Valentine’s Day can feel a bit like a trap. Plumping for a teddy, roses or a meal deal can make you feel part of the whole commercial juggernaut. Doing something more homemade heartsome can come across as a little lacklustre on the day, so how do you get it right?
Suttons and Robertsons, London jewellers, have the answer. Jim Tannahill of Suttons and Robertsons said, “It can feel like Valentine’s Day is in the calendar just to catch us out, but it’s really just about showing someone in your life that they’re important to you. Flowers will wither, chocolates get eaten quickly, so why not make an investment in your relationship this year treat your special person to a little something that will last forever.”
You may still need inspiration, so here are a few of the world’s most romantic gifts:
While the Hope Diamond is the most famous diamond in the world, it’s also considered to be cursed. Originally owned by King Louis XIV of France in 1668, the 45.52 carat steel-blue hued gem was stolen. Mysteriously turning up in the English Royal Court years later, the Hope Diamond now resides in the Smithsonian Institute. The Hope Diamond was donated in 1958 by Harry Winston, who sent the diamond, valued at over $200 million dollars, in an ordinary brown paper-wrapped box via the postal service.
When Empress Eugenie de Montijo married Napoleon’s nephew heir, Louis Napoleon, in 1853, she made her name as one of the most beautiful stylish women in Europe. Her famous diamond bow was made in 1855 by the Parisian jeweller Francois Kramer had been destined to be used as a buckle for a diamond belt, but the ever-stylish Eugenie asked that it be transformed into a pin.
If your significant other prefers pearls, then La Peregrina could be the Valentine’s Day gift for them – if you could get your hands on it. In the mid-16th century, a Spanish-owned slave discovered the duck egg-sized, pear-shaped pearl off the coast of Panama. His discovery earned him his freedom, the pearl moved around the nobility before settling in 1969 with the modern-day royals of Hollywood. Snapped up by Richard Burton, the pearl was set by Cartier in a pendant necklace given to Elizabeth Taylor. When last auctioned, the pearl, diamond, ruby necklace fetched almost $12 million.
Louis Napoleon’s uncle, Emperor Napoleon, clearly set a good example for his nephew when he gifted the Marie-Louise Diadem to his bride Empress Marie-Louise as a wedding gift. The emeralds originally in the diadem were replaced with 79 Persian turquoise stones in the 1950s, so Van Cleef & Arpels could sell the emeralds in individual pieces of jewellery. The diadem can now be viewed at the Smithsonian Institute.
Not many men or women will be expecting their loved ones to spend millions on them this Valentine’s, but our list of gorgeous stones does show that we are still talking about them centuries later. Doesn’t this still stand for any jewel on Valentine’s Day?
Suttons and Robertsons are specialists in jewellery, with one arm of the business given over to jewellery but the other is concerned with high-end pawnbroking. As a pawnbroker in London, the team at Suttons and Robertsons are intimately familiar with the whole spectrum of jewels could recommend the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day.
The idea of choosing something particularly special as a token of love can be the answer for men as well as women, with watches proving a stunning gift for him. Suttons and Robertsons specialise in top quality, high-end watches, such as Cartier Rolex.
