Posted By Laura in Childrens, Christmas Gift Ideas, Gift Inspo, Review, Shopping | 1 comment

My husband is a difficult man to buy presents for. He wants nothing and wants for nothing, lucky man. Yet, year after year come Father’s Day, his birthday and Christmas I embark on the painful ritual of finding him something that he will love, something that he didn’t realise he wanted, something that will put that expression of oh-yes-that’s-truly-fantastic! on his face as the gift is unwrapped. As pleased as he is at receiving any gift; socks, new pants and DVDs just don’t quite hit the mark I’m aiming for.

In step the children – a source of creative gifts that only a Dad would be genuinely delighted to receive. Paper mache sculptures, hand painted treasure maps, photo montages stuck together by the fair hand of an adored five year old. You know, the sort of thing that can clutter a person’s desk but has a limited shelf life.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could have one of these crafted-with-love creations preserved in a way that is forever? Well, that is JUST what Avril Manderson of AM Jewellery does. Avril is a talented silversmith who can create the most amazing gifts for your loved ones. She will take your child’s drawings and with her skill and expertise, turn them into an item of stunning jewelry to be kept, forever. Heirlooms in the making.

Oh, I cannot begin to describe how pleased I was to have Peter’s Christmas gift sorted (actually, I can describe it, it sounded something like this; “YYYYYesssssSSSS!!!”). A pair of silver cufflinks with two of Jacob’s drawings on them. Wow!

I scrounged around all the nooks and crannies of our house (and car, and Nanny’s handbag), looking for those random bits of paper that Jacob often scrawls his masterpieces on. I discovered six little smiley-faced drawings that might be good candidates. I scanned them and emailed them to Avril and after a bit of discussion as to which would be most suitable, technically and aesthetically, we decided on two that were perfect.

I then sat back and waited, about 3 weeks, with my fingers drumming and toes tapping with constrained excitement. Then, the postman’s knock at the door was heard one morning and they had arrived. I carefully unwrapped and opened the beautiful black box and…… oh…. Wow….. yes, it’s true, for about 30 seconds I was actually speechless (unheard of!). Stunning doesn’t even begin to describe them. How strange to be so moved by a pair of silver cufflinks. The magic is all in the design. There they were, Jacob’s two little smiley faces, etched into solid silver cufflinks (with the Birmingham Assay Office hallmark on the back, next to Avril’s own designer mark), preserved, forever and to be worn by a very proud Dad. A really nice touch is that Avril placed copies of the original colour drawings into the lid of the box. Ooooo, I could not WAIT for Christmas morning. I lovingly wrapped and tucked them away under the tree until the big day….

my Christmas gift to Peter last year. Those quirky and oh-so-cute smiley faces on them were drawn by the hand of our son, Jacob, who was four when he drew them. Fabulous!

Christmas morning, when the fever pitch of excitement had calmed and the boys are engrossed in their new toys, Mum and Dad get to exchange their gifts, sitting in their dressing gowns, mugs of tea to hand. When he first opened them, as I was sitting there holding my breath, a slow smile spread across his face. He thought they were just funky cufflinks with cute pictures on them… but then he spotted Jacob’s drawings in the lid of the box and it clicked… and the slow smile turned into an enormous grin as it dawned on him what they were! AHHHHHHHH! There it was, that expression I was hoping for, the one that tells me that he knows a lot of thought and effort went into it all because he is loved, very much. “Yyyeessssss!” I whispered to myself.

It’s now several months since Christmas and the fabulous cufflinks have had many an outing on crisp shirt cuffs. Many, many curious and positive comments have been made by various people at meetings and in the office as Dad waves them around, with pride; his utterly unique, only pair in the whole wide world, cufflinks. Lucky, lucky man that he is because in a few years time, when 18-month-old Benjamin starts drawing smiley faces or animals or dinosaurs or whatever his yet-to-emerge artistic talent will favour… Dad will be getting another pair of heirlooms in the making!

P.S. Perhaps, one day, Dad will also get the hint and search the house for some priceless scribbles to be made into a treasured necklace pendant or brooch for me.. perhaps, one day… :-)

Heirlooms in the making.

Get your heirloom made today from AM Jewellery, we think you’ll be very happy that you did!