going around trying to minutely dissect every little thing seen is not going to make a person feel whole. Trying to put everything under a microscope, and impose meaning on tiny pieces that were missed in a supply chain, and that do not have personal attachment is offbase. Entitlement to pass judgement based on the failure to consider an oversight lacks maturity and humility.