Monica Vinader popped up on my radar four weeks after my first date with Mr STG, when he bought me a stunning, delicate Fiji Chain bracelet (pictured towards the bottom of the post) for my 36th birthday.
Let’s face it; gift buying that early on in a relationship is dicey territory. It’s a situation that presents umpteen, unseen etiquette hazards.
Choose a gift too ostentatious and you risk overwhelming, give something modest or lacking in sophistication and you’re running the chance of a huge underwhelm. But wow! The future Mr STG got it so right. I was incredibly touched by the thought he’d put into choosing just the right piece (there are a lot of options) and I immediately fell for the – now iconic – classy, yet cool Fiji friendship bracelet.
Luckily for me and Mr STG, it was love at first sight and I would have married him regardless but the fact that he unveiled himself to be a master present buyer so early on in the relationship certainly didn’t hurt.
Since then, I have bought myself, friends and family a host of individually selected and engraved Monica Vinader pieces and I just love seeing their reaction when they open up the box.
A present for my friend who set me up with Mr STG
My first meeting with Mr STG was a blind date, set up by an old school friend. She’ll forever be our matchmaker, our Yenta and so for her birthday this year I sealed the deal with a mink cord, silver Havana bracelet with her nickname YENTA engraved on it (see it below). She was totally thrilled. It’s our in-joke and the gift was received with the warmth in which it was meant. No matter how old you get, there’s nothing like a friendship bracelet to make you feel special.
