Chit Chat: Treasured Gems
For this month's edition of "Chit Chat" we want to know about your jewelry box -- what is your most treasured bauble? What about it do you love? Tell us the story behind your favorite gem in the comments below for your chance to be featured in Matchbook's upcoming September issue! We can't wait to hear your stories!
(bracelet available on 1stdibs)
Although this wasn't in my personal jewelry box and was as part of our inventory at work it was such a beautiful piece. The piece was a peridot, diamond and pearl Victorian pendant. It was owned and worn by Edna Thornton, who was a English contralto who sang with the Beecham and British National Opera Companies in the early 1900's. You simply have to love jewelry items with a tale behind them.
Image and video links below in case you wish to see the piece.
http://www.acsilver.co.uk/shop/pc/SOLD-6-98-ct-Peridot-0-36-ct-Diamond-Pearl-15-ct-Yellow-Gold-Pendant-Antique-Victorian-219p3965.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=877cs_PC8rA
Either a spoon ring from my grandmother's silverware or a silver ring shaped like a crown that I made with the word "ahava" (love in hebrew) stamped inside which reminds me to always strive for love because I'm a princess.
My engagement ring. When my husband's grandfather died he left him his wife's diamond ring. My husband then took the stone and placed it a new setting. So the ring has sentimental value but the new setting makes it feel like it's mine. A mix of past and present.
My great grandma's fake pearls. Yes...fake. She spent most of her life working a cotton farm and they were the nicest thing she had aside from her wedding ring. After she passed away last spring, my great aunt insisted I have them for my wedding later that year. I wrapped them around my bouquet and thankfully got some good pictures of them before the ceremony because when I passed it off to my maid of honor the strand snapped! Throughout the ceremony you could hear little pearls plinking on the floor. We were all in stitches! Just Mama Trudy's way of saying she was there ;)
My parents had to cajole me into accepting my college's signet ring as a graduation present, but now I never take it off. It's a classic piece that reminds me daily of my accomplishments and how wonderfully supportive my parents have always been.
I have two. I am not a jewelry girl, in the true sense of the word. I am a sentimental girl. I own what would be considered a "very nice" piece of jewelry, handcrafted with diamonds and sapphires set in platinum in the late 50's or early sixties. I remembered my mother telling me the history of the piece from the time I could remember. I was given my grand-mother by my grandfather and contained her initials. I initials each held the first of our three names~Irene, Ann and Casey. She promised me one day it would be mine. Several years ago, she had it converted from a brooch to a necklace. My mother recently asked me if I was aware of the value. I do not know, and down't wish to know. No one can put a price tag on a memory. The other piece, is a bracelet, handcrafted for my with my name on it, buy a beautiful mentally challenged patient of mine while I was still working. I hope my daughters, when they someday assume my things, will look upon these pieces for the value they hold in my heart.
With very little pass-along family heirlooms (think Ice Capades skater girl pin, '60's enamel flower brooch) I grew to very much appreciate the power and importance of wearable personal history. By beginning a sterling charm bracelet as an adult on my first trip to Europe, I consciously began a new family tradition, the hunting and gathering of trinkets and treasures that would come together for wearable scrapbooks to pass along to my daughter, and then hopefully to generations that follow. Sometimes representing one fabulous summer, sometimes an entire decade, each bracelet serves as a timeline. The jingle jangle when wearing them seems to say "have I got STORIES!", certainly making them fabulous cocktail party conversation starters too. While all special to me, that first all sterling bracelet that began with a small Warwick Castle charm will forever be the most meaningful. I can still see the gift shop within those Medieval walls that sparked this charming mission.
Of all the jewelry that connects me to my family's past the piece I love the most is a necklace that was made from my great-great grandfather's watch fob and chain. It has a locket with two photos of his daughters. My great grandmother and her sister. It makes me think of the special bond that not only they had, but that I have with my own sister.
My mother has passed a lot of jewelry on to me as she inherited pieces from my grandmother, and I wear a lot of it every day! My most treasured piece is from my grandmother; it is a jadeite, diamond and ruby ring she acquired in Hong Kong. I don't think I am mature enough to wear it, but I value the history and exotic nature of the piece. The tradition of passing jewelry down is held sacred in my family, and I hope to have a daughter I can pass these pieces onto one day as well!
I am very fortunate to have many beautiful pieces of jewelry passed down to me. Although I have some incredible formal jewelry, what I treasure the most I wear on a near-daily basis. I have a stack of gold bracelets and bangles ranging from simple to elaborate passed down to me from my Mother, Grandmother, Great Aunt, and Aunt. I constantly get complements on my "stack" as we call it in New England, and while I do enjoy the pieces for their beauty, I wear them so frequently to have a bit of these incredible, strong, elegant, and inspiring women wherever I go.
My parents gave me an eternity bracelet made of gold and pink diamonds when I passed my licensure exam and was about to start practicing my profession.
When I was born, my Grandfather bought me a tiny gold ring with a bow in the centre with my birthstone, a peridot, in it. When I was old enough to wear it, I wore it every day until it got too small and now I wear it on a chain around my neck sometimes. My Grandfather passed away years ago but that small ring makes me smile every time I look at it remembering my Grandfather and the fun times we had!
When I was a little girl about 7 years old my grandmother toke me to Zales to buy my first gold bangle bracelet. I still can remember sitting down on this cushion chair and looking through the glass at all this beautiful shiny jewelry and thinking how special this surprise was, and I couldn't believe I was going to have a gold bangle bracelet of my very own. My daughter was also given a gold bangle bracelet from my mom when she was 4. Both are bracelets don't fit us anymore but are keep in a special box. One day in the future I will buy my granddaughter her first bracelet and hope this lovely tradition will be pasted along.
My most treasured bauble is my signet ring with the insignia of my mother's family. It was given to me on my 30th birthday. It represents where I come from. It's a fox with ornaments and I love it! The background is light blue, my favourite colour.
My favorite piece of jewelry is my rose gold Tiffany necklace that my husband bought me when we were in Manhattan last summer. I had been wanting to walk into Tiffany's on 5th Ave. and make a purchase of my very own ever since I first saw "Breakfast at Tiffany's" when I was twelve years old. The necklace is special to me not only because it was from Tiffany's and my husband bought it for me, but also because it is a daily reminder to me to never give up on my dreams. You can read my story and see the picture of me wearing my necklace on my blog: http://kikikonfidential.com/2012/07/19/tiffany-holly-and-kiki/ and http://kikikonfidential.com/about/.
My grandma gave me a charm bracelet for Christmas when I was 8 and I still enjoy finding charms for it. It's such a treasured piece of jewelry and people always love to ask me the stories behind the charms so it's a fun conversation piece as well. :)
I love my rose gold watch by Michael Kors...it was the first thing I really splurged on. I was shopping with my sister and I told her how much I wanted it, and she did a little dance and said "Treat Yo Self!" So glad I did, because I absolutely love it.
My parents gave me a simple silver Tiffany&Co. charm bracelet, my grandfather's silver ID bracelet, and an antique silver bangle for my high school graduation and I wear the three of them every day! ♥
My mom recently gave me my Great Aunt Anne's gorgeous charm bracelet. She was a Manhattan girl who traveled the world, and the bracelet is a testament to her life and has some of the most unique charms I've ever seen. I can't wait to wear it for the first time on my wedding day in February!
I have my grandmother's black pearl earrings that my grandfather brought back for her when he was over in Vietnam fighting. I wear them all the time, as they're a a total classic and just a tiny bit different from normal pearls. I also have a silver bangle bracelet my mother gave me a few months ago that belonged to her grandmother...it's a totally simple sleek bangle, and I love how it's so old but still goes with everything.
My husband gave me a pair of earrings on our wedding day. He had one of his groomsmen bring them to me with a little note about being ready to start our lives together. I wear them every day.
My grandmothers charm bracelet as well as a gold signet ring I got for Christmas 51 years ago. Both carry treasured memories.
My Mother gave me three of her vintage silver bracelets: a classic bangle from Tiffany, her own ID bracelet (after mine had been stolen), and an intricate charm bracelet with some fabulous charms featuring world monuments & landmarks. I have the Taj Mahal, Arc de Triomphe, and even a Statue of Liberty. Of course, she kept her gold charm bracelet, which is even more fabulous, but I love this array of silver beauties and I actually wear them in my stacks all the time!
My beloved 14k gold chunky chain link bracelet that had been a gift from my dad when I was in my twenties. Shortly after he died in 2005, I was visiting a resort about two hours from my home and I realized when I got home that the jingly noise that I had heard when I was coming down a coffee shop's outside stairs had been my bracelet, not my keys as I had thought.
Heartbroken, I called the coffee shop and had someone go out and look under the stairs but they couldn't find it. They said they would call me if it turned up but I knew the chance of finding it was slim. About a year later, I was visiting the same resort and my friend and I went to get coffee at the same spot. I thought , "I'm just going to take a peek under the stairs" so I got down on my hands and knees and took a look. I saw a small corner of something shining among the fall leaves - it was my bracelet! My friend and i both cried; I felt like i had gotten a big cosmic hug from my dad. https://twitter.com/BhatiBeads/status/373119358010003456/photo/1
My mom and dad's signet rings. My mom's was given to her by my grandmother for her college graduation. It's yellow gold and it's engraved with her pre-married initials. I wear it on my right ring finger. On my left hand, sits my dad's signet ring, which my mom gave him for their first Christmas together. I wear it on my middle finger, because it's originally a man's ring, so it sits well on a bigger finger. Inside, it is engraved from my mom to my dad with "I FEEL LUCKY". They both remind me of the kind of people I come from, the kind of person I want to be, what's important in my life, and what it means to be in a loving, lasting marriage. (They are now married almost 32 years! Wow.)
Okay, I just got teary. The engraving got me. And the 32 years part. And the part about the person you want to be. You're a very lucky (and gracious and grounded) girl. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
My mum is Chinese and her father is a jeweller. Ever since I can remember, my dad has worn a gold pendant of his name, in Chinese, that my grandfather made for him. I used to love it when I was growing up and for Christmas a few years ago my mum had ones made for my brother and me. I wear it with a letter C on a fine gold chain.
This sounds so lovely! Love dainty necklaces with several little charms... Such a great way to celebrate your Chinese heritage. And I love that you call your mom, "mum." I want your family to adopt me :)
I blogged about this a while ago! I have a charm bracelet that was my Meme's when she was a little girl, and also, she bought one for me, giving me charms throughout the years!
http://zubrowka24.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-post.html
I just took a look - so neat! Love the Florida and Louisiana charms from her trips - this makes me want a charm bracelet more than ever.
I live with my seven-year-old niece and her two dads (my brother and his husband). The morning of a very important job interview, my brother lent me a Moroccan silver beaded necklace with an eye charm for good luck. It was my niece's, so it fit best as a bracelet. When she noticed me wearing it later in the week, she said, "Hey, I have a necklace JUST like that!" ..I sheepishly explained it was hers and I was only wearing it for good luck until I found out about the job. She insisted I wear it always, sweetheart that she is. I still wear it to this day. And I got the job!
Congrats on the job! Such a cute story. Everyone could use a good luck charm now and then :)
My dad's wedding band. He passed away when I was 13 and my mom gave it to me when I finished college. It's a simple gold band with a few diamonds and I love it.
What a wonderful memento of your dad. I don't think it gets any more special than this.
My most precious piece of jewelry is my great-great grandmother's wedding ring that I wear on my right hand. My mom received it on her twenty-first birthday as did I when I was twenty-one. If I ever have a daughter, she'll get it for her twenty-first. I love how small and dainty it is-- and how it connects me to the generations of women that have come before me.
Love this so much. What a wonderful tradition.
At a huge carbootsale in Northern France, I stumbled upon a seller who had bought the stock of a 1940s jeweller. The Art Deco rings were to die for ! I got myself a pair of silver rings with rhinestones. It's been 4 years, I've never taken them off and I still get compliments every once in a while. They're vintage, classy, timeless - a Matchbook staple don't you think? ;)
Sure sounds like it! What a great story -- clearly I need to get back to France to do some treasure hunting... Thanks for sharing!