Personalized jewelry - A post on wedding gifts, jewelry design and ....Paris

What does Paris have to do with personalized jewelry?
 Read on and find out :)

Let's start with a question:
What combines aesthetics and message with an intimate touch?

More intimate than a work of art,
more resilient than a written note,
a piece of jewelry can do what very few objects can.

It can dazzle the eye, at the same time keeping a wish or message close to one's heart.

No wonder jewelry makes such a popular gift.
Especially when the gift is made especially for you.

Rather then talking about personalized jewelry, I would like to 'walk my talk' this time and show you how I created a gift that touched hearts.

Sarah and Benjamin wedding invitation, November 10th

It started with a wedding invitation we got - which it a very good start given the wedding took place in France and enabled to sneak a few days in Paris (...see the connection now? :))

As a wedding gift, I decided to create something special for the bride. Something that will always remind her of this day and our wishes for many happy days together.

As research is something I love to do, the first thing I did was to start collecting pictures and researching symbols I could use.

Here is a link to the Pinterest board I created then.

When it comes to wedding/happiness/connection symbols, I discovered the sky is the limit.
From Celtic knots, to infinity signs, to Chinese symbols - you name it.
Eventually, as this is a young Jewish couple I settled on pomegranates, a symbol of abundance and fertility.
What better wish for a young couple than having as many happy years together as the seeds of the pomegranate?

After days of sketching pomegranate pendants, and not being really happy with any of them, I looked at the wedding invitation again ... and flipped it to its backside.

Bingo!!!! The bride and groom designed an interlocked version of their initials:  B and S.

What better way to surprise them than creating a lasting version of their design?

Few days later, and pendant is ready - glistening in sterling silver, featuring a stylized version of the bride and groom initials and 3 pomegranates. Two set with rubies, one engraved with the wedding date.

Complementing the pendant, I thought a pair of pomegranate earrings will really make this a nice gift, so back to the studio....and here is the result!

...I liked them so much, I posted these in my ETSY shop

Packed in a handsome box, the necklace and earrings traveled to France and after the wedding ceremony went to Sarah, the beautiful bride.

A few weeks later, back at home, we got a really nice note (...in French of course :)

"....your gift, so thoughtful and personalized shows your generosity ...."

You see, this is the essence of personalized jewelry to me:

You do not have to say it,
the recipient knows it was designed and created especially for them.

.......and will probably cherish it as such for a long time






Next time you want to give a truly personalized gift, invest a bit of thought and it may go a very long way towards making a loved person very very happy.

Here is the link to the English version:

To help you do exactly that, I wrote a short guide and published it on my ETSY store. It is free (well 20 cents, as you can not post free listings on ETSY....)

There is an English and a Hebrew version - pick the one you are more comfortable with - download, read and let me know what you think of it.

Bye,
Amy

Want to find the perfect jewelry gift, but no idea what you are looking for? Here are 5 steps that will help you

A nice gift is one that elicits an 'Oh, it's beautiful, thank you' reaction.

The perfect gift, stirs emotions, conveys a personal message, makes someone feel loved and special.

And, here you are, ready to invest your time, effort and money in finding the perfect jewelry gift.

There is just a tiny bit of a problem -
you have no idea what are you looking for.

Put on your thinking cap, and let's get started.

Step one - Animal lover, gardener or book worm?

You actually know the person you want to buy the gift for, right?

What does she love or love to do?

Does she love nature? Flowers? A weakness for English roses perhaps?

Ancient history (like my husband), chess or science fiction?
Architecture? Modern Art?

You got the point, don't you?
Finding a piece of jewelry that invokes images of something we love, creates an instant emotional connection as well as shows someone was really thinking of US, not just on buying a standard gift.

A 14k rose gold ring, with an old English scroll motif
might be a perfect gift for English roses addicts by Mauidivers

A nature lover? Maybe something inspired by the forest, just starting to change colors in the fall.
This is a triple strand Garnet and Tourmaline necklace I made, inspired by autumn colors in my garden.

