Celebrating Mother's Day with Jewellery Gifts

As the hope of spring fills the air, there's a special day on the horizon – Mother's Day. It's a time to honour the extraordinary women who have nurtured us, guided us, and loved us unconditionally. As both a mum and a daughter, I find it a very special day. It’s a day my two grown up sons show some appreciation of all I do for them and a day when I spoil my Mum with gifts and we spend time together. We also sometimes forget that it is not always a mum we appreciate – it could be an aunt, grandmother, or godmother who you want to show how much they mean to you.

Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 10th March this year – so if you are planning on treating your mum – time to get thinking about the perfect gift. But before we do, grab a cuppa and get cosy whilst we think about the origins and traditions of Mother’s Day and why we celebrate it in so many countries across the world. 

A Legacy of Love - How did Mother's Day begin?

It is a day with a rich history and is filled with love and gratitude. The date varies in different countries, in the UK it has been celebrated on the fourth Sunday after Lent since the 16th century, in the U.S. and Australia it is the second Sunday in May. Which reminds me – I’ll have to nudge my big brother who lives in Australia to send a card and call our mum as he never remembers when the day is in the UK.

It was originally a religious day 'Mothering Sunday' and was to honour and give thanks to the Virgin Mary also known as Mother Mary. People were expected to visit their ‘Mother’ church with offerings of thanks and people travelled long distance to go home and celebrate the day at the church where their family lived. A special day which brought families together and allowed those living away to enjoy a day with their families and see their mothers. Thus, the religious day thanking Mother Mary became a much wider celebration broadening its scope to become an occasion to thank all mothers.

This day of celebration became less and less popular across Europe until WW2 when Americans and Canadians, in particular, celebrated Mother’s Day, giving thanks to their mothers whilst away at war. The British and Europeans began to follow and since then Mother’s Day has been a firm fixture in the U.K. calendar.

The holiday for Mother’s Day was formed much later than Mothering Sunday, and was created by Anna Jarvis from West Virginia in 1908, in honour of her late mother. Jarvis campaigned for a holiday to celebrate all mothers after the death of her own, and after lots of hard work and determination, President Wilson finally made it an official holiday for the U.S. in 1914. 

However, as the holiday grew more and more established it became more and more commercialized much to the disgust of Jarvis, who named it "Hallmark Holiday". Jarvis began to regret what the day had turned into and spent the last years of her life trying to abolish the day she had created. However, this didn't slow the commercial growth of the day and Mother's Day still remains a popular holiday making it one of the biggest days for sales of flowers and cards in many countries.

Mother's Day Traditions

Mother’s Day is celebrated in different ways all across the world from the UK and America where the day often starts with breakfast in bed and a bouquet of flowers to other countries who have their own traditions and customs.

India holds a 10-day festival in October which celebrates Durga, the goddess of mothers. Families spend weeks preparing food, gathering gifts, and decorating their homes for the festival.

In Japan, following World War II, a version of Mother’s Day grew popular as a way of comforting mothers who had lost sons to the war. Carnations are given around this March holiday, as they symbolize the sweetness and endurance of motherhood in Japanese culture. Originally, children gave a red carnation to a living mother and displayed a white one if their mother had died.

And in France, in 1920, the government began awarding medals to mothers of large families in gratitude for helping rebuild the population after so many lives were lost in World War I. After the second World War, the government declared the last Sunday in May to be the Day of Mothers. The traditional gift is now a flower-shaped cake.

And finally in the United Kingdom, based on the original tradition of returning to your mother church, it is still a holiday based on religion with many churches giving daffodils to the children to give to their mums. 

These are all traditions steeped in history, but we also create our own special little family traditions which are then passed down from one generation to another – much like the family traditions around Christmas.

Plan your Mother's Day

In our family, food is always a key consideration. I used to love the strange concoctions I got as breakfast in bed when my boys were little – but this has greatly improved now they are grown up and both pretty good cooks. I’d rather have breakfast downstairs (no crumbs or spilt coffee in the bed) and last year I was spoilt with granola and fresh fruit followed by poached eggs on toast and lots of coffee. Nice little vase of daffodils too.

Everyone enjoys doing different things on the day, but the important thing is to spend time together, appreciate each other and choose something that you know your mum will enjoy. (not just you!)

For those who love the great outdoors, how about a long country walk or a visit to a stately home or botanical gardens. Weather should be improving by then and feeling a little bit spring like.

If your mum is more into arts and crafts - may be spend the day painting pottery, making handmade cards, or doing a jigsaw puzzle together.

