Milestone Birthdays – Get A Gift That Shines

Whether you look forward to a milestone birthday or dread the thought of getting older, when it comes to gifts for our loved ones we want to get them something special and meaningful.  We know it can be hard to find the perfect gift to signify their age and their personality, so we've put together some choices for those special birthdays to ensure your gift hits the mark.

For an eighteenth birthday a piece of classic jewellery is a lovely gift.  You might not want to get something too traditional, but a pair of pearl earrings is a gift that will age and grow with your giftee, and they could even end up as the earrings for her wedding day.  Our Full Moon earrings are modern and understated while letting the classic pearl speak for itself.  These pretty studs make a great gift and because they go with everything; they are sure to be worn regularly.  If you want more sparkle then our Pearl Candy earrings are perfect.  Cubic zirconia encircles the pearl adding glitz and glamour, and for an 18^th birthday this gift is fantastic as it shows your giftee that you think they're really grown up.

A 21^st birthday is something really special and perhaps the last of the milestone birthdays where most people don't mind getting older.  Although 21 used to be a more significant age, related to voting and all sorts of other freedoms, it is still widely held as a very important milestone and the gift of keys is a symbolic one:  it was used to show that at the age of 21 the person is old enough to be trusted with a key to the family home.  Nowadays many 21 year olds already have a key to the family dwelling, or have already struck out on their own but the tradition has persisted.  Our Key of Life necklace is the perfect 21^st birthday gift.  Encrusted with cubic zirconia the 3cm tall key pendant is young, modern and stylish, and goes with a variety of looks.  The pendant is on an adjustable chain so it can be worn long over a top, or tucked inside as a lucky charm.

Pearls are the traditional gift for a 30^th wedding anniversary so why not take inspiration from those stones and get pearl jewellery for a 30^th birthday?  Many people are looking at marriage around this age, so you can combine a birthday and engagement gift and buy two pearl pieces from the same collection, one for a birthday and one for the wedding day, both of which go together.  Pieces from our Vintage Pearl collection are perfect as the mature style works perfectly to signify someone who is at the cusp of adulthood, yet they are modern enough not to age the wearer prematurely.

For a 40^th anniversary rubies are the traditional stone and they make a great birthday gift, and our Circle of Life pieces are particularly significant as a milestone birthday gift with the name and also the design.  The matching earrings and necklace could be gifted by two family members, or buy them both if you're feeling flush.  As the birthstone for July as well, it is particularly significant for July born people turning 40.

Reaching 50 is a big deal, and traditionally gold is associated with this particular milestone.  Why not check out our gold collection – Amore Oro – to find the perfect 50^th birthday gift.  You'll find some familiar designs and some brand new ones here, so be sure to expand your jewellery horizons with our gold jewellery.

A 60^th birthday is especially significant because it also heralds impending retirement, when you can finally indulge in your favourite hobbies and get away from the often hectic world of work.  Many people choose to stay in employment past retirement age because they enjoy their jobs, but an equal number can't wait to have a lie-in whenever they want.  Diamonds are the traditional gift for a 60^th anniversary, but we think at this stage it's a nice idea to gift an experience, supplies for a hobby or tickets to a favourite show.  Many people in their 60s already have a big collection of jewellery, so they often prefer a gift which isn't something new to find room for.  A great idea for a gift is to get some older jewellery they don't wear reworked into something they will love, and our in-house bespoke design service can create something new from something old and restore the significance and family connection of a dated piece of jewellery.

This bespoke reworking of older jewellery is also a great idea for birthdays after 60, especially if there are rings which no longer fit, or earrings which are just too heavy to wear.  Getting these items reworked into other pieces or refurbished can bring the joy back to someone's older pieces, and ensure they get years more wear out of them before passing them down to the younger generations.