Sweet Briar Currency

Kristen Frey

Sweet Briar Currency

When you look around the Sweet Briar Campus the concept of “girls in pearls” is everywhere.  Almost every girl at Sweet Briar owns a set of pearls, whether it is earrings, a bracelet, or a necklace.  Therefore, when I found out I had to create a currency specific for Sweet Briar I just knew it had to involve pearls.  The currency would consist of five different pearls each of different value.  The pearls could then be strung together to create a greater value. Girls could string and wear the pearls as well as investment; similar to buying gold money as an investment.  The currency would have a unique design that relates to Sweet Briar College.  For the medium I have chosen pearl.  This decision was not only because Sweet Briar Girls love to wear pearls, but because of what the pearl represents.  In history pearls have represented perfection.  They symbolize honesty, integrity, wisdom, and femininity; Sweet Briar is a college that focuses on the success and empowerment of women.  The school emblem would be portrayed on the backside of the pearl.  A band of text around the circumference of the pearl would separate the back and front sides.  This text would be Sweet Briar’s Motto, “Rosam Quae Meruit Ferat.”  The motto, which translates to, “She who earns the rose may bare it,” serves as a reminder that we all must be honest and earn our pearls for exchange.

Value can be given or created for many different reasons.  Time and costs of goods and services correlate to the value of an object.  I have chosen to assign the pearls value based on their time value and their purchase value.  It is simple to assign a desired value to an item, but it’s true worth is determined by supply and demand. “What must a person do to acquire the wealth?” and “What can they do with their wealth once they have it?” are two questions that give value. Therefore I would pose that Sweet Briar would start paying its employees in pearls, and accepting payments, including meals and laundry, in pearls. Once the pearls are given a use, such as being used for meals, students and teachers will find value in them.

There are several different types of pearls in the world and each has a different level of value. There are fake pearls, imperfect pearls, freshwater pearls, saltwater pearls, and black pearls. The smallest form in this currency would be a fake pearl; this pearl would be represents by a letter “S” on the front side. The “S” pearl would be worth one dining hall swipe or twenty minutes of work. There is little value to a synthetic pearl as is, except for use as costume jewelry. It is the kind of pearl you would wear on a daily basis, similar to carrying around a one-dollar bill instead of a five-dollar bill. Next would be an imperfect pearl. This pearl is noted with an “I” on the obverse side. This pearl would be worth one hour of work at an on campus job or six washes in the laundry room.  An imperfect pearl has a unique look, but it is a real pearl so it has a better realistic finish. These pearls are also more commonly worn on a more casual basis, but they have more value because they are real.  A freshwater pearl, noted by an “F”, would be worth four hours of studying and a shirt from the bookstore. This pearl is real and has a more uniform look however it doesn’t have the rarity that comes with a saltwater pearl. The difference between the two is less noticeable; instead it has to do with the actual value. The letters “SW” denotes the saltwater pearl. This pearl would be worth a used textbook or a new pair of shoes. When a person talks about a “real” pearl necklace, this is what they talk about. These pearls are far more rare than any of the previous pearls and have a high value in the real world market. The last pearl in the currency would be a black pearl, noted with the letters “sBc”. This pearl would be worth a new textbook or a pair of new paddock boots.  Black pearls are the most rare of all the pearls especially when they are truly black.  The pearls of lesser value have value at Sweet Briar because of there fashion statement and functionality, the pearls of greater value have value in the real world as well. This would help provide a stronger and safer economy for the currency to function in.  

Every currency produces its own form of elites. What you buy with your money is one determinant of wealth. Using the pearl currency at Sweet Briar would make way for some elites, however not as many as most. Within this currency, a person with more wealth would possibly wear a more expensive type of pearl, but that would be the only difference. Unfortunately, in today’s global economy, it would be very difficult for these pearls to become a dominant form of exchange. Many girls see little purpose in even using “Sweet Cash” simply because it is easier for them to use debit or credit cards. With the “shrinking” of the world and the lack of previous barriers, creating a currency limited to a specific group or area is near impossible. Everyday we make purchases and interactions with people who may be half way across the world, so a common form of exchange is crucial to today’s society.