Involving Children in Jewelry

One way to involve children in jewelry is to teach them to make jewelry. Another way is to honor something that is meaningful to them by making it into jewelry. These pendants were made out of items my nieces and nephew found while we were on a family vacation.

The coin is an arcade coin found on the streets of San Juan. The pirate symbol is from a beer cap from the US Virgin Islands. My nephew picked it up and liked it. I told him I would make a pendant for him to put on a piece of leather or something. He said “Aunt Charlene it’s going to hurt me!” I assured him that I would remove any sharp edges. The Presidente charm is from a beer cap from the Dominican Republic.

Another thing I did for them in the past was to have them write their names in bubble letters – you know, the kind of letters that are fat and touch each other. I then cut their names out of metal and made necklaces for them. They loved that they were in their own handwriting. I’ve seen a jewelry artisan who translated children’s artwork into jewelry. It was just so charming and I think would mean the world to the parents for a long time to come.

So, if you are good with making things, look for opportunities to involve children. If you’re not, maybe you know or can find someone to help you turn one of your children’s treasures into a keepsake.