We all remember the baby bracelet we were given as a child and the signet ring or very first watch when we turned twenty one. These gifts were markers of growth, love and identity. Yes, they were material possessions but they represented something much more.
I am very fortunate to be the co-owner of a beautiful jewellery store. People often comment that I must find it hard to resist all of our gorgeous designs and they assume I must own a large jewellery collection. While I can’t deny this is true as I have indeed fallen irresistibly in love with many of our creations, some of my most special jewellery pieces have been gifts.
When I was part of a team in the Philippines operating on children who were born with a cleft palate, I was given a necklace of tribal beads by a nurse. That strand would have cost him a few days’ wages and twenty years later, having lived in many countries since, it is still never far from my reach.
Another favourite piece is one that was my Grandma’s. It is a two-tone silver and rose gold medal engraved with her name and that of the country town in which she grew up, “Murwillumbah” and the date 1922. I had it set onto a rose gold fob bar and silver chain when I was nineteen and it has been a symbol of my Grandmother’s presence in my life ever since. It is a piece that you will often see me wear.
Now that I have my gorgeous ten year old daughter Ella, I have gifted her several pieces of jewellery. The first one has her name engraved, a couple are set with her birthstone, and there are those that are sourvenirs of our travels or family holidays. There are also a few very special ones that already have significant stories to tell. They may be gorgeous works of jewellery art but they also represent precious moments in life or even just the fact that lives are precious.
Jewellery may be a material possession but often when you give it as a gift or pass it from one generation to another, what it represents is anything but material.
Jo Saxelby-Balisky
“To Hold & To Have” specialises in sourcing or manufacturing unique or one off pieces of jewellery that will become generational treasures. We also repair, restore and remodel vintage and pre-loved jewellery. Design consultations and quoting sessions are free by appointment or feel free to stop by to discuss your ideas, view our designs or visit our workshop.
To Hold & To Have 