One In A Million...

On July 11th, 2008, my friend Amelia Geocos was tragically killed in an accident. She was riding her bike and was struck by a minivan. Her life was cut short at 24 years old. Amelia was a bright star shining with potential. She had the energy and vitality of ten people and radiated warmth, humor, and compassion.

I think about Amelia often. I don't think there's a time that I've gotten behind the wheel that I haven't briefly touched on her memory. I try to remember her lust for life though, instead of her senseless death. Mostly I remember her laughter. It was infectious and ringing. I also think about her work as an artist and her daring. She was fearless in her creating. She was not afraid of learning new things and working hard to make her ideas come to life. She'd dance, sew, paint... whatever it took to say what she wanted to say.

When I lived in New York, I used to visit the site of the accident. They had erected a memorial, a Ghost Bike. I would go there usually in the early morning, when it was quiet and fewer people were about. When I went, I felt closer to her. Sometimes I'd leave notes. Sometimes I'd leave flowers. Sometimes I'd leave mardi gras beads. I would leave tribute to my friend.

I'm miles and miles away from there now, but I still want to leave tribute. I thought that I'd make a donation to the memorial scholarship set up in her honor at our old alum. I'm far from rich though. So, I decided to make a piece and auction it off here on the blog. Every penny that the necklace generates will go directly to the scholarship fund and hopefully make attending art school a little bit more affordable and easier for a student who was just like us, trying to make their dreams come true. I wish that I could do more to say how grateful and appreciative I am of having had the opportunity to call Amelia my friend.

I call the piece, "One in a Million". Amelia jokingly used to say that she was, "One in Amelia!"

I brought out some of my best beads for this piece. It is made up of labradorite, cyanite, aquamarine, sapphires, chalcedony, faceted pearls, and tourmaline. I also used a dichroic glass bead. With those, I incorporated silver chain (some that I made myself) and a toggle from my family. The focal is made out of fine silver. It's one of a kind. My fingerprints are on the back. I made it before the memorial ride and walk that happened back in January 2009. I've carried it in my pocket, off and on, since then. It's a long necklace; it measures 30" long. While I made it, I thought of all the fun times we shared and how we used to talk, laugh, and even dance for hours.

The auction starts today, July 8th, 2010. Bidding will last for one week, until midnight July 15th, 2010. To place a bid, leave a comment on this post. Be sure to post the dollar amount of your bid and to check the previous comments for the highest bid. Be sure to also leave either your email address or another form of contact information. Bidding starts at $50.

Please consider helping me honor my friend by placing a bid. (Even if you're not the winning bidder, you can still contribute whatever you like to the scholarship by CLICKING HERE and scrolling down to Amelia Geocos Memorial Scholarship.)