Silver Jewellery Gifts for her this Valentine’s Day

So, Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us and this year we can actually celebrate in style – no isolation, no masks and no staying at home. (unless you want to!) So, it’s time to treat that special person in your life, as if you needed an excuse! After the longest January ever (they always go on for ever), and we’ve all finally been paid, get planning the weekend, day or special evening. Seize the moment and book that romantic night away, that special dinner, that bouquet of flowers and most definitely a piece of silver jewellery – which will be something they can treasure forever.  

Before we get on to that, I was interested as to how we came to celebrate Valentine’s day and why it is a celebrated day of love. So, a little history lesson and then we'll think of fabulous jewellery gifts you can give.  

What is Valentine's Day and how did it start? 

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on 14th February. Today, this is the day when we send cards and presents to those we love – or admire from afar! I still remember receiving a red rose when I was about 19 and never finding our who it was from! As the most romantic day of the year, it is also a day when you might propose to your partner or have your fairy-tale wedding. All in the name of Saint Valentine – but who is this saint and where do the traditions come from? 

Who was St Valentine? 

The day gets its name from a famous saint, but there are several stories of who he was, and the Catholic church recognises at least three different saints called Valentine all of whom were martyred. The most popular belief about St Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third century AD. 

When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of this law, defied Claudius and continued to marry young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered him to be thrown into jail and sentenced to death. Whilst in jail, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter and when he was taken to be executed on the 14th of February he sent her a love letter signed "from your Valentine". – an expression which is still used today. 

How did Valentine's Day start? 

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death, others believe that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. A pagan fertility festival celebrating the official start of Spring.

According to legend, as part of the celebrations, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn and the young men would each choose a name and be paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Valentine’s Day: A Day of Romance 

It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that February 14th was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea it should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, ““For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.  By the 16th century, cards had become so common on Valentine's Day that several religious leaders preached against them but by the early 19th century, it was the most popular way to show your love on the special day. 

How Valentine’s Day is Celebrated 

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries across the world and has been since around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small gifts or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology.   

In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colourful pictures. 

Ready-made cards made it easier for people to show their emotions at a time when such a thing was frowned upon. Cheaper postage rates also helped to increase the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day cards.

Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. Women buy approximately 85 percent of all valentine’s cards (what a suprise..)

Gifts for Valentine’s Day 

So that’s how all the traditions around St Valentine’s Day began, now let’s think about some of the best gifts you could give. Chocolates and flowers have always been the safe gift, but we think gifts that last longer are a much more thoughtful and personal gift. Chocolate and flowers are what everyone gets and are gone within a week (chocolate is not helpful if you are trying to lose those Christmas pounds either!) Although you can never go totally wrong with flowers, nothing captures the eye of a loved one quite like the sparkle of jewellery. (We might be a little bit biased…) 

Choosing just the right gift for your sweetheart can be tricky. You want to get them something truly special, something that shows them just how much they mean to you. That’s a big part of why so many people choose to give silver jewellery on Valentine’s Day. It’s beautiful, personal, and timeless— just like your love for each other. 

So, you’ve decided jewellery will make the perfect gift but which piece of jewellery to choose? 

We thought we would try and help you narrow down your choices and have created a Valentines Day collection of our handmade silver and jewellery, with many designs set with sparkling AAA* cubic zirconia stones. They look almost identical to diamonds but at a price that is affordable to everyone. If you are planning on popping the question, we also have a collection of silver and cubic zirconia engagement rings for you to browse through. 

If your partner is a real romantic who loves everything feminine and pink, then our ‘Oh so Pale’ Pink Diamond Cubic Zirconia Ring would be the perfect choice. Or maybe she would appreciate an obvious romantic gesture of your love with our silver Sweetheart Pendant or Lovers Cubic Zirconia Earrings.

Maybe she’s more into her sharp business suits and sleek bold block colours. If she doesn’t like to much fuss or overly romantic gestures, then choose one of our classic and elegant handmade silver bangles or maybe our True Love Silver Heart pendant which looks perfect worn over plain dark colours and perhaps layered with other silver necklaces and pendants.

If your partner follows all the celebrity Insta pages and reads fashion magazines, then perhaps you should consider something a little more glamourous and fashionable. Stacking earrings are all the trend now, so how about some of our silver heart huggie earrings which can be stacked with just about any other silver earrings whether they are hoops, drop or stud earrings. Stacking rings are also very fashionable – whether you stack on a single finger or across all your fingers including your thumb! Our ‘All Hearts’ silver ring stacks beautiful with other plain silver rings or those with cubic zirconia stones or if you want to have an instant stacking ring choose our Mix and Match Stacking ring with 5 silver, gold and cubic zirconia rings. (Mixed metals are also a big celebrity look at the moment!)

If she likes to keep things simple and lives in jeans and t-shirts, then you need to choose something that is classic and simple – something that is beautifully made and will complete her simple but stylish look. Why not choose our Silver and Copper Twin Heart Pendant or the True Love Heart Ring would make the perfect understated gift.

Finally – what about all those who are free spirits and love nature, animals and the natural world around them. We have a wide selection of floral and animal inspired jewellery but if I had to pick a couple I would choose our Tree of life pendant with a little golden heart, a cute silver bee pendant or a wonderful Celestial silver and gold falling feather pendant. (I know that’s three but I couldn’t pick just two!)   

Don’t Forget your Presentation

So you have chosen your jewellery, how are you going to present it? We’re not just talking about the box it comes in – we have that covered for you – all our jewellery is delivered in a beautiful complimentary branded gift box so you don’t have to worry about that – but think about how and when you will present you gift. Whether it is over a wonderful 3 course meal, on a windswept beach or in a buzzing bar. Make sure you pick the perfect romantic moment. Maybe add a love letter or even have a little treasure hunt with clues to help her to find it. Anything to make the moment more special and to show thought and love. 

Order in time

Our final tip is to make sure you leave plenty of time to think about what you are going to buy and to order it. Royal Mail are still running behind time because of Covid so you need to leave extra time for delivery if you want it to arrive by the 14th February (nobody wants it to arrive on the 15th!) We offer free standard delivery in the UK but if you leave it to the last minute it will be an extra £7.50 for special next day delivery. And you don’t want that!

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone – enjoy every moment you can, and appreciate the person you are with and all the things you can finally do again this year.