Rare gems are often created over time. In the words of Carl Sagan, it may have taken eons and eons to deposit the right mix of minerals or create the temperatures and pressures necessary to form what we consider jewels.
Henry David Thoreau likened the eye to a jewel. Some people’s eyes are physically beautiful. Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve and Aishwarya Rai all have jewel quality eyes. For most of us though we find beauty in the fact the eyes we are looking at recognize us and reflect that recognition.
Our eyes allow light in. That light is refracted and the optic nerve sends impulses to the brain. Somewhere in our brain, we develop an understanding of that image. As we mature, our eyes not only receive information but process and send information back to the world. Usually these looks are emotional. A baby’s smile in response to a parent’s loving glance, later an angry glare when a teenager comes home late or that sparkle of happiness some folks just always have.
Looking into the eyes a friend or loved one, reflects your history with that person. The good times, the bad times, happy or sad times. That history was created over time, accumulated deposits of experiences, sometimes under great heat and pressure. All this is present in those beautiful jewels.
My Second Act, Scene One 