“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” It’s an age-old tradition that brides love to explore on their wedding day. Whilst most of us consider it as good old-fashioned fun, the original intention was to create deeper meaning around this most special event.
So, what do you need to know about these fortune tokens? And more to the point, how can you put your individual spin on this Old-English rhyme?
Bridal Jewellery
Nowadays, there are some fantastically creative ways to join in the tradition, from wearing a vintage dress to accessorising with a stunning blue clutch bag, or even borrowing an item from a friend’s past wedding.
But, before you begin choosing, let’s look at what each item should symbolise. ‘Something old’ stands for continuity with the bride’s heritage and past, whilst ‘something new’ is about the start of a new chapter of life and optimism for the future.
Wearing ‘something blue’ stems from the colour blue historically symbolising purity, fidelity and love, and it became a popular colour for a wedding dress before the tradition of white dresses became the norm. Finally, ‘something borrowed’ is about borrowed happiness, so tends to be given to the bride by a happily married friend or relative.
Sterling Silver Jewellery
Wedding day jewellery is a fantastic way to incorporate any of the traditional adages. A good starting point is to choose something that’s set in sterling silver because it’s long-lasting as well as beautiful.
Natural Jewellery
A new, exquisite sterling silver necklace to enhance the bride’s neckline, like the classic Hepburn & Hughes Mother of Pearl Teardrop Pendant, brings together nature’s finest mother of pearl with sterling silver, meaning that this necklace is also the ideal choice for fans of the ocean and the natural world.
If you’re all about turning heads, your ‘blue’ could be the beautifully blue shaded Hepburn & Hughes Abalone Shell Swirl Earrings, containing hints of blue, aquamarine and green all the way through to purple and gold.
Upcycled Jewellery
An even more original twist is to choose an upcycled piece of art deco jewellery like the Hepburn & Hughes Clarice Cliff Yellow Bubbles Pendant, guaranteed to add a bold splash of colour to any vintage style wedding dress.
It’s a fascinating idea to use broken pieces of Clarice Cliff pottery within this one-of-a-kind jewellery collection. Clarice Cliff was an eminent art deco ceramic designer who hand painted her pottery and was very much in vogue during the 1920s and 1930s. More recently, her pottery has seen renewed interest, with various exhibitions moving around the world, including at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and even in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A piece of Clarice Cliff jewellery cleverly combines the old with the new, so you don’t have to spend weeks stressing over multiple good luck tokens. For a more understated look, the sublime Hepburn & Hughes Clarice Cliff Green and Black Oval Pendant makes a classy addition to any wedding outfit too.
For something truly unique and a great conversation starter to dissolve those wedding day nerves, how about wearing an authentic piece of history? Well, you can do exactly hat with the Hepburn & Hughes Berlin Wall Pendant, a striking necklace expertly crafted from original pieces of the Berlin Wall. Something old and something new ticked off in one go!
Or another equally must-have wedding day accessory is a pair of Hepburn & Hughes Meteorite Earrings. These fit the bill perfectly for something old. You will never touch anything older than this – it’s over 4 billion years old, and has been lying in the earth in Sweden for around 1 million years.
Gemstone Jewellery
A gorgeous pair of sterling silver earrings in our moonstone jewellery collection is another way to honour the ‘new’ or old tradition, like the fabulously pretty Hepburn & Hughes Rainbow Moonstone Teardrop Earrings. With the luminescent gemstone set in a band of sterling silver, nothing quite exudes wedding day gorgeousness as much as this petite pair.
With the incredible range of unique jewellery that Hepburn & Hughes offers, choosing your wedding day jewellery is an absolute breeze and for the ultimate wedding day good luck, don’t forget to pop a sixpence in your shoe!