So, Valentine's day is nearly upon us and it’s going to have to be little bit different this year. I know we are all looking forward to it - it's good to have something to look forward to at the moment when we are spending most of our time at home or working every hour to support everyone else.  So, we are all going to have to work a little bit harder to make Valentine's day special. We can’t just book to go out to dinner or away for a romantic weekend - we can’t even make the last minute, day before, dash to the shops to get flowers or gifts. A little more planning is needed and there are still all sorts of ways you can make it special and we are here to help. 

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 all the fabulous jewellery gifts to give. 

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

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on 14th February. Now it is the day when people show their love for another person by sending cards and gifts or doing something special together. Also, a popular day for marriage proposals and weddings – the ultimate gesture of love. 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 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 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 (no surprise there..)

Gifts for Valentine’s Day 

So, now we know how Valentine’s Day and all the traditions started, let’s think about some of the best gifts you could give. Traditionally it has always been flowers and chocolates 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 lockdown 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…) Unfortunately, this year some people may not be able to be together, so the gift and card are especially important. 

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 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? 

The key to choosing the right piece of Valentine’s Day jewellery for your girlfriend, wife or that someone special in your life is finding a gift that suits her specific taste or personality whilst still showing the thought and care you put into choosing the present. So, we have put together some ideas for you to help you decide on the perfect Valentine’s gift. 

How to find the perfect Valentine’s Day jewellery gift

Nothing says “I love you” better than a meaningful and personal piece of jewellery. Depending on the special girl in your life, she may have a particular style that will help guide you as you shop for the perfect gift.  If you don’t know where to start, then maybe do a little bit of research. Notice the jewellery she already wears and maybe ask her why she particularly likes a favourite ring or earrings (try to be subtle!) Maybe get some help and ask her girlfriends or mum what they think she would like most. The key is that every woman wants to feel unique and one of a kind – they want to feel you have made the effort to choose something that they would particularly love. To try and help we have come up with six types of girls and some jewellery recommendations we are sure that they will love.

Romantic

The girl who loves everything romantic, feminine and dainty. She probably also loves the colour pink. She's sentimental and loves romantic gestures. She pays real attention to the details of her look, with florals, and vintage pieces also uniquely styled with accessories. A romantic and symbolic piece of jewellery is the perfect gift – maybe our delicate Silver & Cubic Zirconia Heart Earrings or perhaps our ‘Yours Forever’ Silver and Cubic Zirconia Hearts Bracelet. As a lover of all things feminine our beautiful  ‘Oh So Pale’ Pink Diamond Ring would also be a great choice. 

Classic Minimalist

This girl likes to keep things simple, classic and elegant. She has a more "back-to-basics" approach to her daily style choosing from well styled jeans and T-shirts through to classic dresses and heels. Her accessories are kept to a minimum but those she has are really special and mean something to her. Classic, beautifully made and high-quality designs that complete her look. We think she would love our Crystal Clear Cubic Zirconia Heart Studs, maybe together with the matching solitaire pendant. A simple silver bangle with an understated little heart to show love and thought, would also make the perfect gift. 

Fashionista

Now this is the girl who always has her head in the fashion magazines or watching what all the celebrities are wearing. Drawn to the latest fashion trends, she is not afraid to stand out and make a statement. Very glamourous and definitely with a passion for accessories to complete her fashion look. She loves shoes, handbags and of course jewellery – we think she would love the latest fashions for layering silver necklaces and stacking rings – Take a look at our Silver, Rose Gold and Cubic Zirconia Mix and Match Stacking Ring which we think would be perfect.  

City Chic

This girl is the high flyer city girl who loves her sharp tailored look – modern and edgy she goes for block colours, clean lines and geometric shapes in her fashion. Her jewellery too, reflects this clean and unfussy look. Choose from a clean and classic handmade silver bangle, maybe a long line silver chain and pendant such as our Offset Silver Heart – great worn on a long chain over a high neck top and jacket and some long silver earrings to complete the look.

Boho Chic

This girl is a real free spirit and her fashion style shows it. A hippie at heart, her look is a unique collection of clothes and accessories that she loves, put together in a wonderful free, youthful and spiritual way. She loves nature and is fascinated by the world around her. Unaffected by anything on the catwalks and fashion magazines, the perfect choice for this girl would one of our wonderful tree of life design pendants or maybe our cute little silver daisies bracelet.

Spiritual

This is a girl who is deeply in touch with her spiritual side – with her values, her beliefs and her dreams. She maybe religious or have other spiritual beliefs but no matter what there are, symbols matter deeply to her. If she is religious, maybe choose our angel pendant to watch over her or our cute silver cross huggie earrings. If more spiritual – our feather jewellery is just beautiful or maybe a piece of jewellery featuring a semi-precious stone – all of which have real spiritual meaning to the wearer. Our new Magical Forest Silver Pendant is one of our favourites.

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 you have delivered to your door or in one of those amazing bubbles you can hire for the garden. Make sure you pick the perfect romantic moment. Maybe add a love letter or even have a little treasure hunt in the house 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 currently 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 the things you can do, not the things you can’t.