Jewelry is a personal item. Like a favorite sweater, we find ourselves wearing the same pieces of jewelry over and over. Because the jewelry we put on is usually an expression of ourselves and our individual taste, a lot of us prefer to take it a step further and wear personalized jewelry. These items are almost always custom made jewelry, and very likely it is received as a gift.
Throughout history, personalized jewelry has had an important role. From the start these objects were used by the upper classes – Kings, Emperors and other people of importance – to authorize formal documents like licenses by embossing or dripping melted wax on the paper and imprinting their crest. As time passed, signet rings became more common and everyday people began wearing them. These days, a signet ring is any ring that has a flat, polished face that can be etched with initials. The face of the ring could be any shape; some individuals have a single initial engraved; and some two or three. Signet rings are usually purchased in sterling silver or 14 karat gold.
Another popular personalized item is the name plate necklace. These are commonly a first name, cut from sheet metal with a jeweler’s saw and attached on the ends to a length of chain. They are available in various styles and in different metals; gold and silver are easily found, but if you shop around you’ll see they’re made in copper, brass and even platinum. They ordinarily be bright cut, to give them very reflective surfaces; some contain small stones; and there are enameled name necklaces available.
A version of this style is the name ankle bracelet; a small size plate is used, ordinarily on a thin chain with petite sized pearls or gemstone beads.
A popular personalized style for men, the I.D. bracelet has been a favorite for many years. Usually etched, these can also be created by soldering 3 dimensional die cut letters onto the silver or gold plate in the middle of the bracelet; most are made with curb or cable chain and are very nice bracelets.
Imprinted disc necklaces have become very common in the last few years. These are similar to dog tag necklaces, but ordinarily are made with round discs. Commonly called “mommy necklaces”, they’ve become a favorite of young mothers; each time a new baby arrives, a disc stamped with the new child’s name is added to the chain. They’re made with silver, but there are gold versions as well. These are ordinarily stamped by hand with steel letter stamps.
A very popular name jewelry item is created with letter cubes; these trendy items are ordinarily called Name Bracelets. For decades, hospitals created them with pink beads (for girls) or blue beads (for boys) as a gift for children born there; now letter beads are made from metal for adult bracelets and necklaces – commonly in silver or pewter, and mixed with gemstone beads, art glass beads and crystal. Mother’s bracelets made with many strands are also easy to find; they can be created with up to 6 strands, each with an individual name as children are born.
Personalized jewelry can be functional, it can be beautiful, and a way to mark important events in your life!
Written by Robert Edwards, a metalsmith in New York City who is also the webmaster of a popular website that features silver jewelry and silver chains. Permission is given to copy and publish this article on websites or blogs as long as the whole article including all links and this writer’s statement remain intact and unchanged. Copyright 2010 Robert Edwards.
