General Motors Ring                                 

General Motors Canada, ca. 1979

Gold, diamonds                                                       

1.5 x 2.1 x 2.2 cm

Inherited from Frank D’Amico, 2018

Personal collection                                                                     

General Motors, commonly referred to as GM, is a multinational corporation responsible for the design, production and distribution of automotive vehicles and parts. Founded in 1918, this manufacturer contributed substantial aid in World War II and provided thousands of jobs to Canadians and immigrants post-war. This piece of jewelry was formally owned by my grandfather, an Italian immigrant from a poor family of 13 kids, who dropped out of high school to pursue a job at GM in order to support his family. This artifact was given to him in 1979 in the form of a lapel pin, honouring 30 years of service to the company, each diamond commemorating 10 years of service. With a profound sense of community and respect to his work, he had it made into a fully golden ring that he wore every day to display his gratefulness. This object was given to me just days before his passing, with the overwhelming encouragement to pursue a university education, allowing me to obtain a career that I truly love and deserve. Collecting these pins from each decade of service became a symbolic recognition of achievement and belonging to this imagined community. It displayed a cultural expression of pride and identity displayed by workers of that generation.

These pins provide a lesser known function to current generations, providing access to a cultural narrative and memory of labour-intensive factory jobs that through industrialization became available for immigrants with limited education. Their loyalty to these companies, rewarded with these lapels, allowed them to make a living wage to raise their families in new country where their children and future generations could thrive. They also serve as symbols, showing that their sacrifices and commitment to a physically demanding job was done with the good intentions for their descendants. In an increasingly virtual and automated world, this item commemorates the cultural memories of physical effort made in the past as a decreasing number of humans work in factories each year. This practice will eventually come to an end, and proof of employment and loyalty will be left with family members in the form of these highly valued objects.

Alanna Cutting