The Irish Gifts & Jewelry Blog

Even though the economy may have taken a dip this year, there’s no reason why Christmas this year can’t be as special as ever. Our Irish jewelry section is full of great deals as well as tons of reasonably-priced ideas.

While a Celtic Cross is always special, the Warrior series of Celtic Crosses is unique in that the designs on the cross are based on designs found on the Ardagh Chalice. The Ardagh Chalice was unearthed in 1868 by two boys digging in a field. Today, it sits in the National Museum of Ireland as one of Ireland’s greatest treasures. The cross also features a Celtic Warrior shield at the intersection of the cross. Priced at $50.80, this is the special Irish Christmas gift that you’ve been seeking, and at a great price too!

With budgets tight this Christmas season, I thought that we could run a series of posts showing some of the lesser expensive Irish Christmas gifts that will keep Christmas special without emptying your wallet.

Our Mo Anam Cara (My Soul Mate) pendant in sterling silver features an 18K gold bead in the center of the heart. It is a beautiful gift to give to your “soul mate” this holiday season. This pendant in handcrafted in Ireland, and hallmarked at Dublin Castle.

The Mo Anam Cara pendant is almost 1″ high and just over 1/2″ wide. Priced at only $62.44, this pendant leaves a little money in the bank while showing her just how special she really is.

The Mo Anam Cara series of pendants consists of a variety of designs – perfect for any taste and budget. They make wonderful Irish gifts!   These beautiful pendants are crafted in sterling silver, your choice of white or yellow gold (10K, 14K, 18K), or platinum. In Irish, the term Mo Anam Cara translates to My Soul Mate. These stunning pendants are classically Celtic in nature, and serve as a permanent symbol of the intimacy and bond that your share with you soul mate.

These pendants are also available in a variety of sizes, in solid or pierced designs, with or without a set stone, and also in a two-tone (gold bead on sterling silver) presentation. Additionally, there is also a version of the pendant available in Ogham script – one of the earliest known Irish languages.

There are two main sizes of these pendants available. The smaller of the two measures approximately 21.6mm in height and 14mm wide. The larger size is approximately 29.8mm high and 23.5mm wide.

All genuine Mo Anam Cara jewelry is handcrafted in Ireland by master craftsmen and is hallmarked at the Assay Office in Dublin Castle. Hallmarking of jewelry has been Irish law since the year 1637.

Each Mo Anam Cara pendant is completed by an 18” bell chain and is presented in an attractive lined box.

Intimacy and belonging played important and inseparable roles in Celtic life. Celtic people believed that souls could interconnect, forming the deepest of bonds. When this occurred, a person was said to have found their soul mate. In Irish, “My Soul Mate” translates into “Mo Anam Cara,” and is pronounced muh onum kara.

The Celts understood that all phases of life involve a journey from darkness into light. It begins with conception where we develop in our mother’s dark womb. We then emerge into the light at birth. As we progress in life, there are many physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes. Each one can be seen as a similar journey. Finding one’s soul mate is no different.

Having a soul mate means that your barriers are completely down. You are willing to share anything and everything without reservation. While this takes tremendous amount of courage on your part, the reward is a companionship that is like no other.

These connections of the soul were by no means trivial in nature. Your soul mate is another being with whom you feel completely compatible with, in a variety of different ways. Those ways include spirituality, intimacy, friendship, and love. You could confess the most intimate details of your life to your soul mate in complete comfort, never fearing rejection, or scorn. Your bonds of friendship and love transcend all others, and you live for each other. Life apart is unthinkable.

In celebration of these deep and special connections, the Mo Anam Cara jewelry series was conceived. Each piece is designed to witness and to strengthen your union and devotion to each other. It is difficult to think of another piece of Irish jewelry whose design and meaning is so clear and so beautiful. It is a pure expression of unhindered love.

