The holidays are a perfect time of year to gather around with family and talk about memories and heirlooms. If I can describe the most memorable gift I ever received during this time of year, it would have to be, no doubt, my Gram’s gold locket given to me by her when I was in 6th grade. No toy, new gadget, or latest technology could compare to the gift of an heirloom, and I’m thankful that at the ripe age of 11, I could understand that. Still today, I appreciate family heirlooms with even more passion and I was lucky enough to celebrate this past weekend with all my sisters and parents, decorating the tree, reminiscing about old memories, and talking about our gold heirlooms.
In my life, I have three different sources for gold heirlooms–my mom’s mother (Gram), my dad’s parents (my grandparents who were born in Italy), and my own parents. I also have my own favorite gold heirlooms that have not been passed down yet and have a newfound responsibility as being “Future Heirlooms.” I brought along some gold heirlooms that have already been passed down to me and then my parents got out others that are theirs, along with old photos and memories to share. To me, this was more fun than decorating the Christmas tree! It made me thankful that LoveGold has created this special #FutureHeirlooms feature to initiate conversations about heirlooms; it has sparked a new tradition that I hope will continue in my family and many others.
Above photos:
My mom’s mom, I call her Gram, raised four boys and one cute daughter all by herself in Pennsylvania. I will forever have such huge respect for her being a single, working mother to five children. I received the gold locket when I was 11 as a Christmas gift one year–if I remember correctly, it has a crazy past and was once ripped off her neck. On the back, there are scratches where someone once tried to etch their own initials into the locket after they took it from her. I’m sure there are more stories, but I may never know what really went down! The ring was also hers and when I was younger, I can remember her never seen without it! Last year I made sure to buy it from her when she went through this phase where she was getting rid of everything!
The next photo depicts pictures of my mom and dad when they were younger. These are my favorite pictures ever of these incredibly special people. The two gold charms are 18k yellow gold from Italy and my dad used to wear them everyday when I was younger. I love the cross because of the dark blue enamel. My mom’s engagement ring is pictured near the bottom, it is a bypass style (like mine) but with three stones instead of two. The other three items in the picture are my Future Heirlooms–three things I’d like to pass down. My 18k yellow gold feather necklace from LoveGold–I hope to share all my adventures I’ve had with the LoveGold crew with my future grandchildren and have this necklace represent that. The feather represents me spreading my wings and flying, letting my dreams take me on an exciting path. My Tiffany & Co. Atlas ring is a perfect classic to pass down, and my gold locket ring with my fiancé’s picture inside will be a sentimental piece to also pass down.
The last photo features my dad’s parents, both immigrated to America from Italy in the 50s. When my grandfather passed away in 2011, my dad gave me their old passports (seen in the photo) which I will forever cherish. I also was given their wedding bands, both 18k yellow gold, plain bands with a beautiful engraving on the inside “Giampiera Mattia 21-10-56” representing their wedding date. And my grandma’s original engagement ring, in all its Retro glory. I also have this masked woman’s profile–which actually was clipped off a very large 18k gold pendant that hung from a heavy gold chain. When gold prices were really high, my grandparents brought all their old pieces down to Tennessee when they came to visit. They sold a bunch of high carat gold and I made sure to snip this off before the rest of the necklace got put in the scrap pile. My dad always remembered this lady when he was little, hanging from my grandma’s neck. He said he was scared of her because she was wearing a mask. I love that story.
>> If you’d like to purchase your own 18k yellow gold feather necklace to wear now and become a Future Heirloom, click here.
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Susie Saltzman December 11, 2014 at 9:55 pm:
This is such a beautiful story…and such a special way to celebrate memories. Love LOVE.