For centuries, people have celebrated Valentine’s Day on February 14th as a holiday of romance and love. However, who exactly was St. Valentine? Why is he associated with love? There is little definitive historical fact about this connection, but there are a number of very intriguing legends regarding Saint Valentine.

There were actually three men named Valentine who have become Catholic saints, all martyred in February. First was Valentine of Rome, then Valentine of Terni, and another Valentine who was killed in Africa. Most branches of Catholicism have not celebrated the feast day of St. Valentine since the 1960s because so little is known about the men. However, by that time, it had already become very popular in secular culture.

There is a theory that St. Valentine’s Day was originally created to replace a pagan fertility holiday called Lupercalia, which was celebrated on February 15th. Pope Gelasius christened the new holiday after Saint Valentine in 496 AD, and most believe it was named after Valentine of Rome. The feast was moved to a day earlier, erasing Lupercalia, although perhaps gaining some associations with fertility.

The legends surrounding Valentine of Rome have evolved over centuries and it is difficult to know for sure what is fact or fiction. We know that Valentine of Rome was a priest who clashed with Roman Emperor Claudius II around 270 AD. It is possible that Claudius had established a law outlawing marriage in order to grow his military. The story continues that Valentine disobeyed the law, continuing to marry Romans. When sent to jail, Valentine cured the blindness of his jailer’s daughter. A friendship, and perhaps love, formed between the daughter and Valentine, such that Valentine sent the woman a letter before his execution signed “From Your Valentine.”

Whether these stories are true or not, the credit for the modern association between Valentine’s Day and love is attributed to the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who linked the holiday with metaphorical mating birds in his poem “Parliament of Fowles” in 1382. From this point, Valentine’s Day became further entrenched as the holiday of love and during the 18th Century in England people began giving Valentine’s Day Gifts and cards to their sweethearts. Eventually, by the mid-19th Century in America, commercially produced greeting cards and gifts celebrating Valentine’s Day were a growing trend, one that has only increased with time.

Share on Facebook

I think that engraved lockets are just about the most perfect gift for almost any occasion.  So I guess I should explain myself a little. In the 9 years that I have been in this business I have seen our customers do some amazing things with their custom engraved lockets. Since we engrave most of the silver and gold lockets we sell, you can make each gift giving opportunity unique with an custom engraved message or even a fun thought.

Lockets have been used throughout history to memorialize loved ones, convey special messages and even make things smell a little better. In pre-Victorian times people would use lockets to memorialize a loved one by putting in a small amount of that person’s hair and wearing the locket to keep them close.  Some Edwardian and earlier lockets had open filigree work in the front, a closed back and would contain a small sponge scented with perfumes or oils and were used to hide some of the bad smells of the time with open sewers in the cities and countryside.

Today with modern photography many people add photos of loved ones into their lockets. Recently I went to my Aunts 90th birthday party, I had found a nice photo of her and late husband who had passed away a few years ago. I engraved the back of the locket with a “happy 90th Birthday message” and put the picture of her and her husband inside.  All I can say is that when I gave her the locket the tears began to flow from both her and me. That event really made me understand what some of our customers feel when they give lockets as thoughtful gifts to their loved ones.

Many people like to memorialize their pets with a locket as well.  I have engraved many cute cat and dog names over the years onto lockets for loving owners.  If the locket is small and you don’t have enough room to engrave the full message you want, then another great idea is to put a message on paper and put it inside the locket.  Engraved lockets are perfect for special events like graduations, birthdays and ceremonies.

I could go on and on about all the uses of lockets and why I think they are just about the most perfect gift for any occasion.  Maybe there are a few ideas for you in here or I am sure you can come up with your own unique uses for a lockets.

~I would love to hear and ideas you have……Ralph

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

I was recently wondering where Valentine’s Day came from. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity and died on February 14, 269 A.D.. Actually there have been many people named Valentine throughout time so knowing exactly which one to attribute this event to is very hard and probably not that important.  What is important is that for hundreds of years people have been marking February 14th as a time to show love and affection.  The methods that people use to show there love and affection vary greatly from country to country but the common underlying thread with all these great traditions is the sharing and expression of one’s feelings for another.   I love this time of year because we have so many of our customers ask us to  engrave valentine messages to their loved ones.  We take great care and joy in engraving our customers special thoughts on things like silver lockets , silver pillboxes and jewelry.  Sterling Silver Gifts can last a life-time and make a perfect Valentine’s gifts.  For those of you who are like I am and always wait too long to get your gift - don’t worry we have almost everything we carry in stock and we do all our engraving in-house.  Normally engraved orders always ship within 48 hours during normal business days….. From all of us at Silver Mine Gifts have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and tell someone you love them….  Ralph

Share on Facebook

We have had several of our customers ask, what is a Vinaigrette Locket?  No, it has nothing to do with a nice light dressing for your salad.  Typically the front of a Vinaigrette Silver locket has open filigree work and the back of the locket is solid. Sometimes the filigree open work is on both sides. These types of Silver Lockets were used in Victorian times and earlier and had a little sponge or piece of cloth inside that would be soaked in a ladies perfume or a solid perfume could be put inside.   A lady would hold the locket up to her nose as she passed by certain areas that maybe did not have the sweetest of aromas.  The earliest of Aromatherapy treatments. Today we sell these Sterling Silver Lockets in many different styles and we are in the process of adding 15 new styles to our locket collection.

Share on Facebook

This silver locket is hand engraved in a pretty tri-color floral design. Silver lockets are always a wonderful keepsake gift idea for a baby or that special young lady! We have a variety of different styles that may be engraved to add that special touch! Always tarnish free, these silver lockets come with a lifetime guarantee!

Share on Facebook

Choosing a baby gift that is worth giving is one of our specialties! Always a favorite silver lockets are a popular choice when it comes to giving a keepsake gift that will be cherished! Engrave this gift with the baby’s birth date and initials that will truly give it meaning! Looking for those special occasion gifts? Check out our entire selection of fine sterling silver gifts for everyone on your gift giving list!

Share on Facebook

Through the years silver lockets have always been a treasured keepsake. Something that will be kept throughout a lifetime and maybe handed down through generations. With the our high quality silver lockets you will not be disappointed! The front center of the locket has a fine satin finish. This locket has a tarnish free finish, and comes with a lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer. Arrives in a beautiful white box, ready for gift giving!

Share on Facebook

What makes a baby gift really special? Something that comes from the heart and will be kept for years to come! The silver baby rattle can be personalized with a heart felt engrave!  Makes a wonderful gift for baby’s arrival, first birthday or christening! Choose from our wonderful collection of silver lockets or silver jewelry for another keepsake option!

Share on Facebook

In a time when we are all trying to control our spending it’s more important than ever that when thinking about gift giving events to pick something that will last generations and be affordable.    All of our Sterling Silver Gifts are designed to last generations and can make your next gift giving event one that will be remembered and cherished as a new family heirloom.  Many of our gift categories work well as family heirlooms such as: Engravable Baby Gifts, Sterling Silver Lockets and Silver Pillboxes.  Best of all since we are a small family owned company and  produce many of our own items and carefully inspect all of them for the highest quality ,you can rest assured that your order will not only have the best price available, arrive quickly and will always be heirloom quality.

Share on Facebook