A hooping necklace

Love, Earth: Tree of Life necklace

When you're learning to hoop, you don't want to add to the lumps and bumps that the human body already has. I love jewelry, I really do, but wearing bulky shiny objects adds a level of complexity to my hooping that I'm just not ready for. (I don't even wear earrings anymore because I once had a hoop hit my ear and knock a 1 carat stud earring into the grass.) A few months ago, though, I found a piece of jewelry that I can wear while hooping. And I do. In fact, I rarely take it off because I like it for so many different reasons:

• It's flat and doesn't interfere with my chest or neck hooping.
• It's relatively inexpensive so I won't be completely horrified if I lose it during a particularly energetic hooping session.
• It's made of both gold and silver which helps it match pretty much everything.
• The necklace materials are responsibly mined. (Each necklace includes a tracking number so that you can trace the path of your necklace from "Mine to Market.")
• The Tree of Life etched on it holds great meaning for me (it is a constant reminder of the connection that we humans, and all life on this planet, have to each other).

The only negative aspect to this necklace is that it's sold by WalMart. Yes, I said Wal-Mart. I don't have a high opinion of that organization, mostly because of its contribution to excessive consumerism and waste, but I suppose we can assume this necklace is an example of them trying to improve their record, yes? One can only hope.

You can find more information about the necklace and the Love, Earth jewelry collection here.