Read My Pins (23 page)

Vegetable man and spring onion, designers unknown.

Apple, designer unknown;

gold leaf with red berries, Cécile et Jeanne;

two cherries, MV;

red grapes, designer unknown;

pomegranate, Cilça;

three cherries, I. Chase;

black cherries, Cilça;

cluster of grapes, Bettina von Walhof.

The smaller mushrooms represent Israel, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority; the larger is the United States. The pin was made from Syrian, Palestinian, Israeli, and American coins.
Mushrooms, Mary Ehlers
.

On my sixty-fifth birthday, Elaine Shocas, my State Department chief of staff, gave me sixty-five pins, each costing less than three dollars. One of the gifts was in the shape of a high-heeled shoe. This was in commemoration of a comment I made when I was designated by Bill Clinton as the successor to Secretary of State Warren Christopher: “I only hope my heels can fill his shoes.”

During Middle East peace talks, I was constantly besieged by the press. Journalists clamored to know everything about our meetings, even though the negotiators were pledged to secrecy. To deflect questions, I told reporters that peace talks were comparable to mushrooms, thriving only in the dark. My diplomatic security team soon surprised me with a custom-made pin depicting a tiny field of mushrooms. From then on, the mushrooms were a tip-off to the media that I had nothing revealing to say.

One set of pins that I bought for myself consists of a trio of brilliant enamels, each showing a ship at sea. Those familiar with history have asked me whether the ships represent the
Niña
,
Pinta
, and
Santa María
. I reply with a smile, for people should think what they want. In reality, I bought the pins with my three daughters in mind; the ships are beautiful, graceful, and moving along at full sail, having long since left home port.

High-heeled shoe, designer unknown. Opposite page: Sailing ships, designer unknown.

I love spending time with children. Here, the Girl Scouts are sporting merit badges; I’m wearing a fish.
Bejeweled Mickey, Disney Enterprises, Inc.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE