Heirloom Gifting

Today, my daughter graduates from high school. It's a big deal! Perhaps most importantly because her older brother didn't and cannot since he is no longer with us. In light of that and other considerations, I have decided to give her an heirloom gift to celebrate, rather than go out and purchase a new graduation gift.

Heirloom gifting is almost a thing of the past. In today's society where it seems like most things are disposable, we lack the sense of legacy that past generations held. This is sometimes blamed for young people getting involved in gangs and other forms of criminal behavior. Kids need to feel connected to the past in a positive way.

I encourage you to consider heirloom gifting next time your child or a close family member crosses a major milestone. A wedding, graduation, or the birth of a new baby bring so many wonderful lasting memories. What better way to demonstrate the significance of the occasion than with a gift that surpasses generations? A piece of jewelry, a set of china, or a hand made item given to you by a family member can become a delightful reminder that a person has a family rich with history.

When I decided that I would give Sarah an heirloom, I immediately settled on a piece of my jewelry. I actually own quite a bit, although I don't really wear it much at all. Most of my jewelry has been given to me by my parents or my grandparents. Instant heirlooms!

Because I own several nice pieces, it was a little challenging to decide which one to gift to my daughter. I gave it quite a bit of thought, then checked with my mom to make sure it wouldn't hurt feelings. I chose a beautiful sapphire tennis bracelet that my mother gave to me a number of years ago. It's set in silver and has white and blue sapphires alternating. At the time of this writing I haven't given it to her, and I'm going to wait to publish later this evening when I know it won't spoil the surprise -- just in case she reads my blog.

Finally, I wanted to pass on a little tip that I picked up a number of years ago on how to polish silver that has become slightly tarnished.

The things that you will need are simple -- baking soda, aluminum foil, and boiling water.

First, place the aluminum foil into the bottom of your kitchen sink. I crumpled my foil up to make it into a bit of a basin. You want the shiny side down and the non shiny side up -- in contact with your silver item.



Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda into the sink on top of the foil.

Place your silver item into the foil basin.

Next, put a small pan of water on to boil.

When the water is boiling, pour a small amount into the foil basin with the soda and silver item inside. You should get lots of bubbles.

You may want to repeat with more baking soda and more boiling water several times.

After a few tries, you should notice a considerable difference in the brightness of your silver item.

This is not as effective as silver polish, but it will do nicely in a pinch -- especially if you have to give it as a gift in just a few hours!