I’ve been thinking about what I might want for Mother’s Day this year—aside from a few hours alone, at the spa—and in my line of work, of course the focus is on jewelry.
As much as I love an excuse to wear any kind of jewelry, I happened upon a couple of items that feel especially practical. More than just ornamentation, these prove a solution to some everyday problems a mom—or non-mom, for that matter—might encounter. Here is my Mother’s Day wish list (please pass the message along to my family).
A chic gemmy phone strap. I’ve been using a cross-body phone case for several years now, and I can’t live without it (don’t even get me started on how not enough women’s clothing has pockets). When my tried-and-true strap broke last weekend, I was painfully reminded of how vital it is to my current lifestyle, as dictated by my young children—I’ve misplaced my phone more times than I can count over the past several days. So when a variation came to my inbox featuring gemstone beads, it felt like kismet—could there be a more appropriate version for yours truly?
From MyAleph, the Ethan cross-body strap is available in white quartz alternating with pink enamel (pictured above) or lavender quartz with pink enamel; the brand also offers a number of phone wristlets in various colors of quartz. In addition to the function the strap would offer me at home, with Jewelry Week in Vegas coming up fast I can’t imagine a cooler way to tote my phone on the bejeweled show floors.
A custom kid-written message ring. Let’s face it—we can’t save every art project our kids make at home or bring back from school (and even if we technically can, why would we want to?). But there are some items worthy of keeping, like a love note from your child or a happily drawn family photo. Beyond that, there’s a little detail that will one day no doubt be forgotten: the way they wrote their name when they were little. Those first years of writing are so precious, as you watch your kids grow and learn, and something about them writing their own name, and taking ownership of their work, is so special. Special enough to be memorialized in gold, as Kirsty Stone of Retrouvaí has done. The ring pictured at top is the designer’s own custom creation for her husband, with their children’s names and a special hidden message written by their oldest daughter. I was so touched by the sentiment of this piece. What’s more, Retrouvaí’s jewels are beyond cool, and the signet ring is a timeless—but currently superhot—silhouette. Practical and pretty, it lessens the guilt of all those drawings dropped in the recycling bin and clears out space in my kitchen (while taking up space in my jewelry collection and heart).
Top: Custom signet ring in 14k yellow gold, starting at $3,200; Retrouvaí
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