Create Your Story | Mother's Day with NMJ
Jewellery, by nature, is intrinsically sentimental. From a young age, many of us watch the stories of these precious pieces unfold through the time that we spend with the important women in our lives - mothers, grandmothers, aunties and mother figures alike. Engagement rings, wedding rings, family heirlooms or simple tokens representing memories or special moments, so many of us feel connected to pieces of jewellery that we have grown up knowing.
There’s just something so special about jewellery - new or old - and the stories that come with each piece.
This Mother’s Day, we’re letting you create the story. Perhaps you’ll contribute to your mum’s collection or you’ll add to your own. We’ve created a hand-engraved initial necklace - The Mae Pendant - a sentimental, thoughtful and timeless gift for any mum, grandmother or mother figure.
Shop The Mae Pendant here.
To celebrate this exclusive piece, we talk to three NMJ Mums on their style, how they have been influenced by their mothers and which pieces of jewellery they’re planning to pass on through the generations.
Name, Age
Katie Gregory, 33
How would you describe your personal style?
Relaxed and minimalistic. I often opt for a floral, romantic-vintage inspired dress or a pair of jeans and basic tee. I prefer natural materials, such as linen, cotton, or bamboo. I tend to be drawn to a more neutral palette with warm tones.
How does your jewellery collection compliment this?
I never take any of my jewellery pieces off and I find they all work seamlessly with whatever I choose to wear. My pieces are all fine and delicate, adding the perfect touch to any outfit.
Is your style influenced by your own mother?
Yes and no. Mum always had stacks of jewellery on whereas I prefer to wear just a few special pieces - I will always fondly remember the jingle of her bangles that she would have piled upon her wrist. My mother wore many pieces of jewellery that held meaning from those closest to her. Those were her most adored pieces. I too cherish my jewellery not only for its beauty but also for the sentiment of who it is from and its significance.
Do you have a piece of jewellery you plan on passing down through the generations?
I would love to see my beloved engagement ring kept in the family. It is such a beautifully curated ring and symbolises the love between my husband and I. My loop through oval necklace is also quite sacred as I had given this to mum a few years ago. I touch it daily and it makes me feel like I still have a part of her with me. I also am lucky enough to have my dear grandmother's wedding ring, along with some of my mother's precious rings, and even her silver baby bracelet.
Name, Age
Bernie Kelsey…Bernie being short for Bernadette, 59 turning 60 this year!
How would you describe your personal style?
Natural, organic, classic and fine.
Is your style influenced by your own mother?
My mum’s amazing! She is a no fuss kind of mum. I would say that her style is reflective of her values around family and loving us all sacrificially. Mum has never been an ‘over the top’ jewellery person - she has her wedding band, her engagement ring and some necklaces that are her go to pieces. I guess in that way we are quite similar.
I remember when I was a young girl Mum asked me to put her engagement ring on her bedside table while she was gardening. I didn’t put the ring on her bedside table - instead I put it on my finger and twirled around the house feeling like a million dollars. Later that afternoon Mum asked where her ring was. I felt the whole world close in on me as I looked at my finger…no ring!
It’s a happy ending though…I searched furiously and found the ring. I learnt a big lesson that day…like listen to your Mum and never wear a ring unless it is correctly sized.
Do you have a piece of jewellery you plan on passing down through the generations?
I think about this question a lot actually. I have two daughters and one daughter-in-love, three granddaughters and four grandsons. I would love to leave each a piece of jewellery. I currently have two Natalie Marie rings and now this divine necklace. This is what I love about Natalie Marie…these are the kind of pieces that I feel very proud of and know that they will live on through the generations.
The latest Natalie Marie ring that I have is from my husband for our 40th wedding anniversary. It’s divine. I also have a gorgeous ring given to me from my Mum and Dad which they had designed for me in Switzerland on one of their trips.
When my husband and I were first engaged, I was 19 and Mark was 22, we went to our parents to ask for permission to marry and my future mother-in-law at the time or as I prefer to call her “mother-in-love’ ran upstairs and returned with my husband’s grandmother’s engagement ring. It was her gift to me. She said I didn’t have to have the ring as it was but to just take the diamonds and make it into the ring design that I would like, but I loved it just the way it was - 3 diamonds in a simple filigree setting, think early 1900’s. It was totally me!
I wear it occasionally now, only because I don’t want to lose it…it has been repaired a few times. So this ring from Mark is like my new engagement ring…I’m feeling all young again.
What story does your NMJ Mother’s Day Necklace tell?
I’m completely overwhelmed. This Mother’s Day necklace is like “sunshine on a cloudy day.” Each disc has the initial of each of my grandchildren. S,B,N,O,Z,C,and F - Selah, Brooks ,Navy, Oak, Zeph, Clay and Finn. It’s seriously the most beautiful piece. I know as I wear it, it will bring a sense of nearness to each of them…close to my heart they forever will be.
Name, Age
Natalie Marie Fitch, 33 years old
How would you describe your personal style?
Relaxed, minimal, neutral, feminine and classic.
How does your jewellery collection compliment this?
Despite designing a huge variation of pieces for our collections, I tend to stick to timeless pieces to wear myself. Somewhat surprisingly, my personal collection isn’t huge, but each piece I wear and own holds significance to me personally.
My engagement ring and wedding bands are classic - a simple solitaire holding an old mine cut diamond which was handed down from Daniel’s grandmother, complimented by our fine micropave diamond Queenie band, and most recently, a bespoke Macie ring featuring six small oval diamonds.
I have a passion for vintage jewellery and have collected two pieces on our travels - a sapphire and diamond pinky ring and an art deco diamond shield ring. I am also lucky enough to be the proud owner of my maternal grandmother's engagement ring which is extremely precious to me.
Other precious pieces in my collection include a family signet ring which I was given when Dan and I got married, and a hand engraved necklace featuring my daughter Willa’s fingerprint as a baby.
Is your style influenced by your own mother? How? Why / Why Not?
My personal style is deeply influenced by my own mother, who has always presented herself with a level of grace and ease. From clothes to jewellery to make up, to this day I continue to implement much of what I have absorbed from her in my style choices. My mother has always been a guiding light in my life, not just from a stylistic perspective, but in terms of how to be a strong woman in the world. From her I learnt how to command respect and seek out what I dreamt of, I learnt how to hold myself with confidence and modesty simultaneously and how to always prioritise kindness and care for others. As one of the bravest people I know, she’s taught me courage and vulnerability, qualities I call on daily as a mother myself.
Do you have a piece of jewellery you plan on passing down through the generations?
With my second daughter on the way, I hope to pass on my entire collection to my girls and their families one day. No doubt my engagement ring will continue to be a deeply significant family heirloom - having already passed through three generations.
What story does your NMJ Mother’s Day Necklace tell?
This precious piece tells the story of my journey to motherhood - not a particularly easy journey, but the most important and valuable one of my life. There was a time when there were doubts about whether I would be able to become a mother naturally, yet here I am growing our second baby girl. I can’t wait to add a second disc onto my necklace when she joins us later this year.
PC: @tealily