A new member of our team asked me, “Do you know about the Golden Record?”When my face showed that I did not quite follow, she showed me a photograph on her phone.
It had a curious presence, like a treasure resting in some ancient alien's collection.
This is a gold-plated record mounted on the Voyager probe that NASA launched in 1977.In a single phrase, it is “a complete introduction to the people of Earth, addressed to extraterrestrials.”
“It has been drifting through space for 49 years, and it is now about 24 billion kilometers away from Earth,” she explained, her eyes shining.
On this record are greetings in 55 languages, 27 pieces of music from around the world, the sounds of waves and wind, the calls of birds and whales, and even 115 photographs. Language, music, architecture, how we eat, how we live. Everything that surrounds our lives and our hearts is recorded here.
Hearing this, I was moved that music and architecture were included in this “complete introduction to the people of Earth.” To explain the life of a human being, entries on anatomy and diet would surely suffice. And yet, to explain the human heart, forms of beauty such as music and architecture were indispensable.The self-introduction I read here, “We are a life form that connects hearts through beauty,” filled me with pride, and my chest grew warm at having been given this precious life as a person of Earth.
On the surface of this record, unusual symbols are engraved. So that whoever finds it, from whatever star, speaking whatever language, can reach what lies inside, the way to play the record and the location of Earth are inscribed in a series of symbols.
(It is said to indicate the location of Earth using the positions of pulsars as a guide.)
Once I had heard the whole of this dreamlike story about the record and was standing there alone, moved, with goosebumps on my skin, she continued.
“I want my own life to be filled with wonderful moments, like the Golden Record. And just as much, I want to do work that becomes part of someone else's golden record.”
That, she told me, is why she joined ANNA DIAMOND.
When I heard those words, I thought back to five years ago, when I founded ANNA DIAMOND.
Delivering jewelry is, I believe, an act that holds meaning beyond the simple selling of goods. I founded ANNA DIAMOND because I wanted to create something that would last longer than my own life. In truth, I did not want to sell jewelry. I wanted to deliver memories and stories that hold value in someone's life.
Until now, ANNA DIAMOND has worked mainly with fashion jewelry. And from this summer, we will at last begin creating bridal jewelry in earnest. It has been a long-held wish.
More than ever, we want to bring to life beautiful things that connect the hearts of our customers, at a quality that outlasts their own lives. If, through bridal jewelry, we can leave behind memories that hold value in someone's life, far from trends and consumerism, nothing would make us happier.
In the hope that our rings may become part of your golden record.
ANNA DIAMOND Founder / Designer
Haruna Mori
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech