My grandma was one of the most influential people in my life. Since our family is Italian, I called her “Nonna,” which is Italian for “Grandma.” When I was little, my Nonna would always wear two rings: a simple diamond wedding band on her left hand and a family ring on her right hand. Her family ring included both her and my grandpa’s birthstones at the center, surrounded by the birthstones of all family members. I loved to point out the birthstones, and she would patiently tell me who each birthstone represented. She would point to my birthstone and say, “This is you!“
Even as a child, there was something special about knowing that Nonna had my birthstone on her family ring. It always made me feel warm, safe and loved. While I’m sure it was important to her to have me represented on her ring, it mattered equally as much to me and had a far more significant impact on me than I realized at the time.
This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to choose a piece of family jewelry for the mom in your life. As a mom myself, I love having a mother’s ring that serves as a tangible reminder of my children. I also love showing my kids their birthstones, which hopefully will have as big of an impact on them as it did for me when I was little.
This year could be the start of this new tradition with your own family. To make it even more meaningful, bring your kids and family members to J. F. Kruse along with you and ask for their input as to which style to choose. Here are a few gift ideas to consider for the mom in your life:
Mother’s rings are a classic and widely appreciated gift idea and allow you to display the birthstones of the ones you love beautifully. As my Nonna did, many women wear their wedding band on their left hand and their mother’s ring on their right hand just about every day. From simple to vintage, to contemporary, and even stackable, a mother’s ring is the perfect way to keep your kids close to you all day, as well as show the world how much you cherish them.
Mother’s pendants are another excellent option for family jewelry, especially for women that wear necklaces daily. Consider a simple yet stylish pendant that she can wear every day, accented with the appropriate birthstones. You can even have her birthstone or the birthstone of the month you were married incorporated into the design to make it even more personal.
Fingerprint jewelry is incredibly personal and the perfect way to keep this unique part of your children with you. We simply take a quick scan of their fingerprint in our store, or we can work with a fingerprint impression you already have. We can even engrave their name and birthdate on the back, as well as add birthstone accents. Consider making the fingerprint into a pendant or adding multiple fingerprint charms to a bracelet.
Bar pendants are trendy, simple, and go with just about any outfit. Consider engraving the first initial, or first name, or the children on the front for a subtle look. You can also add the appropriate birthstones as accents for a pop of color. We can make each chain a different length for multiple children so that the bar pendants can be layered and worn all at once.
Engraved charms are fun and very personal and come in an array of sizes and shapes. We can engrave their first initial, name, and birthdate on each charm, as well as add a birthstone accent. The charms themselves can be worn on a chain or attached to a charm bracelet. Engraved charms are a unique way to showcase your children with a piece that can someday be theirs.
Mother’s bracelets are a great way to outwardly display the birthstones of those you love most in the world. A simple bracelet with multiple birthstones or multiple bracelets with individual birthstones that can be stacked and worn together makes for beautiful and unique everyday jewelry. We can engrave names on the bracelet to personalize it further and design it with the option to add more birthstones in the future.
Family jewelry is far more than just precious metal and gemstones. It is a way to keep your loved ones with you throughout the day. It is a way to share your love for your family with the world. Most importantly, it is a way to show those closest to you that they are loved, precious, and matter.
If I am blessed enough to have grandchildren someday, I hope to have a family ring as well, just like my Nonna’s. Maybe I’ll add my grandkids’ birthstones to my existing mother’s ring or have a piece of jewelry created just to showcase the members of my family. I hope to be able to hold my grandkids, point to their birthstone, and share all the love and joy in my heart when I say, “This is you!”