I received a beautiful gift in the mail from Chinchar Maloney, a husband and wife duo who love design and being creative. Their jewelry line features dainty, stackable rings with a motif on each end, and space in between–with my favorite being–the lock & key ring. I was naturally drawn to that design and upon further examination into my jewelry box, and also showing my mom, I realized that gold padlocks and keys have a deeper meaning to me than I realized!
My first key motif piece of jewelry came to me from my grandparents, brought home from a trip to Italy visiting family. My sisters and mom each received a piece of gold jewelry from them upon arriving home from their trips to Italy, and out of all the items, I got the 18k yellow gold key charm. I wore that pendant almost everyday in 9th grade–until one day I almost lost it in a gym locker and never wore it again. I felt better that it was tucked away in my jewelry box, away from danger.
My second padlock themed piece of jewelry was purchased shortly after I got my first job and had some money of my own to spend. I bought it on a family trip to Florida, where going to flea markets was our favorite Saturday afternoon pasttime. While my younger sisters bought clothes and fake designer belts, I was rummaging through a jewelry dealer’s “junk” section where he had a pile of broken parts and unwanted trinkets–all real gold. I found the padlock and talked him down on the price and ran off happily with my new purchase. I’ve had it affixed to an old Victorian gold bracelet ever since.
Receiving this gold lock and key ring from Chinchar Maloney served as a symbol for a new beginning for me. With new hopes of spending more time with family and focusing more on my blog by only working four days a week now, this ring couldn’t have arrived at a better time. It will remind me of my goals and keep me focused.
When I showed my mom the ring, her face lit up. She immediately showed me her gold key pendant set with a ruby that my dad gave her when they first started dating. It fit in perfectly with my pieces and completed the symbolism for me full circle. From now on, I will be more aware of this motif and make sure to search it out!
This post was brought to you in collaboration with LoveGold
Partner Antiques August 22, 2014 at 12:15 pm:
First time I came through such nice story of collecting gold padlocks & keys. I am also a vintage jewellery collector and I like to add padlocks & key in my collection. Can you suggest from where I can get same padlocks & keys that you have?