Read My Pins_ Stories From a Diplomat's Jewel Box - Madeleine Albright [24]
Moonstone Dandelion Puff, Mauboussin.
Flowers, too, are abundant in my collection. Like animals and bugs, various species of flora have acquired a distinctive meaning in literature and lore. The pansy is supposed to indicate thoughtfulness; ivy signifies fidelity; the lotus and the orchid were representative of the supposedly lethargic East; and the forget-me-not is a plea, well, not to forget. Flowers are usually for happier times, yet the lily has mournful connotations as well.
It would be inaccurate to suggest that I spend my spare time carefully arranging my brooches according to their affinity for one another. I am conscious, though, of the varieties that I have collected and am pleased to add to certain groups on occasion. There are, however, some unusual pin ideas that must be considered on their own.
Rose de Noël, Van Cleef & Arpels.
Vegetable man and spring onion, designers unknown.
Apple, designer unknown;
gold leaf with red berries, Cécile et Jeanne;
two cherries, MV;
red grapes, designer unknown;
pomegranate, Cilça;
three cherries, I. Chase;
black cherries, Cilça;
cluster of grapes, Bettina von Walhof.
The smaller mushrooms represent Israel, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority; the larger is the United States. The pin was made from Syrian, Palestinian, Israeli, and American coins. Mushrooms, Mary Ehlers.
On my sixty-fifth birthday, Elaine Shocas, my State Department chief of staff, gave me sixty-five pins, each costing less than three dollars. One of the gifts was in the shape of a high-heeled shoe. This was in commemoration of a comment I made when I was designated by Bill Clinton as the successor to Secretary of State Warren Christopher: “I only hope my heels can fill his shoes.”
During Middle East peace talks, I was constantly besieged by the press. Journalists clamored to know everything about our meetings, even though the negotiators were pledged to secrecy. To deflect questions, I told reporters that peace talks were comparable to mushrooms, thriving only in the dark. My diplomatic security team soon surprised me with a custom-made pin depicting a tiny field of mushrooms. From then on, the mushrooms were a tip-off to the media that I had nothing revealing to say.
One set of pins that I bought for myself consists of a trio of brilliant enamels, each showing a ship at sea. Those familiar with history have asked me whether the ships represent the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. I reply with a smile, for people should think what they want. In reality, I bought the pins with my three daughters in mind; the ships are beautiful, graceful, and moving along at full sail, having long since left home port.
High-heeled shoe, designer unknown. Opposite page: Sailing ships, designer unknown.
I love spending time with children. Here, the Girl Scouts are sporting merit badges; I’m wearing a fish. Bejeweled Mickey, Disney Enterprises, Inc.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.
Speaking at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, Earth Day, 1998. On the opposite page is a group of environmental advocates.
Grasshopper, Landau;
cicada, Iradj Moini;
fly with pearl, Iradj Moini, green ladybug, Sandor;
two blue horseflies, designer unknown;
green, purple, and blue beetle, Kenneth Jay Lane.
In 2008, I was invited to participate in an excursion to the Arctic along with an eclectic boatload of scientists, academics, businesspeople, philanthropists, musicians, and my grandson David. The sponsors were the National Geographic Society and the Aspen Institute. The theme was climate change; the scenery included melting ice and worried polar bears. Although others brought back photos and T-shirts, I returned with a pin. The gift of Stefan Rahmstorf, a professor of ocean physics, and his wife, Stefanie, a jewelry maker, the pin is shaped like a C with a white pearl attached at the top and bottom. The letter represents carbon; the round pearls are O for oxygen. Together, they