Giving gratitude a lasting form

Love can also come from beyond the family.

When I wanted to create a Christmas gift for the educators at my children's daycare, I thought about the care they offered quietly and consistently: noticing small changes, staying close through difficult moments, and celebrating growth that might otherwise pass unseen.

I designed a private Bluebell necklace for them—one that would never be offered for sale. The bluebell's meanings of humility, constancy, gratitude and enduring love felt close to the work of an educator.

The piece was not created to become a product. It was created so that a real thank you could take a form that might be kept. It belongs to one particular chapter of our family's life, and to the people who made that chapter feel safe and warm.