Nelson Mandela once said "It always seems impossible until it is done". And such was the case with the development of our lock, a highly complex, precise undertaking that took 914 days from the first drawing to the production of of a working sample I was happy with. So long that when I announced their completion on social media, I forgot about a whole year.
There were definitely times I thought we would never get here, but we did and we are so proud of the result. The locks made their debut at Melee Tucson, to praise such as genius, the Swiss are coming for you, they kept me up all night. You and me both!
But enough about the struggles, let's talk about the why.
I had wanted to add something new and fresh to my Love Stories collection for some time, and it was imperative that it made sense in the context of that collection—the enchanting antique love tokens with the customizable bezels and the rejuvenated castings and signet rings. It took a while to imagine something that connected thematically. Serendipitously, I came across a Victorian era padlock and something clicked! Since much of the jewelry of the 19th century was a communication vehicle in an era when open expression of feelings was not allowed, I wanted to expand on that idea by creating another collection based on secret messages and meanings. And the invention aspect harkened back to all of the innovation of the 19th Century.
I borrowed the idea and created a modern take on creating my own language of symbols in the new Lock Stories Collection. My favorite part is that the locks don’t simple fasten they create messages that reflect all aspects of life. Then I added in what I have named Modern Cartouches, Medals of Meaning and Charming Miniatures which are all contemporary sentimental jewels.
It all started with the locks, which replaces a clasp with a fully functional combination lock with some of the most recognizable talismans and motifs from the Victorian era. I have reinterpreted them with modern detail and the nuance of artfully combining the past and present.
Four free rotating rondels comprise the combination part of the lock and the result is a three-sided combination lock with each side representing the same sentiment in a different language - the Roman alphabet, Victorian symbols, and Braille (which was also created during the Victorian era).
When locked, the rondels are scrambled, and only when they are lined up to spell the word will the key release. In this respect, they are in keeping with the practice of embedding secret messages in jewelry, flowers and other gifts bestowed on loved ones. The five locks all are imbued with different meanings. Flor, Spanish for Flower, is a nod to the Victorian Language of Flowers and is romantic by nature. Luck, features classic symbols which bring good fortune. Mama includes signifiers of strength and endearment. Love portrays imagery of everlasting passion and commitment. Sûre, French for safe is inspired by talismans and represents protection and guidance.
I designed the locks to become a jewelry collection staple. It’s a statement and conversation piece, that while always garners attention, it knows how to play well with a variety of looks.
I then decided to add pieces that could be layered in and worn with the locks with the same motifs and themes or by mixing up themes. I chose to offer a range of different shaped medallions and different sized pendants and dainty charms, creating pieces you could collect over time and offering different price ranges.
These include:
Modern Cartouches which feature different pendants with the five words on one side and the motifs for each word in relief on the other side that can be worn either way. The Medals of meaning are smaller with just one of the symbols in relief and the Charming Miniatures are ultra-delicate versions for those who find it more accessible to start their collection with one of the smaller pieces. Many have diamonds or other gemstone accents or can be customized with them. And there is more to come.
All pieces in the collection can be mixed and matched to create your own Language of Symbols, those that most apply to what you dream about, wish for, need guidance on or anything else that draws you to the collection. They can be worn with other jewelry, symbolic or otherwise and, they also mix and combine easily with antique and vintage jewelry.
As for the decision to use Braille as the third side, it was invented in the Victorian era, and I loved the idea of creating pieces blind people could connect with, as jewelry is traditionally a visual medium and this is so tactile and fun. No one should be deprived of the joy of jewelry!
Creating this collection has had it challenges and has proven to be a labor of love and passion over the last three years.
Designing a mechanical jewel that required such precision to work was a real challenge - requiring countless rounds of revisions from early sketches to making infinitesimal adjustments. If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right and I could not be happier to share the final creation. For me, it was definitely worth the wait and I hope you feel that way too!
]]>
These beautiful coins are known as Love Tokens, which were wildly popular in the Victorian Era. The exact origin of this practice is up for debate: some numismatists trace the history back to 13th century England and the practice of bending coins. When asking a favorite saint for a favor, coins were bent and pledges were made as a physical token of the pledge made. The practice of engraving coins took off during the late 1600’s through the 1800’s, when coins were engraved with everything from primitive to highly skilled techniques in equal measure.
