Drip With Meaning: Freshman’s journey with jewelry embedded with stories

Holmes freshman Sohpia VanWinkle is considerably well-known for her on-brand and stylish clothing. Winkle takes time each night to set out an elaborate and customized outfit for the day, complete with carefully picked accessories. Jewelry, for example, is one of them. 

Jewelry holds many meanings for many people. For VanWinkle, it often reflects on how much energy she has. She said that the more energetic she is, the more jewelry she has on, and the more exhausted she is, the less. VanWinkle also associates certain types of feelings with specific jewelry. She said it’s “kind of like vibes,” and, for example, her summer necklace. She thrifted it at a store over the summer and fell in love with it. She said she really associates it with summer now that she looks back on it. 

In addition, VanWinkle said jewelry is what gives her confidence each day. “Jewelry is what helps give me confidence. It makes me feel good and put together when I have a lot of jewelry on.”

VanWinkle’s first experience with jewelry was a gift from her father. “It was this little necklace my dad got me from the farmers market, and it had a picture of Elsa on the front.” 

She said a lot of her jewelry comes from her family, specifically her grandmother and great-grandmother, Joanne. “This one my great grandma gave to me. I like it because I think of her when I wear it. She passed away in 2023.” On the other hand, VanWinkle said that most of her family doesn’t actually wear jewelry.

VanWinkle said she believes that wearing jewelry is a form of self-expression and that it shows people who you are. “It’s a form of expression. You can really customize it to how you feel and how you want to be seen.” 

She also said that her view on jewelry has changed over the years. “I changed how I perceived jewelry. I used to not want to layer lots of jewelry or wear lots of jewelry, and now I really enjoy doing it, especially with a lot of different colors.” 

VanWinkle also touched on the many significances of jewelry in specific cultures. “Cultural jewelry holds a different place in people’s hearts than the jewelry you find and just put on.” 

VanWinkle said that people should be more appreciative of the meanings in each piece. “People need to appreciate jewelry, especially when it’s in cultural situations, because it holds so much background and means a lot to people.”

Last, VanWinkle said she believes that no one should be afraid of being too much or over-accessorizing. “Don’t be afraid of too much or of mixing metals.”