Gift Ideas: Memories of the Most Important Moments
Giving or receiving a gift represents a special moment. It is for those who receive it, but also for those who give it. It is a gesture that encloses a deep feeling, usually expressed in a common ritual, but never trivial.
There are many occasions for gifts: birthdays, baptisms, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, etc. Each of these events requires careful consideration, to evaluate and choose the best gift to celebrate the event. All gift ideas must be examined and take into account several factors: who the gift is for, what occasion it is made for, what this gift represents for the person who receives it, what we want to express by giving it.
Memorable Personal Enrichment
A gift is a personal enrichment, it is a symbol that represents a feeling, an expression of emotions and moods. For this reason, when you make a gift you must choose it, first of all, according to the feelings that you felt.
At that moment, the gift is the materialization of a feeling, made concrete and tangible by a simple and natural gesture. It is an emotion transmitted to an object that will remain forever part of the life of the person who receives it.
A memory. Every time the person who received it will look at it, touch it, or use it, it will bring again to life the same emotions, that you felt the day it was given. It will evoke memories and feelings far away, but never dormant.
An important gift is a bridge between past and present. It binds the memory of a moment from the past to a moment of present life. It brings back mind, body and soul to a past moment of pure happiness and transmits the same sensations felt in that exact moment.
Choosing a Gift Based on the Event to be Celebrated
Once you understand the significance of an important gift, both for the person giving it and for the person receiving it, it is logical to realize how important it is to be able to choose the right gift for the right person according to the occasion and the anniversary, that is celebrated. The gift ideas evaluated must therefore take into account many factors, first and foremost, the event celebrated.
When, for example, the occasion, includes the celebration of a baptism, it is possible to find a valid help in the eventual birth list. Of course, this will happen if one of these will be provided, otherwise other considerations must be made. First of all, in a baptism there is to understand that not only the child is celebrated. A baptism celebrates the inherent joy of the act of birth, honouring the parents and welcoming the new arrival.
Celebration of Maternal Love
A triple manifestation of happiness that can best be expressed, for example, by choosing the Lladrò “Father” Statue, a sweet and moving expression of fatherly love, perfectly represented by the harmony and elegance of Lladrò. A gift to be completed with the Lladrò “Mother” Statue, tender celebration of maternal love, portrayed with refined elegance by the Lladrò Maison in the satisfied features of the woman.
Finally, to give a worthy welcome to the latest arrival, the statue “Conforting Dreams” Lladrò, special good luck charm for births and baptisms created by the skilled sculptor Virginia Gonzalez for the French house Lladrò.
If instead, the event to be celebrated is a wedding, there are many other gift ideas to consider. Such as the Baccarat Wine Therapy Gift Set, refined 6 goblets of pure Baccarat crystal for the most formal occasions. Or a Herend Milles Fleurs Square Cake Plate 430 MF, for elegant occasions and formal dinners, with small flowers decorated by hand on fine porcelain, which characterize an oriental style.
The Set of 6 bread and butter plates of Balcon du Guadalquivir Hermes, a service set that stands out for the refined elegance of the magnificent decorations. Special gifts for a special couple, for a memorable event and that will accompany the couple throughout the course of their lives. Those who choose to give an object of high value, such as those just mentioned, is aware that a small part of himself will live forever with those who received those precious gifts and will be part of their lives forever.
There are many other ways to express someone’s feelings through important and valuable gifts: silverware, fine china, designer lightings, fine glassware and designer jewellery. They are all excellent choices, if made with awareness and knowledge of what you are giving and who will receive the gift.
Silver: Precious Gift Ideas
Silver is one of those precious materials that can best represent and express a feeling of respect and affection for someone else. It is a noble metal used in the art of jewellery, to create jewels and precious works of art and in silverware, the art of silver working, which concerns the realization of cups, cookware, trays, frames and tableware.
Silver is a metal suitable to be given as a gift on any occasion, from baptism to wedding anniversary, from graduation to a recurring holiday, such as Christmas. While time passes, the art of working this precious metal has evolved and refined. Today, the market offers the possibility to choose between big brands and prestigious signatures of silversmiths and jewellers, skilled artisans in the working of silver.