Typically, the minted words and images were removed from the obverse side of the coin - the front of the coin, or what we call heads when we flip a coin as they are commonly decorated with the bust of a prominent person. In some cases the reverse of the coin was used as the blank canvas for the embellishment, which is why you may see a love token of the same year with a different backside. While both sides of the coin are interesting, using the reverse side makes it difficult to determine the year in which the coins were minted.
While love tokens started off as gifts from a beau to his belle, their popularity extended far beyond these traditional boundaries to commemorate more than just romantic love. I have numerous love tokens in my collection that say Mama, and also Papa, Father, Brother, Uncle and Auntie.
Love tokens were executed on practically all denominations of coins in many countries. According to the US Mint, the love token phenomenon caused a shortage of dimes during the peak of the craze. Dimes were not a huge amount of money to throw away, thus their popularity. When other coins were used, the choice of coin communicated social and economic status: gold coins and larger denominations of silver coins were a sign of the giver’s wealth, whereas nickels and pennies were seldom used as they were considered common due to their composition – nickel and copper versus silver or gold.
What I love most about these coins is the history behind them, even if I will never know what it is, I can use my imagination. The most mysterious coins are not the ones with names, but the ones with words or phrases. Some of the best ones I have come across in my years of collecting include Excuse Me, Flirt, Pickles, Stories and Wild.
If these coins could talk… what stories they would tell!
xoxo, Samantha
]]>
I grew up in New Orleans, a place steeped in history and tradition. I learned about those through food, drinks, traditions, entertainment, trips to historic homes and museums, at the supper table listening to family stories interwoven with events that my relatives lived through. It was history on a larger scale than my life in New Orleans.
In 1977, the New Orleans Museum of Art hosted the Tutankhamen exhibit, and I still to this day remember begging my parents to take me. I had a thirst for knowledge about it and I don’t remember why I didn’t get to go, but I do remember that I pored over the slide carousel and pamphlets my parents brought back from their viewing of the exhibit and of course, studied the souvenir jewelry my dad bought my mom.
As I got older, I started visiting museums, first art museums, and then later on when I traveled to London and New York, any museum I could find. There I learned history from a piece of art, an artifact, a stamp, a fragment of a statue, a piece of jewelry. After my sophomore year of college, I participated in an archaeological dig and learned how much information and – gasp – history could be learned from the soil. These tactile experiences excited me in a way a book and a teacher never could.
But I still thought I hated history.
It was pure accidental luck, and dare I say destiny, that I stumbled upon love tokens. They appealed to me immediately and I started to look around the market and see if anyone was using them. No one was, at least not on the scale that I thought they deserved. I then decided that they are too precious to languish in a safe or a meltdown pile and I would be the person to bring them back to leave. When I started collecting them, I was only interested in the decorative side of the love token – not what was on the back. At my second trunk show, I started getting a lot of questions about the host coins themselves. People really were keen on knowing what the coins were before they became adornments. I started to study and I learned how the mintage of currency was sometimes influenced by dysfunctional political agendas and contemporary events such as the gold rush, and of countries that no longer existed.
After learning enough about Victorian currency, I reverted back to the front side and what stories were there. Initials, names and nicknames provided few clues, but the imagery and symbolism in some of them reflected many thoughts of contemporary Victorians. One love token I have is engraved Chocolate, and while we may not think twice about the availability of chocolate, it was not widely available outside of the upper class until the Industrial Revolution when advances in production brought the cost down and it became available to the masses. While we see chocolate candies at the gas station and grocery store, for some their first taste of chocolate was a revelation and I completely understand the enthusiastic response that culminated in commissioning a love token.
In a post from May 14, 2020, I posted five love tokens along with this question: What do Ice Cream, Bicycles, Christmas Cards, Rubber Tires, Paddle Steamships and Sewing Machines have in common? The answer: these were some of the many inventions borne of the Victorian Era - most of which are still relevant to our lives 100+ years later. I would never have bothered to learn this if not for my curiosity about my treasure trove.