The beautiful pieces in the Mo Anam Cara jewelry series are meant to signify this special bond. They should be given to your soul mate as an expression of your thoughts, feelings, and spiritual bond. They are perfect for any romantic occasion, but especially for occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Anniversaries, and Weddings.

With another month comes the opportunity to show one of our favorite Irish gifts. Pink Tourmaline is the stone in the October birthstone Claddagh ring. These beautiful rings are crafted in Dublin, Ireland and each one is hallmarked at Dublin Castle.

They are available in sterling silver, as well as white and yellow gold. 10K, 14K, and 18K grades are all available. They are the perfect gift for a loved one.

These rings are custom-made and available just a few short weeks after ordering. Each ring is wonderfully presented in a ring box. The gift of a Claddagh birthstone ring is guaranteed to never disappoint!

One of the questions that we commonly receive around this time of year is what would make a perfect Father’s Day Irish Gift. A set of cufflinks would certainly fit the bill - adding a personalized touch to any business suit and a very elegant statement to a more formal occasion!

Wikipedia offers the following background on cufflinks:

A cufflink (also cuff link or cuff-link) is a decorative fastener worn by men or women to fasten the two sides of the cuff on a dress shirt or blouse.

Cufflinks are designed only for use with link cuffs (also known as French Cuffs), which have buttonholes on both sides but no buttons. These may be either single or double-length (”French”) cuffs, and may be worn either “kissing,” with the ends pinched together, or “barrel-style,” with one end overlapping the other. Kissing cuffs are usually preferred.

Cufflink designs vary widely. The simplest design, consists of a short post or chain connecting two disc-shaped parts. The part positioned on the most visible side, is usually larger; a variety of designs can connect the smaller piece: It may be small enough to fit through the button hole like a button would; it may be separated and attached from the other side; or it may have a portion that swivels on the central post, aligning with the post while the link is threaded through the button-hole and swiveling into a position at right angles to the post when worn.

The visible part of a cufflink is often monogrammed or decorated in some way. There are numerous styles including novelty cufflinks, traditional cufflinks, contemporary cufflinks, and humorous cufflinks.

One of our favorite cufflink sets is this set of Silver Celtic Warrior Cufflinks With 18K Gold Bead. Sure to bring a happy smile to any Irish Dad’s face.

One of the wonderful things about authentic Irish jewelry is that each piece is hallmarked at the Assay Office in Dublin Castle. Since 1637, hallmarking has been Irish law, used to ensure the quality of each piece. This office is run by the Company of Goldsmiths of Dublin, and they are charged with authenticating all silver, gold, and platinum jewelry.

There are three components in each hallmark:

• The makers or sponsors mark
• The mark of the Dublin Assay Office
• The mark attesting to the fineness of the metal (Also known as the purity mark)

On rings, the hallmark is normally located on the inside of the band. The same applies to bracelets and bangles. For pendants, applying the hallmark is a little more difficult, as you don’t want it to detract from the beauty of the piece. It is often applied to the “bail” of the piece, and is normally very small!

In the image below, you’ll see some examples of the Irish jewelry hallmarks for silver, gold, and platinum. The “Date Letter” changes each year - signifying the year that the piece was created and hallmarked.

We often get questions on the hallmark, and I hope this proved of some help. It is one of the reasons that genuine Irish jewelry is worth the slight wait!

One of our most popular Irish gifts comes from the wide range of Silver Jewelry that Celtic By Design carries. This Silver Irish Celtic Claddagh Ring with White Opal Heart is a classic example.  It is a very attractive ring and is also very well made.

The ring is made from 92.5% sterling silver.  This is an extremely hard metal capable of standing up to day-to-day abuses.  That’s not to say that you should not take care of your jewelry, just that we all know the inadvertent knocks, dings, and scrapes that life can throw at us!  I personally think that the white opal heart is what really make thins ring both discreet and distinct.

This ring can be worked in to almost any jewelry budget, and would be a fantastic way to really make someone’s day!