Step number 2: New grandma or 10th anniversary? 

What exactly are you celebrating?

Is this an event: birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation?

A moment you want to create or to remember?

Becoming a new mom, grandma?

There are plenty of symbols you can tap into, once you look at the reason for celebrating.

Birthstones are a much loved way to personalize a jewelry piece. Every month has its own gemstone (actually more than one as there are the old and modern gemstones associated with each month)

Aquamarine, March birthstones. And if she loves the sea - so much the better!

...and why not combine a birthstone with something she really loves?

Are you looking for a ring for a cat lover born in September?

Just look at that adorable Rag doll cat ring in 14k gold and sapphire eyes by pets jewelry.

Less known that birthstones, anniversaries have their own gemstone lists.

Most semiprecious gems have specific qualities associated with them. 

Foe example, Rose Quartz is famous for attracting and keeping love, and can be a great choice when you want to convey a comforting message.

Is there a moment or experience you want to remember?

Take a look at my previous blog post 'A-ring-with-a-story' to see how a moment can be captured by a piece of jewelry - in this case a ring.

Step 3: Something old and something new

Is this the right time for a heritage piece?

I have a ring that is in our family for 3 generations.

My grandma got it from her mother in law when she got engaged, and passed it to my mom when she got engaged to my father.

My mom gave me this ring a few years ago, and needless to say it is very precious to me and I intend to pass it to my future daughter in law when the time will come.

A gift with a heritage can take many shapes and forms.

It can be a piece of jewelry you pass on, but it can be a completely new jewelry made from old pieces you have.

Do you have any pearl necklace that is sitting for years in your jewelry box? A string of beads that was torn long time ago? A single surviving earring?

Each one of these long forgotten pieces can be the starting point for a new and fresh jewelry piece that would mean the world to your daughter or granddaughter.

As an example. I created this delicate silver lariat out of a vintage coral bead necklace my mom gave me - 'as she would not wear it anymore'.

I reuse a few coral beads, added the carved ivory roses, a silver chain and clasp - and created a completely different look.

Step 4: Made especially for you

Make the piece really personal.

Engrave a meaningful world - maybe one only you two know the real meaning.

Select a clasp that has your initials on it, symbolizing by its very function the connection between you two.

An unusual way to personalize a message is to spell a word or a name using gemstones.

This is called 'Acrostic jewelry', and was very popular in the Victorian Era.

Each alphabet letter was represented by a gemstone (usually one whose name starts with this letter), and these gemstones were used to spell words.

A 15k gold antique ring dated July 1821, spelling the word 'regard'
with Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond 

After you went through these four steps, you probably have a much better idea what are you really looking for.

Now is the time for the last step

Step 5: Let's be practical

Ring, brooch, necklace, earrings? 

If she does not wear earrings - maybe this is not a great choice for a gift.

Rings have implications to them - would it fit the occasion? Sometime the answer is a resounding YES,

sometimes - a necklace or a bracelet would be more appropriate.

Restrict your choices - remove the options that do not make sense.

Ready made or custom order? Or maybe something in the middle. 

Maybe you searched the web for a 'Nature inspired pendant' and found in ETSY just the right one - but you want to personalize it with her birthstone, or an engraved message.

Red wine necklace 14k gold and rubies, perfect
for an anniversary gift, especially for wine lovers
born in July (Ruby) or April (diamonds)
ring by sterlingwineonline

Now that you REALLY know what you want - 

Go search on the internet, or visit your favorite goldsmith

and find that special piece that will make someone very very happy.

This is an introductory post to a topic that fascinates me - jewelry as means to convey messages, and I would really want to hear what you think.

What other ways are there to select meaningful jewelry pieces?

Would you like to learn more about any of the topics mentioned in this post (birthstones, anniversary stones, acrostic jewelry...)?

Just comment and let me know.

And of course, if you are not registered yet - 

leave me your email and you will not miss any post!

See you next time,

Amy