I was starting to understand the appeal of history!
With each piece I post, I try to include historical and social context that may offer a clue as to why the love token was made. This worked well for some love tokens, but not for the names, so I approached it from a different angle and dug into the meaning of names.
I have one love token engraved Maman which I, a student of French starting age 4.75, solely thought was the French equivalent of Mama. Oh how partially wrong I was: there was more! Maman is also an ancient Garlic surname, dating back as far as 1119, derived from the word for bear. The historic coat of arms for the name Maman includes a bear and the phrase Sic nos sic sacra tuemur - thus we guard our sacred rights. Mama, bear, protector - all things that mothers are. A story within a story.
With some of the love tokens, I may never get close to the story so all I have is the history of the coin. I have one in my personal collection, which is an 18 line menu written in French.
Few clues to the restaurant or what drove someone to commission this love token. So I made up a story and tell anyone who asks. It is as follows: on return from a blissful honeymoon in France, the young bride so longed to return and relive their trip that her husband decided he would take her back one day, commissioning this love token inscribed with the menu from their favorite restaurant as his promise to do so.
I always say if these coins could talk, what stories they could tell. And even if we have to make up the story, the overarching history of Victorians and their love of engraving coins is quite a great one, and one that I am extremely thankful for.
]]>--
The last week hit us with something many of us thought we would never have to endure again - a global event that upset our routines, lives, families, belief systems. September 11 brought this country to its knees and in the immediate aftermath we came together, held hands and lifted up our brothers and sisters as we started the terrible process of trying to comprehend what had happened and began to grieve.
With the equally - if not more - devastating COVID breakout, we cannot join together as we once had, which has forced us to learn new ways of comforting ourselves and others as we start to process a new round of grief. While we do not know what the future holds - better or worse - we are all already facing incomprehensible losses that we are just starting to grieve. Loved ones, security, freedom, health, jobs, businesses, money. And with this unprecedented unknown we also the recipient of an added layer of stress of fearing for our futures. Hard to believe we got here so fast but here we are.
Right now we must do what is asked of us - minimize risk, eliminate exposure, help out those in need. Stay home. Reach out to someone who is at risk and offer to do their grocery shopping. Check in with friends and family. Foster a pet. And most importantly, donate your N-95 mask to someone who is burning candles at both ends trying to save people. You may not end up in the hospital for coronavirus but chances are you will eventually for something else and you will want the full and undivided attention of a not exhausted, well equipped medical team. Sure, you may avoid the hospital now, but the impacts on the medical profession will outlast the outbreak without a doubt.
Those who think this is no big deal because they are not sick are in for a rude awakening when the dust settles and they realize that we will never return to normal. We may get back a lot of the status quo we had and some things may change for the better; either way things will never be the same. The longer we are stuck in limbo, the greater the disconnect between then and now will be.
Character is not defined in times of prosperity; it is in times adversity we embrace and show the world either the best of ourselves or the worst of ourselves. As one of my favorite sayings goes "We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our our hand, and melting like a snowflake". Time has never been more precious than it is now. Ever.
]]>Describing a jewelry design as utilitarian may not sound like the greatest compliment one could bestow, but it is not without merit among contemporary independent jewelry designers looking to maximize wearability and function without taking away any beauty or appeal of their work. While these aren’t romantic notions we commonly associate with jewelry -- especially sentimental jewelry like mine —they do have meaning in the evolution of my love token collection, both the authentic-one-of-a-kind and reimagined lines.
Although some jewelry lovers favor the layered look with a lot of medallions and charms stacked together or dangling on different add on links on a heavier necklace, others prefer a more classic look of one special pendant that hold sentiment or significance, and possibly a little wit and whimsy.
Often I speak to customers struggling to choose just one love token in the collection – something I can absolutely relate to - and if my nearly twenty year career as a management consultant taught me anything, it is that problems are meant to be solved. Thus, the spinner bezel was borne as a way to satisfy those unable to choose while maintaining a streamlined look.
