Back in 2005 I bought myself a Mommytags necklace when Riley was born, and now that I’ve got a second child (is that ever going to seem completely normal to me, the notion that I have not a child but children?) I need to get myself a third tag with Dylan’s birth date on there. I suppose at that point it won’t quite have the same military vibe (which I love, because hello, as mothers have we not all joined some sort of poop-smeared Special Forces Brute Squad?), but I dig that piece of jewelry. It’s got just the right feel for me: not too froufrou, perfect for t-shirts and dresses alike.
I like the idea of customized jewelry but there’s a lot of cheesy stuff out there, apparently targeting the cheery holiday sweater crowd. I did some browsing around to see what was available that didn’t seem like it should come with a shot of insulin (note to jewelry makers: if your website automatically starts playing sappy music upon loading, most of us can’t hit the Back button fast enough. Welcome to 2008, where web design should not hold a person down and dry-hump their leg); here are a few of the items that caught my eye:
Mommytags. Obviously I’m a little biased towards these guys since I own one of their necklaces, but really, so cute! Excellent customer service, too.
Isabelle Grace. This designer can create either customized tags or photo charm jewelry — I like all of her options, which are simple without being boring.
The Fine Art of Family. This jeweler creates photo locket designs, in addition to charms and other items. Much more expensive, but some very lovely designs.
Planetjill. Unique, pretty photo jewelry, as well as keychains, engraved items, and more.
Colleen Berg necklaces. Send in your child’s fingerprint (using the kit she supplies for $10), and she can turn it into a cute piece of jewelry. Very cool idea.
What do you think of the “mommy jewelry” trend (okay, I don’t know if it’s an actual trend, but it seems like I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for this type of thing in the back of parenting magazines etc)? Do you own anything similar?
I like it, and I love what you said about websites that play cheesy music.
After each of my first two kids, I got raised-text (non-italic, and in a good font) rings from http://www.5xj.com. I got the child’s first and middle name and birthdate. I was very, very happy with them. Procrastination, laziness, and “running out of fingers” is why I haven’t gotten more rings after the younger three were born.
Swistle | March 19th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I love Mommy jewelry - I have a fabulous necklace from Heart of Your Wrist, that I customized for my Stepdaughter as there aren’t very many products out there for us Stepmoms -
http://wickedstepmom.blogspot.com/2007/08/stepmom-jewelry.html
http://heartonyourwrist.com/
I’ve been looking for a nice set of stacking rings for each of the kids too, so they can each get their own ring when they are older.
Wicked Stepmom | March 19th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I love this idea, but I’m also interested in what your readers recommend for MEN. This type of stuff is much more up my HUSBAND’s alley than mine, but I don’t know what would be Sufficiently Manly.
Tessie | March 19th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I bought my mother-in-law a charm bracelet and custom charms from http://www.betsybensen.com
They’re very sweet and each kid looks different.
I’d love some suggestions for dad stuff too.
I love this pulse ring:
http://www.roule.com/PULSE/p_ring.html
However I did not have the presence of mind to hang on to an EKG printout of my baby’s heartbeat.
Blythe | March 19th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I also have the mommytags which I love - some of my friends have bought really cool pieces from: http://www.heartonyourwrist.com
Andrea | March 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
RedEnvelope has some new things for moms, although maybe these (with birthstones) are the ones you’re tagging for the “holiday sweater” crowd?
Maybe not, I think some of them are kinda pretty. http://search.redenvelope.com/search/controller_search.jsp?giftRes=yes&envSuff=&ipsResQlt=75&bct2=recipient&bcp2=1&bcm2=1-8070&bct4=for%20mother&bcp4=3&bcm4=1-8075&refPg=%2fproduct_display%2fsubcollection.jsp&N=8110
Lee | March 19th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
check it….
http://www.givingtreejewelry.com/Products/
the pave diamond Mama necklace by Tali gillette is the Bomb!!! and sadly costs the same as about 2-3 mortgage payments…..
Amy p | March 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Hey Moms! I saw your post on my jewelry (thank you!) and also saw the question asking about guys jewelry. I’ve designed cufflinks using your children’s fingerprints (not yet on my site, but e-mail me and I’ll e-mail a photo) and also do key chains and military dog-tag style pieces for dads. They are all very popular in my store.
Thanks for including my line in your blog!
Colleen Berg | March 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
nelleandlizzy.com
Very cute interconnecting rings - I wear mine as a necklace.
Kellie | March 19th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Hi Linda!
Thanks for including Isabelle Grace Jewelry in your line up!!!
We work with customers to design custom orders ~ cool ideas for men are “dog tags” with some cool saying like “My Dad Rocks”, “Super Dad” or “Maddi’s Dad” or anything you can come up with.
claudia | March 19th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Lisa Leonard (http://lisaleonard.blogspot.com/) makes handmade jewelry that I think is adorable. My only child is of the four-legged variety or else I’d jump on the bandwagon myself!
Meredith | March 19th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
My default for “mom” gifts is always redenvelope.com but I recently discovered Lisa Leonard designs: http://lisaleonard.blogspot.com/2007/05/sterling-stamped-jewelry.html. Really incredible, personal pieces. I got one with letters that are meaningful to my husband and me, but the SECOND I get knocked up (Ok, not the second … but when there’s definitely a kid) I’m going to purchase another one.
She Likes Purple | March 20th, 2008 at 1:28 am
I love this post! I want some sort of mother’s necklace but hadn’t found anything I like (except for one from Red Envelope). Now, I’m eyeing several things from this post. Thanks!
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Vaine Loera | April 11th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Braclet Charms…
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Braclet Charms | May 10th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Those seem like excellent gifts to me! Very excellent blog! I love your ideas! Thanks for the help!
Gifts | June 15th, 2010 at 8:21 pm