Charms for Family Blings
They tell stories, inspire emotions and are passed down from mother to daughter – but often they are transformed and given a contemporary look. Aside from their inherent value, family jewels are the stars of a new viral trend
If it is true that jewelry can be addictive, it is also true that it can often create, underscore and strengthen bonds, not just in the family but between friends. It becomes a sign of recognition that can transform into a sign of sharing, holding the strength of a memory. Because a jewel always tells a story you may remember not just by wearing it, but also through the desire (and yes, sometimes courage) to transform it: a brooch from times past, left to someone by their grandmother, a ring given by an ex- fiancé́ or a bracelet received for communion, can be taken apart and put back together, embellished or simplified, inspiring a second chance under a new guise, becoming something else, without losing their wealth of emotion in the process. Or perhaps, because of this change, the weight of memories that aren’t always pleasant are left behind. But for sure, it may be once again cherished as a favorite in one’s jewelry box. Elizabeth Taylor must not have shared this opinion – having collected as many husbands as engagement rings, which she did not return, holding on to them and wearing them as if she were keeping a subtle bond with the persons she once loved. A collection of charms may have different value, each with its own precise meaning, as do pendants that send more or less clear messages. This ‘viral’ trend has exploded over a few seasons, followed not just by young women and Generations Y and Z teenagers, but also by their mothers, who want to share the same feeling with their daughters. Charms represent the modern evolution of ‘family jewels,’ which are passed down – or perhaps today, it is better to say shared – from generation to generation. This is even though engagement rings, the highest ‘emotional’ expression of family jewels, continue to be the point of arrival and departure of every love story.
This was demonstrated in October 2010 by Prince William, who gave Kate Middleton a ‘hot’ ring, the one with the blue sapphire surrounded in diamonds that belonged to Lady Diana, provoking predictable discontent on the court. In any case, this is the ‘official’ way of welcoming a future wife to the family, whose duty would then be to cherish it until passing it on to her daughter or future daughter-in-law. As for the rest, there are no written rules or moral obligations forcing us to pass on a jewel from generation to generation. Even if today it is a ‘nice gesture’ for a husband to give a ring to his wife for the birth of their child or for a grandmother to give her grandchild a pair of earrings or a bracelet for her eighteenth birthday or a mother-in-law to give a necklace to her future daughter-in-law. The fact remains that a family jewel by definition has extra value, whether symbolic or sentimental; it has more value than any other jewel because giving it is like putting a piece of one’s life in the hands of those who arrive after us.»