Because it is so ductile and malleable, silver is harder than gold and has a white metallic sheen, accentuated by polishing. It is a material that has been used since the dawn of time in the production of coins, the first dating back to the eighth century BC. The words “silver” and “money” are the same, or very similar, in 14 different languages. Its luster is so beautiful and appreciated that its use in jewellery or silverware has always been given for granted. The name itself, which comes from the Latin argentum and the Greek αργύριον, means “shining, candid, white”. In some religions silver even symbolizes virtue, such is the value attributed to it.
All premises that make well understand what it means to give as a gift, or receive a precious object made of silver. Surely a distinctive sign of a feeling as pure and precious as the metal itself of which the gift is made.
Silverware: The Applied Art of Silver Working
Silverware is the art of working silver with which cutlery, cups, cuccumas, trays, frames and centerpieces are made. As nowadays they are very inestimable and valuable, they are the perfect gift ideas for important occasions and special events. A perfect example of this is the Albi cutlery set in 925 silver by Christofle, an artifact of astonishing beauty from the famous French city of Albi, located between Toulouse and Bordeaux.
A simple, straightforward design that takes its cue from the city’s fortified cathedral and its unique nave. A gift with which it is really easy to stand out. A workmanship that has no terms of comparison and that becomes the perfect gift idea for an important event, or for a special occasion, such as, for example, the celebration of the fiftieth year of marriage.
In the same way, a simple and elegant object such as the Vertigo Christofle Round Tray is able to express a sensual elegance that finds its maximum expression in the “Vertigo” collection created by Andrée Putman, the Great Lady of French design. A name that transforms the very concept of refinement and gift, elevating this concept into something much more courtly, but at the same time it is perfectly suited to everyday use.
In silverware there are many application techniques: hammering, chiselling, engraving, stamping, shearing, casting, electroplating, dressing, etc. Different methods of working silver that led to different results, but equally beautiful and valuable.
Furnishings are very often worked by casting in molds, or by molding at high pressure. Pottery instead requires various stages of processing, all starting from a single sheet of silver which is subsequently cut, deformed, welded, hammered and finally chiseled.
The Greatest Silversmiths in the World
Christofle, a famous manufacturer of jewellery and luxury home goods, was founded in Paris by Charles Christofle in 1830.
The Maison Charles Christofle creates elegance by engaging in entirely handmade craftmanship.
This maison is made by artists and artisans of beauty, since they have created wonderful objects in silver, such as the Uni Silver plated ashtray by Christofle, with a contemporary shape that fits perfectly in any room of the house; or the Christofle Graffiti Silver Plated Rectangular Tray, from the Graffiti silverware collection.
A Daisy or Acanthus?
Buccellati, a leading Italian company in the fields of jewellery, watches and luxury accessories. A story of great success began in Italy, which soon spread around the world, making known to the international scene, valuable articles and refined workmanship.
An example of this is the Daisy Ø 13 cm in silver 925 Buccellati, a wonderful centerpiece in silver 925, or the famous Acanthus leaf Ø 20 cm in silver 925 Buccellati, to be used as candy holders or ornaments and perfect as gifts for a wedding, or an anniversary, or a special occasion.
Crystal ware is the technique of working with crystal, as well as the set of objects made from this very special material.
Glass first, and crystal later, has undergone an extraordinary evolution throughout history.
A legend, which dates back to 5000 BC by Plinius, tells that glass was discovered by pure chance.
In fact, it was Phoenician merchants who discovered this material for the first time.
The merchants landed on the banks of the river Belo, in Syria, but they had nothing where to place their cooking utensils.
So, they used some blocks of nitrate that they were transporting. The blocks melted by the camp fire, would give birth, for the first time, to glass.
Most likely this is just a legend, but it gives a good idea of the ancient and legendary origins of this sublime material.
A material that is still chosen by many as perfect gift idea for an exceptional event, or a special occasion.
