I’ve loved precious metals for as long as I can remember. My family is one that wore heavy, custom-made gold pieces that were one-of-a-kind. My maternal grandmother, grandfather, mom, and dad adorned themselves with these ancestral emblems because it was their birthright. This was their tradition that began in our native land, Trinidad and Tobago. When my parents moved into our home in Brooklyn, they moved into an 11 house, numbered 524.

Homes with a master number 11 vibration are illuminating, but they also come with hidden dangers, trouble, betrayals, and huge obstacles to overcome. My childhood home was burglarized, and all my mother’s gold, received from her mother, was stolen. In similar fashion, all my gold I received from my grandmother and father was stolen by my older brother who pawned it for god-knows-what. My brother, also, let friends into our home who stole my father’s favorite gold ring with his initials, CLL, soldered neatly onto it. On the other side of Brooklyn, my grandmother was unwittingly tailed by thieves on her way home and she, too, was robbed of her gold. My grandfather moved miles away from the family to East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. He lived among Puerto Ricans with whom he often argued. They staged his apartment to look like a dalliance with a lady-friend gone wrong. After two weeks of no contact, we found him murdered in his apartment—bound to his four bedposts, naked and spread-eagled. His jewelry, too, was stolen.

All this happened by the time I was 10 years of age. To say I was traumatized by gold is an understatement.

So, I stopped wearing it. I wanted no parts of gold … especially yellow gold. It was too conspicuous, attracted too much attention, sought out unlikely suitors—strange and familial. In retrospect, I dimmed my light for a long time; but like all things, you get used to it with time.

It wasn’t until I was entering deeper into my spiritual journey in 2018 that gold started to beckon and call me again. In fact, it was an ancestor who called me back to it. I went to the barbershop to get my usual, weekly cut. I stood on Church Avenue, observing the street life, waiting for my barber to finish the customer before me. Another patron, a lovely Haitian woman with whom I’d previously made a connection over her Baron Samedi tattoo, told me she had a message for me from my maternal grandmother.

My grandmother came through, raising her skirt and showing her legs. She loves to show her legs. She told my Haitian associate that I enjoyed eating fish, which is true. She also said my ancestral line wanted me to adorn myself with gold—lots of it. They wanted me to have the best that life had to offer. I didn’t know how to receive that. This world is evil and cruel, and I was afraid. Surviving my childhood traumas and two burglaries of my own by the age of 37 was enough to quell any desire for riches.

I started lightly, wearing white gold. I figured people wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from silver. I bought small, dainty pieces of good-quality, white-gold, and diamonds for my nose. It’s hard to steal nostril jewelry. I bought an occasional white-gold chain and adorned it with crystals instead of gold pendants.

Then, as fate would have it, white gold started to irritate my skin—my nose especially. I assumed it to be the nickel. By this time, I loved gold, nostril adornments. I studied the design, hardware, and making of all kinds of gold jewelry. I loved to see jewelers melting, welding, and cleaning their pieces. I marveled at how they set the gemstones. I blushed under the high polishing of the metal. I never realized how often I binged-watched jewelry sites on my phone during movies nights. So, I dared to jump back into 18-carat yellow gold. My body prefers it. It’s an adjustment, though.

All precious metals have a frequency and function. Yellow gold is a symbol of self-confidence, bravery, and royalty. It radiates like the sun. When you wear it, you’re filled with a determination that relieves you of anxiety and feelings of inferiority. It restores your sense of self, encouraging you to realize your deepest dreams and goals. Simply put, yellow gold reminds you that you are godly. It took me time to accept this realization.

When I was offered the opportunity to get into the jewelry business, I cried—literally. It was as if I’d been reprogrammed to shun my birthright. Life had turned me against the very thing my ancestors had passed down from previous generations. I cried a cry of release for all the suffering we’d endured because of pure yellow gold. And in that cry, in that fear, I said, “YES!”

I named my jewelry line Kith & Kin Gemstones because it’s a reminder of my ancestral lineage, my ancestral land, my ancestral DNA—Divine Numerological Argot (dialect). People ask me why I make 18K gold for my solid gold, Birth Power Chains instead of 14K. My answer is this: Pure gold is 24 carats. 14 out of 24 carats is 58% pure gold. 18 carats is 75% pure gold. The remaining 42% and 25% consist of metal alloys, which is a composite of silver, nickel, palladium, and copper.

18K is stronger than 22 (92%) or 24 carats (100%). The purer the gold, the softer it is. It’ll break or bend too easily at 22 or 24K.

Eighteen (18) is the number of mediumship, allowing one to traverse the physical and spiritual realms to communicate with Egbe, your spiritual court, and ancestors. Eighteen is also the material realm warring with the spiritual realm, black magic warring with white, and nobility warring with insanity. It’s the number of polarities, telling you to toe the line and not get too consumed on either side. My maturity number, which is your destiny from ages 45, onward, is 18. I am a strong Egbe person; and my Egbe is one of the marketplace and money. I travel across the eighteen vibration every day and night.

In the Yoruba culture, there’s the tale of Odidire. I learned of this from the Iyami Oracle Deck. Odidire is a white parrot who had an inferiority complex because her crown was stolen and hidden by enemies. She successfully retrieved it and regained her sense of self—her birthright. The message of this card is, the imposter syndrome fades away with victory over detractors. I am Odidire, and gold is my inheritance. I am retrieving my crown and carrying on my ancestral legacy.

So, I invite you to declare a strong “YES!” to whatever you’re afraid of—whatever has been unjustly taken from you; for it’s still yours to have and share. I invite you to build your self-confidence and bravery. Invest in yourself to buy the Birth Power Pendant in 18K Gold. It’s based on your birthday number. If you’re born on the 25^th of the month, add 2 and 5 to get your 7 birthday number.

The birthday number is special because it indicates all the gifts, talents, abilities, and characteristics you were born with—that you brought in with you from previous lives. It’s your toolkit of treasures that allows you to accomplish the destiny and expression of your name. It’s your starting point in life. Embrace it. Embrace your sovereignty. Wear your power. Wear your wealth. Become my Kith & Kin.

Cheers 😊.