When I was little, I used to play dress up with my grandmother’s jewelry. She had some amazing pieces because my grandfather was a sort of collateral lender. He helped people out of financial trouble in exchange for goods, so some really unique jewelry filtered through their house.
I was (and still am) fascinated by old jewelry: the workmanship, the detail, and the intricacy. I often wonder how people could make such beautiful things using rudimentary tools and materials. These people are true artisans.
Growing up, some of my favorite pieces were “love tokens.” I used to hold them in my hands and wonder about the people and stories behind them. Love tokens are coins, smoothed down on one side, sometimes both, and hand engraved with initials, names, messages, dates, religious themes, holiday wishes, intricate scenery and tiny artworks.
It is thought that people began giving and treasuring engraved coins as early as the middle ages. The tradition of giving love tokens gained popularity in Great Britain in the late 1700 and early 1800s, and in the United States in the mid-1800s. This was during the Victorian era, when love was in the air, when people kept lucky coins, and before engagement rings were “a thing.”
Back then, coins were made out of precious metals and were much more valuable than they are today, so giving a coin was a true testament of one’s affection. This was also before the machine age, so coins were artfully etched by hand, most commonly on the faces of silver dimes.
Love tokens were given as gifts, often to commemorate important dates, to celebrate birth, to propose marriage, or to mourn the passing of loved ones. They were most often engraved with the giver’s monogram; their three initials intertwined on the coin. They were tokens of affection, given to lovers, family members, and as a reminder of love to soldiers and prisoners before long separations. If a person accepted the coin, it was their way of reciprocating the gesture of love or accepting a marriage proposal.
Love tokens were sometimes kept in a purse or pocket as good luck coins. They were also worn around the neck as a pendant, on bracelets, earrings, brooches, belts, and on pocket watch chains. Many of them still exist today.
I am still drawn to antique pieces. They are treasures of our storied past. They are a celebration of our lives, our love for one another, and of our very culture. I hope that Love Tokens Jewelry is a valued addition to your lives, as you are to mine.