A material with which the most skilled artisans in the world are able to create countless objects of daily life and decorative objects: glasses, statues, jewellery, pottery, chandeliers, etc. …
Throughout history, crystal has been chosen by dukes, princes and kings as a material of excellence for decorating and adorning their homes.
Selected for its transparency and brilliance, crystal has adorned villas and castles all over the world.
Crystal ware was chosen as a sublime gift of elegance and magnificence, to show respect and reverence. And still today it represents the highest expression of refinement and style, which is still perfectly combined with contemporary furnishings and modern thinking.
The Artists who Shape Glass with a Breath
Just as in the art of silverware, one can find amazing artisans and eclectic “blow” artists in the art of glassware.
Saint Louis, Baccarat and Lalique, names that have written the history of crystal and have made the art of crystal making a passion of life.
Among the most precious crystal objects that can be chosen as an important gift for an exceptional event, or a special occasion, we cannot fail to mention the Pair of Harcourt Baccarat candlesticks, which adapt to any architectural style and embellish the most elegant tables; or the Lalique Pendant in transparent crystal and silver Le Baiser, a jewel of sublime finesse and elegant transparency.
Baccarat Crystal is a superfine evolution of artisanship. It is one of the very first choices when it comes to gift ideas for an important event. It is sharp, pure and transparent, a material with a luminous essence, which has been chosen to create artistic objects of everyday life that enrich environments and embellish spaces.
In the crystal, the lead in the glass is replaced by the calcium contained in potassium carbonate glass. A small variation in the basic formula, gave rise to one of the most amazing discoveries in history. In 1674, by George Ravenscroft, the appearance of glass was improved by adding a very low percentage of lead oxide to the basic mixture. From that moment on, the technique to obtain a purer and purer crystal has been continuously improved.
Today, Baccarat Crystal ware represents the true and authentic elegance of light. An elegance made possible thanks to the painstaking work of great artisans and master glassmakers who, scattered around the globe, have refined the technique of crystal processing, combining it with contemporary design and modern taste.
Giving a crystal object as a gift is to elevate oneself to a higher level of taste and refinement.
It means relying on the talent of artists of matter, artisans of fire and sand, who shape flames and heat with air and water, materializing dreams of unique brilliance.
Artists of the level of Saint Louis, who were able to create objects of rare beauty such as the table lamp Apollo Saint Louis smoked, mouth-blown and cut entirely by hand, or the vase Tommy Saint Louis Red, produced entirely in an artisanal manner.
Crystal Luster of the Lalique Maison
Master craftsmen of the level of the Maison Lalique, able to give shape to the beauty in the sinuous lines of the Lalique Champs-Elysees Gold Luster Centerpiece, composed of enchanting leaves of trees engraved by hand in pure crystal.
After silver and crystal, it’s the turn of porcelain. One of the finest ceramics that can be made. A unique material, which lends itself to the most diverse uses. Statues, statuettes, crockery and served dishes, porcelain has flanked glassware over time as a valuable material to embellish the most elegant and noble homes in the world.
Porcelain is obtained from a mixture containing kaolin and feldspar and is fired at temperatures between 1300 and 1400 °C. There are many types, subdivided according to the firing temperature. Hard porcelain is made of a mixture of kaolin, feldspar and quartz and it is fired at temperatures higher than 1280° C. Soft porcelain is instead fired at temperatures around 1200° C. The raw material is covered by a transparent superficial layer, more or less thick, applied raw, or just after the first firing.
The origins of porcelain are very ancient. It has always been a very appreciated and used material. Porcelain was produced for the first time in China, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Around the year 1000 the production of porcelain spread also in Korea, whereas it arrived in Japan in the first decade of 1500. In Europe it landed thanks to Marco Polo’s Milione and its trade spread in a very short time, so much that very soon a local production was also started.
Every era has seen the rise of the importance of porcelain, an economic importance as well as an importance of social stratification. Porcelain was, and still is, a material that identifies a position, a social status and that better than many others, manages to convey the importance of a gift and the passion for pure aesthetics.
Porcelains are not all the same. This is a rule to keep in mind whenever you want to choose an important gift for a special occasion. Before throwing yourself in the purchase of a porcelain object, it is good to know the best the various types and intrinsic characteristics of this particular material.
