How to choose jewellery as a gift: start from what you want to tell her

When looking for a piece of jewellery to give, people usually start from the object. Necklace or earrings, gold or silver, how much to spend. They are the right questions, but they come later.

The first question is a different one: what do you want to tell her? A piece of jewellery is worn for a long time. She will wear it on ordinary days, and each time she will find again, at least a little, the reason you gave it to her. If that reason is clear, the choice becomes much simpler.

What it means to give a piece of jewellery

Giving a piece of jewellery means giving form to something you want to say to a person: recognition, a wish, closeness. Unlike many gifts, a piece of jewellery is not used up and does not stay in a drawer. It is worn. This is why it works like a message that lasts, even when nobody remembers the words spoken on the day you gave it.

Start from what you want to tell her, not from the jewellery

Try writing down the reason for the gift in a single line. Not the occasion, the reason. “It’s her birthday” is an occasion. “This year she had the courage to change jobs” is a reason.

Once you have the sentence, the field narrows by itself. You are no longer looking for just any piece of jewellery to give. You are looking for a form that can stand beside that sentence. The most frequent situations are few, and each suggests a way of choosing.

For a new phase that is beginning

A move, a new job, a home reorganised after the children have grown up. Here the sentence is often “this new beginning is yours”. The forms that suit it are those built in layers, where each element is added to those already there: you bring in the new without leaving behind who you are.

For a change few have noticed

Some people go through important things without talking about them. Perhaps she is changing, and hardly anyone has noticed. In this case the gift says one thing only: I see you. Without ceremony. Open forms work well, like two curves that set out together and then widen. For this sentence, the gift to start from on our site is the Sintesi necklace in copper fabric.

For an achievement

A degree earned as an adult, a project brought to completion, a milestone nobody handed her. Here you want to tell her she has come a long way. Vertical, essential forms, lines that descend without distraction, suit this kind of recognition well.

For someone who has chosen herself

Sometimes the gesture to recognise is a decision. After years spent looking after others, she has started putting herself on the list too. The message is “choose you”. Clean geometries, which mark out a space with clarity, speak of this choice.

For a bond

A lifelong friend, a sister, a mother. Here the gift does not celebrate an event. It says “I’m with you”. The most suitable forms are continuous ones, a single thread from beginning to end.

For what she protects

Some people have learnt to say yes to what matters, and therefore also a few noes. Someone who takes care of her spaces, her time, her people. The sentence is “protect what matters”, and the right form is one that knows how to stop: a line that runs and then breaks off.

For a wish

A gift does not always look at what has already happened. You can also give what you wish for her: a balance to find again, a freedom to take. In this case, choose the sentence you would like to be true for her, and look for the form starting from there.

On our site these sentences already exist. In Gifts with meaning you will find six messages, from “I see you.” to “You’ve come a long way.”, and for each one the jewellery whose form can say it.

Then think of her: how she wears jewellery

Once you have found the sentence, look at the person. The right piece is the one she will actually wear.

If she already wears jewellery, notice the colour of the metals she chooses and the sizes. Someone who wears only small pieces is unlikely to wear a statement necklace, even if she likes it.

If you do not know her size, avoid a ring. A necklace, a pair of earrings or a bracelet are safer.

If she has sensitive skin, choose nickel-free, hypoallergenic materials. All Ellesanti jewellery is.

If you want her to wear it every day, choose an essential form, one that looks as good with a white shirt at the office as with a dark dress at dinner.

How much to spend on a piece of jewellery as a gift

There is no right amount. There is a gift consistent with the relationship you share. To help you find your way, gifts are divided into three price ranges: up to €70, from €70 to €120, over €120. First choose what you want to tell her, then how much to spend: meaning does not depend on price.

If you really cannot choose the form, the Gift card leaves the choice to her. You can still accompany it with your sentence.

The card: a few words, the right ones

The card completes the gift. There is no need to explain the jewellery. Simply write the sentence you started from, in your own words. If you hand it over in person, one handwritten line is worth more than a paragraph. If the piece speaks of a new beginning, write that. If you are telling her that you see her, say it simply.

When to order it

Ellesanti jewellery is handmade to order in Padua: work begins when you order and takes 3–5 working days, then the parcel leaves with tracked shipping. If there is a specific date, order with a few days to spare.

Every piece arrives in its own gift box, closed and ready to give. And if it is not her form, a return can be requested within 14 days.

A gift chosen this way does not need to be explained. She will understand, perhaps not straight away. She will understand on the day she wears it without thinking and remembers why someone chose that very form for her.

If you want to start from the sentence, the place to begin is a single question: what do you want to tell her?