And to complete the day why not treat mum to a homemade brunch with her favourite dishes or plan a cozy dinner at home. The key is to choose dishes she loves and make her feel pampered and appreciated.

I think afternoon tea is always special and shows thought and effort. A selection of finger sandwiches with her favourite fillings, scones with clotted cream and jam, and an assortment of sweet treats like lemon drizzle cake or chocolate brownies. Don't forget to include your mum's favourite tea or coffee and of course, a glass of something fizzy to raise a toast to her. 

Finding the Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

As with any national holiday in the UK, Mother's Day involves the giving of gifts and cards to show mum how much she's valued and appreciated. Traditionally, Mother's Day gifts included flowers and a Simnel cake. The flowers were picked by the workers on the way home for a day with their mum. It is still a tradition today to spoil mum with a beautiful colourful bouquet of flowers, as well as less traditional gifts such as perfume, clothes, or jewellery.

So, call us biased, but we think jewellery is the perfect Mother’s Day gift. A bouquet of flowers may be traditional and beautiful, but they are dead and gone after a week or so – so why not choose a piece of silver jewellery which is a timeless expression of love and appreciation which she can treasure for years to come. You can always stay true to the floral theme and choose a flower or Spring inspired design.

We have put together a tailored collection of silver jewellery which we think has something for every mum out there – we also have our Gifts for Mums and for Grandmas selection where you might get some inspiration too. At Cavendish French, all our jewellery is handmade, some set with sparkling AAA* quality cubic zirconia stones in a range of colours which are almost identical to real diamonds and gems but without the price tag or the worry. All our stone set pieces are triple plated with silver, palladium and rhodium to help them maintain their luxurious polished finish. And our wide range of designs caters to every taste, from classic elegance to modern chic, making it easy to find the ideal piece that suits your mum's unique personality. 

Silver Jewellery Favourites

I have picked out a few of my favourite designs here which I would be delighted to receive!

I said about staying true to the theme of flowers for Mother’s Day and we have a wide selection of floral jewellery – whether it be leaf designs, tree of life or beautiful flowers. Our cute little leaf earrings and matching necklace would be a wonderful gift for mums who like their jewellery dainty – available with clear stones or very spring like emerald green.  Our Tree of Life Designs are really popular – how about our pendant with the leaves picked out in yellow gold. Maybe it could represent your own family tree. Ruby red Star Flower drop earrings would also make a wonderful and thoughtful gift. They also have a matching pendant if you really want to spoil her.

No one forgets their mum and all the special things she does, so forget-me-nots are a great flower to choose to show your appreciation.  Why not choose our forget-me-not necklace with cubic zirconia stones that sparkle as they catch the light. She’ll certainly know that she’s not been forgotten.

One of our bestselling collections at the moment is our vintage clover range with designs in silver or plated in 18 carat yellow gold. Many are set with coloured mother or pearl or enamel. For spring colours why not think about our turquoise set or the red mother of pearl. Both have earrings, necklaces and bracelets and really are just beautiful, as so many of our customers know.

As a change to silver, you could consider adding a touch of yellow gold when choosing a present for your mum. Yellow gold jewellery is more and more popular, but it is very expensive so why not choose a design which is silver plated with 18 carat yellow gold? We have a wide selection to choose from but one of my favourites is our Heart of the Rose Necklace. Lovely worn short in the neckline and maybe mum could layer with some other personalised jewellery you or your family have bought for her before.

Butterflies and bees are also a sign that Spring is here, and we have a lovely range of butterfly jewellery – from simple studs to delicate pendants. A lovely jewellery gift that won’t break the bank. Also, cute, and very popular is our Honey Bee Pendant with matching little earrings.

If nature is not really your mum’s thing, then you could always choose a classic and very elegant silver bangle - our Tapered Cuff Bangle is handmade, easy to put on and off and looks great with everything. Or maybe she loves cats? We have a couple of cat pendants, but I love the Cat and Kitten one. Perfect choice for a mum. 

If none of my favourites seem perfect for your mum – head over to our Mother’s Day Jewellery Collection for some more inspiration. 

Once you have chosen and ordered your jewellery (we deliver free of charge in the UK in a beautiful complimentary branded gift box) it’s time to think about how you are going to make the day extra special for your mum. A thoughtful card, a big hug, a bunch of daffodils or a pub lunch. Whatever you choose to buy or do, we just want to wish all mums a happy Mother’s Day. Your love, strength, and wisdom are a beacon of light in our lives, and we are forever grateful for everything you do. Here’s to you, Mum – today and every day.