Bone China, Chinese porcelain, white ceramics, majolica and Faenza ceramics. The classification of porcelain is rich and varied. Each of them has its own characteristics and has precise peculiarities that identify them in an unequivocal way. It is therefore right to know them, before buying one rather than another.
For example Bone China is a refined and very resistant porcelain, whereas Chinese porcelains are much less valuable than ours. White ceramics are obtained by mixing clay and kaolin and firing the mixture at very high temperatures. Finally, Faenza majolica and ceramics are fired at low temperatures and are made with secondary clays.
Each manufactory marks its works to classify them and make them recognizable. On the back, or on the bottom, of the various objects (be they ceramic plates, rather than vases or statuettes) alpha-numeric codes are usually reported, or the full name of the craftsman who made them, or even the identification mark of the company. This is a sort of signature of the artist, discretely affixed on each work, but always present to certify the year and place of production.
Having learned the many differences that characterize each porcelain, it is time to know which are the most renowned and prestigious brands in the industry. And we must absolutely start from Rosenthal. A company with German origins, founded in 1879 in Selb, Bavaria. It was Philipp Rosenthal who decided to open a first laboratory for the decoration of porcelain and to begin to brand every product made, with his own surname. Soon the quality of the work and the professionalism of the laboratory, meet and merge with the design, which undergoes clear baroque and rococo influences.
The work carried out is a succession of awards that still see Rosenthal as one of the leading manufacturers and decorators of porcelain in the world. A company together with the house Versace, has produced for example the Medusa Rhapsody collection, of which are a good example the products Versace Plate 17 cm Medusa Rhapsody Red and Versace Plate 17 cm Medusa Rhapsody Blue, vivid colours and decorations in perfect Versace style.
We will continue by recalling the Parisian Hermes Maison of Rue de Sevres. A multi-purpose company, known throughout the world thanks to the fashion sector, but which also designs and creates precious accessories and tableware.
For example, the Hermès H Déco tart platter or the Hermès Passifolia presentation plate are two magnificent examples of decorations that maintain classic refinement, the spirit of Parisian architecture and delve deeply into the most dreamlike images of nature. They are undoubtedly unique gifts, to be chosen for important and memorable occasions. Designer pieces that become part of the most refined and precious private collections.
If you are looking for a special gift, whimsical, but also practical, you could opt for a lighting design. Today, the importance of lighting in various environments, is now established practice. Lightings plays a role of absolute centrality when it comes to interior decoration and design, because it is not just a mere functional issue. It is also and in any case a matter of aesthetics and balance between light and shadow. A balance that creates the desired atmosphere, highlighting certain elements and hiding others.
The architects of this magic are first and foremost the lamps. Today, with their rare and unique beauty, besides being aesthetically appreciable, they are very useful and functional. For this reason they become perfect gifts for a professional, or to celebrate a man’s birthday, but also as a symbol of a special occasion. It all starts with the knowledge of the person to whom the lamp is destined, the environment in which it will be used and the authenticity of the sentiment to be celebrated.
For example, if the gift is intended for a refined dining room, finely furnished and used for formal events, then it is better to choose a large transparent Caboche Foscarini Suspension Lamp, so bright and sophisticated that it can enrich and embellish any environment. Finally, if the need for a lighting effect moves to a corner of the house intended for moments of relaxation and tranquility, the choice must focus on the Twiggy Foscarini Floor Lamp red, made of composite material, flexible like a fishing rod and adjustable in height.
In other words, lighting engineering is a technical-scientific discipline that helps to better understand how, where and in what way an environment must be illuminated. Valuable information in case you need to choose between the various gift ideas that may have come to mind.
But let’s also try to understand the different design objects from which you can choose. There are many different types of lamps:
Table Lamps
The name itself identifies a precise type of lamp that defines all those that can be placed on tables, desks and flat surfaces. The surface does not necessarily have to be a table. Shelves and worktops perform the same function. The purpose of these lamps is to facilitate reading, or generally improve visibility, of a portion of a given area. As an example, let’s point out Foscarini’s grey Plass medium lamp, in which the union of “plastic” and “glass” give life to Foscarini‘s exciting “Plass” collection.