The spinner bezel fits two love tokens within the walls of an inner mechanism that spins along its equator to reveal the engraved sides of both coins. Additionally, I have quite a few double sided love tokens with initials on one side and something beautiful and whimsical on the other; this design allows both sides to be displayed and enjoyed instead of vanquishing one side to an eternity facing inward. Whether you choose to spin your spinner all day or display one side one day, the next the other, you will never tire of this truly one of a kind piece.
Bezels are all made to order, allowing you the choice of coins, metal and stones for your custom creation. No two love tokens are ever exactly the same size even if they are the same denomination, thus the coins selected need to be fitted by our master jeweler into their own bezel. This is the case whether you choose a one of a kind antique love token, a reimagined casting of an original love token, or a combination thereof.
As far as specific combinations, the sky is the limit. I have paired the names and initials of partners, parents, children, grandchildren, pets; complementary images such as the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge; sentiments and symbols such as "Love" with an Ivy vine, a symbol of fidelity and faithfulness.
There are so many ways to put them together – so why not take a spin through my website and Instagram, get an idea of what speaks to you, and reach out so we can put one together that will give you joy and happiness.
]]>Whether we are single or married and no matter what age we are, we all have our version of ‘the one that got away.’ These come in many forms and due to fate, timing or our not being ready or prepared, we let this great romance slip away. All of us jewelry lovers, who feel passionately about jewelry can relate. At some time or another and sometimes more often than we like to admit, we have let the perfect one-of-a-kind never to be found again get away. I have felt the pain of knowing that I DM’d too late about a love token on IG or called a dealer only to find that one and only piece I had to ‘think about’ was sold and it wasn’t to me. And for all you jewelry enthusiasts who are like me you were crushed about losing that piece, so much so that you long for it and might search for it, hoping to find it again some day.
While I do believe that there is an element of destiny with antique jewelry as with romance, knowing that a special piece came along at the wrong time for me does little to satisfy my yearning for the one(s) that got away. In the case of my love tokens, in spite of warnings that the universal ones will go fast, their popularity has left my clients and those interested in my collection feeling disappointed about their own jewelry destiny when one flies off the shelf as predicted. Knowing how bad that can feel, I realized that I needed to come up with a solution...
And thus the Reimagined collection was borne. After collecting thousands, and showing and selling hundreds, of love tokens, I have a good idea what the next one that got away will be and I do something about it. Although original love tokens, (authentic coins which were predominately made in the 19th century, the front ground down and engraved with romantic motifs, mottoes, Initials, names, and witticisms in silver, copper and gold) the most unique and rare engravings on love tokens are almost exclusively silver. This excludes those customers whose preference is gold from these unexpected keepsakes of humor, hope and joy.
By molding and making castings available, I accomplish a few things for customers – first, that, while they may long for the original coin, they have the option to purchase a copy of the original, and secondly, the Reimagined collection can be customized to the exact taste of the purchaser – metal type and color, adding their choice of bezels or stones. Additionally, the Reimagined collection is made with a blank back, to let customers to know they are not getting an original antique love token and equally important—giving them the opportunity to personalize with even more sentiment and symbolism. Clients can engrave the love tokens with initials, sayings, dates and so on.
As you can probably tell from my collection, I am very hardcore about love tokens, but I happily mix and match original antiques with recast versions from the Reimagined Collection, as do some of my most ardent customers.
We hope you will take comfort in knowing that you can have a piece created to your specifications and as collectors of the Reimagined love tokens you will not know the disappointment of ‘the one that got away’ because you take control of your jewelry fate by having a hand in creating ‘your one’ with bezel, birthstones, acrostic placement of stones or engraving.
xoxo, Samantha
Ever since I was young, I've been told I have an old soul, which, I suppose, explains my love for antiques. Shortly after I started my jewelry business, I stumbled upon Victorian love tokens and was immediately betwitched. Love tokens are antique coins that were planed down on one or both sides and embellished with names, personal messages, images and bon mots. The most common technique used is hand engraving (SWOON), followed by enameling, cutouts and overlays of precious metals. In the picture above, the large love token in the rose gold halo has yellow, green and rose gold applied as the initials of the lucky recipient. It is spectacular.
