Jewelry makes a wonderful gift for anyone, but especially women, as evidenced throughout history. From necklaces to hair decorations, pretty baubles or expensive gems can melt the hardest heart and help to create lasting bonds.
If you are thinking about giving your teenage daughter or niece a meaningful piece of jewelry, here are a few gift ideas that can make a significant impact.
1. Promise rings. Many fathers are choosing to present a teen daughter with a promise ring on her 16th birthday. This gift reinforces the "promise" of remaining pure until her marriage. The ring becomes a symbol of beauty and commitment between the girl and her parents to help her remember that moral values and personal pledges are more important than passing temptations. These can be purchased from most jewelry stores in an array of styles, designs, and prices.
2. Pre-engagement rings. A young man may wish to offer his beloved, long-time girlfriend a pre-engagement ring. This piece of jewelry represents a pledge of affection and fidelity, and implies that a formal marriage engagement may become the next step if the relationship continues to develop in a promising manner. These rings typically feature a small diamond, perhaps a quarter of a carat, mounted on a simple gold or silver band.
3. Pierced earrings. Coming of age in today's culture may be estimate to occur at age twelve or fourteen for many girls. A parent sometimes will permit a daughter to have her ears pierced and gold studs inserted as an unofficial coming of age acknowledgement, since piercings are permanent if they are kept open six months or longer. Many parents prefer not to mar a daughter's ears in this way until the girl enters adolescence and can help to make that decision for herself.
4. A first gold chain. Preteen or teen girls are thrilled by the prospect of receiving their first 14- or 18-carat jewelry. Given as a holiday or birthday gift, a gold necklace recognizes a girl as beginning her adult journey into womanhood. It may be the first of many jewelry gifts that she will receive over the remainder of her life. The chain typically is slender and lightweight in a feminine design that will appeal to girls of this age.
5. Ankle bracelets or toe rings. For the preteen, a piece of foot jewelry acknowledges her youthful or experimental nature. Whimsical and lighthearted, leg or foot jewelry generally carries no significant value, but rather allows the girl to try out a new look and do something fun with her appearance. These items are usually fairly inexpensive and easy to find.
It's not a good idea to whet a teen's appetite for expensive jewelry by presenting her with something she is too young to appreciate or use appropriately. But a thoughtful expression of regard represented in a tasteful piece of simple jewelry can help her embrace femininity and move her toward adulthood. Shop for the best value and type of jewelry gift that the teen in your life will appreciate and that will help to cultivate valuable qualities in her character.
