The Many Reasons Why Most People Go For Personalized Jewelry

f the things my mother used to do in everyits toll on all countries, the Philippines most
christening of her niece, or these days grandchildespecially as it was still a “colony”
or grandniece or grand nephew was to give aof the United States. When the Japanese took
personalized bracelet bearing the child’sover, they began to print their own money, which
name. The baby would wear it for the baptismheld no weight because there were no gold
and then it would be stored away for some timebullions backing up such currency. In the end
as the baby could in fact accidentally choke onpeople did have to barter for goods and services.
the bracelet. It has been her tradition to giveAnd barter people did, using jewelry as payment
personalized jewelry to children on their baptismfor certain provisions. This was the setting around
day. I asked her one time why she liked doingthe time of my mother. What my grandmother
that and she was keeping a tradition passed ondid was to melt and recast the sterling silver they
by her mother, who had also kept the traditionhad and most of them were made into pellets or
alive from her mother. There were two reasonsweighted balls which could be easily broken and
for giving such personalized jewelry. One is basedused for trading. But she made sure that some of
on religious belief that says an angel will protect athe silver was melted into bracelets and necklaces
child more once the angel knows the name. It isand she engraved the names of her children on
said that the name of the baby actually isthese bracelets and necklaces so that in case
whispered by an angel to the parents before thesomething did happen, there would be some
baby is born and the name is whispered againjewelry in my mother’s name which could
once the baby is born. This Christian belief maybe used for trading.
have some kind of merit and to botherSo I asked my mom if grandmother ever got to
researching for it is not worth the time spent. It isuse these personalized jewelry. Mom paused and
a nice story to hear and whether one believes itsaid that one time; my grandfather was caught
or not is not important, but it doesn’t hurtby the Japanese and was being detained in our
to believe it either.house. It seems that one of the Japanese officers
The second reason for my mom’sused our house as his residence when we had left
tradition of giving personalized jewelry for theit and went hiding in the forest when the
infant is that the jewelry is the first investmentoccupation started in our city. To bail or bribe his
of the child. Asking for a deeper explanation, myway out, my grandmother gave the officer her
mom asked me to sit down and told her story.gold wedding ring. The officer looked at it and
She was born at the start of World War II andgave it back, and speaking to my grandmother in
times were bad. In fact, being born in South Eastperfect English, told her my grandfather was free
Asia when the Japanese started to invade it, tookto go.