One of the most vivid memories I have of my grandmother is going though her jewelry and trying on all her diamonds and gold. It seems like we did this about once a year from as early as the age of four until I was about twenty, give or take a year.

As an adult there are little things that hallmark our childhood and make it special to us. My grandmother, being a simple woman, and jewelry being her only indulgence, made the time we shared rummaging though her jewelry so special to me.

I remember, she would let me try on anything I wanted.  Sometimes she would surprise me with a piece of costume jewelry. She would tell me it’s new and, let me try it on. We would ooh and awe about it and then she would tell me I could have it. Although I knew it was not real gold or encrusted with precious stones I loved it all the same. It was a gift from my grandma. And these little trinkets commemorated the time we shared that was so special to me.

One year, I think I was about eleven, we were going through her trove of treasures I discovered a piece of tarnished jewelry that did appear worthy to be in her coveted jewelry chest.

It was a tiny bracelet made of tiny sterling silver and turquoise beads. Confused that something so old and not nearly as beautiful as all the others in my grandmother’s special place, I pulled the tiny bracelet from the chest. As I flipped the beads around one by one and soon realized it revealed my name.

As a child I had an uncommon name.  It was rare for a company to include my name on pre-made on personalized items. My brother and my sisters could always buy stickers and pencils with their name on them and I was almost always left feeling left out.

In any event at this age it was astonishing for me to see my name on a piece of jewelry even one as old, beat up and used as this one. My eyes lit up. “Was this mine when I was a baby?” I asked. She nodded and I gently placed the tiny bracelet back in its place among her most cherished possessions.

Had it not been for that day, I would have never known a baby bracelet with my name ever existed.

Over the years, personalized baby bracelets have come a long way.  They have so many styles and personalization options available compared to the bracelet I had discovered so many years prior. Styles for both girls and boys  with every type of personality are available. These timeless treasures are constructed using Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, sterling silver charms and strung on thin and sturdy nylon coated stainless steel wire. 

It certainly is a delightful keepsake that will be cherished years after it's outgrown.