Jewelry can seem like the perfect gift for a loved one for any occasion, from birthdays and anniversaries; to Valentine’s Day. But how about as a gift for friends and co-workers? Is the gift of unusual handmade jewelry too personal? The real answer is that it depends on the situation. If a coworker across the office that you greet at the coffee shop gets a promotion, giving them jewelry is probably not the appropriate response. The best would be a verbal congratulation or even a greeting card.
It all comes down to how well you know the person. Jewelry is a personal item, so you want to make sure you know your taste and style before you make that purchase. The goal of gifting unusual handmade jewelry is for the person to have something special to add to their collection and hopefully they will wear it often. For example, if you don’t know someone well enough to know that they don’t care for yellow gold and then you buy them a piece of yellow gold, then jewelry was not a good gift idea.
But if your coworker is also a good friend, jewelry can be a great gift option. And the same guidelines apply to friends as well. If the friend is more well known, then you probably don’t know his style well enough to choose an unusual piece of handmade jewelry that he will love and wear. You must know them well enough to scan a bunch of unusual handmade jewelry on a website and say, “She’d definitely wear that” when she sees the right piece.
Part of knowing a person’s style is noticing the type of jewelry your friend wears on a day-to-day basis. If you wear a lot of flashy jewelry or dress in clothing with lots of beads or flashy details, a nice cocktail ring or bib necklace might be a good choice. If your jewelry and wardrobe are a bit more understated, a skinny necklace or a pair of small earrings would work. Also look at the colors they usually wear. If you wear more neutral and warm colors, steer clear of cool-colored jewelry. If you wear a lot of patterns, choose unusual handmade jewelry with a type of gemstone or something with pearls or just metals.
And, of course, do not forget about the presentation. Put the jewelry in a nice box, even if it didn’t come with one, wrap it up and put it with a thoughtful card. Your friend or coworker is sure to be excited!