Continue reading »]]> If you are looking for a gift that will be cherished and
kept forever, my all-time favorite is a locket necklace.  The locket design itself can be simple, or as fancy as you like. However, it is
the content, what you put inside that sends this piece of jewelry to the top of
my list.

Lockets have been worn for centuries and with good
reason.  They have carried everything
from herbs protecting the wearer from bad spirits, to hand-painted intricate
portraits of loved ones. Lockets have been pins and rings, carried poison and
passion.  As long as love and family
stays in style, I predict the locket will endure.  I have several, my favorite hangs on my
keychain: A  large oversized heart that contains a picture of my daughter, and a
hand written note scrawled by her at age 5 declaring me to be the World’s
Greatest Mom! That message came in handy later when she was fifteen!

Although you probably think of a  locket necklace in the classic
sense, today lockets come in every shape, size and metal you can imagine.  A locket can be romantic or very
cutting edge. Pricey, embellished with diamonds or stamped out in tin. This
piece is one that is kept and worn because of the message. It allows everyone
to capture a favorite personal moment and carry it with us as an amulet through
the day.

 Miss your dog? Love your
child? Favorite poem? There is something wonderful about having a tiny token of
things you love around your neck.  I once
made one that contained a child’s drawing encased in epoxy. With a
computer practically any image can be resized and placed inside, you can even
create your own original art.  Not crafty?  No problem, it is quite likely that the jeweler
that sells lockets will also offer to size and mount your image for a nominal charge.
I would especially recommend using a jeweler or professional for better quality
jewelry.

Many of us work in professional enviroments that restrict big fashion statements. However, with a locket if you are a banker by day and a devil on the
weekend, wear a simple oval, but tuck a photo of your last trip to Vegas
inside. Hate your boss? Why not draw a mustache on his/her image, spend a
little time on it… put that in your locket, and wear it to work. Trust me, you
will feel empowered wearing that for your next meeting!!!

One thing I know from my experience, a girl gets a lot of
jewelry over the years, but the pieces that have been personalized in some way
are the ones that I will keep forever. A locket offers so many possibilities
for personalization that at this writing I hope I get another one this
year!  In case any of my family is
reading this… Mother’s Day is May 13th!