That was a lesson I learned recently when I was finding it increasingly difficult to choose original gifts for my very-young-at-heart 87 year old mother.  After all, there are only so many sweaters, tops, skirts and purses you can buy and besides she has no room in her closet for any more!  And she has absolutely no interest in designer shoes or designer handbags.

However, even though my Mom has never been a great one for wearing jewelry there are a couple of her tops and dresses that cry out for a bit of adornment around the neck to finish the outfit off.  Gaudy, flashy costume jewelry would not be suitable and she’s not a pearls and twin-set kind of person and she doesn’t wear sliver earrings or gold bracelets.

After having looked at lots of different designs for necklaces, a heart chain seemed to be the most appropriate. For example, these heart chains from Things Remembered pictured above and right (click on the pictures for more details) would be perfect.The heart symbol represents love and trust and as I am very close to my Mom it seemed to be the right design to show how much she means to me.  Heart jewelry was my choice!

Heart chains can be found in gold, white gold, platinum and silver so there is a huge range to choose from.  As she only wears gold jewelry – her wedding ring and a beautiful diamond engagement ring that my father bought her as a sixtieth wedding anniversary gift – I decided that whatever I chose had to compliment these.  Another consideration to bear in mind is the fact that my Mom is a petite lady so something dainty rather than big and bold was the way to go.

The necklace I finally chose was a 10K open gold heart with a small diamond on the point and it hangs on a fine rope chain.  It is very pretty and sets off her clothes nicely and – just as important – she loves it. I’m sure she will be getting other pieces of jewelry to commemorate special days like birthdays and Mother’s Day.

This experience made me realize that even someone who does not wear a great amount of jewelry appreciates the fact that you have taken the time to choose a special gift just for them.  So it is very important to think about the person you are buying for and take such things as age, clothes style and character into consideration.

So the next time you are looking for something special to give to your Mom or Grandma as a special gift, no matter what their age, remember they are never too old to appreciate a new piece of jewelry – especially one that symbolizes everlasting love like a heart chain.

Telling someone you love them is not confined to Valentines Day or to that special partner.  There are many occasions that can be commemorated with personalized heart charms.

Give them as a special anniversary gift, for a special Mother’s Day present, to let Grandma know that she is loved or to thank a special friend for just being there. Whether the recipient wears gold or silver jewelry, they are sure to appreciate the fact that you have sought out something special just for them.

How about a heart charm with the birthstone of the recipient set into it?  Or how about giving one to a new mom with the birth date and name of their new baby on it?  And I really like the padlock and key heart charms from Things Remembered that you can have engraved with your own message – there’s a picture to the left and just click on it for more details.  In fact Things Remembered has a whole selection of charms for every occasion in their charm story collection.

The great thing about heart charms is that they can be worn on a bracelet or chain around the neck or even on a keyring.   And there are so many different sorts to choose from depending on your budget and taste.  The saying goes that “diamonds are forever” so maybe the perfect gift for the love of your life would be a diamond studded heart charm.

One of my favorite collections of heart charms is “The Open Heart” designs by Jane Seymour.  These make ideal gifts for friends or family and are really beautiful.  My husband bought me one of these charms for Christmas and I never take it off.  You can now show that special man in your life how much you love him as there are Open Hearts cufflinks in  this collection!

Very popular throughout history have been locket heart charms.  Some ladies kept pictures of their husbands or fiancé in them with a lock of their hair especially if their loved one was in the military and away from home.  Moms often keep photos of their baby and their first curl when it is cut off.  These are lovely keepsakes and very personal as the wearer can keep their loved ones close all the time.

There are many different kinds of heart charms to choose from to suit any occasion so remember you can give your heart to that special someone any time not just on St Valentines Day.

Have you ever seen a man wearing a heart chain? We’ve all seen men with gold bracelets, gold chains and fancy, over-the-top rings, even if it’s only in a gangster movie or a soap opera. But have you seen a man wearing a heart chain while you’ve been out in the Mall or in the local restaurant?  Or what about other types of decoration such as a heart bracelet, a heart pendant necklace or a heart brooch?  Doesn’t seem quite right – does it?  Are men really into heart jewellery of any sort, whether it is a heart chain, earrings or anything, even in this day of political correctness and “girly” men?

With the advent of the Baby Boomer generation, jewellery for men has evolved at a high-speed rate, with many exotic innovations now commonly accepted even though they at first appeared eccentric – but there remain some “beyond the limit” items and a heart chain is just one instance.  For example, one product available at a leading jewellery seller was engraved with the words “The heart and key are timeless symbols of the singular love between two people.” – this implies a unisex appeal for the product, but do you know any men who would wear it?

Times have changed rapidly since the 1960s and the hippie/free love generation.  Until that time, twentieth century jewellery for men in western societies was generally confined to watches, cuff links and tie pins.  Understatement, refinement and quality was the goal.

And any suggestion that it was appropriate and fashionable for men to wear earrings, to display gold medallions around their necks or to have piercings in their eyes, nose, tongue (or whatever else has now come to be commonplace) would have been regarded as fitting only for savages.

Such decorations were for women only.  Western societies believed that men’s jewellery should focus on functionality, leaving colour and beauty to the arena of the female of the species.

Yet in the four decades since then we have seen a cultural transformation.  So in 2009, for example, we have completely accepted the “metrosexuals,” men who take such great pride in their looks and clothing that it is vitally important for them to be not just presentable but fashionable as well.

They believe that masculine jewelry such a silver earring makes them good to look at without being “girly” or effeminate.  In fact, there is a huge selection of fashion jewelry for men.  They boldly wear necklaces, bracelets and earrings to complement their hair or eyes because this “accessorizing” enhances their looks.  Rings, necklaces, bracelets and cuff links all emphasize their confidence, achievements and status.

Even the more conventional male members of society have been caught up in the enthusiasm of new ideas.  Large gold rings or medallions, fancy cuff links and even bracelets can be found at all levels of society.  What was once a caricature from a Hollywood film or a TV series and accepted as show business exaggeration (for example, Shaft, Starsky and Hutch or Miami Vice in the USA; Minder or Only Fools and Horse in the UK) is now commonplace in Denver or Dallas or London or Liverpool.

But there are some limits that remain to this day.  Gold and silver medallions would be regarded with any sort of disdain by very few people these days and especially the young.  But even in the age of equality of the sexes and equal rights for people of any color, religion or sexual persuasion, I suggest that a man walking down Main Street USA or High Street UK would be considered more than a little eccentric if he sported, for example, a gold, silver or diamond heart chain.  Some heart jewellry is acceptable for men and some just isn’t!  When you give it much thought though (or at least, when I do!), it does seem as if a man wearing a heart trinket (for example, a heart brooch, a heart locket, heart charms or a heart bracelet) is not exactly, how should we say, “mainstream”.

Am I living in an insulated part of the world or do you agree?