The Art of Jewelry

When people want to express affection to one another, they often give personalized jewelry as a gift. Because of the tradition of giving jewelry as gifts, it is often personalized. Engravings – such as the wearer’s name, or a personal saying – or private touches such as birthstones can make a piece of jewelry as unique as its wearer.

In Victorian times, jewelry was often personalized with birthstones. The giver would select a piece of jewelry bearing a stone that signifies the recipient’s month of birth. It was also popular for Victorians to give jewelry that contained a lock of the giver’s hair as a personal gesture of affection.

Another common tradition of personalized jewelry in the 1800s was the “Regards” ring – a ring set with stones that spell out a word such as “regards” with their first letters. Often, the “Regards” ring would spell out the first name of the recipient.

In African-American culture, personalized jewelry goes back for centuries. After the Civil War, many freed slaves decided to abandon their given “slave” name and instead have a first name of their own choosing. In the 20th century, some African-Americans chose nameplate necklaces as a way of celebrating their names, symbols of individuality and freedom.

Nameplate necklaces became more widespread in the 1980s, as part of the trend towards monogrammed fashion in general. Necklaces, bracelets and earrings often featured the name or initials of the wearer, and more expensive pieces were often engraved at jewelry stores. In the 2000s, the nameplate necklace became popular again when Carrie, the main character in the hit TV show Sex and the City, wore one on the show. Sales of nameplate necklaces skyrocketed among women all over North America.