Since the vast majority of people who see these coins know nothing of them, I thought I'd explain their history so readers can become equally enchanted with this romantic lost art. The exact origin of this practice is up for debate: some numismatists trace the history back to 13th century England and the practice of bending coins. When asking a favorite saint for a favor, coins were bent and pledges were made as a physical token of the pledge made. The practice of engraving coins took off during the late 1600’s through the 1800’s, when coins were engraved with everything from primitive to highly skilled techniques in equal measure.
Typically, the minted words and images were removed from the obverse side of the coin - the front of the coin, or what we call heads when we flip a coin as they are commonly decorated with the bust of a prominent person. In some cases the reverse of the coin was used as the blank canvas for the embellishment, which is why you may see a love token of the same year with a different backside. While both sides of the coin are interesting, using the reverse side makes it difficult to determine the year in which the coins were minted.
Love tokens were executed on practically all denominations of coins in many countries. According to the US Mint, the love token phenomenon caused a shortage of dimes during the peak of the craze. Dimes were not a huge amount of money to throw away, thus their popularity. When other coins were used, the choice of coin communicated social and economic status: gold coins and larger denominations of silver coins were a sign of the givers’ wealth, whereas nickels and pennies were seldom used as they were considered common due to their composition – nickel and copper versus silver or gold.
While love tokens started off as gifts from a beau to his belle, their popularity extended far beyond these traditional boundaries to commemorate more than just romantic love. I have numerous love tokens in my collection that say Mama, and also Papa, Father, Brother, Uncle and even an Aunt Helen, which I am saving for my own Aunt Helen.
What I love most about these coins is the history behind them, even if I will never know what it is, I can use my imagination. The most mysterious coins are not the ones with names, but the ones with words or phrases. Some of the best ones I have in my collection are: Pickles, Excuse me, Wild and Stories. These coins could talk…..
One of the topics that came up is whether jewelry is frivolous. Of course it is, but that doesn't diminish its importance in people's lives. Basic microeconomic principles distinguish between needs (food, water) and wants (everything else) so by that measure pretty much everything is frivolous. Let's look at why jewelry matters.
Take a piece of jewelry you have that you love. What is the first thing you think about it when you see it or think about it? Does your mind go to the intrinsic qualities of the piece - the 4 C's for a diamond, metal purity, how much you paid for it? Unless you are looking at a piece you hope to sell, I don't think so. We buy jewelry for ourselves and for others to commemorate an event or to celebrate a passion, even if the passion is as simple as a love for jewelry.
Jewelry becomes part of the folklore of our lives, and if you are lucky, you have inherited jewelry that was part of your parents', grandparents' and great-grandparents' lives. Like other external expressions of our inner selves, jewelry tells a story about us to people we encounter. Engagement and wedding rings, charm bracelets with children's initials, unusual pieces of contemporary or antique jewelry - has anyone ever stopped you to ask about your jewelry? Think about what you told them about it. I bet it was the story behind when you acquired it, and if it was a happy memory, it brought a smile to your face.
And these days, a little bit of joy is what is needed most in this world. That doesn't feel too frivolous to me.
** Pictured: a Cartier Belle Epoque bracelet. Having it on my arm would bring a lot of joy to my life!**
]]>Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara has not been seen since her death in 1953, and Meghan's choice of tiara took royal watchers and fashionistas by surprise. Her Something Borrowed/ Something Old certainly felt fresh having been out of the public eye for over 85 years.
Manufactured in England in 1932, the flexible bandeau is comprised of eleven different interlaced platinum and pave diamond oval components. The focal point is a removable central brooch which was a present to Queen Mary on her wedding in 1893 from the County of Lincoln. Upon Mary's death in 1953, the tiara was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II and has been out of the public eye since.
While the tiara was loaned to the Duchess of Sussex by the Queen, there is no doubt this beautiful piece will likely be permanently associated with Prince Harry's bride, much like the Cartier Halo tiara is associated with her new sister in law, the Duchess of Cambridge. We look forward to seeing it again on future state occasions - it is simply too stunning to remain inside a vault for another 65 years!
]]>