Floor Lamps
Floor lamps are a perfect solution for the lighting design of a room. They reinvent the light in a room without having to install a chandelier, since they give new vitality to corners and corridors and enhance the spaces, creating private and personal areas. It is impossible, for example, to not be fascinated by the futuristic beauty of the Mite Foscarini Floor Lamp Anniversary, born of the winning collaboration between the company Foscarini and Marc Sadler.
Suspensions
Suspension lamps are installed vertically on the ceiling of rooms and are able, with their power alone, to illuminate an entire room. Both practical and functional, they have always been the subject of the creative flair of many designers who have seen in this object, not only a very useful element in everyday life, but also an element of considerable aesthetic value. A value that can not be ignored, for example, in the Suspension Gregg media Foscarini, which recalls the pleasantly organic shape of the smooth pebbles of a river.
Wall Lamps
Finally, we come to wall lamps, elements that allow you to make the most of vertical spaces, creating a coherent, harmonious and complete lighting system. They can be found with spot lamps, or directional, for a general system more rich and functional. For this category we point out, by way of example, the Bahia Foscarini wall or ceiling lamp, compact, essential and with great personality.
Foscarini is the great design studio that creates, for many years now, true works of art of lighting. Icons of splendid beauty born from the creative genius of a design studio that creates innovative forms of artistic enchantment. Emotions in the form of light, that illuminate with grace and beauty the everyday life, transforming it into exceptional moments that come back to shine every day in everyone’s life.
Important gifts chosen for their grace and lightness, which transmit passion and embellish in a sophisticated way every environment in which they are installed. Grace and lightness that can be admired, for example, in the Caboche Foscarini Ceiling Lamp, large, transparent, brilliant and sophisticated, which can embellish any environment. The same goes for the beautiful white Foscarini Spokes 2 Suspension Lamp, whose shape alone expresses lightness and movement.
Wedding Favours: the Most Important Gift of a Special Event
There are many special occasions and important events for which it is necessary to choose prestigious and refined objects, in order to best express their affection and respect for their loved ones. Unique events that illuminate people’s lives in days of exceptional beauty that will remain forever chiselled in everyone’s memory.
A wedding is one of these events, a special day, an important occasion in which to show their guests all the respect and affection felt. On this day it is tradition for the bride and groom to give, as a symbol of friendship and attachment, wedding favours.
The origins of wedding favours are very old and have many different facets depending on the country where the event is celebrated. For the French, for example, the Bombonnière was an important and auspicious gift related to a unique event. It was a container, more or less small, aimed at collecting candies and bon-bons.
With the time passing, its meaning, its shape and its size have changed, evolving into something even more beautiful and articulated. Today, the wedding favours represent the gift par excellence of each dearest event, intended to collect within it memories, stories, promises and traditions that are part of everyone’s life. Precious caskets, from the unquestionable beauty, which bring together memories and keep memories.
Wedding Favours: How to Choose the Most Suitable for Any Occasion
There are many types of wedding favours, each of which boasts extraordinary qualities and unparalleled characteristics:
Small Boxes and Baskets
Small Plates
Figurines
Letters
Apponyi Bonbons by Herend
They are different from all other wedding favours, since Herend‘s are handcrafted by turners and then hand-decorated by the manufactory’s expert painters. They are a huge hit all over the world because of their delicacy and colourful details. Details that shine with vivid and intense colors as in the 12 cm VBOP saucer by Herend, made of fine porcelain Herend and decorated with VBOP, or that enhance unmistakable details as in the Mini basket S7376 Apponyi AP by Herend, embellished with Apponyi AP designs.
Hermès Elegance
Hermes wedding favours are distinguished by a kind of porcelain, which is famous throughout the world. The refined decorations are delicately applied on the finest Limoges porcelain, characterized by a rich and sinuous line recognizable and unmistakable. Hermes has made mosaic wedding favours timeless style icons, as in the case of the wonderful Small Square Plate n.1 Mosaïque au 24 Hermès 7×7 cm, proposed in a gift box and embellished with geometric friezes in shades of grey matte highlighted by bright water.
