C.J.W.A (Chunky Jewelry-Wearers Anonymous)

How do you pick out a North American woman who works in international development? By her ability to order a beer in several African languages? By the woven cross-body satchel in shades of brown that she carries everywhere she goes? By the dirt under her finger nails?

Well, maybe, but the one sure fire way to identify a woman in her late 20's/early 30's who has passed some years working in one or more majority world contexts is by the frequent wearing of chunky jewelry. Seriously.

Ever since I saw "wearing chunky jewelry" listed as an interest on a development-oriented friend's FB page, I've been conducting an informal but scientifically-guided investigation of my North American age-mates working here in Haiti. Both participant observation and qualitative interviews have confirmed that the purchase and wearing of chunky jewelry (often described by others as "ethnic" jewelry even though most people in the country of origin don't actually wear it themselves) is one of most common distinguishing factors of women with prior international development experience.

I got my own membership to the chunky jewelry club back in 2001 when my boss gave me a super cool beaded necklace during my visit to Kenya (see about me profile photo). Ever since then, I've continued my global pursuit of unique, budget friendly, big-but-not-too-big, likely-to-be complemented, little wearable pieces of art. There is a silver bracelet I picked up in Zanzibar (probably my all time favorite), the cow-horn earnings from Haiti, the brushed copper necklace from Kenya, the Ethiopian cross....

Jewelry is easy to carry back home, easy to gift, and easy to dismiss without too much guilt if you decide that orange pendant with a village scene painted on it that you were pressured into buying by the woman in the artisan market is just not going to make it on display back in your other life in urban North America.

When using the chunky jewelry trait to size up new acquaintances, you may have to combine it with other traits to correctly classify the person as a former peace corps/vagabond type. Middle school art teachers are also frequent members of chunky jewelry societies- although they tend to join a little later in life. (Sometimes I am concerned that single men my age might be reminded too much of their middle school teachers when they see my adornments of choice....)

Even if you don't have a passport, you too can join the chunky jewelry club . The secret that many of us globe trotters don't want to admit is that some of our best jewelry comes from import stores in North America like Ten Thousand Villages and Cost Plus World Market. All of the glamor/mystique - no antimalarials required.