Hermes wedding favours surprise and do not disappoint, amaze and never go out of fashion, as happens for the bread and butter plate H Déco Red Hermès, the hypnotic geometric pattern that wins at first glance.
Versace meets Rosenthal Flair
Versace, that in 1993 created a line together with Rosenthal, creating one of the most beautiful collections of wedding favours that you can buy today on the international market. A classic style and sometimes deliberately rococo, count a huge audience of admirers and admirers around the world.
The representative symbol of this impressive collection is the Medusa, which is depicted on every piece. We find it on the plate Les Etoiles de la Mer Versace 10 cm, on the square dish I love Baroque black Versace and a small plate from Prestige Gala Collection, where it is immortalized within precious decorations and fine details, set like a jewel that recalls the unmistakable signature of the author.
Affection, esteem and respect can be demonstrated in many different ways and opportunities to express their feelings are certainly not lacking.
Jewellery has always been considered among the most beautiful and meaningful gifts that can be made.
Suitable for many occasions, the fine materials, rare gems and precious alloys, always fascinate and conquer.
Undisputed protagonists of people’s lives, they are ancient and refined decorative elements.
Carefully chosen by kings and queens, they symbolize power, wealth and divinity.
Jewels that enrich in an original and unique way, the beauty of women, emphasizing the refinement and elegance.
Each jewel is a reflection of a different personality, representing the taste and style of each woman. Shapes, colours and sizes that represent different moods and give life to endless and overwhelming emotions. Perfect gifts to give with affection to loved ones, they cannot and should never be missing in the lists of important gifts to celebrate the most beautiful moments that we live every day.
Women’s Jewellery: Symbols of Beauty, Wealth and Power
The term jewellery is indicated by the set of techniques for working metals and precious stones, aimed at obtaining valuable ornaments. In jewellery are used different materials and precious stones like rubies, emeralds and of course diamonds.
The origin of jewellery has its roots in an ancient world, in a distant era that goes back almost to the mists of time. Since time immemorial, or almost, men and women have worn ornaments to enhance their appearance, or to emphasize their power or value.
Over time, the jewellery made became more and more beautiful and refined, until the art of jewellery consolidated its claim in the world, standing as the supreme art of aesthetic beauty.
Women’s jewellery defies time with its beauty and preciousness. Rare and priceless objects that with the passage of time acquire more and more value, maintaining an unparalleled shape and lustre.
Jewels have made history, marking important milestones in the lives of many people, representing hopes, bonds and promises. Always present in the most significant moments, they have been found in many archaeological excavations as witnesses of the ordinary and extraordinary life of the people to whom they belonged.
Simple and never out of style, Fabergé jewellery is among the most beautiful jewellery that women can wear.
They transform the heart, look and spirit without ever being superficial and ephemeral and representing with depth the inner beauty of each woman.
For this reason, Fabergé jewels can be a perfect gift for any special occasion, for any extraordinary event you want to remember forever.
Fabergé stands out for its elegance and refinement, making jewellery such as the Heritage Yellow Gold Diamond & Turquoise Guilloché Enamel Clover Surprise Locket that features turquoise guilloché enamel and round white diamonds really exceptional.
Elegant and truly sophisticated, it will give your outfit that extra touch of class that you need.
Great and prestigious are the names that first, and better than others, have always manufactured silver jewellery with unmistakable shapes. Christofle is famous not only for its silver cutlery but it creates very particular but extraordinary jewel artworks in silver.
One of its splendid artistic representations is the silver Madison Style Christofle Necklace, which sports a 925 sterling silver bead that adjusts multiple strand chains.
Any question about Gift Ideas?
If you have any special requests or require further information about Luxury Gift Ideas, Scopelliti 1887 staff will be pleased to assist and advise you.
Call us or send WhatsApp on +39 391 345 6441 or send an email at shop@scopelliti1887.com and let us know what we can help you with.